A pair of Walt Disney World annual pass holders are suing the resort, saying the ongoing use of the park’s current reservation system is a breach of contract with its annual pass holders, and that it unfairly favors single-day visitors.
The anonymous pass holders are objecting to a system Disney launched after it reopened parks following the start of the pandemic. Visitors must make a reservation to visit one of its four parks in Florida, and when those reservations are filled, no new visitors are allowed entry.
The pass holders claim that violates Disney’s promise that premium annual pass holders have unlimited access to the parks.
“Disney appears to be limiting the number of reservations available to Platinum Pass holders and Platinum Plus Pass holders on any given day in order to maximize the number of single-day and other passes that Disney can sell,” the suit alleges.
The Platinum and Platinum Plus pass-holder tiers have been retired by Disney for months. Last fall, the company reworked its pass program and increased the number of reservations pass holders can make. The company told the Orlando Sentinel the lawsuit “mischaracterizes the program and its history, and we will respond further in court.”
A similar lawsuit in California is moving forward, following a judge’s ruling in May.
Despite some user complaints that the company is nickel-and-diming them and widespread unhappiness over having to pay for features that used to be free (such as quick access to rides), park attendance at Orlando’s Walt Disney World and California’s Disneyland has been strong. The company recently increased admission prices and the cost of its Genie+ program.
Walt Disney World, meanwhile, has largely paused the sale of annual passes for the majority of the past year, except for a select group of Florida residents.