Guests have enjoyed the benefits of a Disneyland Annual Passport (AP) since the Premium AP was created in 1984. To have a personal, year-long ticket to your backyard theme park is a special privilege few will soon forget.
However, this particular privilege does cost a few bucks, seemingly more so in recent years. Just how much has the price of Disneyland Annual Passports changed over the years?
Prices Of All Disneyland Annual Passports Over Time
| Date | SoCal Select AP | SoCal AP |
|---|---|---|
| November 2002 | – | $105 |
| January 2004 | $99 | $129 |
| October 2004 | $99 | $149 |
| September 2005 | $119 | $149 |
| September 2006 | $124 | $154 |
| September 2007 | $129 | $169 |
| August 2008 | $134 | $174 |
| August 2009 | $144 | $194 |
| January 2010 | $169 | $219 |
| August 2010 | $184 | $239 |
| June 2011 | $199 | $269 |
| January 2012 | $199 | $269 |
| May 2012 | $269 | $329 |
| June 2013 | $279 | $359 |
| May 2014 | $289 | $379 |
| February 2015 | $299 | $409 |
| October 2015 | $329 | $459 |
| February 2017 | $339 | $469 |
| February 2018 | $369 | $499 |
| Date | Deluxe AP | Premium AP |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | – | $65 |
| 1985 | – | $85 |
| 1986 | – | $99 |
| 1987 | – | $140 |
| 2000 | – | $199 |
| November 2002 | $165 | $225 |
| January 2004 | $179 | $279 |
| October 2004 | $209 | $329 |
| September 2005 | $229 | $349 |
| September 2006 | $239 | $359 |
| September 2007 | $259 | $379 |
| August 2008 | $269 | $389 |
| August 2009 | $289 | $429 |
| January 2010 | $299 | $439 |
| August 2010 | $329 | $459 |
| June 2011 | $379 | $499 |
| January 2012 | $379 | $499 |
| May 2012 | $469 | $649 |
| June 2013 | $499 | $669 |
| May 2014 | $519 | $699 |
| February 2015 | $549 | $779 |
| October 2015 | $599 | Cancelled |
| February 2017 | $619 | – |
| February 2018 | $729 | – |
| Date | Signature AP | Signature Plus AP | Premier* |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2010 | – | – | $700 |
| June 2011 | – | – | $700 |
| January 2012 | – | – | $749 |
| May 2012 | – | – | $849 |
| June 2013 | – | – | $979 |
| May 2014 | – | – | $1,029 |
| February 2015 | – | – | $1,099 |
| October 2015 | $849 | $1,049 | $1,439 |
| February 2017 | $849 | $1,049 | $1,439 |
| February | $999 | $1,149 | $1,579 |
Cost Of All Disneyland Annual Passports Adjusted For Inflation
How much have Disneyland AP’s really gone up in today’s money? In the tables below, you’ll find the cost of each AP, adjusted for inflation to the current year.
| Disneyland AP | Year Debuted | Original Price Adjusted to 2018 | Current Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoCal Select AP | 2003 | $135 | $369 |
| SoCal AP | 2002 | $144 | $499 |
| Deluxe AP | 2002 | $226 | $729 |
| Signature AP | 2015 | $885 | $999 |
| Signature Plus AP | 2015 | $1,093 | $1,149 |
| Disney Premier | 2010 | $797 | $1,579 |
As you can see, the price of the SoCal Select, SoCal, and Deluxe Disneyland Annual Passport have at least doubled since they were introduced!
| Annual Passport Change Over Time** | ||
|---|---|---|
| Disneyland AP | Price Increase | Percent Change |
| SoCal Select AP | + $234 | + 173% |
| SoCal AP | + $355 | + 247% |
| Deluxe AP | + $503 | + 223% |
| Signature AP | + $114 | + 13% |
| Signature Plus AP | + $56 | + 5% |
| Disney Premier | + $782 | + 98% |
The Disney Premier Passport has seen the largest overall dollar price increase in its years of existence, coming to more than twice what a Deluxe pass would cost by itself. Unsurprisingly, the Southern California AP has seen the largest percent increase with a gain of 247% when adjusted for inflation.
