Wondering if splurging on a Disneyland Magic Key Pass is the way to go or if you’re better off purchasing single-day tickets or multiple-day passes for Disneyland California? Done the math and puzzled on whether or not investing in the magic key pass is a good financial decision for your family and you?
Maybe you’re an ultimate Disney fan who dreams of waltzing through Disneyland resort on a whim. Well, no matter your case, preferences, or financial wonders, the eye-watering Disneyland’s infamous magic key program is worth researching, and we have you covered!
Read on to learn whether or not the magic key pass and its many different versions are a good choice for you or if you should skip out and stick to regular tickets.
Disneyland Magic Key Pass Guide
First off, what’s so special about Disneyland’s Magic Key Program?
Disneylands Magic Key Program is the famous annual pass program that allows avid Disney fans to purchase and then be allowed certain perks such as free or discounted parking, merchandise discounts, genie plus discounts, Disneyland resort dining discounts, Disney photo benefits (inspire key and believe key), year-round park visits (subject to park availability and magic key tiered pass slots and non-black out dates.)
When you take all of these benefits and write down the cost associated with a typical trip to Disneyland, you’ll start to notice the economic benefit of purchasing a key pass, as long as it fits your Disney travel style and frequency.
What are the different kinds of magic key passes?
What’s the Same between all passes?
- Reservation-based admission! You’ll always need to make a theme park reservation before heading out to your designated Disney park.
- Reservation Blackout dates galore! There are various days, holidays, and periods where you won’t be able to use your magic key pass, some are universal days, and some depend on the pass you purchased.
- Parking spots listed below per pass also have certain blocked-out days, so keep that in mind. As always, check disneys site for up. To date, real-time openings and blocks.
- Dining and merchandise discounts are for select locations and select purchases, so check out what is part of that list before going wild with purchases.
- Disney genie plus discount is on the day your using your pass, of course, and as always, check out Disney genie plus for any recent changes.
Wondering what genie plus is? It’s disneys new fast pass system, but it’s pretty different than the original version, so you should learn about maximizing this program to make the best of your Disney trip.
Inspire Key Pass:
- Admission to one or both theme parks during most days of the year!
- Can have up to 6 theme park reservations
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service on days
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads
- able to have up to 20% off select merchandiseϯ
- able to have up to 15% off select dining
- Standard theme park parking, including Mickey & Friends Parking, Pixar Pals Parking, and Toy Story Parking
Speaking of disneys magic key perks of photo passes, You should really get your Disneyland Photo Strategy on lock! Because with swarming Disney parks and scorching weather, having a plan for when to take photos and where to take them is a total must!
Believe Key Pass:
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks most days of the year,
- Hold up to 6 theme park reservations on your reservation management hub
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service on days when you use your pass for park admission.
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads
- can have up to 10% off select merchandise purchases
- can have up to 10% off dining at certain spots
- 50% off standard theme park parking For Mickey & Friends Parking, Pixar Pals Parking, and Toy Story Parking Area.
Enchant Key Pass:
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks on select days of the year.
- Able to hold up to 4 theme park reservations at a given time.
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service on days when you use your pass for park admission.
- You can have up to 10% off select merchandise purchases
- You can have up to 10% off certain dining spots
- 25% off standard theme park parking at the Toy Story Parking Area
Imagine Key Pass:
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks on select days of the year,
- You can hold up to 2 theme park reservations at a given time.
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service on days when you use your pass for park admission.
- can have Up to 10% off select purchases of merchandise
- can have Up to 10% off select dining spots
- 25% off standard theme park parking at the Toy Story Parking Area
Check out the Disneys site to learn about the Magic Key Terms and Conditions and check out their block-out dates for the magic Pass.
You’re probably wondering what the differences are between Disneyland and Disney World’s pass systems and probably some other differences as well.
To learn more, read our guide about the major differences between Disneyland and Disney World.
If you want to learn about Disney World’s special pass system, then read our guide on Disney World’s annual passes overview.
Are Magic Key Passes even worth the money, or are they a ripoff?
Whether or not the magic key pass is worth it comes down to multiple deciding factors; it’s not as simple as a rip-off or a fantastic deal. We’ll list below the key points you should consider before purchasing a magic key pass.
1. Are you a current Southern California resident?
If you happen to live in Southern California in either of these two zip codes, 90000 or 93599, you lucked out! Residents of these two areas can purchase Disneyland resort’s most economical choice; the Imagine Key Pass. This pass is under $500 as of 2023 and offers the ability to visit Disneyland and California adventures year-round during no blackout dates.
Important: Keep in mind the weekends are a no-go since they are all blacked out, but this pass is perfect if you’re okay with visiting during the week and not planning on visiting during holidays or peak periods.
2. Do you visit Disneyland enough to justify the cost?
If you visit Disney parks less than a few times a year, then splurging on an expensive pass might not be the best option. However, if you visit more than five times, are flexible, and love park hopping, then choosing a magic key pass might be a great direction to go.
Think about it this way, on average, we’ll say a park hopper add-on with a regular admission ticket is going to set you back around $170 on average:
- If you visit three times, you have already spent what could have been an imagine key (southern California residents.)
- If you visit four times, then you almost hit how much an Enchant key costs.
- If you visit six times, you almost hit what a believe key cost.
- If you visit nine times, you almost hit what it costs to get an inspire key, the highest level of magic passes you can get!
3. How do you get to Disneyland?
While this may seem like a weird question, it has some merit. Considering how much you spend on parking is essential if you use a car as your mode of transportation. If you rely on public transportation, parking discounts will be less alluring, and therefore, pricier Disney’s key options, such as the inspire key or believe key, will be less appealing.
Again, choosing your magic key pass will be based on multiple reasons, but thinking of parking helps eliminate options.
4. Do you buy merchandise and often dine while visiting Disneyland resort?
Do you have to buy multiple souvenirs for friends or yourself? Do you love shopping around and picking out clothes, bags, and ears? Or maybe you’re an avid foodie who loves a good discount? Whatever your mood, the various magic keys will have varying discounts from 10% – 20% for dining and merchandise.
When did Disney replace its Disneyland Annual Passes with the Magic Key Program?
During the Pandemic, Disneyland was shut down for a bit and ceased offering its famous annual passport program. Nearing the end of 2021, in September, Disney announced its new pass program that would be replaced the long-standing annual passes; it would be known as the Magic Key, and truthfully passes are pretty similar when you compare them to their predecessor the annual passes, except there are a few different benefits between the two.
The main difference between the new Disney program and the old pass program is that magic key pass holders are required to make reservations ahead of time; they can’t just on a whim go to Disneyland (unless, of course, there’s ample availability for magic key holder slots for that specific day.) The same applies to Disney World, annual pass holders, so don’t feel too bad.
How do you buy a magic key pass?
Can you buy a magic key pass on the Disneyland mobile app?
Unfortunately, you cannot buy a Disneyland Magic Key on the Disneyland mobile app; maybe in the feature, we can see this feature added as mobile services become more critical as technology progresses.
Can you buy a magic key pass year-round?
No, getting your hands on a magic key pass is extremely difficult, and Disney only opens up a small window for purchasing, usually as little as once a year or from time to time, and will quickly shut it down without notice. So if a window pops open, you want to purchase it asap!
When can you buy the Disney key pass?
The magic passes can be purchased only during Disney’s designated allotted time frame. Usually, it will be announced abruptly, and people swarm the Disneyland website.
How do you renew your magic key pass?
Renewing your Disney magic pass is relatively easy; you’ll have 30 days to renew during your renewal window before it expires, and you would go on to the Disneyland website magic key section, scroll down to the very bottom and click the blue hyperlink that says Renew Magic Pass.
Then you’ll be prompted to log in with your Disney account information and be promoted to renew it. The process is relatively simple, but if you have trouble, you can always contact Disney, and they are very helpful with any technical difficulties.