With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic continuing from 2020 to 2021, Disneyland has made some significant changes this year, including cancelling its annual pass program in January and introducing a new tiered ticket pricing system when it reopened in April. Now, the California Disney park has announced new reservation-based annual passes as part of its Magic Key Program that kicks off Aug. 25, 2021. Here's the new Magic Key pass holder pricing breakdown:
Dream Key ($1,399 or $102 per month for 12 months exclusively for California residents)
Hold up to six theme park reservations at a time for different dates (one or both parks) No blockout dates Up to 20 percent off select merchandise Up to 15 percent off select dining Standard theme park parking includedBelieve Key ($949 or $65 per month for 12 months exclusively for California residents)
Hold up to six theme park reservations at a time for different dates (one or both parks) Blockout dates: All Saturdays in October, Nov. 25-27, all Saturdays from Dec. 4-Jan. 1, Dec. 19-Jan. 2, Feb. 19-20, all Saturdays from March 19-April 16, April 10-17, May 28-29, all Saturdays in July, July 3-4. 10 percent off select merchandise 10 percent off select dining 50 percent off standard theme park parking (excluding blockout days)Enchant Key ($649 or $40 per month for 12 months exclusively for California residents)
Hold up to four theme park reservations at a time for different dates (one or both parks) Blockout dates: Sept. 4-6, all weekends in October, all Saturdays in November, Nov. 21-28, all weekends in December, Dec. 4-Jan. 1, Dec. 17-Jan. 6, Jan. 15-17, Feb. 19-21, all Saturdays from March 12-Aug. 20, April 10-17, May 29-30, June 3-5, June 10-Aug. 14, Sept. 3-5. 10 percent off select merchandise 10 percent off select diningImagine Key ($399 or or $19 per month for 12 months exclusively for California residents)
Valid only for Southern California residents living in ZIP codes 90000 to 93599 Hold up to two theme park reservations at a time for different dates (one or both parks) Blockout dates include all weekends, holidays, and other high-traffic days (valid for 167 days from Aug. 2021 to Sept. 2022) 10 percent off select merchandise 10 percent off select diningWhile the pandemic continues to throw us curveballs this year, with the recently opened Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park and a lot of pent-up excitement after its year-long closure, Disneyland is sure to start filling back up in the near future (especially with Halloween festivities returning in September). So it makes sense that the Southern California theme park would go with a reservation-based annual pass system to keep the crowds better regulated. That said, it's unclear just how easy or difficult it will be to secure reservations for the dates you want, even if they aren't blocked out for your specific Magic Key pass, as there's a lot of "pending availability" language in the fine print. One more detail to note is that you have to choose which theme park you'll start your day at (Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure), and you'll have to "cross over and switch between parks on the same day beginning at 1:00 PM, subject to capacity."
Since we can't compare the new annual pass system and the old annual pass system apples to apples, it's hard to say whether the Magic Key Program will be a better value, but it is interesting to note that the closest match to the new top tier pass, the Dream Key, was previously the Disney Signature Plus Passport at $1,449. So the new pass is less than that at $1,399. (The previous top tier was Disney Premier, which gave you access to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, so we don't have a comparable pass there.)
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As a hardcore Disneyland fan who has missed visiting the park due to COVID, I'm curious to see how the new annual pass program plays out and hopeful we can see cases drop enough for all Disney fans to safely return to our beloved home away from home.
