We are back to the Disney days we love! Every renewal feels like a homecoming. Early in my blogging days I wrote about the struggle that I face every time our Disney passes expire. You can read that post here. I am very aware of what a privilege it is to have Disney passes, and so are my kids. We don’t take it for granite ( hahaha! jungle cruise?? Anyone??) I remember the days when a Disney annual pass only cost about 100$ for SoCal residents. Now, it’s $700+ and instead of 1 I’m looking at 4 (soon 5!) passes. It’s seriously tough! Especially, on a single income home. The last two years my husband has gone without a pass so that the kids and I could have one. Its our reality. So, I thought I’d share some of my real life tips on how we remain Disney Annual Passholders.

 “…are these sacrifices worthwhile? I would respond, without hesitation, absolutely, YES.”

• Disney Gift Cards. For every single gift occasion, the kids always ask for Disney Gift Cards. You can use them easily to buy passes and tickets. Vie already knows and is her first choice when asked what she’d like as a gift. She continues to collect for every Birthday and Christmas continuously through the year. The amount really helps toward the down payment and sometimes even the entire cost of her pass!
• We don’t buy the kids birthday gifts. We really limit on the small superfluous things and prefer giving them experiences like Disney Passes that they can enjoy throughout the year.
• Time lapse. After our passes expire we wait a season (or try to) before renewing. This time it was 4 long hard months of temptation and kids asking why Disneyland was still closed! (ha ha!) But we made it through. My favorite time of year to visit Disneyland is Halloween. I purposefully waited half way through the Halloween season so that I had plenty of time to experience it, this year and next year before it expired again.
• Interest free, monthly payments! If you make a down payment Disney will finance it interest free. They just split the remainder over 12 months. I like to give a deposit large enough to make the payments comfortable. A $40 or $50 monthly payment doesn’t feel as harsh to me as dropping $1500 on that first Disney day.

You might ask, are these sacrifices worthwhile? I would respond, without hesitation, absolutely, YES. Disney has been such a huge part of my life since I was little. When I was a kid my parents would take us once and year. The excitement and thrill was incredible. I still feel that today with every trip we make. All of my memories of me as a kid walking through the same places my kids walk through now reflect each other. The milestones I’ve watched my kids experience at Disneyland are priceless. From first steps to first rollercoaster ride! I often get asked, “Doesn’t it get old?” Umm… NO! Disney is ever evolving and there is always something new to see and discover! There is something exciting to look forward to every season. For me, annual passes are absolutely worth every sacrifice. One day when the kids will be too cool to hang out with me, these memories will be my treasure. Until then I will keep adding to that treasure with another year of Disney!

This year, as I was planning our renewal, Disney announced the new Disney Flex Pass. It is 599$ and offers more availability than the SoCal Select, with a lower price than the Deluxe. In the past, we have gotten the Deluxe because it has availability on the weekends where the SoCal does not. This Flex Pass seems like the happy medium we are looking for. The only catch is some days are reservation only. So you have to make advance reservations for certain days. I am excited to give this pass a try this year. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how it works out for us.

Would you be interested in budgeting ideas when in the park? Let me know your Disney thoughts down below!