2024 Guide: The Cost of an Orlando Theme Park Annual Pass

As prices continue to rise across all areas of traveling, it’s getting more and more expensive to take that weekend getaway let along a full week vacation to an Orlando area theme park.   

The individual cost of an annual pass for an Orlando area theme park will depend on what level pass that you decide to purchase.  Following is a range of costs based on the differing tiers of annual passes offered at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando.

Walt Disney World Resort

The Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s premier theme park destination being home to four (4) major theme parks, two (2) water parks, over 30,000 hotel rooms, a major sports venue and one of the largest shopping & entertainment venues in the state of Florida.

• The Magic Kingdom Park
• EPCOT
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Annual Kingdom
• Typhoon Lagoon
• Blizzard Beach
• Disney Springs (shopping, dining and entertainment)
• ESPN Wide World or Sports Complex

As a result of all that Walt Disney World has to offer, it is by far the most expensive of all the others in the Orlando / central Florida area.  There are a number of differing options for its annual passes and offers additional options and discounted prices for Florida residents.    

Walt Disney World – Annual Pass Options and Costs

• Disney Incredi-Pass: $1,449 plus tax (all guests)
• Disney Sorcerer Pass: $999 plus tax (only Florida residents and eligible DVC members)
• Disney Pirate Pass: $799.00 plus tax (only Florida residents)
• Disney Pixie Dust Pass: $439.00 plus tax (only Florida residents)

There is a Water Park and Sports Option offered for $99 plus tax for the year.

Before 2:00 PM, theme park reservations are still required to visit any of the Walt Disney World theme parks (with the exception of “good-to-go” days).  After 2:00 PM, annual passholders no longer need park reservations with the exception of the Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Blackout dates and certain dates apply so be sure to check the annual passholder Blockout Calendar. 

Walt Disney World Annual Pass Benefits, Details & Specifications 

Walt Disney World has four (4) different tiers of annual passes so how would you determine which one is right for you?  Check out all the details and specifications below before deciding.

Disney Incredi-Pass

This is the top of the line pass for the individual or family that wants it all at Disney and has both the time, and the budget to do so.  Disney Incredi-Pass benefits include a full year of admission with no blackout dates (with advance park reservations) to all four Orlando area theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the ability to “park hop” between the parks.

Additional features include the ability to hold up to five (5) park reservations at a time, discounts on select dining & merchandise and free standard theme park parking.

Disney Sorcerer Pass

The Disney Sorcerer Pass provides admission for most days (blackout dates apply during select holiday periods) with advance park reservations for a full year to all 4 Disney theme parks with the ability to “park hop”.

Additional features include the ability to hold up to five (5) park reservations at a time, discounts on select dining & merchandise and free standard theme park parking.

This pass is only available to Florida Residents and eligible Disney Vacation Club Members.  

Disney Pirate Pass

The Disney Pirate Pass provides admission for most days (blackout dates apply during peak and  holiday periods) with advance park reservations for a full year to all 4 Disney theme parks with the ability to “park hop”.

Additional features include the ability to hold up to four (4) park reservations at a time, discounts on select dining & merchandise and free standard theme park parking.

This pass is only available to Florida Residents.

Disney Pixie Dust Pass 

The Disney Pixie Dust Pass provides admission for most weekdays (blackout dates apply during peak and  holiday periods) with advance park reservations for a full year to all 4 Disney theme parks with the ability to “park hop”.

Additional features include the ability to hold up to three (3) park reservations at a time, discounts on select dining & merchandise and free standard theme park parking.

This pass is only available to Florida Residents.

The Universal Orlando Resort

The Universal Orlando Resort is one of the fastest growing theme parks in the world with the recent addition of the Volcano Bay water theme park as well as the upcoming EPIC Universe.  EPIC Universe will be an all new theme park located near the Orlando / Orange County Convention Center.

The Universal Orlando Resort features two (2) major theme parks with a third on the way, a water theme park, approximately 9,000 hotel rooms (with more to come) and a major dining and entertainment complex.

Theme Parks, Water Parks and Other Venues at Universal Orlando

• Universal Studios Florida (USF)
• Islands of Adventure (IOA)
• EPIC Universe (opening 2025)
• Volcano Bay
• Universal CityWalk

While prices for Universal’s annual passes have risen, they are still less expensive than comparable passes at Walt Disney World (but at Universal there is a smaller number of parks).

Like Walt Disney World, Universal offers month payment options to Florida residents for the purchase of annual passes.

Universal Orlando – Florida Resident Annual Pass Options and Costs (as of January 2024)

• 2-Park Premier Pass: $789.99 plus tax
• 2-Park Preferred Pass: $529.99 plus tax
• 2-Park Power Pass: $374.99 plus tax
• 2- Park Seasonal Pass: $324.99 plus tax

• 3-Park Premier Pass: $979.99 plus tax
• 3-Park Preferred Pass: $649.99 plus tax
• 3-Park Power Pass: $484.99 plus tax
• 3- Park Seasonal Pass: $424.99 plus tax

Universal Orlando – Annual Pass Options and Costs (non-Florida Residents)

• 2-Park Premier Pass: $904.99 plus tax
• 2-Park Preferred Pass: $629.99 plus tax
• 2-Park Power Pass: $474.99 plus tax
• 2- Park Seasonal Pass: $424.99 plus tax

• 3-Park Premier Pass: $1,094.99 plus tax
• 3-Park Preferred Pass: $739.99 plus tax
• 3-Park Power Pass: $584.99 plus tax
• 3- Park Seasonal Pass: $524.99 plus tax

Monthly payment options are available for Universal Orlando annual passholders.

