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Update for October 7–12, 2015
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News and Views
Walt Disney World hikes prices on Annual Passports | Using your new PhotoPass benefit | Your Table in Wonderland just got more expensive | Disney Cruise Line releases early 2017 itineraries | Views Around the World | This and That | Crowd Forecast
Walt Disney World hikes prices on Annual Passports
Over the weekend, Walt Disney World joined the Disneyland Resort in a reorganization and price increase of the annual passport structure. This is the second price increase for Walt Disney World in 2015, though this increase came with no change to single- or multi-day tickets. Disney discontinued three annual pass options as part of this reorganization, introduced four new pass types, and raised prices across the board. As with the February price hike, this increase came with no official advanced warning from Disney.
Gone altogether is the Premium pass, which used to be the highest-priced annual pass for the Walt Disney World Resort. In its place are two new annual passes. The Platinum Plus Pass is $829 for new customers (who are not renewing an AP), a jump of 33 percent compared to the pass it replaces. This pass includes parking, and comes with a new benefit: free digital downloads of PhotoPass photos taken by Disney photographers around the Walt Disney World Resort. This pass also includes admission to Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Platinum Plus Pass holders also receive complimentary greens fees at Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course. This new benefit is in lieu of admission to DisneyQuest , previously included in the top-tier annual pass. Oak Trail Golf Course is a nine-hole walking course, with a typical fee of $40 per adult. Club, shoe, and pull cart rentals are not included, but available at an additional charge. Tee times must be reserved in advance.
A second new pass option, the $749 Disney Signature Pass, also includes parking and PhotoPass downloads, but does not include admission to the water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, or greens fees at Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course. The $80 difference between the two Platinum passports represents a slight discount over purchasing the Platinum pass and adding the Water Park Hopper Annual Pass separately.
The addition of the PhotoPass benefit to the Platinum passes basically means every Platinum pass now comes with a year-long Memory Maker subscription. Disney sells Memory Maker for as much as $199, and an argument could be made that the new Platinum Plus pass costs at most $50 more than it cost to purchase a Premium Pass and one Memory Maker package in 2015. For passholders who actually purchased and use Memory Maker, the six percent difference isn't quite as painful. Passholders who would usually buy more than one Memory Maker package each year (each package is valid for up to 30 days) will actually save money.
However, some passholders feel the addition of a "benefit" they don't or won't use is simply an attempt to justify a massive price hike, which comes as large portions of Disney's Hollywood Studios are closed or will be closing for the Star Wars Land construction project.
Two passes previously offered to Florida residents and Disney Vacation Club members have been discontinued. The new Gold Pass is 14 percent more expensive than the pass it replaces, but now comes with 30 blockout dates. Florida residents who purchase this pass will not be able to use it between December 17 and January 1, and again for two weeks at the end of March during peak Spring Break season.
The Silver pass—the new version of the Florida Seasonal pass—has the same winter and spring blockout dates, as well as entire period between June 6 and August 11, 2016.
Theme park parking jumped to $20 as part of this increase, with the valet fee climbing to $25.
We noted that Disney specifically called out park hopping and free theme park parking as a benefit of each annual pass. While most annual passes previously included both benefits (the Florida Weekday Select Annual Pass does not include parking), they were not necessarily detailed quite as prominently as they are now.
Walt Disney World doesn't have quite the same parking capacity issues that the Disneyland Resort in California deals with, but there are definitely times when the theme park lots reach capacity, and new arrivals are directed to park in a different lot. Disney is currently expanding the parking capacity in the Magic Kingdom lot, which should help ease congestion there. Still, we plan to keep an eye on this—we wouldn't be surprised to see Walt Disney World eventually go the way of Disneyland by creating a parking add-on for the lower-tier passes.
