Disney World Annual Pass Holders Lose Key Discount, Effective Immediately

a group of people outside a building

Hardcore Disney World fans like our family are losing a key discount going forward.  Annual pass holders who enjoyed a 20% discount on dining at select restaurants will now see that discount drop to 10%.

WDW News Today, a reliable source of news for all things Disney, reported the change yesterday.  The change expands a 10% discount to a much broader list of restaurants.  But, the 20% discount is no longer available at any restaurants.

The new discount is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2018.

a group of people outside a building

a plate of food on a table
Tasty Prawns At Disney World’s Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom
The Final Two Pennies

I’m a bit disappointed.  It’s partially my own fault.  We purchased annual passes for the first time about a month ago.  It was in anticipation of an upcoming Disney World trip.  We took advantage of the fantastic discount for Disney Vacation Club members.  Part of the value there was a 20% discount on dining.  That would save us from having to pay for Tables in Wonderland, our normal go-to plan for saving money on dining at Disney.  You can even score a discount at expensive, hard to get dining reservations for places like Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Disney Cinderella's Royal Table
Dessert at Cinderella’s Royal Table

In fairness, I didn’t research the expiration date of the 20% off code when purchasing our annual passes.  And, we’re still likely to get a ton of value out of our annual passes. But, that 20% discount…..

The post Disney World Annual Pass Holders Lose Key Discount, Effective Immediately was published first on Pizza in Motion

4 Comments

  1. There were a few restaurants that offered 20%, but the majority were a limited time offer to celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, which lasted one year. It’s sad to see that benefit expire though. And particularly seeing that there will be no 20% off venues at all anymore.

    1. Pam, I’m sad that no restaurants are staying at 20%. I’m also not wild that the AP discount is only for a party of 4 versus 10 with TIW. But, if I’m being completely honest, I’ll still get my money’s worth with the DVC discount as long as I can squeeze in a second trip this year. Still, I think Disney would generate incremental revenue giving AP folks a better discount. I see so many people bring water, fruit, etc into parks and leave to eat in their rooms. At least for me, 20% is enough to make me comfortable paying most of the park prices.

  2. I don’t think it’s fair to say they removed a discount — they simply reverted back to the standard 10% as they had announced they were going to do at the beginning to the promotion.

    They have toyed with various discounts tied to APs over the years. The last 20% was quite a few years ago, if I recall. If you go frequently enough and/or with a group, TiW is definitely a great deal, especially if you consume alcohol. It’s the ONLY thing discounting alcohol. Even cast members don’t get alcohol discounts.

    1. Bill, we really like TiW. I recall the 20% announcement a bit differently. I recall them saying it was through the end of 2017 (well, December 23rd). But, I don’t recall something definitive that it would revert to 10. I don’t blame Disney for dropping it. I assumed it would stay as it was, bad assumption on my part.

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