Is the Disneyland Paris Gold Annual Pass Worth the Money?
If you’re planning to visit Disneyland Paris more than once in a year, you’ve probably considered getting an annual pass. Having held the now-retired Infinity Pass in the past, I had high expectations when switching to the Gold Annual Pass. While the Infinity Pass had a lot of perks that I dearly miss, I still found the Gold Annual Pass to be a worthwhile investment for my family.
In this post, I’m diving into my experience with the Disneyland Paris Gold Annual Pass and breaking down why I think it’s worth the cost for frequent visitors. So, if you’re wondering whether the Gold Annual Pass is the right choice for you, keep reading—I’ve got all the details to help you decide!
When deciding whether to buy the Disneyland Paris Gold Annual Pass, I did the maths. I purchased two Gold Annual Passes for myself and my daughter, and while it wasn’t the cheapest option (costing over £1,200), it quickly became clear that this was the most cost-effective choice for us.
Why? Because taking multiple trips to Disneyland Paris and purchasing park tickets for every visit would have cost us significantly more. The Gold Annual Pass not only gave us unlimited access to the parks during our trips, but it also offered added flexibility and value that I’ll dive into further in this review.
While there are cheaper annual pass options available, I wanted a pass that offered unlimited access to both Disneyland Paris parks without blackout dates. For me, the freedom to visit whenever I wanted was the main reason I chose the Gold Annual Pass.
Here’s what the pass includes and my thoughts on the perks:
1. Unlimited Access to Both Disney Parks
This was the biggest selling point for me. With the Gold Pass, there are no restrictions, meaning we could visit any time during the year, no matter how busy the parks were.
2. Free Parking
While free parking is a great perk for those who drive, it wasn’t useful for me since I didn’t drive during my trips.
3. 15% Discount in Disneyland Paris Shops and Restaurants
This discount came in handy, especially when booking character dining experiences. The small savings add up, making dining a little more affordable.
4. Free Annual PhotoPass™+
The PhotoPass was a nice bonus, but honestly, I didn’t find it essential. It’s convenient for capturing moments with characters and at rides, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you don’t use it often.
5. Extra Magic Time
This perk allows you to enter the parks before the official opening time, which is great for avoiding long queues for popular rides.
One thing to note is that you need to book your park visits through their registration platform. You’re limited to three simultaneous bookings at a time, and this is subject to park capacity. While I found this a bit inconvenient, the app makes it easy to manage, so it wasn’t a huge issue.
Getting to Disneyland Paris
We tried three different travel options: the Eurostar, plane, and FlixBus. Each had its pros and cons:
• FlixBus: By far the cheapest option, but it’s a long journey that requires some patience.
• Plane: The quickest way to travel, but it can get expensive, especially if you’re bringing luggage.
• Eurostar: My personal favourite! Even though it no longer goes directly to Disneyland Paris, the transfer was easy to manage, and the journey itself was smooth and stress-free.
With the Gold Annual Pass, the flexibility of being able to visit the parks multiple times made the travel options worth exploring. Whether we chose speed or savings, the pass ensured our time in the parks was unlimited and stress-free.
Where We Stayed
There are plenty of budget-friendly hotels near Disneyland Paris if you’re looking to save money. Of course, the Disneyland Paris hotels offer the most immersive experience but are also the most expensive. I recommend checking websites like Hotels.com or Booking.com to compare prices and options.
If you want detailed reviews, check out the “All Things Disney” section on my blog about our experiences with different hotels. Having the Gold Annual Pass also made it easier to budget for accommodation since we saved on park tickets.
Final thoughts
I know a lot of people say Disneyland Paris is expensive, and yes, it can be—but when you factor in everything included in your visit, it’s actually great value for money. With your park ticket, you get access to incredible shows like The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands—a condensed yet impressive version of the West End production—fantastic rides for all ages, and the magical opportunity to meet beloved Disney characters.
A standard 1-day, 2-park ticket for Disneyland Paris costs around £106 per adult. Multiply that by the number of visits we made, and you’ll quickly see how much we saved with the Gold Annual Pass. We went to Disneyland Paris five times over the year: a mix of three-day, two-day, and single-day trips. In total, we spent at least 12 days in the parks. If we had bought individual tickets for each day, we would have spent over £1,200 on park tickets alone. That’s already more than what we paid for the annual pass—and we still enjoyed all the extra perks that came with it.
The Gold Annual Pass gave us unlimited access to the magic of Disneyland Paris and allowed us to visit the parks more times than we initially planned. Considering the cost of individual park tickets, the savings on dining with the 15% discount, and the free PhotoPass included in the pass, it’s safe to say we got our money’s worth many times over. It’s not just about the savings—it’s about the freedom to visit the parks whenever you want, without worrying about extra costs. For us, it was worth every penny and made our Disney adventures even more magical.
