Benzinga | Nov 22, 2021 11:03AM EST

Disney World Halts Sales Of Most Annual Passes: What You Need To Know

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) has announced a temporary suspension of most of its annual pass sales at its Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

What Happened: The company's website was updated to inform Disney fans, "New sales of select Annual Passes are currently paused."

No explanation was given on why the sales were halted ahead of the holiday season, which traditionally records a spike in theme park visitors. As for those who already have their passes, the website warned them that they're not guaranteed entry to Disney World.

"Passes do not guarantee theme park admission, especially during high attendance periods," the website said. "Admission to the theme parks and availability of standard theme park parking are subject to capacity and other closures. Other restrictions apply."

The Disney Pirate, Pass, Disney Sorcerer Pass and Disney Incredi-Pass have been removed from sale, although the $399 Disney Pixie Dust Pass is still available for Florida residents only and current passholders will be able to renew their passes remain.

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Why It Happened: Disney suspended the sale of its annual passes when the COVID-19 pandemic took root in March 2020 and did not resume sales until September of this year. However, the resumption of sales came with the caveat that passes might not be available while the company "continues to manage attendance."

This is the second abrupt about-face by Disney this week regarding operations at its Florida attractions. The company announced Sunday it was temporarily halting the COVID vaccine requirement for its Florida parks employees, with a change in Florida law and a court-ordered stay on the Biden administration's vaccine mandate being cited for the policy shift.

Photo: Eric A. Soto / Flickr Creative Commons