Updated for 2024! Hey, Disneyland fans — we just received some big news! After closing out their Annual Pass tickets in January 2021 and closing new Disneyland Magic Key sales, everyone was curious about when Disneyland would begin selling Magic Keys again.
Beginning January 10, 2024 – all four Magic Key passes will be available for purchase.
This is big news since the original Enchant Key, which is what I have and is the lowest-priced Key other than the Southern California resident option, will finally be available for sale again. Here’s what to know about buying a Magic Key Disneyland annual pass, what’s the price, and when are the blackout dates.
If you’re not sure which Magic Key you should buy, I’ve created a useful colorful calendar that shows the different prices, discounts, and blackout dates to help you decide. Find the block-out calendar comparison charts towards the end of this post.
What IS the Disneyland Magic Key?
What Disneyland is calling a Magic Key is essentially the same program as their old Annual Passes. I’m actually shocked at how they’re pretty similar to what Disneyland was selling before. When you buy a Magic Key, you’ll be able to visit Disneyland multiple times a year for that one price. There are blackout dates when some Magic Key passes won’t be eligible.
It’s also important to note that the Magic Key program will require a park reservation to be made. This is standard for how Disneyland is running its current ticket system. Park reservations with a Magic Key will be available 90 days in advance.
Before closing its old annual pass system, Disneyland had a Flex Pass which also required park reservations in advance. It’s no surprise to see Disney is sticking with the reservation system as it gives them a good idea of what to expect each day for crowd levels and what they’ll need for staffing.
With reservations being required, you will need to do some advanced planning. And for some locals, I can see that using their Magic Key might be less convenient than the old annual passes where they could just hop into the parks whenever they want.
Keep in mind that Magic Key annual passes are like Park Hopper tickets. You can visit both parks in a single day. You’ll make a park reservation for the day you want to visit one park or both parks. If you want to visit both parks, you have to book to start at one park and you’ll be able to hop over to the other park after 11 am.
When Can I Buy a Magic Key?
Magic Key passes are back on sale on January 10th, 2024, no earlier than 9 am PT. There is a whole page of Magic Key buying tips from Disneyland. It includes making sure you sign into your account and enter the buying waiting room no earlier than 8:45 am on January 10th.
All four Magic Key options will be available for sale so you’ll want to know in advance which Magic Key pass you want to buy. I’ll help you decide that with the details below. It seems that the passes will be available to purchase online and at the ticket booths.
When you want to buy a Magic Key pass, you’ll be placed in a virtual queue. When your waiting time is over, you’ll have 10 minutes to purchase your Key. Expect LONG waits. When I bought my Key when they first went on sale, I waited approximately 6 hours to be able to purchase my Key.
And there is good news for those of us who are planning any trips and already have tickets and reservations. You can exchange your current tickets for a Magic Key. For example, I’m planning to visit the parks in September for Disneyland Halloween and I’ll be able to credit my park ticket towards a Magic Key pass on my final day in the parks.
However! I do expect some of the Keys to sell out and that Disneyland will likely stop selling them again after they reach a certain number of purchases. With the way Enchant Keys have been only available for renewal, I suspect those keys might sell out the quickest.
To upgrade a park ticket to a Magic Key, you’ll visit the ticket booths at Disneyland before the end (close) of your last day’s visit. What you paid for that ticket will be applied towards the cost of whichever Magic Key you choose to purchase. But, do keep in mind that some or all Keys may sell out.
When you buy your Magic Key, it doesn’t become active until your first use (parking does not count). So even if you buy a Key on January 10th, your annual year start date doesn’t begin until your first use/park entry. However, you do need to use it within one year of purchase.
Also read these: Where to Buy Cheap Disneyland Tickets and How Much Does a Disneyland Vacation Cost?
What are the Magic Key Options & How Much Do They Cost?
Ok, so now here we’re going to get down to the details about the Disneyland Magic Key passes. As I said above, there are four pass options. However, one of the passes, Imagine Key, is only available to Southern California residents.
One of the stand-out features besides blockout dates and discounts you’ll want to consider is how many reservations you can hold at one time. When they talk about how many park reservations you can “hold” it means that you’re able to make a park reservation for that many days at a time.
So if you can hold 6 reservations, you can reserve 6 single dates throughout the open 90-day window. If you can hold 4 reservations, you’ll only be able to have 4 dates reserved at a time.
When you make your reservation for the day, you’ll choose which park you want to visit. Which park(s) are available for your date will be noted on the availability calendar. Disneyland is noted with a pink castle, and California Adventure is noted with a teal Mickey wheel.
If reservations aren’t available on your date you’ll see a circle with a line through it – you also see this for dates you hold reservations for already. And if you’re blocked out, you’ll see a slash line through the date.
Inspire Key – $1649
This is the Mercedes Benz class of Magic Keys. It’s the best pass you can get and comes with limited blackout dates. You can visit almost any day of the year, including weekends, except for a few days and weeks during the December holidays. But remember, a reservation has to be made in advance. This pass also includes the best park discounts and free standard theme park parking for one vehicle.
Also, keep in mind that entry is not guaranteed just because you’re a key holder. You will need to make reservations and availability may be limited. Reservations are available 90 days in advance.
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks. (13 blockout dates for 2024)
- Hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time for different dates
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads
- Up to 20% off select merchandise
- Up to 15% off select dining
- Standard theme park parking included (excluding blockout dates, at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure and Toy Story Parking Area)
Believe Key – $1249
For a savings of $400, you can get the Believe Key pass, but you’ll step down on some benefits. The Believe Key pass has more blackout dates, less of a discount in the parks (10% off instead of 20% & 15%), and only 50% off parking. If you like to visit Disneyland on the weekends, this pass or the Inspire Key are your best options.