A full breakdown of ticket prices are as follows, including Florida sales tax, with the old prices and percentage increase in parentheses. Where available, we've listed the renewal price, and any discount offered to Florida Residents and Disney Vacation Club members. Additional discounts may be available to Charter Passholders, or those with Shades of Green eligibility. If you fall into either of those categories, you know who you are, so contact your respective customer service departments for information.
| Annual Passes | New Purchase (old price in parentheses) |
Renewal | FL Resident or DVC New | FL Resident or DVC Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Premier Annual Pass
|
$1,474.75 (was $1,062.45, up 31%) |
$1,474.75 | $1,474.75 | $1,474.75 |
|
Platinum Plus Annual Pass
|
$882.89 (up 33% compared to former Premium pass) |
$750.83 | $776.39 | $659.24 |
|
Platinum Annual Pass
|
$797.69 |
$676.28 | $691.19 | $584.69 |
|
Disney Gold Annual Pass (Florida residents and DVC owners only) Blockout dates:
|
$584.69 (up 14% compared to former Florida Annual Pass) |
$496.29 | $584.69 | $496.29 |
|
Disney Silver Annual Pass (Florida residents and DVC owners only) Blockout dates:
|
$414.29 (up 22% compared to former Florida Seasonal Pass) |
$351.45 | $414.29 | $351.45 |
|
Florida Weekday Select Annual Pass (Florida residents and DVC owners only) Does not include parking. Blockout dates:
|
$275.84 (was $233.24, up 18%) |
$234.30 | $275.84 |
$234.30 |
| Florida Epcot After 4 Annual Pass (Florida residents and DVC owners only) | $265.19 (was $190.64, up 40%) |
$224.72 | $265.19 | $224.72 |
| Water Park Hopper Annual Pass | $117.15 (ages 10+) $105.44 (ages 3-9) |
$99.05 (ages 10+) $89.46 (ages 3-9) |
N/A | N/A |
| "Legacy" Passes | Prices | |||
| Premium | N/A (was $664.33) |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Florida Annual Pass | N/A (was $516.53) |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Florida Seasonal Pass | N/A (was $339.74) |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
Using your new PhotoPass benefit
While some have scoffed at the addition of free PhotoPass digital downloads as a new benefit, a source tells us this particular feature is often requested in passholder surveys. If you are already hold a Premier annual pass (valid at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World), or have just purchased a new Platinum or Platinum Plus pass, you now have access to this new benefit.
That's right—existing Premier passholders have some access to this new benefit today, without waiting to renew. Better yet, it appears the benefit extends to some PhotoPass photos taken before the benefit became effective on October 4. We successfully linked PhotoPass cards and download photos taken at Disneyland as far back as July 17, 2015, as well as download images and ride photos captured on Sunday, October 4. However, we have not been able to access PhotoPass photos that were scanned directly onto a Premier annual pass card before the benefit was introduced.
We've asked Disney for an official response about how this new benefit is intended to work for existing passholders, and will share their response once available. For now, we recommend that Premier passholders who have not yet renewed have any new photos you take linked to a PhotoPass card, rather than to MagicBand or Memory Maker card. This may be a loophole, but it seems to work.
With Disney charging $14.95 per photo for digital downloads (or as much as $199 for a Memory Maker package good for 30 days), this new benefit offers big savings to passholders who regularly purchased photos. If you never used PhotoPass or Memory Maker before, there's no reason not to try it now if it's included with the pass. However, the new benefit is so rife for abuse and fraud that we expect it to be modified in the near future.
Consider this: there appear to be no restrictions to how many PhotoPass cards a Premier or Platinum passholder can link to their account, nor any rules about whose photos you can link to your card. Just as people would get together with friends and family to "share" a single Memory Maker package, we expect passholders to do the same with this new benefit.
Passholders using their benefit for friends and family without financial consideration is one thing; it becomes fraud when someone decides to monetize the new benefit. For a time, there were a number of companies that made a business of reselling dining reservations at Walt Disney World, whom Disney was finally forced to close. Is it any stretch to imagine someone will set up shop offering PhotoPass downloads to non-passholders at a discount until Disney figures out a way to stop them?
Disney probably has some computerized triggers in place to catch rampant fraud, but it's going to happen on a smaller scale now that some people have a way to get for free what others must pay $15 bucks a pop for. For now, enjoy your new benefit.
Your Table in Wonderland just got more expensive
Tables in Wonderland members were hit with the largest percent increase of this round, with the cost of a new membership jumping by $50, to $175 for Florida residents, and $150 for annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members.
Tables in Wonderland offers a 20 percent discount on most food and alcohol purchases at over 100 table service restaurants around Walt Disney World resort, including theme parks and hotels. It is valid for up to 10 people in a party (assuming the TiW member is present and pays the entire check themselves).
