Credit: Taylor Gregory, UnsplashFollowing years of uncertainty, price increases, and even a class-action lawsuit, Disney’s annual pass system is once again getting more expensive, along with the rest of the park.
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It’s no secret that the Disney parks and resorts are expensive. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a major spike in prices across all resorts, and while a lot of the price changes can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, guests are left wondering if it will ever end.
Before you even step foot into Magic Kingdom, guests have to make a lot of important decisions. Prior to a vacation at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, guests must determine what they want to do, where they want to go, and what they want to eat. Guests must also decide where they want to stay, especially if they are visiting the massive Walt Disney World Resort, which features over 25 distinct hotels.
The type of ticket guests buy is also crucial, with it determining how many days and what time of year guests can enter the park gates.
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Any type of Disney vacation is incredibly expensive, and Disney knows this, offering guests certain deals throughout the year on theme parks, water parks, and other types of activities. One of the biggest ways passionate Disney park fans can save money is by buying an annual pass. Guests visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney World are able to purchase an annual pass, allowing them to visit the parks throughout the year for one price.
At Walt Disney World, these are just called Annual Passes, but at Disneyland, guests have th option to buy a Magic Key.
“When you’re a Magic Key holder, the Disneyland Resort is your land—you’re a townsperson on Main Street, U.S.A., a galactic citizen of Batuu, a hero at Avengers Campus, a local at Pixar Pier and beyond,” states Disney on the Magic Key website. “You belong to the community of core Disneyland fans who all share a passion and love for the parks.
For more information regarding Disneyland’s Magic Key system, click here.
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Unfortunately, these annual passes are not immune to price increases, with Disney announcing that all Magic Keys would receive price increases effective immediately. There are four different tiers of Magic Keys, those being the Inspire Key, Believe Key, Enchant Key, and Imagine Key. Each one varies in price depending on how many blackout dates it has.
The price increases can be seen below:
- Inspire: now $1,649 (increased $50 from $1,599)
- Believe: now $1,249 (increased $150 from $1,099)
- Enchant: now $849 (increased $150 from $699)
- Imagine: now $499 (increased $50 from $449)
Magic Keys became unavailable in 2022 and eventually returned in 2023, selling out extremely quickly. Since then, the sale of Magic Keys has been sporadic, to say the least.
The Walt Disney Company was hit with a lawsuit regarding its Magic Key system in 2021. A class-action lawsuit was filed by a guest who claimed that Disney intentionally misled guests into thinking they had more dates to visit than they were actually getting. This lawsuit dragged on for multiple years, with a judge recently ordering Disney to pay nearly $10 million to over a hundred thousand different guests who qualify for compensation.
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the entire Magic Keys program was suspended.
Have you ever purchased a Magic Key? Have you ever been a passholder of either Walt Disney World or Disneyland?