Details Announced for the Magic Key Program - Disneyland’s Annual Pass Replacement coming August 25th
Like many former Disneyland APs (I was either an Annual Passholder or Cast Member for pretty much 10 years! 2009-2019) I was a little nervous about the eventual announcement of Disneyland’s replacement to their annual pass program, since for months the rumors were a complete and total revamp of how it’s worked in the past. I’m relieved, and honestly pretty surprised, that the membership program announced today is actually much more similar than what we were led to believe was heading our way - let’s dive into what’s coming for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure starting August 25th!
The Magic Key program has 4 tiers of membership - somewhat indiscriminately named in my opinion (the tiers are DREAM, BELIEVE, ENCHANT and IMAGINE), but once we get more used to seeing it, I’m sure we’ll be able to keep them straight! All tiers will require guests to make park reservations to visit, but will have varying levels of attendance blockout dates and discounts as noted below:
DREAM KEY - $1399
Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks every day of the year (no blockouts)
Hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time for different dates
Up to 20% off select merchandise
Up to 15% off select dining
Standard theme park parking included
This is most comparable to the former Signature Plus top-tier annual pass option that went for $1449 in early 2020, though there is no MaxPass or PhotoPass included. As of right now, neither of those options are included in any tier, and honestly aren’t mentioned at all, so not sure if they’ll become add-ons in any capacity later on or not…
BELIEVE KEY - $949
Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks most days of the year (Block out date calendar here shows 317 available reservation dates)
Hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time
10% off select merchandise
10% off select dining
50% off standard theme park parking (excluding blockout days, and available for purchase at Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure and the Toy Story Parking Area)
Most comparable to the former Signature annual pass option that sold for $1199 in early 2020
ENCHANT KEY - $649
Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year. (Block out date calendar here shows 252 available reservation dates)
Hold up to 4 theme park reservations at a time
10% off select merchandise
10% off select dining
No parking
Most comparable as a replacement of the former Deluxe and Flex annual pass options that sold for $829 and $649 respectively in early 2020. Most directly a replacement of the Flex annual pass, which also worked on the reservation system we now know better. While the Flex pass had an open calendar (no set blockout dates) you could only hold 2 reservations at a time.
IMAGINE KEY - $399 *** Only available for Southern California Residents
Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year. (Block out date calendar here shows about 167 available reservation dates with no weekends if that’s important to you!)
Hold up to 2 theme park reservations at a time
10% off select merchandise
10% off select dining
No parking
As stated above, this is only available for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599. This is most comparable to the former Souther California Select annual pass option that sold for $419 in early 2020
Per the graphic above from the Disney Parks Blog, they are (again, surprisingly!) maintaining a payment plan option for California residents, which helps make the higher tier options a little more accessible.
Another item of note is that Magic Key holders who are a “no show” for 3 reservations in a 90-day window will be unable to make new park reservations for 30 days, though any other existing park reservations held at that time will not be cancelled. A Magic Key holder who enters the designated park any time before closing on the day of the reservation is not considered a “no-show.” Magic Key holders who timely cancel a reservation are also not considered a “no-show.” Cancellation of a reservation must be done by 11:59 PM PT on the day before the reserved date - cancelling by the night before is already a policy/request of the current reservation system for single day & park hopper guests.
Park Hopping
Park hopping for Magic Key holders appears like (at least for now) it will work how it’s been working for anyone at the Disneyland Resort the past couple of months:
“Magic Key holders who have a park reservation for both theme parks may cross over and switch between parks on the same day beginning at 1:00 PM. Please check the Park Hours calendar and the Disneyland app for the most up-to-date Park Hopper hours, as they could start earlier at a later date, depending on the day and park.
Magic Key holders who have a park reservation for both parks must enter the first park as designated in their park reservation prior to visiting the other park. At this time, a park reservation is not required after visiting the first park; however, reservation requirements are subject to change. Please note that the ability to visit the other park will be subject to that park’s capacity limitations.”
Magic Key Added Benefits
In addition to the tiered perks for key holders above, there were some other “extras” to look forward to listed on the Disneyland website:
Magic Key terrace: a re-imagined reservation-based lounge just for Magic Key holders and their friends and family (it’s not specified, but this is likely the Alfresco Tasting Terrace at Wine Country Trattoria, that was previously turned into a Legacy Passholder area)
Magic Key Holder Month: a month-long celebration of Magic Key holders
Special Experiences & Collectibles: access exciting, unique experiences and collectible keepsakes designed with you in mind—including special offerings during festivals!
First Access Opportunities: be among the first to have the opportunity to access exciting new offerings at the Disneyland Resort throughout the year, including select new merchandise collections
Downtown Disney District: discounts at participating locations
Magic Key Merchandise, Novelties, Menu Items and More: Show your Magic Key pride! Opportunity to purchase Magic Key holder-themed popcorn buckets, sippers and menu items throughout the year.
Magic Key Disney PhotoPass Opportunities: enjoy special photo spots and other opportunities sprinkled in throughout the year.
Magic Key embroidery: special options available for Magic Key holders at select locations in the parks
Plus, if you decide to become a Magic Key holder “charter member” (which is within the first 66 days of availability - it’s Disneyland’s 66th Birthday this year, after all!) you’ll receive a special welcome package that will include unique items such as a premium branded pin, celebratory button, magnet, and more. Key holder guests will also have access to a limited-time experience in the Starcade in Tomorrowland, which opens September 1st. No word on how long that additional lounge will be around for, but it’s planned to include charging stations, and photo spots among other “surprises”
Anything else?
I’m really positive about the new program - I’m sure there will be some element of adjustment, since Key holders won’t be able to just drop in whenever anymore (though, no one has been able to do that since the parks reopening this past April anyway…) and there might be some growing pains in adjustment between amount of reservations available for certain dates against the number of Key holders hoping to get those reservations. But overall this will hopefully make crowds more consistently manageable at the parks, since Disney can adjust reservation capacity as needed on the backend. I didn’t have an annual pass at the time of the parks closure last year, but if I did I would have had the Flex Pass for sure, and this set up moving forward will be really similar to how that former pass option worked.
The Magic Key program goes on sale August 25th, no sooner than 10am PST - meaning 930am onward that day there will probably be a lot of people hanging out with the Big Thunder Mountain goat (if you know, you know)
The semi-dreaded waiting room GOAT
If ticket/event trends stay the same as the last few rounds (Touch of Disney, single day tickets, Oogie Boogie Bash…) then the 25th will probably have some long waits/computer errors, but anything after that point should be smooth sailing with the ticketing system. I’m both impatient and have no issues just leaving my iPad up with our goat friend all day so I might end up hanging out with all the other Disney diehards 😝 but by no means should you feel you HAVE to do the same in order to get your Magical Key!
Are you going to join this new not-an-annual-pass, annual pass program? Which Key do you think will end up being the best fit for you/your family?