The $50 price hike comes a year after the program added blockout dates for some of the most popular dining locations. The combination of price increase and blockout dates changes the math for many cardholders, and the program may no longer represent the value it once did.
A Florida resident now needs to rack up almost $900 in eligible checks just to break even on the card, much less realize any actual savings. An annual passholder or DVC member has a lower break-even point of $750, but that's still quite a tab. If you don't drop at least $100 at participating restaurants on a monthly basis, there really isn't much point in buying into the program.
Of course, since the discount is honored at quite a few bars and lounges around property, those who like to drink their way around the World may find themselves reaching their break-even point faster than expected. The California Grill (at the Contemporary Resort) may even have a bottle of wine that would let you meet your goal in one sitting.
And while there really is no good comparison between the two discount programs, we should note that annual passholders receive 10 percent on food and non-alcoholic beverages at a smaller list of restaurants, though that discount is valid only during very select dates and times.
Disney Cruise Line releases early 2017 itineraries
Sue from Small World Vacations alerted us that Disney Cruise Line will accept bookings starting today, October 7, for early 2017 sailings on the Dream, Fantasy, Magic, and Wonder Disney cruise ships. DCL is keeping all four ships in familiar waters for the early 2017 voyages, with sailings out of Port Canaveral, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The cruise line has not released itineraries beyond April 2017, but we expect the Disney Magic to return to Europe for the summer, while the Disney Wonder heads west for another Alaska season.
Castaway Club members (people who have previously sailed with the Disney Cruise Line) can book their 2017 voyages today. All others can book starting Wednesday, October 8.
Additional details are available on the Disney Cruise Line website.
We're Hiring!Do you love Disney and have a flair for writing? We're currently looking for columnists to cover new areas of the Disney universe for MousePlanet.com.If you are interesting in adding your voice to MousePlanet, please contact us—we'd love to hear from you! |
Views Around the World
Contributing photographer Alan Dalinka shared some beautiful shots from the Food & Wine Festival, and visited Animal Kingdom this week to catch up on the latest construction projects.
Epcot
Disney Springs
Animal Kingdom
This and That
..Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe reopened in Magic Kingdom last week with a brand-new menu, following a brief refurbishment. Fans of the often-closed Tortuga Tavern will recognize many of the new entrees, with burritos and rice bowls replacing the burgers and fries previously served. The condiment bar was updated with the same lettuce, cheese and salsa selection offered at Tortuga Tavern, along with sour cream in single-serving squeeze tubes.
…The MousePlanet Newsletter is here! The newsletter contains a recap of the week's articles (in case you miss a day), news that may have developed since the weekly Updates were published, and tips about what's happening at the Disney theme parks for the coming weekend. We'll also include a fun MouseAdventure bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, just enter your e-mail in the box below.
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Crowd Forecast
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Resort Events
2015
- 2015 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party – September 22, 25, and 27; October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, and 31; November 1. As of publication, only Halloween night is sold out.
- 2015 Epcot Food & Wine Festival – September 26 to November 16.
- 2015 Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party – November 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, and 29; December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 18. As of publication, all nights are still available.
- 2015 Epcot Candlelight Processional – November 27 to December 30
- Holidays Around the World at Epcot – November 27 to December 30
2016
- Season of the Force – January 8 – March 20, 2016
runDisney events
If you participate in (or are considering signing up for) runDisney events, visit our Team MousePlanet forum on the MousePad discussion board, where you can join our community of health-minded readers and staff.
2015
- Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – November 6–7. All races are sold out.
2016
- Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – January 6–10, 2016. The 5K, 10K, half marathon, Goofy Challenge and Dopey Challenge events are sold out. Registration is still open for the full marathon and runDisney Kids Races. The deadline to submit for these events has passed.
- Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 18–21, 2016. All races are sold out. The deadline to submit Proof of Time for these events is November 17, 2015.
- Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side Weekend – April 14–17, 2016. The 10K and Dark Side Challenge are sold out. Registration is still open for the half marathon, 5K and runDisney Kids Races. Proof of Time must be provided between October 27, 2015, and January 19, 2016.
