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The Disneyland Resort is set to resume new sales of Magic Key passes today, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. Three levels of Magic Keys will be available for sales no earlier than 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 16.
Disneyland rolled out a new Magic Key program three months ago, and allowed then-current Magic Key holders to renew their soon to expire passes. At the time, the company said they were focused only on renewals of existing Magic Key holders, and did not offer sales of new Magic Keys. In a statement, Disney officials said this morning,
"With an incredible year ahead, we’re happy to open new sales for select Magic Key passes in time for holiday giving and to create opportunities for guests to treat themselves and their families to a year full of experiences during the upcoming Disney100 celebration.”
Magic Key 2.0 marked the end of the all-access annual passport at any price level, as replaced the Dream Key (valid 365 days a year) with a new top-tier "Inspire" Key, which is blocked out December 21 to January 1 each year. All four of the Magic Keys require members to make advance reservations before visiting the parks, and the company has given no sign of ending that program.
Buyers can choose between the Inspire and Believe Keys, and Southern California residents can pick the Imagine Key. The Enchant Key is not available for new purchases, but existing Magic Key holders can still renew it. Visit the Magic Key access calendar to see the blockout dates which apply to each pass type.
Inspire Key
Price: $1,599, or $133.25 per month after down-payment.
Details
- Blocked out December 21 to January 1 each year.
- Can hold 6 reservations at a time
- 20% merchandise discount
- 15% food & beverage discount
- Parking included (excludes blockout dates)
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital downloads
- 20% off Disney Genie+ service
Believe Key
Price: $1099, or $91.59 per month after down-payment.
Details
- Can hold 6 reservations at a time
- 10% merchandise discount
- 10% food & beverage discount
- 50% parking discount
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital downloads
- 20% off Disney Genie+ service
Imagine Key – Exclusive to Southern California Residents
Price: $449, or $37.42 per month after down-payment.
Details
- Can hold 2 reservations at a time
- 10% merchandise discount
- 10% food & beverage discount
- 25% off parking in the Toy Story lots
- 20% off Disney Genie+ service
Magic Key holders also have access to various Magic Key offerings throughout the resort, including the Magic Key Terrace, photo opportunities and periodic giveaways.
Are you ready to buy? Sales will begin no earlier than 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 16, via Disneyland.com or the Disneyland mobile app. If you're planning to make your purchase through the app, make sure to update to the latest version before you begin. We compiled a list of top questions and answers when Magic Key 2.0 went on sale in August, so if you encounter any problems check there to see if we have an answer for you.
Disney notes that "passes are subject to availability, and passes or a pass type may not be available from time to time or at any given time," so if your budget permits it's best to buy your new Magic Key as soon as possible, and activate it when you're ready to visit.
Remember that your Magic Key is not activated until you use it to enter a park or to obtain free parking (Inspire Key only), and you have a year from the date of purchase to activate the pass.
Magic Key 2.0 debuted just days after Disney released its 2022 Q3 earnings report, in which the company cited an "unfavorable attendance mix at the Disneyland Resort" for offsetting higher guest spending at Walt Disney World. It seems Disney has had a change of heart, or is at least embracing the Most Profitable Time of Year.
Comments
I wonder what analysis Disney has done regarding when a pass is purchased vs. how frequently it is used. My hypothesis would be that passes purchased as gift at Christmas would have a lower use frequency than passes bought at other times of the year (possible exception, passes upgraded from tickets). I've long asserted that Disney doesn't want people to stop paying for passes - they just want people to stop using passes. If they can sell the passes to people who don't go (or don't go frequently) then they can bank the revenue without having capacity issues.
That said, I now need to go figure out if I have any available reservations that I can book - I'm pretty sure that it's about to get harder to secure reservations as new purchasers max out their available slots.