Eight California Theme Parks May Combine To Offer Superpowered Annual Pass

Several major California theme parks are allegedly considering offering a joint annual pass for both theme parks.

For diehard parkgoers, an annual pass is a must-have. The likes of Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood have offered some variety of passes for decades, with guests paying an annual fee to visit their favorite theme parks to their heart’s desire.

Universal Orlando Resort Annual Passholders (Guests) posing outside Universal Studios Florida, one of many Universal theme parks worldwide. — Credit: Universal

In recent years, the subject of annual passes has become much more complicated. While Disneyland Resort used to sell passes all year round, its structure has changed since COVID-19, when it introduced Magic Key Passes in August 2021. Now, Magic Key sales are sporadic, with the sale of new passes most recently paused in June 2024.

When passes are on sale, there are caveats. Magic Key Passes are sold in four tiers. The cheapest is the Imagine Key, which costs $499 and is only available for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599. This allows access to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure on select dates throughout the year (none of which are weekends).

A person wearing a pink and white "Disneyland Resort" jacket and donut-themed Mickey ears stands with arms outstretched on an empty Main Street, USA, facing towards Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. The scene is vibrant, with greenery and buildings in the background. — Credit: Disney

The next tier up is the Enchant Key, which costs $849 and blocks out most of the summer, Saturdays, and peak periods, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year. A step up is the $1,249 Believe Key, which allows access for most of the year except the busiest days. The most expensive is the Inspire Key, which, for $1,649, still doesn’t get you in every single day of the year, blocking out the end of December and the beginning of January.

Of course, all of this depends on whether you can secure a reservation, which is still necessary to visit Disneyland Resort with your Magic Key (and has frustrated some passholders to the point of filing – and winning – a class action lawsuit). For that reason, some people favor passes for the likes of Universal Studios Hollywood, which doesn’t require a reservation.

A family walking in front of the Knott's Marketplace — Credit: Knott’s Berry Farm

The same is true at Disneyland Resort’s closest theme park neighbor, Knott’s Berry Farm – home to iconic attractions such as Xcelerator, GhostRider, and Silver Bullet for thrillseekers and the newly reopened Camp Snoopy for families and younger guests.

The park’s top-tier pass, the Prestige Pass, doesn’t require any reservations. You can currently also purchase an All Park Passport add-on to give you access to other Cedar Fair theme parks, including Canada’s Wonderland, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Kings Dominion, and Kings Island.

This week, however, Cedar Fair officially merged with Six Flags to create the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the largest amusement park company in America. For now, this doesn’t seem to have impacted the annual pass program at Knott’s Berry Farm – but that may be about to change.

A family riding the Calico Mine Train at Knott's Berry Farm theme park — Credit: Knott’s Berry Farm

As per new FAQ sections added to each park’s website (including Knott’s Berry Farm), Six Flags is considering new season passes that would allow guests to pay one fee to access all 27 theme parks and 15 water parks under the company banner.

“It’s clear our guests see tremendous value in the season pass programs,” the FAQ reads. “There are no plans to offer a new season pass with access to all parks in 2024. However, we believe there may be an opportunity in the future to offer expanded park access to season pass holders.”

Guests riding Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain, one of 27 theme parks under the new Six Flags banner after its merger with Cedar Fair. — Credit: Six Flags

Should this happen, it would benefit all diehard theme park fans. However, the state that would benefit most is California, where guests would unlock the ability to visit eight amusement parks with one pass: Knott’s Berry Farm, California’s Great America, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott’s Soak City, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles, South Bay Shores, and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord. Talk about value for money.

Of course, this is just theoretical for now, but it’s great to hear that Six Flags is considering the option – especially considering how passholders for other theme parks feel like their own passes have been devalued in recent years. Watch this space.

Would you buy an annual pass to visit all Six Flags properties?