Have you heard of the new Disney annual pass? It’s called the Disney Flex annual pass and it’s quite a change from what Disneyland has offered in the past. It fits in right between the Disney SoCal Select pass and the Disneyland Deluxe Pass. It’s no secret how much we love Disney and as Disney lovers, annual passes are a must. In this post I will discuss more about Disney’s Annual Passes as well as give you all the details on the new Disneyland Flex Pass!
Disney is ingrained in our family and we always feel revitalized after visiting the Disney Parks and being reminded that Dreams Do Come True! (for me, see my post on Disney Social Media Moms for proof! For my girls, they have been transformed into princesses (see my Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Review.) My son has even been transformed into a Disney Pirate with a beard and all! (see Pirates League Review Disney World.
We’ve taken multiple Disney World trips (have you seen my YouTube Disney playlist that gives you a behind the scenes look at our last Disney trip?), we’ve gone on a few Disney Cruises including the Disney Magic Cruise and the Disney Dream (although I wish we went on even more Disney Cruises!)
We don’t live too far away from Disneyland and so annual passes are a great way to get some Disney Magic in our day/evenings even if we go for just a few hours.
Disney Flex Annual Pass
I have spent the last week researching Disney annual passes because our passes expired. Last year our family had Deluxe passes and 1 signature pass (for the parking.) I purchased MaxPass upgrades for all of our tickets and I don’t know if I can do Disney now without the fast pass system. It really made things a lot smoother for us when we would visit Disneyland and California Adventure.
This year, I think I am going to go with 1 premier pass (this is the pass that has no block out dates for Disneyland and all the Disney world parks in Florida, includes parking at Disneyland and in Walt Disney World, has MaxPass and has the Disney Memory Maker picture package too. ) We are going to Disney world at the end of the year so I wanted to get the most bang for my buck. I also like having all these extra’s and think that I will make up the extra cost in parking, discounts and the photo package.
I will likely be buying 1 premier pass + 4 Flex Passes for my husband and children. I will also be paying for the upgrade to MaxPass on the 4 Flex pass tickets.
What is the Disney Flex Pass?
It is a new pass Disney will be releasing on May 21, 2019 that will include some good to go dates, reservation required dates (for peak dates) and with just a 15 day block out period in December 2019/January 2020 (December 21, 2019-January 4, 2020).
It’s price point is in between the lowest tier annual pass, the SoCal Select pass and the higher tiered Deluxe Annual Pass.
It currently costs $599 in 2019 and will release on May 21, 2019. There is a monthly payment option for guests who live in California zip codes 90000-96199.
Guests can make a reservation for reservation required dates up to 30 days in advance and as late as the same day (depending on availability.) You can hold 2 reservations at a time. Once you use up your first reservation, you can make another reservation.
Guests will need to cancel reservations the night before (by 11.59PM) if you don’t plan on going to the park on a day you made a reservation for. No-shows for 3 reservations in a 90 day period means you will be penalized. You won’t be able to make further reservations for 30 days.
This new pass will allow Disney to know crowd levels in advance.
The Flex Pass includes up to a 10% discount on dining and merchandise.
Who is the Flex Pass for?
The Flex Pass is for those who:
- Can go during the weekdays to Disney but would like the option of adding on some weekends here and there too.
- Don’t need to go to Disneyland on peak days for more than 2 days in a row.
- Those who like to plan in advance.
- Who are looking for a cheaper option but with more possible dates to visit the park.
Let’s have a look at the current line up of Disney Annual Passes:
- SoCal Select – $399- blocked out in the summer. For those that go to Disney mostly during the week.
- Deluxe – $799 – a good option but doesn’t include most of the summer break.
- Signature – $1149 – includes parking. Only blocked out for 15 days (December/January). 15% off dining. 20% off merchandise.
- Signature Plus – $1,399 – no block out dates. Includes Parking. 15% off dining. 20% off merchandise.
- Premiere – $1949 + tax – No block out dates. Includes parking and MaxPass. Works in both Disney World Florida and Disneyland parks in California. 15% off dining. 20% off merchandise.
How Flex Pass will work:
Guests with Flex pass will look at color coded days on their calendar. The calendar is within the Disneyland app or the website. There are 3 colors which represent: good to go (green), reservation required (blue), block out date (grey).
Does Flex Pass allow you to hop over to both parks?
When you are making a reservation, you can reserve just one park or you can reserve both parks. This will still count as one reservation.
What if you need to go to Disneyland for more than 2 days in a row?
My suggestion would be to book a few good to go dates along with your reservation. Then you can go for more days. If that’s not a possibility then consider an upgrade to one of the higher tiered passes.
Where can you buy the Flex Pass?
You can purchase your Disney annual passes here on Disneyland’s website.
My hesitations about the Flex Pass
Here are some thing’s we will need to watch out for over the next few months as more people purchase the Flex Pass.
- What if the reservations get taken really fast? Meaning if they are released at 7AM 30 days in advance, is it like a rat race to see who can get these reservations the fastest? Or would it be easier like the Disney dining reservation system.
- I’m worried about how this will affect the more expensive passes. For those that purchased one of the higher tier Disney Annual passes for the lower crowds: the Signature, Signature plus and Premier passports, they have a lot of extra allowed dates that were blocked off to lower tier pass holders. This now means that Disney crowds will be packed to the brim all the time even on what used to be block out dates for lower pass holders.
- Will it be more stressful or less stressful?
- Doesn’t include parking which would then be an added cost. If you go to the park 2 times a month x 12 months that is 24 times. 24×25 =an extra $600. You could get 1 signature pass for that price. You will have to factor in how many times you plan to go before making a purchase. I’d suggest 1 family member gets a pass with parking while the other’s get the Flex Pass.
Pro’s of the Flex Pass
- Ability to visit parks on peak days. This opens up a lot more dates!
- Lower cost point, which is less stressful for those with larger families.
- Faster break even point. (It would take around 3 park visits to break even on the cost you paid for the pass.)
- There are available dates in the summer! The cheapest tiered pass that currently allows you in for summer is the Signature pass and that one currently costs $1,149.
My Thoughts on Flex Pass Disney Annual Pass
I am really excited about the new Flex pass and I can’t wait to see how it evolves and works throughout the year. It has a lot of potential and if it’s as easy as booking Disney Dining then it will be a great option!
What are your thoughts on the new Flex Pass? Do you have Disneyland annual passes for your family? Which one do you have and are you happy with it?
Looking for more Disney posts? Then check out:
