In the past few years, Disneyland Magic Key Holders have had a tumultuous time.
January 2021 — Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California had been closed for nearly one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Downtown Disney reopened in July of that year, with an extremely limited capacity and strict health and safety procedures. Both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure remained closed, with seemingly no end in sight. That is when Disneyland Annual Passholders got hit with some truly heartbreaking news.
Disney announced that it would be ending the beloved Annual Pass program that had been in place for decades. Officials said that they would be implementing a new program in its place, but gave no details on what guests could expect.
Eight months later, the Magic Key Holder program officially launched. Instead of Annual Passes, guests could purchase Magic Keys — the Dream Key, the Believe Key, the Imagine Key, and the Enchant Key.
Ever since Disneyland Magic Keys went on sale, they have been notoriously difficult to get. Disney has paused sales numerous times over the years, with guests waiting in a virtual queue for hours, only to be told sales are paused. Guests who want to renew their Magic Key had to be sure to do so before it expired, or they could find themselves waiting for months before they could try to buy a new pass.
On March 5, Magic Keys once again went on sale, but this time things were different. They went on sale, but they have not stopped being on sale. Guests who visit the Disneyland Resort website are still able to purchase the Inspire (formerly Dream), Believe, and Enchant Keys. The Imagine Key is only available for renewal.
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Which begs the question — are Magic Key Holders over it?
Disneyland Resort has always been largely made up of Annual Passholders. Before the pandemic forced the theme park to shut its gates, it’s estimated that Disneyland Resort had over one million Annual Passholders. APs loved being able to drop by the parks whenever they fancied, dropping money on specialty food and merchandise.
Related: Dear Disney, We Are Your Loyal Guests, Not an “Unfavorable Attendance Mix”
In August 2022, former Disney CFO Christine McCarthy made Magic Key Holders pretty upset when she said that Disneyland had an “unfavorable attendance mix” because the ratio of Magic Key Holders to regular guests was too high. McCarthy’s comments made many Magic Key Holders feel like Disney did not appreciate the loyalty they showed or the money they spent.
Next up — the price.
A Magic Key pass is not a cheap investment or for the faint of heart. An Inspire Key — the top-tier Disneyland Magic Key — costs $1,649. What’s more, it actually includes blackout dates.
The great thing about paying so much for the best Magic Key or Annual Pass was that it never had any blackout dates. But now, Disney is charging more than ever and not letting Inspire Key Holders visit during the two weeks around Christmas.
Then, there are the reservations.
Ever since reopening after the pandemic, Disneyland Resort guests have been required to make theme park reservations before their visit. Now, originally, as we said, the Dream/Inspire Key did not have any blackout dates.
However, there were so many people fighting to get a park reservation slot that Magic Key Holders found themselves unable to make reservations for weeks at a time. This even led to a lawsuit and Disney agreeing to pay out nearly $10 million in damages to certain Key Holders.
Park reservations have become much easier to get, but during busy times, Magic Key Holders can still struggle with finding days available to book. That is rarely an issue for traditional ticket holders.
Now, it could be that nearly every person who had an Annual Pass before the COVID shutdown has been able to purchase a Magic Key pass. However, it is also extremely likely that between the high price, the blackout days, and the struggle to make reservations, a lot of Disney Magic Key Holders are simply over it.
Do you think Magic Key Holders just don’t want to bother with Disneyland anymore? Let us know in the comments!
Hubby and I are over the charges for everything Disney continually rising. It’s difficult to get a reservation at times, parking has gone up, many rides are down for maintenance, crowds are high. We did not renew our passes. Very sad after being a pass holder for many years.