Disneyland's Top-of-the-Line Annual Pass Surpasses $1,000 Mark and Mickey Feels Fine

Disneyland, which thanks to sustained massive crowds can print money faster than Fort Knox these days, announced Monday it has raised the price of its top-of-the-line annual pass beyond the $1,000 mark–to $1,049 to be precise.

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The so-called Signature pass gives holders ages 3 and up unlimited access to Disneyland and California Adventure any time of year–for a year. A Signature pass that only blacks out the winter holiday–making the Anaheim parks available 350 days of the year–are $849.

Both replace the no-blackout, $779 Premium Annual Passport. But the new passes also come with perks, including parking, discounts for dining and merchandise and a new PhotoPass that allows passholders unlimited digital downloads of photos taken of them meeting characters, walking around the park and on rides.

The hike is one of many for the theme parks in Anaheim as of Sunday. Consider:

* Premier pass for unlimited bi-coastal access to the Anaheim and Florida parks jumped $300 to $1,439.

* Deluxe pass with some Saturday and peak period blackouts (available 315 days) are up $50 to $599.

* Same for the Southern California resident pass ($459 for 215 available days), with a huge catch: You can only renew passes you already have.

* Southern California Select pass is up $30 to $329 for 170 available days.

But wait, there's more! Nearly $200 more if your current pass does not include parking. It's $199 to add parking to renewals.

Speaking of which, holders of the now-extinct Premium passports can use them through their respective expiration dates.

Oh yeah, they are also jacking up Downtown Disney. Parking is currently free for two hours with two more available with validation from a movie or restaurant. But the hourly rate jumped $4 to $16.

Increases are necessary, according to the Mouse.

“Our new selection of annual passes will help us manage strong demand and continue to deliver a world-class experience, while providing more choices for guests to select the pass that best meets their needs,” says Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown in a statement.

“We continue to evolve the way we think about managing demand–particularly during our busiest seasons–in order to deliver a world-class experience for our guests. In addition to continuing to expand, we are also exploring pricing options that could help spread out visitation throughout the year.”

Spreading things out might result in some deals for non-pass holders, as Disneyland is also considering lowering ticket prices or allowing free parking on slower days.

Wait! … Those exist?

Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

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