Disneyland Resort Update for August 9 – 15, 2021

Disneyland Resort Update for August 9 – 15, 2021

News and Views

Magic Key Pass Debuts August 25

Last week, the Disneyland Resort finally 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.

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 ($1,449)

Notable changes:

• No digital PhotoPass downloads
• No MaxPass
• Lower food & beverage discount
• 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, and each individual date makes up one reservation. For example, if you want to visit on Monday and Tuesday, that counts as two reservations even though you might be visiting both days as part of the same trip.
• You can make a reservation for any date in the future, from tomorrow, up to 90 days in advance, assuming there's space available for the park you want to visit.
• You can have two, four or six reservations at a time—the number depends on your Key level.
• Once you enter a park with a reservation, you free up that reservation and can immediately make a new reservation, up to 90 days in advance. For example, if you have the (Southern California) Imagine Key, you can make two reservations at a time. If you want to visit the park on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, that means you use up your two reservations for Monday and Tuesday… then as soon as you enter the park on Monday (freeing up that reservation), you can then make your reservation for Wednesday.

As with the Flex Passport, you have until midnight of the day before to cancel a reservation without penalty. If you're a no-show on a reservation three times, you're 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 August 25.

If you're currently holding onto a completely 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 that they're visiting the Resort when the new Magic Keys go on sale, and asked if they could upgrade their ticket. Disney tell us that if you have a partially used ticket, you should be able to upgrade as long as you do so on or before the last day of use. If you have a three-day park hopper ticket with reservations for August 22, 24 and 25, you could upgrade your ticket on August 25. If your entire ticket is used up or expires before August 25, though, you're out of luck.

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 rebranded 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 expire on August 15, 2021.

The fine print of the Magic Key

Following the announcement of the new Magic Key, Disneyland visitors understandably had a lot of questions. In helping our readers with questions, we dove into the nitty gritty fine print of the new program, and uncovered some details you should know before you purchase a pass.

You won't automatically receive a physical pass – Disney is doing away with membership cards, opting for digital passports instead through the Disneyland app. You can still request a paper ticket, but it will cost $20 to receive or replace it.

Your pass will be suspended for too many no-shows – If you make and fail to keep three reservations in a 90-day window, Disney will suspend your ability to make new reservations for 30 days. Just remember that you can always cancel a reservation anytime before midnight the night before your visit to avoid the penalty.

Parking will activate a Dream or Believe pass – Some people may want to purchase a new pass immediately to receive the charter member incentive package, but not activate the pass until their first visit sometime in the future. If you go this route with the Dream or Believe Key, be sure not to use the free or discounted parking benefit before you're ready to activate the pass. For example, don't park in Mickey and Friends for a quick trip to Downtown Disney. Using the parking benefit—even if you don't enter the theme parks—will start the clock on your pass.

No refunds if the parks close again – The Disneyland Resort issued full or partial refunds to hundreds of thousands of passholders who couldn't use their passes during the state-ordered shutdown. Disney has now added a “pandemic-related restrictions” clause to the Terms and Conditions, and states there will be “No refunds or credit given for any such changes or cancellations” in the event the theme parks are ordered to limit capacity or close entirely.

Now, we don't take that to mean Disney will offer no compensation to passholders if the parks are forced to close again, but the compensation will likely be in the form of pass extensions rather than refunds.

More restaurant reopenings

Character dining returns to the Disneyland Resort this week, when Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park reopens at the Plaza Inn at Disneyland. Reservations open August 11, and character meals begin Thursday, August 12.

The Disneyland website notes that the location will offer a modified character dining experience, but really doesn't detail the specifics. The Disney Parks Blog says “guests can still expect to smile and wave, snap selfies, and make unforgettable memories with some of their favorite Disney friends as they make appearances in the restaurants.”

The Parks Blog also announced changes for several more locations.

Goofy's Kitchen will reopen at the Disneyland Hotel on August 18, and reservations open August 11. Breakfast and dinner will once more be served buffet style, though the Disney characters will not be on hand when the location first reopens.

The Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures at Napa Rose restaurant will also reopen on August 26, and reservations open August 11. This three-course meal is $125 per person, and includes story time and photo opportunity with Disney princesses.

Carnation Cafe reopens on Main Street, U.S.A. on September 16, though Disney hasn't indicated when reservations might open.

