by Tinker Belle Diva

I purchased my first Disneyland Annual Pass in 2005. It was a Deluxe Annual Pass (AP) and the purchase price was around $300 for the year. That year I was taking two trips of 3- and 5-day durations and saved money by purchasing the AP. I have used both Park Hoppers and APs in the years since, doing calculations on the number of trips and the discounts to determine what is best for my family.

Last year I wrote an article about the 2019 price increase, so this latest price increase on February 22, 2020, has me looking at this again. Since I am out-of-state, I am only comparing the Deluxe, Signature and Signature Plus passes. For those of you that live in Southern California, you have one other option (Southern California Select), and being a local changes just about everything since you could visit dozens of times in a month. If you are lucky enough to be that person, an AP is definitely the way to go. Note that MaxPass increased from $15 to $20/day, while parking did not increase and remains at $25/day. Not sure if you need MaxPass? Then read my article here on When You Should Buy MaxPass at Disneyland.

All APs are Park Hoppers, but the additional perks and discounts do vary based on the type of pass purchased. As of January 6th, 2019, the choices and prices for non-Southern California resident APs are:

Within each of the AP Ticket Options, the perks and blackout dates vary widely and may be more or less appropriate for your family. Just as in 2019, the Deluxe AP is only valid for Disney California Adventure Park from June 19-August 16, meaning you cannot visit Disneyland Park for nearly 2 months. In addition to blackout dates, how often do you drive and need to park at the Disneyland Resort? Or do you stay at a hotel within walking distance and don’t need parking? Are you enjoying the benefits of MaxPass and want that every day of your vacation? Do you have children in school and only vacation during weekends and holidays? Let’s say you do only vacation on holiday weekends and would, therefore, select either the Signature or Signature Plus pass. The discounts are the same, and you can add MaxPass to the Signature pass for an additional $125. As the difference between the two passes if you add MaxPass is $125, leaving the only difference being the block out dates for Signature during the winter holiday season. If you plan to vacation between December 21 to January 4, the Signature Plus would be the best choice in this scenario. Remember that APs do not include a Magic Morning, but Park Hoppers include one.

Do you travel only during the holidays? That will impact which ticket is right for you.

Here are the Park Hopper prices as of February 11th and the number of times you would need to make a trip under each ticket option to make it the cost equivalent of purchasing an AP. This is the ticket price only and doesn’t include discounts or other perks. While there are options for discounted tickets through 3rd Party providers, like Undercover Tourist, or severely discounted tickets, like Military, I am doing a comparison of only the retail ticket prices directly from Disney. Keep in mind that you would need to add days to your trip if you have those discount options available to you to create your trip equivalent. I am not comparing Signature Plus, as you only need that pass if you plan to vacation between December 21 to January 4.

None of the Park Hopper tickets include blackout dates, so your decision on what to buy may also be driven by your vacation dates. Be sure to check the blackout calendar on the Disneyland website for the dates when the Flex, Deluxe, and Signature APs cannot be used. Remember too that you can buy discounted tickets for children 3-9, while you will need to pay full price for anyone 3 or older when you purchase an AP.

Since the math from the table above doesn’t include discounts or perks or a combination of trips over a different number of days, we can look at a couple of scenarios to see what might be the right choice. I am not including tax in the meal or merchandise prices.

Scenario 1 – A family of two adults will be taking two trips, one a 3-day and one a 4-day trip. They typically spent $75/day on meals and $25/day on merchandise. They do not need theme park parking, and they will want MaxPass for each day of their trip ($15/day/person).

This family should definitely look at the block out and reservation required dates for the Flex Pass to confirm they fit with their vacation dates. I have the Flex Pass and I’m very familiar with it and can answer any questions you have about it. It allows you to make a reservation 30 days in advance and you can hold up to 2 reservation dates in any 30-day period. Once the date of your first reservation is completed, you can make another reservation. If they are able to plan at least 30-days in advance and have a combination of reservation and non-reservation required dates, the Flex is the best choice. If not, the Deluxe and Park Hoppers are nearly the same price, so the decision would be based on the block out dates for the Deluxe.

Scenario 2 – A family of four (all 10 and older) will be taking three trips, one a 2-day, one a 3-day and one a 4-day trip. They typically spent $150/day on meals and $45/day on merchandise. They do need theme park parking ($25/day), and they will want MaxPass for 8 days of the 9 of their trip.

All of the Annual Passes are a better choice for this family. They will save $2000 by looking at the block out and reservation required dates for the Flex Pass to confirm they fit with their vacation dates, or review the blackout dates for the Deluxe as this option since it is nearly $1150 less expensive than the Signature AP. If this family does not want to plan around reservations for the Flex or block out dates for the Deluxe, they should buy the Signature AP.

There are a few more considerations that might influence your decision. Do you stay on the Disney property resorts and would an AP discount be available during your vacation? Do you take tours or attend special events that have an AP discount? Do you shop or eat at the stores in Downtown Disney that have an AP discount?

Are you traveling with children? Compare the price for Park Hoppers for the 3-9 age group to the cost of the AP. You may find that only the adults need APs.

Once you have estimated the number of trips, the duration of each of those trips, your food/merchandise spend, parking needs, and desire for MaxPass, you will be able to make the decision that financially fits your needs. Enjoy your vacation! I would be happy to answer any questions you have about which one may be right for you or questions on the Flex AP as I have that one. Just ask in the comment section!

If you are just looking for Disneyland Park ticket, not an Annual Pass here at Tips from the Disney Diva we have partnered with Undercover Tourist to bring you park tickets you can find here.

Need help planning your Disney vacation? Patricia at All 4 Dream Travel is here to help! Contact her today for a quote.

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