Disneyland Magic Key – All the Details on This New Annual Pass Program

The Disneyland Annual Pass program is coming back! Now called Disneyland Magic Key, this revised program will be available for purchase on August 25th, 2021. These are the important plan details, perks and how to save money on this new Disney annual pass.

What is Disneyland Magic Key?

Disneyland’s long-running annual pass program was “sunsetted” during the theme park closure. All annual passes were canceled and refunded. Guests have been highly anticipating a replacement to the AP system. Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, promised the release of a “Loyalty Program”, which offered up more questions than answers!

Disneyland Magic Key was recently announced and it’s, happily, a better plan than expected. Disneyland noticeably does not call Magic Key an “annual pass.” They refer to it as a loyalty program with a “guest-centric” focus.

There are important things to know about this updated Disneyland annual pass program, including tips on how to choose, plan perks and ways to save on the overall cost of Magic Key.

How Does the Magic Key Annual Pass Work?

Disneyland Magic Key works like the annual passport of old, with a few important changes. Some pieces of the Disneyland AP remain and others have been tweaked or removed completely.

The Disneyland Magic Key is very much in line with the old Flex Annual Pass in that all Magic Key levels now use a reservation system. Guests are no longer able to visit the parks on a whim. Every ticket holder must have a separate theme park reservation.

This new Magic Key system will be fully digital and available within the Disneyland app. All access to the Disneyland Magic Key will happen inside the app, from booking reservations, scanning into the park, applying discounts and more. For those that prefer a physical copy, a paper Pass card can be requested at the Disneyland main entrance ticket booth.

How Much Does the Magic Key Program Cost?

Each of the four Disneyland Magic Key tiers offer a variety of benefits and separate reservation calendars. These are the current costs and program benefits of the Magic Key, as of mid-August 2021.

Imagine Key – $399

(Only available for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599)

• Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year.
• Hold up to 2 theme park reservations at a time
• 10% off select merchandise
• 10% off select dining

Enchant Key – $649

• Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year.
• Hold up to 4 theme park reservations at a time
• 10% off select merchandise
• 10% off select dining

Believe Key – $949

• Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks most days of the year.
• 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) Available for purchase at Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure and the Toy Story Parking Area)

Dream Key – $1,399

• Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks every day of the year.
• 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

Are There Blackout Dates?

Yes, most of the Disneyland Magic Key tiers have blackout days, as seen on the website access calendar. An advance reservation is required to visit the theme park on any day that’s shown as open on the calendar. 

Imagine Key (for Southern California residents) has blocked out every weekend, popular weekdays and all of summer. Enchant Key blocks out most of the entire summer, holiday weeks and some (but not all) weekends. Popular Saturday dates and several complete weeks around Christmas, New Year and Spring Break are blocked out on the Believe Key calendar.

The Dream Key access calendar does not appear to have any blackout days. However with guests required to use a reservation system, Dream Key holders may essentially become blocked out if all reservations are filled for that day.

Read More: Disneyland vs. Universal Hollywood: Which is Better?

Is There a Payment Plan?

A payment plan for the Disneyland Dream Key program is only available for California state residents. At least $179 must be put down towards the payment plan. The remaining balance is then divided into 12 monthly payments, with no interest rate.

Who Can Buy a Disneyland Magic Key Pass?

Anyone can purchase a Disneyland Magic Key passport, with one exception. The cheapest option, Imagine Key, is only available for Southern California residents that fall within certain zip codes.

That said, choosing the best Disneyland Magic Key that’s right your family can be a challenge. Narrow down the choices by eliminating what doesn’t work for you.

Not a SoCal resident? You can take Imagine Key off the table.

Always drive your car to the parks? The Imagine and Enchant Keys do not offer any parking discounts so you’ll be paying full price for parking each visit.

For guests that prefer a longer vacation, only being able to hold 4 days worth of reservations at a time on the Enchant Key may not be preferable.

