Why I became a Disney Passholder
First thing people said to me when I moved to Florida was how I’d be at the beach and theme parks all the time. What a paradise I live in! While the first part may not be true, you may have noticed via my instagram (@sincerely.sarah.lawall) that I HAVE spent many times in my two years of Florida living going to the Orlando theme parks. I mean heck, it’s only a little over an hour drive from Tampa!
So why now did I decide to become a Disney Passholder and why should you maybe look into it too?
Florida Resident Discount
Fun Fact- I still haven’t changed my drivers license to Florida, but was able to get the resident discount by showing proof of a utilities bill to a FL address. Being a Florida resident gave me access to the Gold Passholder plan- it’s an upfront fee of $129 then monthly payments of $43.30. That’s $648.60 total. I only have two weeks of block out dates around Christmas & New Years with this option. There are definitely cheaper options, but you will be blocked out most of the summer (which honestly it’s busy and hot/rainy so maybe that isn’t a bad thing!).
Bonus Passholder Discounts
Did you know you get free parking, free photos, a free magic band and discounts to hundreds of stores, restaurants, and hotels by being a Passholder? I’ve been to Disney since becoming a passholder 4 times now- that’s already $100 saved in parking and documented memories from each visit!
Cost Analysis
Let’s do some math shall we? A FL Resident one-day park pass costs $109, or $139 with a park hopper pass. I knew I was going to be at Disney at least 4 times between June and the end of the year. That’s already $556 right there. Plus the $100 I saved in parking fees. So it paid for itself!
Now each time I go is just a bonus :)
Not feeling rushed through the parks
I’m from North Carolina, and we grew up going to Disney EVERY spring break. We would typically spend one day in each park, but as we got older my parents would try to fit in as much as possible with the park hopper to try to save money. One day we did THREE parks in one day. My parents are just as crazy travelers as I am haha. Plus going in groups can be tough to get to do everything you want to do. So I knew with the Passholder plan I could go to Disney solo to catch the stuff I didn’t get to do before, or keep going back to the rides I love over & over again (hello Rock ‘n Roller Coaster!)
Disney Prices are going up
I actually knew that Disney was going to bump up their ticket and Passholder costs, so I wanted to make sure I jumped at the chance before that happened! Unfortunately, now the Gold Passholder program is $699, which is $50 higher than mine I bought just a month ago.
Okay, so I convinced you to become a Disney Passholder, now what?
Here are some Pro Tips I’ve learned so far:
If you don’t stay on property, but still want to get into the park early, book a breakfast reservation! My sister and I had an 8:30am reservation at the Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom and we got to cut all the lines of people waiting to get into the park when it opened at 9am. We ate super fast and were the first in line for our favorite ride!
Also, if you don’t want to eat that early, but still want to get into the park early, you can always accept the $10 no show fee.
The fastest way to get between Hollywood Studios and Epcot is surprisingly by foot. (I mean unless you magically catch a bus right when it shows up). You can walk along the river and through the Disney boardwalk area and it’ll pop you out between France & England. ~20 Minutes
Passholders can book their Fast Passes up to 30 days in advance, but you can only book up to three for the same park. You won’t be able to get new passes until after you’ve used up all three that day, BUT you can pick 3 more for a different day up to 7 different days. If you stay on property, you can book your fast passes 60 days out!
Know which rides have single rider lanes! No reason to waste a fast pass on a ride that will only be a 20min or less wait when doing single rider. Test Track, Expedition Everest, and Rock ‘N Rollercoaster all have a separate line for single riders.
You CAN bring snacks into the park! I don’t know when I finally realized this, but it’s a big cost savings!
What are your tips and tricks when going to Disney?
Can’t wait to continue to show you more of my days at Disney!
