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Katie Dillon grew up in Orange County and used to visit Disneyland “all the time” as a kid, she says. In recent years, she would travel to the theme park roughly four times a year as an annual passholder.
She made a trip to the “Happiest Place on Earth” back in May after it reopened. But now that Disney
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is introducing a revamped annual pass program at Disneyland, Dillon isn’t sure yet whether she will purchase one — despite being an ardent fan and a Disney travel agent.
“I am a Legacy Annual Passholder but I am not going to jump to buy a Magic Key pass just yet,” Dillon said, referring to the new annual pass program Disney unveiled on Tuesday.
Some of the passes — particularly the lower-priced options — now carry more blackout dates than their comparable predecessors. That could change the calculus, especially for Southern California residents.
“I qualify to buy the Imagine Key pass for Southern California residents but there are way too many blackout dates for someone like me who has a teen who plays elite sports and doesn’t like missing school,” said Dillon, who is also the managing editor and owner of lifestyle website LaJollaMom.com.
Dillon may not be alone. Even though the new annual passes come at reduced prices compared to the program that was in place before the pandemic, Disney has made many changes to the passes that allow fans to visit Disneyland multiple times a year. And as the theme-park industry continues to adapt to changes related to the COVID-19 situation, the park-going experience still isn’t the same.
Say hello to the Magic Keys
The new “Magic Key” program replaces the old annual pass program that was in place before the pandemic. When COVID-19 forced the closure of Disney’s theme parks globally, the company ended its annual pass programs at both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. The company has said it also plans to reintroduce annual passes at Walt Disney World in time for the resort’s 50th anniversary later this year.
At Disneyland, the Magic Key program has four tiers, ranging in price from $399 to $1,399. The cheapest option, at $399, is the so-called Imagine Key that is available only to residents of Southern California.
California residents will have the option to spread the cost of an annual pass into monthly payments, after making a $179 down payment. The monthly-payment option is interest-free.
Here’s how the pricing and perks break down for the various “keys”:
Breaking down Disneyland’s new Magic Keys
| Pass | Cost | Number of park reservations allowed | Discounts included? | Parking included? | Number of blackout dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dream Key | $1,399 | Up to 6 reservations at a time | 20% off select merchandise, 15% off select food and beverage | Parking included | No blackout days |
| Believe Key | $949 | Up to 6 reservations at a time | 10% off select merchandise, food and beverage | 50% off theme park parking | Around 50 blackout days |
| Enchant Key | $649 | Up to 4 reservations at a time | 10% off select merchandise, food and beverage | Parking not included | Around 150 blackout days |
| Imagine Key | $399 | Up to 2 reservations at a time | 10% off select merchandise, food and beverage | Parking not included | Around 220 blackout days |
Analyses from Disney Food Blog and Touring Plans
Reservations required
One of the biggest changes from the previous annual pass program in place at Disneyland is that passholders cannot simply come and go when they want. Instead, visitors to the two theme parks at Disneyland Resort — Disneyland and Disney California Adventure — must make reservations in advance.
Disney began requiring reservations at its theme parks when they reopened following their COVID-related closures. A Disneyland spokesperson said that the company plans to continue requiring reservations for the foreseeable future, citing the benefits of being able to manage guest visitation.
Travel experts said, by calling for reservations, Disney can more effectively determine how to staff the parks. “Now instead of having a crush of people coming in on a random Tuesday, you’ll have a sense of how many people are going to be coming into the park at any one time,” said Gavin Doyle, founder of MicketVisit.com and DisneyDose.com.
Park reservations for passholders will be made available on a rolling basis, Disney noted on its website. Disneyland passholders who want to visit both parks in a given day must make a reservation for one and then they can switch between parks starting at 1 p.m. depending on capacity.
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‘Now instead of having a crush of people coming in on a random Tuesday, you’ll have a sense of how many people are going to be coming into the park at any one time.’
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This could have a serious impact on how attractive these annual passes are to locals, who make up a majority of annual passholders at Disneyland, according to travel experts.
“Disneyland is a ‘locals park,’” said AJ Wolfe, editor and owner of travel website Disney Food Blog.
And locals aren’t like other visitors to Disneyland going for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, Wolfe said. “They head into Disneyland in the evening for dinner and a ride on their favorite attraction,” she said. “They pop in last minute on a Saturday morning. There isn’t too much planning involved.”
By requiring reservations, the ability to go on a spontaneous visit is removed. And those who abuse the system could be punished: Disney is instituting a no-show rule.
“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,” Disney notes in the fine print on its website. To avoid being marked as a no-show, pass holders must either enter the park or cancel their reservation no later than 11:59 p.m. the day before the reserved date.
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‘Disney corporate is trying to find the right balance between out of town visitors who spend more money and annual pass holders who provide a reliable stream of income.’
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Doyle argues these changes are meant “to encourage people, even if they are annual passholders, to come for the day and have a full-day experience instead of popping in after work.”
But that all takes away the allure of an annual pass for some locals, like Dillon who lives in Southern California. It also remains to be seen how park reservations will be divvied up between annual passholders and people going with regular tickets.
“Disney corporate is trying to find the right balance between out of town visitors who spend more money and annual pass holders who provide a reliable stream of income,” said Len Testa, president of travel website Touring Plans.
“Disneyland has a fixed capacity,” Testa said. “They haven’t said how they’re going to slice the pie.”
A spokesperson for Disneyland confirmed that there will be a separate set of reservations earmarked for Magic Key holders each day, but they did not specify how many there would be.
Key perks have yet to return
For long-time visitors to Disneyland, two benefits of an annual pass may be missing: The MaxPass and the complimentary Disney PhotoPass.
The MaxPass is a system that allowed park visitors to book digital FastPasses, which allow guests to schedule a time they will ride an attraction later in the day, essentially allowing them to cut the line at that time. FastPasses are free for visitors to Disneyland Resort, while MaxPass cost money. However, MaxPass was an add-on perk for some of the previous annual pass options.
MaxPass and FastPass are popular with frequent theme-park visitors, since they can help families enjoy more attractions in a day with less waiting in long lines. Disney has yet to reintroduce FastPasses at any of its theme parks in the U.S. since they reopened, citing the need to maintain social distancing in ride queues.
“I’m a huge fan of managing my day with FastPasses and have no problem visiting on peak days with Fastpasses in place. So, I want to see what they do with FastPasses and then I’ll decide which Magic Key to purchase,” Dillon said.
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At Disneyland Paris, visitors now must purchase FastPasses for each individual ride.
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Some travel experts predict that Disney is planning to roll out a system of paid FastPasses, where guests would purchase FastPasses for individual rides. A system of that nature just launched at Disneyland Paris. “It’s obviously going to add an expense to anyone who wants to skip a line,” Testa said.
The PhotoPass, meanwhile, was popular with families, since it entitled families to free downloads of on-ride photos and pictures taken by Disney photographers throughout the parks.
“It’s a completely different experience than it was before,” Wolfe said — so Disney fans may want to reevaluate what they appreciated most about their past theme park experiences before signing up for new annual passes.
