Last month, I made my first visit to Disneyland and California Adventure since the parks shut down in 2020.
I am happy to report, it was still the happiest place on earth (although I do have some gripes which I’ll get to in an upcoming post).
The big news this week is that Disney finally unveiled their new Magic Key program which they are billing as an “evolution” of the Legacy Annual Pass programs.
Disney Unveils The “Magic Key” Program…But Is It A Good Deal?
What It Is (4 Different Keys)
There will be four different types of annual passes, or “Magic Keys”.
Each key will come with its own calendar access to days available to make a reservation (yes, online reservations are required) and benefit suites unique to each key.
Note the Imagine Key is only available to Southern California residents.
When It’s Available
How It Works, Benefits, And “First 66 Day Offer”
Once you’ve purchased your Magic Key, you’ll then have to make a reservation on an available date using the Disneyland online reservation system.
 The Availability Calendar: Dream Key ($1,399)
Of course, having a key means nothing without daily access.
Below are the calendars showing blackout dates for each key.
Not surprisingly, the more expensive the key, the less blackout dates.
For instance, the $1,399 Dream Key calendar shows no blackout dates, while the $399 Imagine Key has blackout dates on almost every weekend of every month – and even the entire month of July!
The Availability Calendar: Believe Key ($949)
The Availability Calendar: Enchantment Key ($649)
The Availability Calendar: Imagine Key ($399)
Things To Be Aware Of (In The Fine Print)
Just because the date you want to visit Disneyland isn’t blacked-out doesn’t mean you can.
Remember, you must still make a reservation, but according to the fine print, “reservations are limited, subject to availability…and not guaranteed for any specific dates or park”.
That essentially means you can try and book a non-blackout date, but Disney can still say that there is no availability to make a reservation for that same date. Yikes.
Disney Finally Unveils “Magic Key”…But Is It A Good Deal?
As always, it depends.
How many times do you want to go, and on which dates?
Magic Key Vs. Daily Ticket Purchase
For example, let’s assume one guest with a Magic Key visits one park, parks one car in the parking lot, and spends $100 on food and merchandise over the course of the entire day.
Let’s assume another guest – who does not have a Magic Key – does the same but purchases a daily ticket (at an average cost of $126).
Lastly, let’s assume the guests go on the same date (that also happens to be a non-blackout date).
How many visits will it take to make a Magic Pass worthwhile?
Going by these [extremely general] assumptions, from the above we can see the following:
- Dream Key: Will take 9 visits to come out ahead vs. a daily ticket
- Believe Key: Will take 7 visits to come out ahead vs. a daily ticket
- Enchant Key: Will take 5 visits to come out ahead vs. a daily ticket
- Imagine Key: Will take 3 visits to come out ahead vs. a daily ticket
- Daily Ticket is likely better for 1 to 2 visits
So you might be saying to yourself, “well, then I should just buy an Imagine Key if I can come out ahead on just 3 visits”.
Well, that would be true IF you could get those 3 visits on the day you like.
Remember, the major difference in the Magic Keys is blackout dates and availability – and how many times you actually plan on visiting the parks in one year.
The more you go, the more you can come out ahead. It really all comes down to that.
Cheers!
