Ahead of the start of the 25th anniversary, Disneyland Paris have announced a restructure to their annual pass system. From 29th March guests will have the option to purchase one of four levels of annual pass - Discovery; Magic Flex; Magic Plus; and Infinity. Each level has its own associated benefits with only the Infinity pass giving you access to the parks for the full 365 days a year, the other three tiers all have blackout dates (the precise details of which are to be confirmed).
Perhaps the most striking difference is the increase in price for the top tier pass. Currently the top tier is the Dreams pass which gives you 365 days access, 20% retail discount, 10% restaurant discount, free parking, and a selection of other perks for a cost of 223 Euro. The new Infinity pass which will offer the same benefits as the Dreams pass, plus a photopass included, priority parking, VIP viewing areas for the parades, and a dedicated VIP phone line and desk in the Annual Pass Office, however the cost will be 399 Euros - an increase of 79%!
For those who currently hold any of the Annual Passes they now have a choice - keep their current pass and benefits, but have to choose one of the new tiers at renewal, or upgrade to the new system before renewal. What currently isn't clear is what is going to happen to people who have purchased a pass under the current system and have been sent a temporary pass to activate within 6 months - if they activate prior to the new system taking effect on 29th March then they will be fine, however if they are activating after 29th March it is not known if they can keep the product they originally purchased or if they will have to choose which of the new options to convert their pass into. ED92 sum up the decision faced by many pass holders:
You will notice that, in order to not lose any of your benefits (and win a few), you will need to upgrade to a Pass that will cost more than the Passport you currently own.
If however you would like to keep the same price range, you will lose a number of benefits and access days, and pay slightly more than you currently do.
They also have a
detailed article exploring all the changes.
This seems to be a rather interesting move by Disney and I'm not quite sure if it's a good one. Many people are upset by the changes, especially the stripping away of benefits and access days from the lower tiers.