News Disneyland Magic Key Program

[mickEblu]

Very good information. I figured Sundays are lighter than Fridays due to them costing more but sounds like this is not the case. I'm sure if you plan to head there at the right times you can avoid traffic but heading back Friday night traffic I feel is relentless from 3PM all the way until 10-11PM due to all the freeway construction, people going out, and commuters.

Definitely a trade off.

I think Sundays (outside of the Holidays) are lighter than Fridays. During the Holidays I think it’s pretty comparable. So being that it’s close I prefer a Friday since i don’t have to work Saturday. Of course the problem is we have to take days off school/ work to go so we take advantage of Sundays when available. Friday mornings are a little lighter than Sunday mornings but Friday nights are DEFINITELY busier than Sunday nights.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I had a magic key last year… 2 weeks ago I made a last minute trip to California and bought a 2 day ticket. At first I was regretting not having a magic key but then I realized I couldn’t have used it anyways!!!

This is our plan for next year, we’re letting our keys go and we’ll just go once or twice next year and pay out of pocket.

I think the passes are still a good deal for locals but for out of state people it’s getting very hard to justify the cost, the price of the keys have gone up considerably but it’s the hotels that really hurt the wallet, a decade ago I could usually find hotels within walking distance for under $100 a night, now I’m lucky to find one for under $250 a night, a quick weekend trip is nearly a couple thousand now between gas, food, and hotels… and that’s with a Key.

We used to go 9-12 weekends a year, I think this year we’re going to end up at 5 or 6, we got our moneys worth out of our keys but it’s not the same amazing value it used to be.

 

[mickEblu]

@CaptinEO make sure to target Disneyland start days if you plan on riding TBA. I believe you have to have Disneyland as your starting park to try to get into the virtual queue in the morning.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

the price of the keys have gone up considerably but it’s the hotels that really hurt the wallet, a decade ago I could usually find hotels within walking distance for under $100 a night, now I’m lucky to find one for under $250 a night

My last several trips I’ve been grabbing “hotel lulu” on Priceline. Usually $100-150+tax. It’s a best western property, walking distance, and they are really nice about early check ins, luggage storage etc.

Otherwise I’m likely using Hilton points.

 

[Disney Irish]

Disneyland releases more reservations for Keys the night before. So if you're on the ball you can snag a last minute reservation, even for Friday thru Sunday. I've done it a few times with little to no planning.

Yes its harder to do a spontaneous trip to Disneyland now, but that is basically the point. Disney is trying to limit much of the drop-in locals crowd due to how packed and uncomfortable it makes the Parks, especially after 3-5pm and Holidays. Its why even before 2020 they had the reservations planned for the APs with the Flex pass. So this was always the plan.

The only question is if the reservations will stay permanently for all guests, or go back to only being for all or certain Keys. Only time will tell.

 

[Too Many Hats]

IMO the recurring 3-day SoCal local ticket is the way to go. I’m hoping they introduce another one Q1 2025.

For non-locals, kind of seems like MKs just aren’t worth it anymore. I’d probably buy regular tickets.

 

[AJFireman]

I had bought a MK in the beginning of the year but never activated it and just kept buying the 3 day deal. It worked out perfectly as I only go 2 to 3 times a month.. Finally activated my MK this month. Surprisingly it still gave me a MK discount while Mobile Ordering and purchases while not being activated.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

For non-locals, kind of seems like MKs just aren’t worth it anymore. I’d probably buy regular tickets.

They can be depending on how you plan your travel. Last year I would just grab dates I thought I would use, and if I didn’t end up getting out there I could cancel.

Disneyland releases more reservations for Keys the night before. So if you're on the ball you can snag a last minute reservation, even for Friday thru Sunday. I've done it a few times with little to no planning.

I always assumed that was from cancellations from people who had made a reservation and didn’t want to get the penalty.

Either way, yes, I’ve done that too!

 

[Disney Irish]

They can be depending on how you plan your travel. Last year I would just grab dates I thought I would use, and if I didn’t end up getting out there I could cancel.


I always assumed that was from cancellations from people who had made a reservation and didn’t want to get the penalty.

Either way, yes, I’ve done that too!

Unless there are hundreds of cancellations from such guests, its Disney releasing more reservations into the system. Likely from the pool that is the single day tickets. This has been noted by many Youtubers who have noticed the same thing. So it might be anecdotal and Disney will never officially confirm it, it does look like they do it.

 

[Too Many Hats]

I had bought a MK in the beginning of the year but never activated it and just kept buying the 3 day deal. It worked out perfectly as I only go 2 to 3 times a month.. Finally activated my MK this month. Surprisingly it still gave me a MK discount while Mobile Ordering and purchases while not being activated.

I somehow didn’t even consider buying the 3-day deal multiple times. That’s a great idea.

I’ve got a MK right now, but the 3-day deal is probably a better value for me going forward (assuming Disney continues to offer it). One of my buddies made the switch this past year and it seems to have worked out just fine.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

With the Magic Key it’s pretty easy to save $10-20 a day with discounts. So there is that.

 

[Disney Irish]

With the Magic Key it’s pretty easy to save $10-20 a day with discounts. So there is that.

More if you're there for multiple days, which is the whole reason I ended up with an AP in the first place. Those discounts add up real quick if you use it for both food and merch. I think on one trip I ended up saying like $300-$400 over a 3 day period.

 

[coffeefan]

For hotels, it's not as convenient but staying a little further away and taking a short Uber to the park can save money too.

 

[DCBaker]

Disneyland has raised the price of Magic Key passes before they go back on sale later this year:

Inspire Key: $1749 (previously $1649)
Believe Key: $1374 (previously $1249)
Enchant Key: $974 (previously $849)
Imagine Key:$599 (previously $499)

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass discount has increased from 20% to 25%.

 

[DCBaker]

OCR also notes the Lightning Lane Multi Pass discount will temporarily increase to 50% between Jan. 6 and Jan. 31.

Disneyland to restart Magic Key sales

Disneyland annual passes last went on sale in March with all sales paused in June.

www.ocregister.com

 

[CaptinEO]

Disneyland has raised the price of Magic Key passes before they go back on sale later this year:

Inspire Key: $1749 (previously $1649)
Believe Key: $1374 (previously $1249)
Enchant Key: $974 (previously $849)
Imagine Key:$599 (previously $499)

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass discount has increased from 20% to 25%.

Yikes. The reservation system is so bad too. These passes advertise how many days you can visit but then it comes down to having to prebook weekends or fridays 2 months out.

 

[Jrb1979]

Yikes. The reservation system is so bad too. These passes advertise how many days you can visit but then it comes down to having to prebook weekends or fridays 2 months out.

Yet people keep buying them. If you want change you have to stop buying passes. There is many other parks to visit

 

[CaptinEO]

Yet people keep buying them. If you want change you have to stop buying passes. There is many other parks to visit

I agree. I am not sure if I will renew. The AP program and its benefits were much better.

 

[tanc]

Who's ready for when all passes are $1k? The enchant key was always the most appealing one to me, but at basically $1k it's a hard bargain now. The top tier pass just isn't worth almost $2k to me.

 

[Too Many Hats]

How difficult is it to get a reservation for a regular single-day ticket?