The Inspire and the Believe Key passes are also the only two passes that offer you the chance to hold 6 reservations at a time. If you like to plan for 3-day vacations, this would allow you to have two 3-day trips reserved at a time. The Believe and Inspire Keys also are the only Keys with Disney PhotoPass included, perfect for those of you who love getting your photo taken around the parks.
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks most days of the year (58 blockout dates for 2024).
- Hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads
- 10% off select merchandise
- 10% off select dining
- 50% off standard theme park parking (excluding blockout days, and available for purchase at Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure and the Toy Story Parking Area)
Enchant Key – $849
If you don’t live in Southern California, this will be your cheapest option for a Magic Key pass. It’s a step down from the Believe Key and comes with many more blockout dates, including all Saturdays, smaller discount on parking only at the Toy Story lot, and no PhotoPass. You’ll also only be able to hold 4 park reservations at a time.
Summertime visitors will likely want to avoid this pass unless you like to visit at the end of August. You’ll also be excluded from many weekend dates and holidays.
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year (151 blockout dates mostly in the summer, weekends, and Nov/Dec holidays).
- Hold up to 4 theme park reservations at a time
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service
- 10% off select merchandise
- 10% off select dining
- 25% off standard theme park parking at the Toy Story Parking Area only (excluding blockout dates)
Imagine Key (SoCal Pass only) – $499
The Imagine Key is only available for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599. This pass is the most limited and comes with the most blackout dates as well as the least number of reservations. Be sure not to confuse the best Key, Inspire, with this limited Imagine Key.
- Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year (229 blockout dates, mostly summer, weekends, and all of December).
- Hold up to 2 theme park reservations at a time
- 20% off the purchase of Disney Genie+ service
- 10% off select merchandise
- 10% off select dining
- 25% off standard theme park parking at the Toy Story Parking Area (excluding blockout dates)
Dream Key – $1399 (Discontinued)
The Dream Key is no longer being sold.
** note there is some fine print with each of these Magic Key options, so be sure you have reviewed the fine print at Disneyland.com. There is a no-show clause that will encourage people to use their reservations or cancel in advance.
California residents (all CA residents) will also have the opportunity to pay for their Magic Key in a payment plan over the year with a small down payment.
Which Magic Key Annual Pass Should I Get?
Only you can truly answer that, however, I have a few tips you should consider.
If money is not a factor and you want to visit multiple times a year including during the holidays, the Inspire Key is probably your best option. This also comes with free parking, making it likely an ideal pass for a local who visits often and drives to the park. The discount on dining and merchandise will also be a great perk for a true Disney fan who likes to shop and eat when visiting the parks.
For a SoCal resident who is happy visiting the parks after work during the week, the Imagine Key is an affordable option to get your Disney fix. With 229 blockout dates, you’d likely miss many of the peak seasonal events, however with two days of reservations available it would be easy for those middle-of-the-week visits.
So what’s left to decide between is the Believe ($1249) versus the Enchant ($849). What will that extra $400 get you? Well, the main difference is 52 blackouts versus 151. If you need to visit during the main summer months of June and July, you’ll need to fork over the extra money for the Believe.
The extra $400 also gets you 6 reservation dates with the Believe versus just 4 with the Enchant. The Believe also comes with 50% off parking, but both passes offer 10% off for certain shopping and dining venues.
When comparing the cost of Disneyland tickets, you can see that you need to be planning for multiple visits each year to make an annual pass, AKA Magic Key, worth the expense. If I was planning three 3-day trips in a year then I’d likely purchase the Believe Key and it would save me money by the last trip.
But if the blockout dates fit with my travel plans (i.e. don’t need weekends or holidays) then the Enchant Key would be a good deal. A 2-day park hopper ticket from Get Away Today costs $373, so the Enchant Key at $849 would offer big savings if I was planning three 2-day trips, again assuming the blockout calendar fits my travel plans.
There are some added perks for Magic Key holders, which I’ll mention below that might help push you over the tipping point if you’re doing the math.
Magic Key Calendar Blackout Dates Comparison
While each Key has its own blockout calendar, I knew that when comparing the different key types it makes more sense to be able to look at the months matched up as that’s how people will be planning their trips. I created this blockout calender comparison to help you compare the Inspire Key versus the Believe Key versus the Enchant Key versus the Imagine Key.
Hopefully, this calendar comparison chart will help you figure out the best Magic Key pass for you based on what your upcoming Disneyland vacation plans are.
Magic Key Extra Park Perks
If you’re the type of Disney fan who likes to feel special, Disneyland has added some additional perks for Magic Key holders that go beyond park admission and discounts.
- Magic Key Terrace: a re-imagined reservation-based lounge just for Magic Key holders and their friends and family
- Special Experiences & Collectibles: access exciting, unique experiences and collectible keepsakes designed with you in mind—including special offerings during festivals!
- First Access Opportunities: be among the first to have the opportunity to access exciting new offerings at the Disneyland Resort throughout the year, including select new merchandise collections
- Early access to purchase a limited number of tickets for select events
- Downtown Disney District: discounts at participating locations
- Magic Key Merchandise, Novelties, Menu Items and More: Show your Magic Key pride! Opportunity to purchase Magic Key holder-themed popcorn buckets, sippers and menu items throughout the year.
- Magic Key Disney PhotoPass Opportunities: enjoy special photo spots and other opportunities sprinkled in throughout the year.
- Magic Key embroidery: special options available for Magic Key holders at select locations in the parks
There you have all the details on the new Magic Key “annual pass” at Disneyland. What do you think? Will you join?
