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Credit: Inside the MagicIf you are someone who likes to visit the Disney parks often, you likely have considered or own a Disney World Annual Pass or a Disneyland Magic Key. Now, sales of Magic Key’s have halted again, and guests are fearing the worst.
As of late, we have seen attendance drop at Walt Disney World, and with this drop has come financial incentives to get more guests to visit and spend more after prices have dramatically increased. Disney World Annual Passholders of all tiers (Disney Pixie Dust Pass, Disney Pirate Pass, Disney Sorcerer Pass, Disney Incredi-Pass) recently underwent a price increase, along with Disney Genie+, which can now cost Guests up to $35 per person per day, and theme park ticket prices, which have skyrocketed to over $180 per day on select days for Magic Kingdom.
That being said, at Walt Disney World, one of the core group of guests comes from Annual Passholders. The Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World are not as prominent of the guest makeup as Disneyland Resort. However, there is still a large local crowd that fills the Park, along with some other out of state Passholders who visit often. Annual Passes allow guests to enter Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with an applicable Disney Park Pass reservation, as well as Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon depending on the tier.
After the theme parks reopened from COVID-19 and the pandemic shutting them down, Annual Pass sales and Magic Key sales came to a screeching halt. Only guests who were renewing and already had a pass could benefit from the perks, but no one else would be allowed to make the purchase.
Once Disney World brought back their pass system, we saw major price hikes.
Within the new Annual Pass program, the top-tier Disney Incredi-Pass will set a user back $1299, which is a fair amount as we thought the price point was going to be much higher. Payment plans are available for Florida residents, and this pass has no theme park blackout dates. Incredi-Pass users will be able to have up to 5 theme park reservations at a time!
The Disney Sorcerer Pass still provides some great benefits, like an $899 price point, park hopping, etc., with the only “con” being blackout dates starting at this tier (and below). It should be noted that this park pass is only available to Florida Residents AND DVC members.
Florida residents are really in luck here, being the only ones able to purchase the Disney Pirate Pass, and the most affordable option, the Disney Pixie Dust Pass. These passes are $699 and $399, respectively, have lots of blackout dates and seasons, and have limited Park Reservation options.
When the Magic Key pass was announced, it came at a major price jump. Below, you can see what each pass sells for.
- Imagine Key: (only available to Southern California Residents) $449
- Enchant Key: $699
- Believe Key: $1,099
- Inspire Key: $1,599
Even with passes being at an all-time high in terms of cost, sales for Magic Key’s have been off and on since its return, with no pattern or guest warning.
As we reported, Theme park and entertainment journalist Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) shared the news on X (formerly known as Twitter), detailing that Disneyland Resort has ceased all new sales of the Inspire Key, which was the only available tier for guests to purchase a new Magic Key Pass to the Southern California Disney Park.
This decision means all new Magic Key Passes sales have ceased until further notice. However, renewals for current Magic Key holders within their renewal window are still available, per the official Disneyland Resort website.
The cease of all new Magic Key Pass sales follows the latest update on a lawsuit that will force Disney to pay a $9.5M settlement fund in reparations to a Magic Key holder dispute for “deceptive business practices.” However, there is no official confirmation that the cease of new Magic Key Pass sales and the lawsuit are related.
All of this being said, guests have now began to express their grief with this choice, as well as their fear that further price hikes are on the way.
One Reddit thread was put up announcing the news to Disneyland guests everywhere, and hundreds of people replied. Many of them were saddened as they were about to make the purchase and now can’t, while others believe that costs are about to increase again.
One guest replied, “Price hikes are coming I fear. If too many people have Magic Keys, then the only solution (other than voluntary non-renewals) is to start pricing people out. Very sad as Magic Keys are such a great deal for someone like me who’s a SoCal resident.”
Others have taken this as a sign to leave the Disneyland bubble, “Yeah, we’re done. We moved here two years ago and immediately bought it. Had a great ride and maybe 50 day trips to Disneyland from San Diego over two years. Time to take that $5-6k and try something new!”
Another guest claimed that a Cast Member confirmed the incoming price hike. They said, “I’ve heard from a CM at the ticket gates that they might be opening sales soon, but with a price increase. I’m guessing they’re closing sales on the Inspire key because they’re going to raise prices or maybe even opening other Key sales instead of that one.” Someone else corroborated the story saying, “I heard both these today also from a friend and her friend works the gates.”
Others are upset as they were planning to upgrade their tickets to a Magic Key pass and planned future travel around that decision, now, purchasing tickets each time has made the visit financially impossible.
One Disneyland guest predicts that passes will be back on sale in the new year, “Disney doesn’t advertise this but they usually pause new pass sales at the beginning of Halloween/Christmas time. It’s our busiest season so they do it to try and avoid a huge influx of new pass holders flooding the parks. If your trip is next month you might not be able to buy a pass, but if you try again in January, they should be available then.
Key word is should – I don’t work with pass sales so I don’t know the exact timeline, but from what I’ve seen passes tend to come back in January.”
At the moment, price hikes have not been confirmed, but it does seem likely that raising the cost of a Magic Key is highly likely at Disneyland Resort for both Disneyland Parks and Disney California Adventure.
Are you a Magic Key holder? Did this pause in sales disrupt your plans?
Are you looking to visit Disneyland? Considering Disneyland, located in Anaheim, California, is the first ever theme park, and the only one that Walt Disney himself was able to walk through, it holds a magical spot in all of our Disney-loving hearts. Seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle is a picture-perfect moment; there is so much to do! When it comes to attractions, Guests can enjoy the spooky adventures in The Haunted Mansion during the year and Haunted Mansion Holiday (featuring the characters from Nightmare Before Christmas) during the holiday season. Pirates of the Caribbean will take you on a swashbuckling journey, and Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain provide thrills like no other. Classic rides like Matterhorn Bobsleds, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Snow White’s Enchanted Wish are a must, and dining is excellent with stand-out locations like Blue Bayou and Carnation Cafe. Want to start booking so you can see Mickey Mouse in his home in Toontown? The Disneyland website has everything you need to know about the Disneyland app, hotels, tickets, and the Disney Genie+ service. Click here to check it out.