For current information on registration dates and capacity, see Lorree Tachell's runDisney Race Capacity Updates in the Team MousePlanet forum on our MousePad discussion board.
Merchandise Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct. 6–7 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Epcot
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| Oct. 8-11 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Epcot
Magic Kingdom
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| Oct. 12 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
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| Oct. 15–18 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
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| Oct. 19 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Downtown Disney Marketplace
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| Oct. 20–21 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
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| Oct. 22–23 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Epcot
|
| Oct. 24–25 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Epcot
|
| Oct. 26–27 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
|
| Oct. 28 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
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| Oct. 29–31 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Magic Kingdom
|
| Nov. 1 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Magic Kingdom
|
| Nov. 2 |
Downtown Disney Marketplace
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Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
- Diamond Horseshoe – closed through November 19 for refurbishment
- Liberty Tree Tavern – closed through November 19 for refurbishment
- Walt Disney World Frontierland station – closed October 12 to November 21 for refurbishment.
- Walt Disney World Main Street U.S.A station – closed October 12 to November 21 for refurbishment.
- Walt Disney World Fantasyland station – closed October 12 to November 21 for refurbishment.
- The Magic Behind the Our Steam Trains Guided Tour – not offered during Walt Disney World Railroad refurbishment.
- Peter Pan's Flight – closed November 2–7 for refurbishment.
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover – closed December 7–10 for refurbishment
2016
- Splash Mountain – closed January 10–15 for refurbishment.
- Space Mountain – closed January 11–15 for refurbishment.
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin – closed January 15 to February 11 for refurbishment.
- Liberty Square Riverboat – closed January 18–22 for refurbishment.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – closed April 4 to July 15 for refurbishment.
- Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse – closed July 7 to September 24 for refurbishment.
- Liberty Square Riverboat – closed August 15–21 for refurbishment.
- "it's a small world" – closed August 22 to September 15 for refurbishment.
- Soarin' – additional screen under construction. Work has no impact on the existing theaters.
- Innoventions West – Think, presented by IBM; The Great Piggy Bank Adventure; and Where's the Fire? closed. The Disney Visa character experience remains open.
- Maelstrom – ride permanently closed for construction of Frozen Ever After attraction. New ride expected to open May, 2016.
- Innoventions East – Glidden's Colortopia under construction replacing the Test the Limits exhibit. Expected to open late 2015.
- Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular – closed October 20–23 for refurbishment.
- Toy Story Midway Mania – second ride track is under construction. Work has no impact on the existing ride.
- Magic of Disney Animation – building permanently closed for future expansion.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Primeval Whirl – closed through November 13 for refurbishment.
- Pizzafari – closed through October 20 for refurbishment
- Entire park closed from October 25, 2015 through January 3, 2016 for refurbishment
- Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher – closed for unscheduled refurbishment as of September 19.
- Entire park closed from January 3 to March 13 for refurbishment.
Downtown Disney / Disney Springs
- Fulton's Crab House – closed January 1 to April 1, 2016 for refurbishment.
- Planet Hollywood – closed January 1 to June 1, 2016 for refurbishment and transformation into a Planet Hollywood Observatory.
- Downtown Disney Bridge 4 and restrooms on Pleasure Island – temporarily closed for ongoing construction work.
- Downtown Disney Lots A-G – closed through August 1, 2016.
- Downtown Disney Lots H, I, J, and K (in Westside area) – closed until further notice for Disney Springs construction.
- Cirque du Soleil La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through Saturdays.
- Disney Quest – scheduled to close sometime in 2016. Will be replaced with an NBA Experience venue.
Resorts
- Polynesian – ongoing refurbishment of the lobby and pool area.
- Disney's Boardwalk Inn – Exterior painting and repair during daylight hours, through May 5, 2016
- Disney's Boardwalk Inn – Flying Fish Cafe closed February 1 to September 30, 2016 for refurbishment.
- Disney's Coronado Springs – La Vida Health Club and Casitas pool closed for refurbishment through October 12. An alternate fitness center is available for guest use.
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Villas – construction of the as-yet-unannounced Disney Vacation Club cabins begins October 2015. Expect construction-related closures and noise during the project.
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Villas – Hidden Springs pool, resort beach, playground, and Recreation fire pit close October 26, 2015. No opening date provided, but the pool is expected to be closed through 2017.
