Walt Disney World has announced new perks and a Finding Nemo freebie at Animal Kingdom for what’s basically an extension of V.I.PASSHOLDER Days, albeit a light one, for late summer and early fall. This covers all of the official details plus our commentary about what we’d like to see beyond this for Annual Passholder appreciation.
In case you missed it, V.I.Passholder Summer Days just wrapped up at the end of July, after starting in mid-May. Officially, these AP appreciation days are the company’s way of saying ‘thank you’ for being a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder! Unofficially, they’re the company’s way of saying “please come visit during the hottest and slowest months of the year at EPCOT, we’re begging you; that whole ‘undesirable’ quip was just a joke, we swear!”
Regardless of the real reason for V.I.Passholder Summer Days being offered, it was a good run that was longer than last year with some highlights (40% off select restaurants!) and some lowlights (Dopey instead of Duffy meet & greet). Honestly, I’ve been surprised that these V.I.Passholder Days end so early at Walt Disney World.
Over at Universal Orlando, AP appreciation days run from August 15 through September 30, 2025. This strikes me as the more logical timeframe, although May through July also makes sense. And it probably makes sense to not go overboard with a single event that’s interminably long, as locals would lose interest and it would become ‘less special’ if it consumes the entire calendar.
In other words, it makes sense that V.I.Passholder Summer Days ended and, almost immediately, Walt Disney World is filling the gap with a new slate of offerings–but not a named event–over at Animal Kingdom, which has its own attendance woes due to construction. (Not to mention that EPCOT doesn’t need the “help” as Food & Wine kicks off in a few weeks, ending a multi-month stretch of Diet EPCOT season.)
Here are the Finding Nemo freebies and offerings you can enjoy at Animal Kingdom over the next couple months…
Free Crush AP Magnet
Pick up the Crush Passholder magnet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park now through September 27, 2025.
Just grab your exit buddy and float on over to Discovery Trading Company on Discovery Island anytime during Park operating hours to get your fins on this totally tubular addition to your collection.
Crush Ice Cream Sundae (Not Free)
Sweeten your day with a Passholder-exclusive sundae—available for purchase at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
The Totally Sweet Sundae is a tasty tribute to Crush—the totally tubular turtle from the Disney and Pixar film Finding Nemo. This decadent dessert features Butter Pecan Ice Cream topped with Hot Fudge, Caramel, Candied Pecans and Whipped Cream. It’s garnished with Sea Blue Sugar and served in a White Chocolate-dipped Waffle Bowl.
Where and When to Find It
- Location: Available at Dino-Bite Snacks, located in DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
- Dates: Now through September 27, 2025
Crush Concoction of Artificial Ingredients (Also Not Free)
This exclusive Just Keep Swimming Frost is making waves at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park!
Inspired by Nemo and friends, this aquatic concoction blends Joffrey’s Signature Frozen Lemon, Minute Maid Lemonade and Blue Raspberry Syrup in one refreshing riptide of sweetness with a tangy layer of SKITTLES POP’d Original Freeze Dried Candy swimming on top.
Available at the Joffrey’s location located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, you can purchase this special AP beverage now through September 27, 2025. In addition to the price, please note that there are non-monetary costs associated with this drink. For example, it’s sure to turn your mouth a rainbow of colors and the medley of candies could induce a sugar rush and/or give you a stomach ache. (Due to said non-monetary costs, I’d probably pass on this even if it were free. Although the siren’s strong of those colors and candies is strong!)
Finding Nemo PhotoPass Magic Shots (Free)
Throughout August and September, Annual Passholders can coast on over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom – across from Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! to partake in limited-time Disney PhotoPass experiences featuring favorite Characters from the big ol’ blue.
Here are the three different Magic Shots available:
- Look up! Becky sails overhead holding a pail containing Nemo and Marlin in this Magic Shot. Available now through September 27, 2025.
- Strike a pose with a postcard of Mount Wannahockaloogie featuring Peach the starfish. Available September 4 through September 27, 2025.
- Hang out with Hank the octopus in a nautical Magic Shot moment, available September 4 through September 27, 2025.
Annual Passholders can get downloads of all their Disney PhotoPass photos and videos for the year for just $99 plus tax, so you can be reminded of all your favorite memories again and again.
