One Disney resort is seemingly in the process of phasing out its Magic Passes, and guests aren’t happy.
Disney theme parks have implemented plenty of unpopular changes over the years. At Walt Disney World Resort, for example, reservations are still a necessity (in most cases) for annual passholders, while over at Tokyo Disney Resort, capacity has been lowered across both theme parks since COVID-19 in a (futile) effort to tackle crowding at the resort.

Even more recently, Disney sparked discontent among guests by announcing that those staying at Disney World hotels would no longer receive discounted Magic Bands – years after deciding to stop handing out the wearable devices to these guests for free.
Now, the latest change to frustrate regular parkgoers is the decision to start phasing out physical tickets for those staying onsite.

Magic Passes Continue Slow Disappearance at Disneyland Paris
In a recent Reddit thread, guests shared their frustrations that Disneyland Paris is seemingly phasing out Magic Passes.
“Apparently you can’t get individual magic passes anymore,” one wrote. “When checking in [a friend] requested them and the CM told them that they no longer give out individual passes. You only get one card for your party as a room key, and you have to use the tickets on your phone to enter the park.”
After checking their upcoming booking on the Disneyland Paris app, they noticed a change that indicated this is, in fact, true.
Is Disneyland Paris phasing out magic passes?
byu/shana_dw indisneylandparis
“Where before it said that I have the choice between a physical and digital magic pass or both, it now only says that the QR code will be available 7 days before my arrival,” they wrote. “This is such a shame really, the cards were a nice keepsake and I was building a bit of a collection.”
Of course, the key issue with pushing guests to use their phone for access is that while smartphone penetration is at an all-time high (as of 2024, it’s thought that 98% of Americans have smartphones), this isn’t 100%. Requiring guests to do everything from entering their hotel rooms to checking wait times on their phone, all while still using the device to take pictures and stay in contact with the rest of their party during a Disney trip also means battery drains at a rapid rate, potentially leaving people in a tricky position should it hit zero.
“It’s to assume that everyone just has a smartphone or knows how to use one,” the same guest concluded. “I hope you can still get the physical cards if you absolutely need them. Especially since in my experience, the QR codes don’t really work that well and cause delays at the turnstiles…”

Others have since shared similar sentiments, with many claiming that Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe – often the cheapest hotel at Disneyland Paris – tends to push guests to use QR codes and their smartphones over physical tickets more than other hotels on property.
“We were in Santa Fe a few days ago and [the] same happened,” one Disneyland Paris fan wrote. “Asked for physical passes and said they don’t give those out anymore, had to use our phones.”

Guests have noted that the increasing reliance on digital access at Disney also causes issues at the park gates.
“Oh boy, [it’s] painful watching people try [to] scan in with their phones,” one wrote.
Making matters worse is the fact that the Disneyland Paris app is notoriously glitchy.
As one guest summarized, “I’m at DLP right now and using the app is painful. It takes so freaking long to open and get to my pass. They need to get the app speed to an acceptable level first imo.”

Disneyland Paris isn’t the only park pushing guests to use their phones over physical tickets. Over at Walt Disney World Resort, guests can now unlock the doors to their hotel rooms with the My Disney Experience app.
Similarly, guests can enter Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom by tapping their phone – or even their Apple Watches – at the park entrance, essentially replacing Magic Bands in functionality.
How do you feel about Disney’s transition to digital tickets and passes?