Elsewhere
- Disney Osprey Ridge Golf Course – permanently closed.
Current Discounts & Promotions
Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Walt Disney World Resort Update. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the intended audience. Check out the category that best matches you, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers.
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Discounts for Everyone |
Memory Maker pre-arrival discount Disney's PhotoPass service provides a discount on Disney Memory Maker pre-arrival packages. For $199 plus tax, Walt Disney World guests can digitally download any photos associated with their Memory Maker account, including photos taken on attractions. The advanced purchase price is $169, a $30 savings. Applicable taxes are charged to all orders. Purchase must be made more than three days prior to arrival at the Walt Disney World Resort. All sales are final, and not eligible for an exchange or refund. |
|---|---|
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Discounts for Annual Passholders |
None at this time. |
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Discounts for Disney Rewards VISA & Debit Card Holders |
Up to 35 percent off Disney's Polynesian Villas Studios Disney Visa cardholders receive up to 35 percent off standard view studio room rates through October 3, 2015. The room must be booked either directly through their travel agent or the Walt Disney World Resort. 15 percent off select guided tours Disney Visa cardholders receive 15 percent off the non-discounted price of selected guided tours for up to 10 people. The cardholder must participate in the tour, and pay with a Disney's Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card. Tours included:
10 percent off select restaurants Disney Visa cardholders receive 10 percent off the check when you pay with a Disney's Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card (be sure to request the discount). Discount excludes alcohol. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas:
Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Villas:
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort:
Disney's Contemporary Resort:
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground:
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa:
Disney's Old Key West Resort:
Disney's Port Orleans Resort:
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa:
Disney's Wilderness Lodge:
Disney's Yacht Club Resort:
Disney's Hollywood Studios:
Epcot:
10 percent off merchandise Disney Visa cardholders receive 10 percent off at participating Disney-owned retail location when you spend a minimum of $50 and pay with a Disney's Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card (be sure to request the discount). Read all of the restrictions on the Disney Visa website. 15 percent off all Disney spa and salon services Disney Visa cardholders receive 15 percent off the non-discounted price of any salon treatment valued at $45 or greater or any 50-minute or longer spa service at the spas and salons at Walt Disney World Resort listed below: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
Free 5" x 7" character photo at a private meet and greet location at Epcot Present your Disney's Premier Visa Card or Disney Rewards Visa Card for access to a private character meet and greet at Epcot for the cardholder and up to five guests. The event is hosted daily from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. inside Innoventions West at Epcot. You'll receive one free 5" x 7" character photo per day. |
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Discounts for Military Personnel |
2014-2015 Military Salute – 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Park Hopper Discount Eligible Service Members can purchase 4-day Park Hopper passes for $177 until December 20, 2015 Tickets can be purchased through December 17, 2015. No more than 12 Disney Military Promotional Tickets can be purchased by an Eligible Service Member. 2016 Military Salute – 4-Day Military Promotional Ticket discount From September 25, 2015 through December 16, 2016, active and retired U.S. military personnel (including active and retired members of the United States Coast Guard, National Guard and Reservists) or their spouses can purchase:
Walt Disney World Resort tickets may be used January 3, 2016, through December 19, 2016, except that the tickets may not be used March 20, 2016 April 1, 2016. 2016 Military Salute – Hotel discount Disney does not publish the actual discounted rates offered to service members under this program, and instead asks eligible U.S. military personnel to call 407-939-7830 to check pricing, availability and to make reservations. The website Military Disney Tips.com says the offer is 30-40%, based on room category. |
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Discounts for Florida Residents |
Cirque du Soliel's La Nouba is offering a Florida resident discount through December 18. Tickets prices range from $49 to $89. |
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Discounts for Canada Residents |
None at this time. |
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Discounts for U.K. Residents |
None at this time |
Don't keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments.
Comments
Just a minor correction on the new pass structure - the Gold pass also has Photopass included.
According to the Disney World Florida Residents website, the Weekday Select Pass now includes theme park parking.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10...c449105cb8.jpg
One note on the benefits for Premium/Premier/Signature/Signature Plus - the golf benefit was added after the Pleasure Island clubs closed, long before Disney Quest was lost.