If your family always visits Disneyland during the week of Christmas, this eliminates any pass below the Dream tier.

Important to note that all Magic Key passes are the same cost for every guest, ages 3 and up. There’s no child’s ticket price for Magic Key. Taking Toddlers to Disneyland? Anyone under the age of 2 years old doesn’t require a ticket and admission is complimentary.

Do You Still Need Disneyland Park Reservations?

A Disneyland reservation is required for any guest wishing to visit the California theme parks during this time. This holds true for Magic Key holders as well. Park reservations are just one of the new changes at the Disneyland Resort since reopening.

Magic Key holders may check the blockout access calendar that refers to their tier. This will show on which dates they will be able to make park reservations.

A reservation system allows Disney parks to control the number of guests, including Magic Key passholders, within the parks on a given day. It’s believed that there are likely two pools of reservation systems – one for regular ticket holders and a second pool just for Magic Key entry. Reservations using Magic Key can be booked up to 90 days in advance. Guests with a regular park ticket may book 120 days ahead of their trip.

Will Reservations Run Out?

Disneyland Magic Key holders will be eligible to make park reservations for any date on which their pass is not blocked out. Naturally specific dates may fill up and be unavailable for reserving.

Making separate reservations for each day of a visit also eliminates spontaneous day trips that many Disneyland locals have come to appreciate. But this is likely exactly why a reservation system is so needed. Before the pre-pandemic closure, the Disneyland parks in California were often packed and overly crowded. Requiring reservations allows Disney to create a balance between ticketed guests and passholders that they’ve not been able to do in the past.

What happens if Magic Key holders are a “no show” for their reservations? If a Magic Key holder does not cancel their theme park reservation the day before their visit and does not scan into the park, they are considered a “no show”. Any Disneyland Magic Key holder who no-shows for 3 reservations in a 90-day window will not be able to make new park reservations for 30 days.

Disneyland Park Hopping

One of the big perks of a Disneyland trip is the ease of park hopping back and forth to the two amusement parks. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure face each other with a short esplanade between.

Park hopping terms changed upon the theme park reopening. The process remains the same for those with a Disneyland Magic Key pass. Guests may park hop to the second gate after 1:00 pm.

There is an additional twist for park hopping in relation to the reservation system. In order to park hop with a Magic Key pass, the guest must choose the “both parks” option when making a reservation. They must also pick a starting park in which to begin their day. After 1 pm, they may park hop to the other park without needing a second reservation.

How to Save Money on Disneyland Magic Key

If you’re ready to jump into a Magic Key purchase, here’s a great way to save money!

There’s a very good reason to purchase Disneyland tickets NOW if you know you’ll be getting a Magic Key pass. Anyone with a valid Disneyland park ticket may upgrade to a Magic Key plan in the Disneyland app. 

Here’s what you need to know about this process:

SheBuysTravel recommends Get Away Today for purchasing discounted multi-day tickets. The full cost of the regular ticket will go towards the upgrade of Magic Key!

As an example, an adult 5-day Park Hopper costs $390 each on Get Away Today. The same adult 5-day Park Hopper will cost $415 if purchased through the Disneyland website.

Disneyland will apply the full ticket price of $415 towards the upgrade of any Magic Key. Using this example, this is a potential savings of $25 – simply by purchasing a discounted ticket ahead of time and upgrading!

Upgrading a Ticket to Magic Key

• Purchase your Disneyland park ticket now before prices increase!
• Tickets must be valid and not-expired in order to upgrade to Magic Key.
• Upgrading to a Magic Key must take place no later than the final day of the ticket’s use. You must upgrade that ticket before the last day!
• The difference in price between the ticket and the chosen Magic Key must be paid in full at the time of upgrade.
• Upgrade not permitted with the California Resident Deal ticket.