Universal Orlando Annual Pass Benefits, Details & Specifications 

There are eight (8) different tiers of annual passes at the Universal Orlando Resort so how would you determine which one is right for you?  Check out all the details and specifications below before deciding.

2-Park Premier Pass

The 2-Park Premier Pass benefits include 12-months of unlimited park-to-park access to both USF and IOA, Universal Express Pass after 4:PM at USF and IOA (one time per day), early park admission to USF and IOA (restrictions apply), free valet (after first visit and not on a select number of nights) and preferred self- parking, one free Halloween Horror Nights ticket (on select nights), free CityWalk Club Access (restrictions apply) and discounts on food, merchandise, tickets & hotel rooms.

2-Park Preferred Pass

The 2-Park Preferred Pass includes 12-months of unlimited park-to-park access to both USF and IOA, early park admission with blackout dates (click here to find out more about the blackout dates for early park admission), free self-parking, and discounts on food, merchandise, tickets & hotel rooms.

2-Park Power Pass

The 2-Park Preferred Pass includes 12-months of park-to-park access to both USF and IOA with blackout dates, 50% of regular daytime self-parking, and discounted tickets & hotel rooms.

2-Park Seasonal Pass

The 2-Park Preferred Pass includes 12-months of park-to-park access to both USF and IOA with blackout dates, and discounts on tickets & hotel rooms. There is no monthly payment option for the two park seasonal pass. 

3-Park Premier Pass

The 3-Park Premier Pass is the top of the line pass at Universal and includes all the benefits of the 2-Park Premier Pass as well as unlimited admission to Universal’s Volcano Bay.  

3-Park Preferred Pass

The 3-Park Preferred Pass includes all the benefits of the 2-Park Preferred Pass as well as admission to Universal’s Volcano Bay. 

Blackout dates for apply at Volcano Bay for 2024.

3-Park Power Pass

The 3-Park Power Pass includes all the benefits of the 2-Park Power Pass as well as admission to Universal’s Volcano Bay. 

Blackout dates apply at Volcano Bay for 2024.

3-Park Seasonal Pass

The 3-Park Seasonal Pass includes all the benefits of the 2-Park Premier Pass as well as admission to Universal’s Volcano Bay. 

Blackout dates apply at Volcano Bay for 2024.

SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando is the smallest of the “Big 3” Orlando area theme parks with just one major theme park, a water theme park and a specialty venue.  There are no on-site hotels or entertainment venues at SeaWorld.

There are two other SeaWorld parks in the nearby Tampa area which include Busch Gardens Tampa and Adventure Island Tampa.  However, they are not included in this assessment of annual pass costs since they are not in the immediate area of Orlando. 

Theme Parks, Water Parks and Other Venues at SeaWorld Orlando

• SeaWorld Orlando 
• Aquatica at SeaWorld
• Discovery Cove

Annual prices are far less than those of its neighboring theme parks and represent a very good value for the money.  SeaWorld offers monthly payment options to Florida residents while guests outside of Florida are required to pay in full for the passes.

SeaWorld Orlando –  Annual Pass Options and Costs (as of September 2024)

• Platinum Annual Pass: $459.00 plus tax *
• Gold Annual Pass: $273.00 plus tax
• Silver Annual Pass: $237.00 plus tax
• Bronze Annual Pass: $189.00 plus tax

*SeaWorld offers an 11-park “Platinum Pass” which includes parks in Texas, California and Virginia.  This a tremendous value for the traveler that will use all the benefits.

SeaWorld Orlando Annual Pass Benefits, Details & Specifications 

Platinum Annual Pass

The Gold annual pass includes 12-months of unlimited admission to SeaWorld Orlando as well as every other SeaWorld owned theme park in the United States. There are no blackout dates, free preferred parking, up to 50% on in park offerings, 6 free guest tickets, discounted Howl-O-Scream tickets and other additional benefits.

Gold Annual Pass

The Gold annual pass includes 12-months of unlimited admission to SeaWorld Orlando with no blackout dates, free preferred parking, up to 30% on in park offerings, 4 free guest tickets, discounted Howl-O-Scream tickets and other additional benefits.

Silver Annual Pass

The Silver annual pass includes 12-months of unlimited admission with no blackout dates, free general parking, up to 20% on in park offerings, 2 free guest tickets, discounted Howl-O-Scream tickets and other additional benefits.

Bronze Annual Pass

The Bronze annual pass includes 12-months of access to SeaWorld Orlando but includes blackout dates. This pass is the least expensive pass at $189.00 per year.

The Blackout Dates apply and you can check for updates at changes to the blackout dates by clicking here. 

Is an annual pass worth the cost?

We at Endless Summer Florida have had annual passes in at least two of the three Orlando theme parks at any given time during the last several years and can say that a theme park annual pass is definitely worth it provided you actually to the parks and use the benefits. 

So if you are buying a annual pass at a specific theme park for just a long weekend or few days, it might make better sense to purchase an individual ticket package.  However, if you plan on making multiple trips to Orlando then an annual pass could be the way to go.

We use a basic estimate of $125 per day/per visit (across all parks) to determine if the cost of an annual pass makes sense.  While it does not factor all the benefits as well as seasonal price fluctuations, we feel that $125 per day/per visit is a reasonable rule of thumb.

So if you are a Florida resident and plan to visit the Walt Disney World theme parks for at least five days, then a lower level may just make sense provided you can work about the blackout days.  The same $125 per day / per visit factor would also apply for Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando.