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I’ve been an Annual Passholder at Walt Disney World for years, and I’m very familiar with the ins and outs of the program, but the Disneyland Resort was always a totally different story.
Credit: PaulaK
A few months ago, I started to plan a trip to Disneyland with my daughter, who is also my theme park buddy. We wanted to visit during the holidays, and we also have a couple of times in 2022 that we hope to return to California. I started pricing ,and I realized that it might make more sense if we were to purchase Magic Keys for both of us.
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When I started my research, I looked at the dates for our trip, plus the dates for when we hope to return. The lowest level of Magic Key sold is the Enchant Key, if you don’t live in Southern California. When I checked the dates, everything looked good for our trips.
The top two levels of Magic Key, Dream and Believe, are sold out. Enchant doesn’t have as many benefits as the higher levels, but it still suits our needs.
Related: A Second Tier of Magic Key Has Sold Out
Part of the reason why Enchant Magic Key costs so much less than the higher levels is because of the number of blackout dates. A lot of weekends are blocked out, as well as holiday weeks and a good part of the summer. You will want to look at the calendar before you make your purchase so you won’t be surprised.
Credit: PaulaK
With the Enchant Magic Key, you are able to hold up to four Disney Park Pass Reservations at a time. I booked the first four available days for us as soon as we purchased the passes. I was glad that I did, because the reservations were full for December just a few days later.
I assumed that we wouldn’t be able to get a fifth Disney Park Pass Reservation for the final day that we were there, but I was wrong. On a whim I checked, and I was able to make a next-day reservation for Disney California Adventure. From what I’ve been told, last minute reservations become available quite often.
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Besides Theme Park admission, one of my favorite parts of having an Enchant Magic Key is the discounts. Unlike at Walt Disney World, there are discounts at some quick-service restaurants! You can order through the Disneyland App, and your discount will automatically be applied.
There are also merchandise discounts. For Enchant, the discount at most places is ten percent.
Credit: PaulaK
One thing that I liked is that most of the Cast Members asked if we had a Magic Key when we checked out. That hardly ever happens at Walt Disney World. There are no MagicBands or Key to the World Cards, so we had to pull out our phones to show the ticket a lot.
Related: Magic Key Holders May Be Out of Luck If They Want to Visit Disneyland This Christmas Season
I know I’ve only used my Enchant Magic Key on one trip so far, but I’m glad we decided to go that route instead of purchasing regular tickets. With five days in the Theme Parks and all the discounts that we received on merchandise and dining, our tickets have almost paid for themselves already. For us, this is a purchase that was worth every cent.
