Disney surprised theme park goers in January 2021 when it canceled its Disneyland Resort annual passholder program. The popular option for Southern California residents and beyond meant more affordable and regular visits to the resort’s two parks, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Though Disneyland never officially said how many passholders it had, theme park industry folks estimated it to be one million. With some folks holding annual passes for years and attending the parks weekly (or more often) before COVID, it was a blow. But on Tuesday afternoon, Disneyland announced the replacement: the Magic Key program.
The Magic Key program has a lot in common with its annual passholder predecessor, but let’s focus on this new system. The program has four options, all of which Disney states were “informed and shaped by extensive consumer research and feedback from our guests and fans.” All four tiers rely on guests utilizing Disney’s theme park reservation system to select the days they will attend in advance.
Disney Parks
We have the Dream Key at $1,399; the Believe Key at $949; the Enchant Key at $649; and the Imagine Key at $399. They all come with various food, beverage, and merchandise discounts. The two highest tiers have discounted or free parking (which currently costs $25 per day). The largest differences between the tiers are the number of park reservations a Magic Key holder can have at any given time and the number of days guests can make reservations for. The Dream Key, the most expensive tier, doesn’t have any blockout dates. Meanwhile, the Imagine Key has several blockout dates, including weekends. You can view complete blockout calendars here.
And here’s a handy overview of the various Magic Key options:
Disney Parks
Magic Key passes will go on sale on August 25, 2021. And if you’re a California resident wondering if Disneyland will still offer the monthly payment plan, worry not. The monthly payment option, which makes the price tag all the easier to work into your budget, still exists. You can get additional details about the monthly payment options on the above infographic.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
