Disneyland fans wept as the theme park announced the end to its popular annual pass program, but the cancelation came with a silver lining. The theme park is now issuing refund checks to an estimated “hundreds of thousands” of people, creating a windfall that will boost the local economy.
For one local passholder, the refund check means they can pay this month’s rent. “Times are tough and it can be difficult to pay the bills,” said Michael Barnes who had purchased $1,449 Premium Annual Passports for each of his five family members. “We’re excited to get the refund check, but we will miss our Disneyland visits and the escape from reality it gave us.”
Garden Grove resident Janice Parker said she will spend her Disneyland stimulus check on groceries. “I loved eating the $18.49 Plaza Inn specialty chicken and sometimes I’d treat myself to a $6.99 chocolate chip cookie,” she said. “Now that Disneyland is closed I have to eat at home, and groceries are expensive, so that refund check is really needed.”
All is not lost for those who miss visiting the theme parks. Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street in Disney’s California Adventure are open for shopping. Thousands of people are expected to visit the retail locations in coming weeks for opportunities to spend their Disneyland stimulus checks.
“I can’t afford a car, so I took the bus to get here,” said Cerritos resident Suzy Brown as she stood in line for a limited edition Disney collectable at World of Disney. “The rich always get richer and yet I have to choose which utility bill to pay this month. We need another round of Disney stimulus checks. The $419 refund for my Southern California Select pass will only go so far.”