The Disneyland Premium Annual Passport (AP) was the first and oldest Disneyland season pass, created in 1984 with the introduction of an all-day, all-attraction ticket.
However, as of October 4, 2015, the Premium Annual Passport is no longer available either for purchase or renewal. It is simply extinct.
The closest AP option for Premium passholders is the Signature AP or a step up to the Signature Plus pass.
Also, the Premium AP is not available as an option for upgrading a lower AP or regular ticket.
Let’s look at what this pass had to offer.
By The Numbers: Premium Annual Passport
Passport Cost
Total Cost
The total cost for a Premium AP was $779.00.
Financed Cost
Payments for Premium Annual Passports were $64.92 per month. For more information, check out our page on financing Disneyland AP’s.
Remember, financing is available for California residents only.
Already financing a Premium AP? Wondering what you still owe? Check out our page entirely devoted to AP pay schedules.
Does The Premium AP Include Parking?
Yes, parking at the Disneyland Resort is included. Premium Annual Passholders can park every day of their pass without paying extra. For more information on AP parking in general, visit our Ultimate Guide To Disneyland Annual Passholder Parking page.
Benefits
How Many Days Per Year Can You Visit The Resort?
The Premium AP allows you entry 365 days per year.
When Is This Passport Blocked Out?
Never. Visit when you like.
How Many Visits Do You Need To Break-Even On The Pass?
You’ll pass the break-even point for the Premium pass on your 11th day at the resort.
When you’re planning your vacation goals, the number of times you’ll visit the Disneyland Resort can guide you to the correct Annual Passport. Below are some examples of when it would be cheaper to skip the AP and buy regular tickets.
| Ticket or AP | Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Premium AP | $779 | – |
| (2) 5-Day Park Hopper Tickets * | $670 | $109 |
| (2) 5-Day + (1) 1-Day Value Ticket ** | $765 | $14 |
** Single-park tickets allow entry to either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure on the day they’re redeemed.
These examples don’t include any cost savings you’d get from your AP discount, which is 15 – 20% at most restaurants and shops in the parks.
Discounts
- Disney Dining: 15%
- Merchandise Purchased At Disney Theme Parks, Kiosks, and Resort Hotels: 20%
- Disneyland Resort Hotel Stays: 15% to over 40% depending on the day of the week and season
- Resort Events & Tours: 15%
- Downtown Disney:
- Restaurants: 10% (15% at both the House of Blues® Crossroads Restaurant and Voodoo Lounge)
- Shops: 10% – 20%
Price History Of Disneyland Premium Annual Passport
I’ve included a chart of Premium prices over the years, using a Disneyland 5-Day Park Hopper (PH) and various other tickets just for price reference.
| Date | Premium AP | 5-Day PH Ticket | Days To Break-Even |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $65† | $14†† | 5 |
| 1985 | $85† | $16.50†† | 6 |
| 1986 | $99† | $17.95†† | 6 |
| 1987 | $140† | $51.50‡ | 9 |
| 2000 | $199 | $99** | 11 |
| November 2002 | $225 | $169* | 8 |
| January 2004 | $279 | $179* | 8 |
| October 2004 | $329 | $179* | 9 |
| September 2005 | $349 | $209* | 8 |
| September 2006 | $359 | $219* | 8 |
| September 2007 | $379 | $234 | 8 |
| August 2008 | $389 | $239* | 8 |
| August 2009 | $429 | $244* | 8 |
| January 2010 | $439 | $244* | 8 |
| August 2010 | $459 | $246* | 9 |
| June 2011 | $499 | $266 | 9 |
| May 2012 | $649 | $290 | 11 |
| June 2013 | $669 | $300 | 11 |
| May 2014 | $699 | $305 | 11 |
| February 2015 | $779 | $315 | 11 |
| October 2015 | AP Cancelled | $315 | 11 |
** Price of a 5-Day Disneyland-only ticket. This was before the construction of Disney California Adventure and Park Hopper tickets.
† Annual passports were first offered to the general public in 1984. This number reflects the standard price for the Premium Annual Passport without any discounts, including Magic Kingdom Club.
†† Regular multi-day, all-inclusive tickets weren’t sold before 1987. These prices are for single-day Disneyland tickets.
‡ Multi-day Disneyland tickets were first offered in 1987. $51.50 is the price for a 3-Day ticket, the longest span of time you could buy.
Originally priced at $65, the Premium AP remained the only annual pass until Disney California Adventure opened in 2002 and the SoCal and Deluxe passports were introduced. After this point the price began to increase.
As you can see in the table above, the yearly price increases remained small between 2004 and 2011, when it shot up $150 and pushed the AP into the $600 range for the first time.
None of that matters now, because as of October 2015 the Premium AP is no more.
For a more detailed discussion on Disney AP pricing strategy, visit my post ‘5 Reasons Disneyland Doesn’t Want More Annual Passholders‘.
RIP Premium Annual Passport
The Premium Annual Passport is permanently unavailable.
Visit our Ultimate Guide To Disneyland Annual Passports, to see which of the Southern California Select, Southern California, Deluxe, Signature, Signature Plus, or Disney Premier AP’s are now a better fit for your style and budget.
If you can think of any more questions, leave me a comment below. I’d love you hear from you! Thanks for visiting and we’ll see ya’ real soon!
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2 replies on “Disneyland Premium Annual Passport | Ultimate Guide”
It did not. I had it from 2013-2014 and we took a bunch of pictures with Lightning and Mater but we’re only able to view them online and not download.
Did the premium pass every include free photo downloads? I was always under the impression that it did, but ‘cast members’ are telling me it did not. And of course I can’t find the info anywhere online now.