Why Disney creating a pass just for Disney California Adventure makes a lot of sense

If you were shopping at Costco any time today, you might have seen a new product on the shelves – a Disney Parks annual pass. But this one was something you’ve never seen before! It’s a pass to Disney California Adventure ONLY.

Disney confirmed the sale of the pass with the OC Register today saying that they “work with many travel partners to sell a variety of tickets for our theme parks.” The statement didn’t state why the pass was created, but one can infer about the reasons.

For one, Disney California Adventure (DCA) park has been rallying to get more people into their turnstiles. Even with the additions of Cars Land and World of Color, DCA had 9.3 million people visit compared to Disneyland’s 18.2 million people reached mainly due to the 60th Diamond Celebration offerings.

Another reason why the DCA pass is probably happening is because of Disneyland park’s limited offerings to come in the near future. With the disappearance of those offerings like the Disneyland Forever fireworks and Paint the Night parade just after Labor Day next Monday, more people may opt for the number of offerings at DCA.

At the same time, DCA itself will be going through a lot of change starting next year. The extended closure of Tower of Terror to turn it into the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction and long hiatus of the Pixar Play Parade, many people are eager to take part in many of these experiences before they magically disappear.

Affordability might also disappear from the worry list in people’s minds with the new pass, too. The DCA-only pass is priced at $329.99, has 60 blockout dates, and includes a 10% discount on food and merchandise purchases as well as a collector’s pin. As a comparison, Disneyland’s cheapest annual pass is the same price and includes admission to both parks has 190 blockout dates and can only be purchased by Southern California residents.

This isn’t the first time that Disneyland has tried out the one-park only pass, but hasn’t tried it since the first DCA-only pass was sold to the public in 2001. It’ll be interesting to see the results of the sales of this version of the pass and if it will lead to a Disneyland-only pass in the future.

If you’re interested in buying the Disney California Adventure Park Fun Pass, you have until December 1, 2016 to buy it exclusively at your nearest Costco.