food IS a theme park
We would never admit to how many hours we spend on Disney+ each week watching our favorite shows and movies, and we know you probably spend a lot of time on the streaming platform as well.
©Disney
If you’re going to be spending all of that time and money on your Disney+ subscription, you might as well take advantage of the huge perks that come with it.
One of EPCOT’s most popular Annual Passholder perks has returned for this year’s V.I.Passholder Days, but Disney is heavily enforcing who has access.
Annual Passholder
During the length of Disney World’s V.I.Passholders promotion through July 13th, an exclusive lounge for Annual Passholders will operate inside the Restaurant Marrakesh in EPCOT’s Morocco Pavilion.
When you visit Disney World, do you stay at a Disney World hotel? Sure, you might save some money by staying at a hotel off-property, but you might just be missing out if you do.
Beach Club Resort
You see, staying at a Disney World hotel doesn’t just get you a prime spot for all the action (so to speak), but staying at a Disney World hotel also gets you perks you can’t get at most other hotels. We’ve taken a look at all the perks you’ll get when you stay at a Disney World hotel perk in 2026, so you can look at that and maybe decide that 2026 is the year you’ll stay in a Disney World hotel when you visit the parks.
Being a Disney World Annual Passholder comes with its share of perks. Besides getting you into the theme parks for the length of the pass, you can also get discounts on food and merchandise, special lounges in the parks, and even free stuff.
Disney World Annual Pass
Every year, Disney World hosts V.I.Passholder Days, which usually brings even bigger discounts, freebies, and more to Passholders, but this year, one V.I.Passholder Days perk has us booking dining reservations ASAP. For a select time, Annual Passholders will be able to get 40% off select Disney World restaurants! No, REALLY! Okay, we’ve got details plus MORE information about this year’s V.I.Passholder Days.
It’s a good time to be a Universal Orlando Passholder!
©Universal
With Annual Passholder previews available currently for Epic Universe, Universal Orlando fans have been enjoying some pretty big perks of their passes. But that’s not the only offering available — Universal has announced some new Passholder perks on its website.
Being a Disney World Annual Passholder comes with its share of perks, the biggest being able to visit the theme parks multiple times throughout the year we hold the pass for.
Disney World Annual Pass
We also get discounts on a lot of merchandise and food in Disney World PLUS early previews of rides, special lounges, free gifts, exclusive merchandise, and more. But we’re just going to tell you now — there are some OTHER perks we would really like to see for Disney World Passholders in 2025. Yes, we have opinions, people!
Value is in the eye of the beholder.
Magic Kingdom
It’s no secret that a Walt Disney World vacation while staying on property is an expensive proposition, and honestly always has been (comparatively speaking). That said staying on Disney property has traditionally offered a slew of perks that “made up” for the price difference. Those perks have evolved over the years, with some being changed or eliminated entirely while other offerings have been introduced and tweaked. So, what Disney perks make vacations better and which are “worthless”? We recently asked our readers, and we got a HUGE – – and in some ways unexpected – – response.
At the start of 2025, Disney rolled out a new perk for guests staying at Disney World hotels: FREE water park tickets on check-in day! According to Disney, these tickets are non-transferrable and cannot be used on a different day, even if the water park is closed due to weather or other factors. However, one of our readers recently had a different experience.
Blizzard Beach
A DFB reader named Ken recently reached out to us with an interesting experience they had regarding this water park perk.
Big changes are coming to Disney World in 2025.
Disney’s Grand Floridian
We’re about to see a lot of construction as EPCOT finishes up its reimagining of Test Track and Magic Kingdom starts work on its Cars expansion and Villains land. Hollywood Studios will be building a Monsters, Inc. land, while Animal Kingdom will be transforming Dinoland, U.S.A. into Pueblo Esperanza, a Tropical Americas-themed land. However, something ELSE is coming to Disney World, too, on January 1st — and it’s going to be a game-changer for folks staying at Disney World hotels.
We know, we know, Disney World can be expensive…just a baseline trip can cost thousands of dollars once you consider the cost of your hotel, tickets, and airfare.
Blizzard Beach
You also have to EAT while you’re there, so food is going to set your budget back, too. Plus you might also want to pay extra for things like Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass. You might even be considering things like the Happily Ever After Fireworks Dessert Party. There are so many other perks you can pay for, too, but we’ve got one to tell you about that we think is completely worth it.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
