This was me back when I worked at Disneyland:

“Erika, do you know what an Annual Passholder is?”

“Um, yes! They’re people who go to Disneyland all the time and they love it a lot and they have favorite things that they like to do there and they know the lyrics to the fireworks better than I do.”

I feel like after I quit Disney, there was this whole world that opened up to me that I thought I understood, but to be honest, I was totally clueless. I didn’t understand that there was literally an entire culture that goes behind being a Disney Annual Passholder. There are social groups. And Dapper Days. And cliques. And there is Disneybounding. Something that has grown so phenomenally fast, that even the Walt Disney Company refers to ‘Disneybounding’ in their dress code rules for the theme parks. Annual Passholders are pushing the Walt Disney Company to understand something extremely important: They aren’t just a group of people who purchased a higher priced ticket then a single day pass. They aren’t just a group of people who are Disney fans. They are the top supporters of the Disney brand that are able to push trends in the proper direction.

And Disney is not only noticing this, but they are in full support of it. Disney has found a way to add ‘Disney’ to people’s everyday lifestyle. They are catering to the Disney fans and bringing them together as a community.

Take Run Disney, for instance. To an outsider, it may look like a marathon run by Disney and that’s about it. Run Disney is literally a way for Disney fans to run through the parks and behind-the-scenes and to connect with a unique experience in the park with other Disney fans. You have the Disney Parks Blog, which updates guests on all things Disney, so that people can be in ‘know’ when they plan their trip. Disney has given into the idea that Disneyland is a ‘locals’ park. The Disneyland twitter will frequently update throughout the day with everything from the weather to which shows you should check out. For the person who visits the Disney Parks frequently, it’s a nice little pat on the back to say, ‘Thanks for caring about us. We’re gonna care about you now.’ I’m not an Annual Passholder…yet…but, I think it’s crazy cool how much being an Annual Passholder has been embraced and how these free-thinking Disney fans and lovers can shape an entire community surrounding one cool thing: Disney.

Erika Jenko