Important Information
- To enter Animal Kingdom, each Passholder must have valid admission—and may need a theme park reservation based on the date of visit. Annual Passholders may visit the theme parks without a theme park reservation on a good-to-go day or after 2:00 PM (except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom park).
- Theme park reservations are limited and subject to availability, and reservation requirements are subject to change. Applicable blockout dates apply.
- Offer valid for Walt Disney World Resort Passholders. Each Passholder must be present and show their valid Annual Pass card, linked MagicBand, MagicBand+ or Disney MagicMobile pass, and a government-issued photo ID to receive a magnet. Learn how to link your pass to your MyDisney account.
- Limit one magnet per Passholder. Available while supplies last. Not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged magnets. All offerings, dates, locations and hours of operation are subject to availability, change, closure or cancellation without notice of liability.
Our Commentary
All of this comes against the backdrop of both V.I.Passholder Summer Days ending and the Free Gift Card for New Walt Disney World Annual Pass Purchase Promo! In case you missed it, that will get you a $25 to $100 gift card with the purchase of a new WDW AP, depending upon the tier of pass you purchase (unsurprisingly, the higher the tier, the higher the gift card denomination).
As we’ve already discussed, it’ll be interesting to see what other levers Walt Disney World pulls to entice more locals to buy Annual Passes, and more existing APs to visit and (this is the crucial part) spend money during times when there’s excess bandwidth in theme park attendance. And right now, there is no shortage of bandwidth at Animal Kingdom. It’s nothing but bandwidth, baby!
Smarter people than me have probably concluded that this Crush magnet will help move the needle on that. And to be sure, I will be heading to Animal Kingdom to pick up one for our suddenly magnet-obsessed daughter who also happens to love turtles. But I would’ve gone regardless, in the ordinary course of blogging about construction walls and thoroughly documenting DINOSAUR before its demise. There will also be long lines for the magnet today, and throughout this weekend. Lots of locals collect these magnets.
One week from today, there will not be any measurable line for the magnet. I cannot imagine there will be massive Magic Shot crowds, either. And I’d expect to be able to mosey right up to the window and order that refreshing ice cream sundae or that unappetizing artificial abomination. What then?
As we’ve also said before, it seems like making ‘good-to-go’ days the default–the rule rather than the exception–is the obvious move to reduce friction and entice more people to purchase Annual Passes. If the baseline were that reservations are not necessary, except for ~3 weeks per year, that would be a big zero-cost win.
And just so we’re clear, that already is the de facto rule. You need not stress over scoring Park Passes to Animal Kingdom at any date during this Finding Nemo quasi-event, or any time between now and maybe Christmas week. Park Passes served a purpose at one point, but that has long since passed. If Walt Disney World wants to preserve the system for longer-term purposes, fine. Whatever.
The dearth of G2G days still makes zero sense. I can’t even imagine there’s much resource allocation value in reservations, since so many APs are simply booking reservations en route to the park or upon arrival…or after getting rejected at the turnstiles because they had forgotten about them entirely. (Not that I know from experience or anything.)
I would also add that maybe having ‘free photos’ as the default as opposed to the PhotoPass add-on would be an easy, low-cost win. This is something we’ve already seen Walt Disney World and Disneyland do from time to time with on-ride photos and more, suggesting to me that the company probably is not making that much money off locals with these add-ons. Again, I’m not so good at counting beans, but I’d bet the guest goodwill win would outweigh the money on this one.
Finally, more dining discounts would be fantastic. I did dinner at Tiffins a couple of weeks ago in the waning days of V.I.Passholder Summer Days. I’ll have a full review coming soon, but suffice to say, it was absolutely fantastic. It was also far and away the busiest I had seen Tiffins since its opening year, and ADRs for the restaurant were actually competitive. I’d go back in an instant–or try another restaurant we haven’t done in a while–if Walt Disney World did more “rolling” dining discounts. That seems like another easy win if they’re going to be steadfast in their refusal to bring back Tables in Wonderland. (Which we’d buy again–that one would actually be a revenue win for Walt Disney World!)
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be taking advantage of this Finding Nemo stuff at Animal Kingdom through September 27, 2025? Are you an Annual Passholder? Thoughts on AP perks? What would get you to visit the parks, spend more money, or buy an AP in the first place? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
