By Tinker Belle Diva
I purchased my first Disneyland Annual Pass in 2005 and I sadly watched as Disneyland sunset the Annual Passholder program in January 2021, and I was left without my magical ticket to Disneyland. We have been waiting nearly 8 months to hear of its replacement and on August 3rd, we were given the details, and told we could buy our choice of “keys” starting on August 25th. So what is this new program and how does it compare to the prior one?
Prices and benefits
The four “Keys” from most to least expensive are Dream ($1399), Believe (949), Enchant ($649) and Imagine (399). The Imagine Key is only for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599. The other three keys are open to anyone inside or outside the state of California. All Keys are Park Hoppers, but the additional perks and discounts do vary based on the type of Key purchased. Here are the prices and benefits, as well as links to the blockout dates:
| Ticket Option | Ticket Price | Additional Perks/Information |
| Imagine Key | $399 | · For Southern California Residents Only
· 10% off select dining, 10% off select merchandise · Check the blockout dates at this link. All weekends and most of the summer/peak times are blocked. · No parking included · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 2 theme park reservations at a time |
| Enchant Key | $649 | · 10% off select dining, 10% off select merchandise
· Check the blockout dates at this link. Some weekends and most of the summer/holdiay times are blocked. · No parking included · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 4 theme park reservations at a time |
| Believe Key | $949 | · 10% off select dining, 10% off select merchandise
· Check the blockout dates at this link. Some Saturdays and most of the holiday weekends are blocked. · 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). Parking is currently $25, so this would reduce it to $12.50 per day/visit · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time |
| Dream Key | $1399 | · 15% off select dining, 20% off select merchandise
· No block out dates · Standard theme park parking included · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time |
DIVA TIP – be sure to check the blockout calendars as they vary widely with each Key. If you plan to make many visits over a year and need parking, factor that price of $25/day into your budget as it may actually work better to upgrade to a more expensive Key if you are a regular/local visitor.
The prior Disneyland Annual Pass program
Question: What is a reservation-based admission? Since these are Park Hoppers, do I need to make two reservations, one for each Park? Answer: For the foreseeable future, you will need to first purchase a Key and after that make a park reservation for the date(s) you want to go. You need one reservation per day, not per park. For each Key, you have an allotment of Park Reservations tied to the Key type. You can make up to that amount at one time (you can make less). Theme park reservations can be made up to 120 days or more in advance, and are subject to availability. Once you have used one of your park reservations or if you cancel one, you can make a new one. It may be possible to make same day park reservations if there is availability. DIVA TIP: You can make reservations for one park only or both parks, pending availability from the reservation calendar. If you want to park hop, you must make a reservation for both parks, and one reservation is used to park hop.
Question: If I buy a pass online on August 25th when they release, when will it expire? Answer: You can buy a pass online starting on August 25th, but it will not be ‘activated’ until the first day you step through a turnstile at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Parks or if you use it for a parking benefit (if you buy Believe or Dream Keys). Your pass will then expire one-year from when you do one of those two things. DIVA TIP: don’t try to log in to buy a Key on August 25th unless you need it right away. Disney’s website is known for crashing when overloaded, so wait a day or two if you don’t need it immediately. You have one year from when you buy the Key until you need to activate it.
Question: Since these are Park Hoppers, can I go back and forth to each Park as I please? Answer: Not exactly. When you make your park reservation, first you must make sure that you select a reservation for both parks, and then you need to select which of the two parks you want to start your day in. You need to stay in that park until 1:00 pm. After 1:00 pm, you can stay in your starting park all day, or you can hop back and forth as many times as you like. If you are running late and do not arrive to the Disneyland Resort until after 1 pm, you can enter either park.
Question: I already bought tickets for my next trip and now I want a Magic Key. What do I do? Answer: If you have a valid ticket, you can upgrade to one of the Keys at a Disneyland Ticket booth. At this time, there is no way to do this online or over the phone. Once you are at Disneyland, go to a ticket booth and upgrade PRIOR to the end of the last day of the ticket’s use. For example, if you bought a 3-day ticket and use it for the first two days, you must upgrade by the end of the third day. And no, you cannot upgrade a ticket you used in the past, and only one ticket may be used toward a new pass (you cannot combine two tickets you bought and use both to upgrade). You cannot upgrade certain tickets, such as Oogie Boogie Bash party tickets or the special 3-day California Resident ticket, and the value of the ticket you are upgrading must be less than the value of the Key you are buying.
Are you ready to start planning your next Disney trip, but don’t know where to start? Contact our recommended travel agent, Patricia at All for Dreams Travel, for a FREE quote!
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