Another Reason to Upgrade a Ticket to Magic Key

Here is a cool benefit of purchasing a multi-day park ticket and upgrading to a Magic Key during your trip. Reservations using Magic Key can be booked up to 90 days in advance. Guests with a regular park ticket have a 120 day reservation window.

For your initial trip, consider purchasing multi-day tickets from Get Away Today, then make your reservations at the 120 day mark. This can give you a jump now on what will be busier dates, particularly around the holidays. These reservations days will most definitely fill up. You’ll be one step ahead of those who are waiting to purchase their Magic Key passes!

Magic Key Perks

There are some magical perks in addition to what is available under each Disneyland Magic Key tier:

• Guests who purchase Magic Key within the first 66 days will receive a special charter member gift set. This “welcome home” package will include a branded pin, celebration button, magnet and other items.
• Special PhotoPass locations just for Magic Key holders.
• Beginning September 1st, Magic Key members may enjoy access to a limited-time experience at Starcade in Tomorrowland. This offering promises a unique photo op, charging stations and additional surprises.
• Discounts at participating locations with the Downtown Disney District.
• A “Magic Key portal” in the Disneyland app will share news, benefits overview and custom content.
• Exclusive access to reservations at the Magic Key Terrace (formerly the passholder terrace at Golden Vine Winery inside Disney California Adventure). This location has previously offered dining and drinks including passholder exclusive menu items.
• Plan to be in the parks for Magic Key Holder Month, a month-long celebration of Magic Key holders! The dates have not yet been announced.
• Expect to find special offerings just for Magic Key members during festivals, possibly including Lunar New Year and Disneyland Food & Wine Festival.

What’s Missing from Disneyland Magic Key?

Perks are great, of course. But key items are also gone from this new plan. Several features from the previous annual pass program are noticeably missing from Magic Key. 

At this time FASTPASS has been paused at Disneyland, as well as the FASTPASS+ at Disney World. Additionally, Disneyland’s popular MaxPass is not currently available within any of the Magic Key tiers.

It has not yet been announced whether FASTPASS or MaxPass will be returning to the parks. However it’s expected that when these skip-the-line programs are announced, there will be some changes with possible additional fees. The Disneyland MaxPass previously included complimentary PhotoPass downloads, which leads us into the next topic. 

The second missing feature from this new Disneyland AP is PhotoPass. PhotoPass allows for unlimited downloads of images and videos from Disney PhotoPass photographers and on-ride photos. The cost for a Disney PhotoPass+ One Day runs $19.99.

Guests may still separately purchase this daily PhotoPass. The Disney PhotoPass+ One Week is offered for 7 consecutive days of images. However no Magic Key tier has this feature bundled in automatically.

What about the Disney World Annual Pass?

Sales of new annual passes at Walt Disney World remain on hold. It was recently announced that new pass sales will come in time for the start of the 50^th anniversary celebration!

Is Magic Key Worth It?

Personally for me, as a Southern Californian, I can definitely justify purchasing a Magic Key. I visit Disneyland often enough, frequently as a day trip, to make the cost worth my while! While I’m lamenting the loss of some perks, there are additional features added to Magic Key that have me excited.

I’d love to see the return of discounts to special events like Oogie Boogie Bash added to the Magic Key program. Seasonal offers of a discounted stay at one of the hotels at the Disneyland Resort would be another welcome bonus.

Do you usually spend a good amount of money each trip on Disneyland character meals and souvenirs? The dining and merchandise discount with the Disneyland Magic Key could offer a great enough benefit.

For families that haven’t traveled to Disneyland in several years and are planning a longer vacation, a Magic Key can be a great savings versus a standard multi-day Disneyland ticket. Do the math and figure out how many trips you’ll take in a year. Compare the Magic Key tiers and benefits to the cost of regular tickets and see if it makes sense to make the upgrade!

With the recent openings of new Lands including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure park, more families than ever are excited to return to Disneyland. Be sure to search under the SheBuysTravel Disneyland tab for more helpful planning tips!