Finally, Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar expands to lunch service starting August 15, and will open at noon instead of 4:00 p.m. Reservations are required for lunch, and opens August 11 via the Disneyland website and app.

Later closing, earlier fireworks

For those who reside near Disneyland, the return of the nightly fireworks show brought back a tradition we could set our watch to. Last week some people thought their clocks were broken, as Disneyland launched their show at 9:00 p.m. instead of the usual 9:30 p.m.

Disney has moved the showtime of Mickey's Mix Magic to 9:00 p.m. for the rest of the published calender, through August 31, even as the theme parks are adopting a longer operating schedule next week.

We should also note that starting August 30, it appears fireworks will only take place on weekend nights, with weeknights presentations of Mickey's Mix Magic using only projections. The Labor Day holiday schedule may differ, and hasn't yet been published.

5 days left to Oogie Boogie

Tickets are still available for five of the 25 Oogie Boogie Bash events at Disney California Adventure. The event sold out by mid-September in both 2018 and 2019, so we recommend purchasing your tickets as soon as you can commit to a date.

Tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash are still available for some September dates. MousePlanet file photo.

Tickets can be purchased from the Disneyland website, by calling (714) 781-4636, or in person at a Disneyland Resort ticket booth.

Dates and prices for the remaining events are as follows:

This and That…

…The Bakery Tour at Disney California Adventure has reopened. The tour operates daily from park opening to 3:00 p.m.

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Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Attraction, restaurants, and stores that are closed for refurbishment are noted below. All other closures should be presumed to be due to COVID protocols, and are subject to change at any time without notice as the state of California issues new guidance.

All information was current as of this article's publication date. MousePlanet does not edit past Updates; for the most up-to-date refurbishment calendar, check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update, visit Disneyland.com or use the Disneyland smartphone application on your iOS or Android device.

View the different areas of the Resort by scrolling horizontally and selecting the one you want to read about.

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Resort Events

Check here to see if a large convention, competition, or park event might fall during your next trip to the Disneyland Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.

New! Just click the year you want to expand (or close).

2021-2022

We also recommend checking the convention calendar at the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau website. When looking at that site, remember to note both the number of people and the number of rooms resulting from each convention. A gathering of 25,000 people booking few room nights (indicating most will be driving in to the area for their meeting) can impact traffic around the resort much more than a crowd of 25,000 staying in area hotels. Of course, that second group is going to make finding a hotel room more difficult (and possibly more expensive), so it's best to book your own room as early as possible if you see that a big convention is in town during your trip.

Non-Disney Resort Events

Notable events at parks and attractions around Southern California. If you know of an event that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.

Current Discounts and Promotions

Disneyland prices as of February 2020.

Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update. Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!

This first section is a list of discounts on ticket-only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts. If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line. Note, we are no longer listing offers from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, as their convenience fee negates any savings.

Don't get scammed! Never buy tickets from an unofficial or secondary outlet, such as through eBay or Craigslist. Never rent or purchase tickets from people approaching you outside the gates stating they have remaining days or leftover tickets. This practice is against the terms of use for Disneyland admission, and may result in denial of entry. It is also common for criminals to shoplift inactivated Disney theme park tickets from supermarkets to resell them. There is no way to determine if these tickets are valid until you try to use them to enter the parks. Only purchase Disney theme park tickets directly from Disney, an authorized seller, or travel agency like MousePlanet travel partner Get Away Today.

Ticket Prices and Promotions

New! Just click the number of days or ticket type you want to view.

Additional Discounts

Did we miss an offer? If you know of an authorized discount on Disneyland Resort tickets, standing offers for Annual Passholders from non-Disney vendors, or other promotions which might interest our readers, please drop us a note!

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Everyone

Legacy Annual Passholders

Disney Rewards VISA Credit Card Holders

Southern California Residents

Disney Vacation Club Members

Service Members

Hotel & Travel Packages

If you can't see the categories, please let us know!

Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

• DL – Disneyland
• DCA – Disney California Adventure

Early Admission – full description available on the Disneyland website:

• MM – Magic Mornings for 3-plus day ticket holders and promotional “bonus” tickets. (Not currently offered)
• EMH – Extra Magic Hour for Disneyland Resort Hotel Guests. (Not currently offered)

Disneyland Resort Special Events:

• F&W – Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
• GN – Grad Nite.
• OBB – Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure

The Ticket Tier calendar is published on the Disneyland website for the next eight to 11 months.

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