Do you want a Disneyland annual pass? We have some sad news

Doesn’t seem like any of us will be “meeting on Main Street, U.S.A.” anytime soon after the recent news involving Disneyland and their Annual Pass Program. 

When it opened in 1955, Disneyland in Anaheim, California offered guests an escape from the everyday world, where they could leave their troubles at the front gates and “enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy”. Like Walt Disney said himself, Disneyland was our land, and it has seemingly been taken from us thanks to this current global pandemic.

Now, even more news surrounding Disneyland’s Annual Pass Program has left fans of this magical theme park questioning if Disneyland knows something that we don’t, wondering if Disneyland will even re-open in 2021 like Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida, has managed to. 

Disneyland shuts down

Disneyland closed its gates on the morning of March 14th, 2020, due to the increase in COVID cases in California as well as Disneyland’s overall setup which welcomes mass gatherings. While the park was shut down, guests who were staying at the Disneyland resort were given an extra two days to arrange travel accommodations before the hotels on the Disneyland campus were shut down, too.

This is only the third time in history when Disneyland was forced to close down, the other two being on November 22nd, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the other being the attacks on September 11th, 2001. 

While Disneyland had early intentions of reopening as soon as April 2020, it became regrettably clear that the health & safety of park guests & employees would be at great risk, given the fact the Disneyland has an estimated average daily attendance of nearly 50,000 guests per day.  

Annual Pass Program

With the Disneyland Resort still closed as well as California seeing a new spike in COVID-19 cases, Disney has opted to “sunset” the current Annual PassHolder Program, offering full refunds given the uncertainty of when both parks, Disneyland Park & Disney’s California Adventure Park, might see a reopening date. 

Disneyland’s Annual Passes allow guests who are signed up with the program to visit one or both parks on select days any time of the year. Depending on which specific program you’re signed up for, you’ll receive discount offers, invitations to special events, and insider information. 

Both Disneyland Park & Disney’s California Adventure Park have plenty of exciting offerings for guests, which is why if you’re somebody who visits the Disneyland Resort more than eleven-days per year, the Annual Pass Program was certainly the way to go. 

Now, even with Disney’s intent on restructuring their Annual Pass Program, it’s clear that we Disneyland faithful won’t know the full details until we get closer to a tentative reopening date.  

Disneyland finds new purpose

While we may not get to join Indiana Jones and his adventure through the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, or even bobsled through the Matterhorn Mountain and escape the mythical Abominable Snow Monster, we’re happy to report that Disneyland has still managed to find a way to make some wishes come true. 

It was reported earlier this week that Disneyland will offer its services and play host as a vaccination site in response to the current global pandemic. 

Transforming into Orange County’s first vaccination “supersite”, the theme park has set up a large number of tents, ready to vaccinate those who are considered “high risk”. By next month, it is expected that childcare & education workers, people who are the age of sixty-five or older, and the homeless community should have access.  

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What are your thoughts on Disneyland suspending their Annual Pass Program? Were you an Annual Pass holder? Do you think Disneyland will reopen sometime in 2021? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.