Annual Pass events - What are they, are they disability friendly and are they worth it?

Annual Passes, now known as the Disneyland Pass are a great way to be able to make multiple visits in one year and offer a range of benefits, above providing your park entry. More information about buying passes can be found here.

 

One such benefit is access to special events designed for pass holders. These events are expected to be offered around 4 times per year and usually feature a theme. 

 

Having been an annual pass holder now for 5 years I have attended a number of these events or parties, and seen the changes in how they are run and operated. This blog will provide some general information about the parties alongside my own experiences and in particular the experience from the last event on 22 March 2024. The opinions are my own and are based on what I observed, experienced and heard from others. 

 

In the interests of full disclosure at the time of writing this blog post I have an open formal complaint logged regarding my experience at the event. 

What are the events?

These events are special events held after park hours and for an additional charge. Annual pass holders can buy tickets to attend and can usually also purchase a limited number of tickets for additional companions, for the most recent party this was 2. 

 

The party ran from 9.30pm to 2am and full price tickets were 59 euros, with a 25% discount for disabled pass holders and up to one companion that could be bought on the day, standard tickets were purchasable online. Usually you can enter the park from late afternoon using the party tickets. Wristbands are issued so you do not need to leave the park at park closing and re-enter. 

 

These events also usually allow, and encourage, the wearing of costumes, providing they do not pose a safety risk. There is usually a theme and you are encouraged to embrace that theme. 

 

You will usually be provided with a programme and there will often be some special shows, some sort of opening and closing show and opportunities to see rarer characters. In addition many rides are open and some restaurants and shops will also be open. 

 

As annual passes are generally designed for locals the parties usually operate almost entirely in French. 

How have they changed?

When I first started attending these events it was pre-covid and they looked different to how they operate now. While some things have stayed similar, such as the shows and ride operations, the main differences have been where it comes to characters. 

 

Initially these parties would provide a list and map of character locations and times, and these operated as traditional meet and greets. There were clear queuing systems set up with cast members present to guide guests and most meets had photopass photographers. It was however not always clear if there was any provision for priority pass holders, sometimes there was, sometimes there wasn't but there was always cast members to ask. 

 

The characters were often rarer ones or were out in themed outfits. You could wander by to see them or queue if you so wanted to. Some queues did get very long, up to several hours, but it was a choice you made whether you wanted to do that or not. 

 

You did used to have to exit the park at park closing then requeue to re-enter so on the plus side the wristband system is an improvement. 

 

Over time some changes were made, first limiting the number of photopass photographs taken and then they have tried to change the character interactions away from traditional meet and greets. Instead the parties have been focused on character interactions and happenings, and this was the format used at the most recent party. 

So what was the party on 22 March like? Was it safe, accessible and enjoyable?

The party on March 22 was themed to Treasure and the concept was that you would be immersed in the theming of the lands, you were encouraged to don costumes related to your favourite land and to spend your time searching out clues and accessing special password protected areas to encounter characters. There was also an opening and closing show in central plaza and a show featuring remixes of previous shows in Videopolis. 

 

Purchasing the tickets on the day was quite straightforward, although there was quite a long queue. The cast member was great and this was probably the highlight of the whole experience. We left after buying our tickets excited for the event. 

 

I did go back to my hotel to rest before the party and returned to the park at around 7.30pm, trying to avoid the crowds we watched the electrical sky parade from the end of main street then while dreams was playing we headed down discovery arcade and went to ride buzz lightyear, then went over to ride big thunder. We also grabbed some food at Casa de coco before the party started at 9.30pm. So far all was good and after we ate we decided to avoid the big crowds for the opening show in central plaza and instead went to start finding some clues in Frontierland. 

 

As the crowds emptied out from the opening show the issues began! The main things we faced in terms of poor accessibility and experience were:

 

  • The clues were placed in positions that it was hard for me to see them from my wheelchair, and most of the time I could not actually get close enough due to no system or queuing in place to view the clues, everyone was just piling around and I was unable to get in close enough to see them, I spent most of the clue hunting time staring at peoples backs
  • Examples of this included locations where you needed to enter a small space, turn around to see the clue overhead then leave, this was impossible with the crowds, in another area there was curtains obscuring the view from seated and it was not possible to get any closer due to crowds
  • The clues were in French, which was pre-warned but were not directly translatable making this even more difficult for non native speakers to work them out
  • We entered a queue at the Molly Brown and once we reached the front were scolded by a cast member as there was apparently a 'wheelchair line' and it was indicated we should leave and re-join that line, there was no signposting to this line and we had not been advised of this by the cast member we had passed when we entered the queue
  • When we attempted to enter one of the special password entry areas the crowds were horrendous and there was no queue system, we were crushed, people were almost falling into my chair and being lower than the crowds and unable to move through it was a horrible experience that did not feel safe
  • There was no indication of where characters would be or when, so you could be covering large distances just trying to see if anything was happening in that area, and it may be empty bit then later someone was there so you didn't know to go back, the distance covered was an issue for those with mobility issues and I can only imagine the uncertainty could also cause distress
  • When we did find characters there was again no sort of queue system, even for taking selfies, so it was impossible for me to get anywhere close enough to them due to the crowds. When they left for breaks there was no information about if they would return or not. Some characters did not stop in one place but where constantly moving which was impossible for those with slower mobility to keep up and get close enough to see
  • While the park is not designed to operate late at night and did look pretty with the lighting it does have the lighting was very low, this could be an issue for those with low vision and was very difficult when combined with rain. 

What do Disney think of this?

Following the event I did submit a complaint to Disney highlighting the above concerns, and asking what steps were taken to ensure the event would be safe and accessible for all. 

 

While they have responded to reassure me that safety and accessibility is a key priority for them they also stated that the access arrangements for the evening were the same as during normal operations and that unfortunately they cannot influence other guest behaviour. 

 

They acknowledged that I was unhappy with the event and have offered a refund of the ticket price but have made no indication of any actions to be taken or changes that may be made to future events. 

 

 

Would I go to another party?

Honestly I don't know! Maybe I'm an eternal optimist who thinks next time may be better and what if it is and I miss it based on this experience and it's actually great. But this experience has put me off and I wouldn't be comfortable attempting another one solo. I also probably wouldn't go specifically for a party and wouldn't put so much effort and pressure on myself to have the perfect outfit and have a brilliant time. 

 

But let's see...

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