Everything You Need to Know About Magic Key Pass Renewals for Disneyland

UPDATE: Disneyland Magic Key Pass renewals have since become available. Click here for more information about the prices for the updated Magic Key passes.

Disneyland’s annual pass program has been in limbo for quite a while now.

Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland

The new Magic Key Passes that replaced Disneyland’s Annual Passholder program were first introduced in 2021, and some tiers quickly sold out. After that, Disney announced that further sales of Magic Key Passes would be paused but didn’t share any indication of when they might resume. No new Magic Key Passes are currently being sold, but if you already purchased a pass and want to renew it, you might be wondering just how you’re supposed to do that. Let’s take a look at what we know about Magic Key Passes right now. 

Disney began selling Magic Key Passes on August 25th, 2021 and there were four tiered passes guests could choose from — the Dream, Believe, Enchant, and Imagine Keys.

©Disney

The Dream Key was the most expensive option and quickly sold out, followed by the Believe Key. Soon enough, in May 2022 Disney stopped selling new Enchant and Imagine Keys as well, meaning that no Magic Key Passes were being sold at all.

Magic Key Popcorn Bucket in Disneyland

Disney didn’t announce why there were halting new pass purchases, but the May decision came not long after a $5 million lawsuit was filed specifically relating to Magic Key Passes and the park pass reservation system. In the suit, a Dream Key Passholder claimed that Disney artificially limited park capacity and blocked “passholders with ‘no blockout’ annual passes from making reservations.” Dream Key passes come with no blockout dates, but all ticket holders (including Dream Key passholders) are still required to get Park Pass reservations to enter the parks.

Essentially, the Plaintiff has alleged that Magic Key reservations were often unavailable on the weekends while guests with daily admission tickets were shown more availability on dates that Magic Key reservations were “sold out.”

Magic Key Halloween Photo Op

Disney responded to the lawsuit and we learned that a judge denied Disney’s motion to dismiss the suit. The judge did allow 2 claims to move forward: breach of contract and a claim that falls under the California Consumer Protection Act. This decision was made in May, just days before Magic Key Pass sales were paused.

Disney California Adventure

Now, current Magic Key Holders have been left wondering what they’re supposed to do when it comes to renewing their passes, which are only valid for one year from the activation date. Back in May, Disneyland spokesperson Jaime Clower shared with the Los Angeles Times that the company “plans to let current pass holders renew their passes this summer” but no details have been released as of yet.

Pirates of the Caribbean

While summer doesn’t actually end until late September in the U.S., Disney is running out of time to let guests know what to do about their current Magic Key Passes. Not only that, but since sales began on August 25th, 2021, that timeline is even shorter for those who bought their passes early.

Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland

The Magic Key website does mention renewal, and it currently reads, “Pass types are limited in quantity, and passes may no longer be available for purchase and/or renewal at any time.” However, another part of the website says, “All Pass types are available for renewal unless explicitly stated otherwise.” As of now, nothing has been explicitly stated either way.

Cars Land

Could Disneyland adopt Disney World’s Annual Pass program practice of allowing renewals for a certain period after the listed expiration date? That remains to be seen. No mention of Magic Key renewals was made during the Q3 Fiscal Year 2022 earnings call (or report) held on August 10th, 2022, but Disney did make a mention of an “unfavorable attendance mix” at Disneyland that impacted park revenues.

Disney could announce an update during the D23 Expo that’s coming up later this year, but nothing has officially been noted so far.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the latest Magic Key updates and more, but in the meantime, you can read more about the program here. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest!

 

 

 

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6 Replies to “Everything You Need to Know About Magic Key Pass Renewals for Disneyland”

  1. I’m guessing Disney cannot issue passes until the California court dictates the terms of the annual pass. Disney does not want to issue a pass then have to add additional benefits, and Disney does not want to charge its customers for the benefits and then not have to give it.
    So everybody not able to get an annual pass can thank this man who sued because he could not get into disneyland.

  2. The whole ticket + reservation thing, which was necessary to comply with social distancing requirements within the limited space of the park, now seems unnecessary. And it’s what caused that loophole attached to the (valid) suit. I could see the low earnings in Q3 causing them to finally get rid of the reservation requirement, which would then let them go back to normal no-blackout dates. Keeping in mind they do have pretty intense “inherent assumption of risk” disclaimer on Disneyland.com. I think they’re probably weighing what to do with Magic Keys alongside what to do about any half effect of COVID. My two cents, and I could be totally wrong!

  3. My pass expires 8-25-22 … imagine paying another $3 something in a couple months to punish the highest paying passes 😐

  4. I am one of the unfavorable. Have the Dream Key that expires on 8/29/22. A recent chat with DL customer service went around in circles. They 1st said I would be able to renew into something but keep checking for updates. When I asked if I could renew before the expiration date they said keep checking for updates. When I asked how could I renew if the pass had already expired they said if I want to go, buy a daily ticket. So there you go.

    1. For me it is very sad and frustrating that my pass expires in less than a week and a half, while there is no news about renewals. The lady I talked to in the ticket booth got defensive and told me to keep checking back. I sort of felt sorry for her. Us pass holders and Disney cast member are being disrespected by the information vacuum from upper management. I feel under pressure to use my Dream Pass as much as I can till it expires on August 25th. Ive been a loyal pass holder since 2014. Now I feel like Anaheim resort just wants me to go away.

  5. My Dream Key expires on August 29th (I get a message about how many days I have left every time I bring up the bar code for my pass). There used to be an option to renew under the bar code, but that’s been missing for a while. I’m guessing they have three options: do away with the annual passes (Keys) in their entirety; double the price of the Dream Key and not have any blocked dates; or keep the price of the Dream Key pass the same but add blocked dates (it would still be worth the cost for the free parking and 20% merchandise discount).