The Passholder discount no longer works on bottled drinks at Walt Disney World. For years, Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members and other discount holders could pull a Coke or a Powerade out of a shop cooler and get their usual merchandise discount on it at the register. That ended on October 6. Signs reading “Discounts do not apply” have gone up on the refrigerators in Walt Disney World stores, and the drinks now ring up at full price.
The trick only ever worked inside the shops. A bottled drink bought at a quick-service window or a snack cart never picked up the store discount. Grabbing a bottle from a shop cooler instead of a food stand was an easy way to save a little, and that is the habit that just ended.
Why Passholders Are Annoyed
The amounts are small, but they add up for people who visit every week. The old discount knocked roughly 20% off a $5 soda. For anyone who leaned on it, that is about a dollar more for every bottle.
The timing has not helped. The new signs arrived alongside a wave of food and drink price increases across the resort, with fountain drinks and coffee moving to $4.99. We covered that round when thousands of Walt Disney World food prices went up earlier this month, and plenty of Passholders are reading the end of the cooler discount as one more cost stacked on top.
We have not seen any announcement from Disney about the change. So far, the signs on the store coolers are the only notice guests are getting.
What Still Works
The merchandise discount itself has not gone anywhere. Passholders still get it on select regularly priced merchandise in Walt Disney World shops. Only the bottled drinks in the store coolers are now off the table, so it is worth glancing at the cooler door before assuming your card will knock anything off.
If you are trying to keep drink costs down, the cheapest option is still the free one. Quick-service restaurants that serve fountain drinks will give you a cup of ice water at no charge, which goes a long way on a warm afternoon in line. You can also bring your own water and nonalcoholic drinks into the parks, as long as they are not in glass, and refill a bottle at the water fountains around each park.
For Passholders who built a soda or two into their evening visits, the math has changed a little. It is not a huge hit on its own, but across a busy holiday season of after-hours parties and nighttime parades, those full-price bottles will start to show up on the receipt.
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