Current Disneyland Annual Passport Prices Versus Cost In 1955
After the opening of Disneyland in 1955, adult general admission to the park was $1 and a book of 8 A-C tickets sold for about $2.50. While there’s no exact comparison between that ticket system and today’s all-day, all-attraction ticket, I’ve thrown together some numbers below that equal a decent approximation of what one adult would pay for to ride all the attractions Disneyland had in 1955.
The full cost for an all-day, all-attraction trip to Disneyland in 1955 would have been $7.50 or about $68 in 2017. Below is a table relating the prices of today’s AP’s with what they would have cost when the park first opened.
| Disneyland Annual Passport | Current Price | Price in 1955 Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SoCal Select AP | $369 | $39.90 |
| SoCal AP | $499 | $53.95 |
| Deluxe AP | $729 | $78.82 |
| Signature AP | $999 | $108.01 |
| Signature Plus AP | $1,149 | $124.23 |
| Disney Premier Passport | $1,579 | $170.73 |
If Disney had sold a Southern California Select AP the year Disneyland opened, it would have taken you 6 all-attraction days to break-even. If they had a Signature AP in 1955, you’d have to visit more than 12 days to equal the cost in tickets.
| Disneyland Annual Passport | # Of Days To Break-Even In 1955 | # Of Days To Break-Even In 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| SoCal Select AP | 5 | 5 |
| SoCal AP | 7 | 6 |
| Deluxe AP | 10 | 8 |
| Signature AP | 13 | 11 |
| Signature Plus AP | 16 | 15 |
It’s interesting to see that in some cases, the number of days to break-even on your Disneyland Annual Passport would’ve been higher in 1955 than in 2017. So much for the good old days!
Of course, to compare a day in the brand-new Disneyland of 1955 with the modern 2-park Disneyland Resort of today isn’t exactly fair. For one thing, parking was much cheaper in 1955 and the prices I used for today’s AP’s did not include this.
I just think it’s neat to look at the numbers, so the next time we lament about the over-expensive cost of today’s tickets and AP’s, we’ll know things haven’t changed all that much.
What are your thoughts? Do you think today’s AP’s are worth their current price? Let me know in a comment below. Thanks for reading and we’ll see ya’ real soon!
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We were AP-holders since 1989. We were a family of 4. In recent years my son, now 22, lost interest in going all of the time. Is older sister, who was still living at home, was working at the park for a couple of years. That saved us the cost of 2 APs. We adopted one of our foster kids a couple of years ago so we were back to making monthly payments for 3 APs. We always opted for the Premium AP. The Deluxe didn’t make sense because once you added parking to it (when you still could) it was only a few dollars less than the Premium. We felt the extra discounts and extra days, especially around the holidays, were worth it. My daughter’s employment ended (long story) abruptly a month or so before our passes were to renew. The timing was convenient, because they had announced the ‘new’ Signature passes. The equivalent of the Premier (Sig+) was now going to be $1,049/yr. They force you to get at least the $849 AP to have parking included. You cannot add parking to the less expensive APs.
What this all comes down to is we’re all Disneyed out.
Unbelievable! This is why I do not buy the pass any longer. How can anyone afford the passes now? With a family of four you are talking about over $4,000.00!
You’re right Rich, it is a lot! I’m lucky enough to live in Southern California, so my family buys less-expensive SoCal AP’s and finances them. The amount I pay will go up next year though, when my son turns 3. Without the ability to make payments, it would be more of a stretch for us.
I just renewed my pass and updated it from Deluxe to Premium. I hate that this has gone up so much and if it goes up more then that I will probably go back to my Deluxe. I only went up to Premium because of the 24 hour event since I wasn’t able to go on Saturday this year and had to cut my trip short. Discount wise it makes up for the price there. I only have 8 more days to go until it’s paid for.
Thanks for the comment, Sheila! The line between the Deluxe and Premium AP’s has really blurred in recent years. In fact, I’m writing a big article comparing the two passes in detail that you’d probably find interesting. I’ll be talking about it more in our weekly newsletter, if you’re a subscriber.
I’m the 24 hour event was a blast! I still have to get to one. My family couldn’t/wouldn’t make it this year. There’s always next time.