Magic Key is the name of the Disneyland Resort annual pass. These passes do not go on sale very often. When they do, it is only for a very limited time. Naturally these passes have been very hard to come by. Disney just announced that the passes will once again be available starting 1/25. This is very good news for folks that wish to by them. Read on for an overview of each key.

Are you going to buy a Magic Key when available. Let me know in the comments.

As a side note, I have deleted my Facebook account. I am not on Twitter (X). You can find me on Blue Sky instead as: @disneygrandpa.bsky.social. I hope to see you there!

What are the Magic Keys?

Just like at Walt Disney World in Florida annual passes, Magic Keys afford the key holder certain benefits. These include discounts on merchandise, dining, etc, reservation based admission, and special merchandise and experiences. As in Florida, there are different Magic Keys and price points. The Magic Keys offered are Inspire, Believe, Enchant, and Imagine. Each key has its own set of benefits and blackout dates. remember blackout dates are the dates where Magic Key holders cannot use their keys for park entry. Blackout dates typically occur during the times where the parks are crowded such as holidays and some weekends.

Imagine Key

Imagine is the lowest tier of Magic Key. It is only available for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599. Unfortunately that excludes most of us. This key also has the most blackout dates. With most weekends and the entire summer months of May, June, and July blacked out. There are also other blackout dates through out the year. This pass is intended for local guests that can visit on week days. However at $599 it may be worth it if you visit the parks often during “off” times.

Enchant Key

This is the least expensive pass that is available to the general public at $974. This pass will take 6 or so visits to pay for itself. Like the Imagine Key, it has a large number of blackout dates. There are less weekends blacked out and only the months of June and July are entirely blocked. This may be a good pass if you plane on visiting the parks often during “off” times.

Believe Key

This key is the mid point in expense at $1374. That means it would take at least 9 park visits to break even. This key has even fewer blackout dates and has a higher parking discount. Other discounts are the same as the other less expensive passes. The main draw to this pass is few blackout dates with very few weekends blocked and all summer months open. This is the middle of the road pass that has a good balance of blackout dates for the price.

Inspire Key

Inspire Key is the most expensive coming in at a whopping $1749. At this price point it would take over 11 visits to pay for itself. However it does up the discounts and only has Christmas holidays blacked out. With this pass you get %15 off dining and %20 merchandise. In addition this also comes with free resort parking, so there is that I suppose. You have to be a very frequent park visitor for this pass to make much sense. that being said, I think that it is very popular due to its flexibility with very few blackout dates.

Key Pass Summary:

Key Pass	Inspire	Believe	Enchant	Imagine
Price	$1749	$1374	$974	$599
Visits to Pay for itself	11	9	6	4
Number of Reservations	6	6	4	2
Parking	Included	50% Off	25% Off	25% Off
Merchandise Discount	20%	10%	10%	10%
Dining Discount	15%	10%	10%	10%
Unlimited Photopass	Yes	Yes	No	No
LLMP Discount	25%	25%	25%	25%
Extras	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Park Hopper	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Editorial

What do I think? I think these passes are very expensive as compared to Walt Disney World. Grandma and I hold WDW annual pass that is available to Disney Vacation Club members. This pass is $1079 and includes all 4 parks, with very few blackout dates. Magic Key passes, on the other hand, only cover 2 theme parks. This makes them very expensive on a per park basis. We also get the same discounts on dining and merchandise with our DVC membership. At Disney, discounts do not stack, so the discounts on the key passes would be pretty much wasted. We also do not buy Lightning Lane Multipass, so that is another wasted perk. We do park at the resort hotel, but that is covered, so the parking perk is a no go.

If we were to buy a Magic Key, it would be the Believe Key. This one would make the most sense due to the fewer blackout dates. However, it is just not economical for Grandma and I to do so. We bought our Park Hopper tickets through Get Away Today. Get Away Today is an official Disney discount ticket broker. They offer a wide selection of theme park tickets as well as full vacation packages. So for Grandma and I, Magic Keys are a no go. However if you plan on going to Disneyland Resort fairly often, then perhaps it makes sense for you. You will have to do your own analysis and see what works.

To read more about Magic Keys along with the blackout dates visit: Disneyland.disney.go.com

Until Next Time