The Disneyland Resort today revealed details of its new Magic Key Pass program, a much-anticipated replacement for the long-running annual passport program the company ended in January 2021. As we predicted back in 2019, the new program expands on the reservation-based Flex Passport, and gives Disney the much-needed ability to precisely plan and control attendance numbers.
Disneyland fans can soon buy a Magic Key as a replacement for their annual passport. MousePlanet file photo.
The new program offers four “keys,” or tiers of membership, with prices ranging from $400 to $1400 per year. They differ based on the number days the pass is valid each year, how many reservations the key holder can hold at one time, and which discounts and benefits apply. Disney has posted the blockout calendars for each Key type through September 2022 on their website.
Dream Key
Price: $1,399, or $102 per month after downpayment.
Details
- No blockout dates
- Can hold 6 reservations at a time
- Can make reservations 90 days in advance
- 20% merchandise discount
- 15% food & beverage discount
- Parking included
Believe Key
Price: $949, or $65 per month after downpayment.
Details
- 48 blockout dates (through Sept, 2022)
- Can hold 6 reservations at a time
- Can make reservations 90 days in advance
- 10% merchandise discount
- 10% food & beverage discount
- 50% parking discount
Enchant Key
Price: $649, or $40 per month after downpayment.
Details
- 150 blockout dates
- Can hold 4 reservations at a time (corrected)
- Can make reservations 90 days in advance
- 10% merchandise discount
- 10% food & beverage discount
Imagine Key – Exclusive to Southern California Residents
Price: $399, or $19 per month after downpayment.
Details
- 235 blockout dates
- Can hold 2 reservations at a time
- Can make reservations 90 days in advance
- 10% merchandise discount
- 10% food & beverage discount
A monthly payment plan will again be offered to California residents, after a $179 down payment.
Here's how the new Magic Keys stack up to annual passes Disney most recently offered:
Dream Key ($1,399) vs. Disney Signature Plus Pass ($1449)
Notable changes:
- No digital PhotoPass downloads
- No MaxPass
- Lower food & beverage discount
- Reservations required
Believe Key ($949) vs. Disney Deluxe Pass ($829)
Notable changes:
- Fewer blockout dates: 48 vs. 117, based on published 2020 calendar
- Parking discount
- Reservations required
Enchant Key ($649) vs. Flex Passport ($649)
There isn't an exact apples-to-apples comparison for the Enchant pass, so we compared it to the Flex Passport at the same price point.
Notable changes:
- Many more blockout dates: 150 vs. 15
- Reservations available at 90 days instead of 30
- Reservations required
Imagine Key ($399) vs. Southern California Select Annual Passport ($419)
Notable change:
- Reservations required
The new Magic Keys go on sale no earlier than August 25 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific through the Disneyland website or Disneyland smartphone app, and are valid for admission that same day. In fact, same-day reservations—subject to availability—are a feature of this new pass that some Key Holders may really appreciate.
Key Holders will use the Disneyland website or app to make reservations to visit Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, or both parks, subject to availability. Reservations are available starting at 7:00 a.m. each day for a rolling 90-day window. Key Holders can link to friends or family members who hold Magic Keys, and make reservations for the entire group at once.
Key Holders can make a reservation for one park or both parks, subject to availability. Either one counts as just one reservation. If you choose both parks, you will select your starting park, and can park hop to the other park that day beginning at 1:00 p.m.
The rolling reservation system confuses some readers, so this is how it works:
- You must make an advance reservation for every date you want to visit the parks – there are no “no reservation required” days under this program.
- You may make a reservation for any date in the future, up to 90 days in advance.
- The number of reservations you can hold at one time depends on your Key level – either 2, 4 or 6 reservations at a time.
- Once you use a reservation to visit the park, you can immediately make a replacement reservation up to 90 days in advance. If you have the Imagine Key and want to visit the park on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you can only make the first two reservations in advance. On Monday, you can then add the reservation for Wednesday.
As with the Flex Passport, you have until midnight of the prior day to cancel a reservation without penalty. Key Holders who have three “no-shows” will be blocked from making new reservations for 30 days.
Most Disneyland tickets—with the notable exception of the current California resident ticket offer—are eligible for upgrade to a Magic Key, which presents some interesting options for vacation planners. If you're planning to visit during a period with blockout dates, you can always purchase a multi-day ticket (we recommend our partners at Get Away Today), use that ticket to avoid blockout dates during your trip, then upgrade the ticket to a Magic Key on the last day. Disney says you should be able to upgrade your tickets directly through the Disneyland app without visiting a ticket booth, but we won't know exactly how that works until the 25th.
If you are currently holding onto a wholly-unused ticket, you can also upgrade that ticket to a new Magic Key starting August 25. Again, we're waiting for specific details on how to do that without visiting a ticket booth.
We've had several readers tell us they are visiting the Resort when the new Magic Keys go on sale, and asked if they could upgrade their ticket. Disney tell us that visitors who have partially-used tickets should be able to upgrade so long as you do so on or before the last day of use. For one reader who has a three-day park hopper ticket, and reservations on August 22, 24 and 25, they could upgrade their ticket on the 25th. If your entire ticket is used up or expires before the 25th, you're out of luck.
During a media briefing Tuesday, Disney representatives said the new program was designed to provide visitors with choice, flexibility and value. They also recognized that Disney fans have an emotional connection to the company, and want to provide that recognition and sense of belonging.
To launch the new program, Disney will offer a welcome kit to customers who purchase a new Magic Key during the first 66 days of the program (a nod to Disneyland's 66th anniversary), with a magnet, lanyard, trading pin and park map featuring the new Magic Key logo.
The Alfresco Tasting Terrace in Disney California Adventure will be re-branded as the Magic Key Terrace, and will be open to Key Holders and their guests. Starting September 1, a limited-time Magic Key holder lounge opens at the Starcade inside Disneyland park. Disney will also launch a new Magic Key website and portal, and offer discounts for a variety of Walt Disney Company divisions, including D23.
Of course, the debut of this new Magic Key program brings an end to the Legacy Annual Passholder program. Disney says that discounts offered under that program will expire on August 15, 2021.
