Magic Key Program

[ttig34]

It is weird, the Disney Hotel availability bucket is worse than the other buckets for the rest of August. So guess if you are staying at a Disney Hotel this weekend, but for some reason have yet to make park reservations, youd need to use the one park per day or park hopper bucket.

 

[brightlined]

Ah ha! I had a feeling there was some hidden hotel guest bucket... no way would they want people spending $500+ a night not getting into at least one of the two parks!

Weirdly, they've never publicized it or that calendar - a couple of us just figured out that "resort" worked in the availability calendar URL. We passed it around a bunch during the initial reopening threads - especially that first weekend when both parks were "sold out", and yet people who booked hotel rooms were able to score park reservations once they had a hotel reservation in their account.

That this weekend has parks that aren't available in the resort bucket has me even more confused about what it's for and what it means - seems weird to book a room and be relegated to a specific park if folks with other tickets can get into the other without issue. (We did see them move inventory in and out of the resort bucket a few times, so it might just be a temporary thing.)

Interesting that they’re even calling it “Annual Passholders” there, none of this “Key” business.

“Reimagined system,” my foot…

After all, Disney IT's motto is "can't we just tweak what we already have?"

My guess is that this is public access to currently-private data ("ap" was my guess in the URL) - and that this will be used behind the scenes for the AP/MK reservation calendar on the site, like the calendar used during ticket purchase. Hide the buttons, and nobody's the wiser that MK is just the old AP with a fresh coat of neon green paint and fake chrome rims.


The one thing that finally struck me by seeing it on the calendar was the 90-day window for AP/MK reservations. Like, I knew that was a thing, but it kinda feels weird that you can get reservations for mid-December now if you buy tickets, but AP/MK won't be able to do that for another month. Feels strange to split it that way - unless they're driving home the AP/MK program as the "single-rider" admission program (filling in space after the ticket buyers are mostly done). I'm now wondering how much space during Christmas they'll hold for AP/MK passholders.

 

[PirateBrigade]

The one thing that finally struck me by seeing it on the calendar was the 90-day window for AP/MK reservations. Like, I knew that was a thing, but it kinda feels weird that you can get reservations for mid-December now if you buy tickets, but AP/MK won't be able to do that for another month. Feels strange to split it that way - unless they're driving home the AP/MK program as the "single-rider" admission program (filling in space after the ticket buyers are mostly done). I'm now wondering how much space during Christmas they'll hold for AP/MK passholders.

At least as a ticketholder you don’t feel as ripped off — you’re paying full freight, but at least you get an extra 30 day window to remove uncertainty off the table.

DLR absolutely wants AP to fill in the gaps, ticketed park goers will always be preferred. Kind of like how an airline will continually drop prices in first class and then eventually just give them away for upgrades.

 

[dieumeye]

Not sure if it's been mentioned already:

In the spirit of the "hidden" resort bucket, there's also now an "Annual Passholders" availability calendar that's active and starts August 25th:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/av...egments=ticket,ph,ap,resort&defaultSegment=ap

(I threw all of them in there.)

Thanks for posting this.

I’m very interested what happens to that AP calendar the first few days after the APs go on sale.

I’m telling myself I’m not going to buy on the 25th. If reservations are still wide-open after at least the first few days, then I’ll make my purchase. But if that AP calendar starts to get filled up right away, it’s going to make a big dent in my desire to get a new AP. Very interested to see what happens.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Thanks for posting this.

I’m very interested what happens to that AP calendar the first few days after the APs go on sale.

I’m telling myself I’m not going to buy on the 25th. If reservations are still wide-open after at least the first few days, then I’ll make my purchase. But if that AP calendar starts to get filled up right away, it’s going to make a big dent in my desire to get a new AP. Very interested to see what happens.

I anticipate that (at least) Saturdays will book up quickly, but I also expect there to be a lot of movement on the days that do fill up.

My overall feeling about reservations will be that it won't be that hard to get them if you're willing to stalk a bit. Like right now, if APs were live and I decided today that wanted to go on this Saturday, I bet it's booked when I first check. But I also bet that if I keep checking in, I'll be able to book it at some point.

So I guess I'm less concerned about whether days book up, and more concerned about the movement on them after they book up. My gut is that with tens of thousands of people involved, it won't be that hard to get the days you want, overall. I mean, even Opening Day had a ton of movement as the first "sell out" with very limited capacity, you know?

Not sure if that makes sense. I definitely think it will cut down on the ability to just "go tomorrow" sometimes, and I know some people have no desire or ability to keep checking for an opening... but I don't really anticipate that the reservations will be that constraining, honestly.

 

[PirateBrigade]

Not sure if that makes sense. I definitely think it will cut down on the ability to just "go tomorrow" sometimes, and I know some people have no desire or ability to keep checking for an opening... but I don't really anticipate that the reservations will be that constraining, honestly.

I vaguely remember this is how flex pass went -- I was pretty good at booking right at the opening of the window (7 or 8am), and I would follow up days and weeks later just to see, and random days would flicker from sell-out to available, and back again. The movement was always a two-way street, park visitors would cancel/move around, and the park itself would* increase caps.

*that's me speculating, this could have not been the case, who knows.

I remember Thanksgiving 2019 was particularly interesting, there were heavy storms Wednesday/Thursday (Thanksgiving), and there were many reservation cancellations that week, but Black Friday and the weekend did not budge (weather was nice).

Basically, if you can't get a reservation, pray for rain. Most Southern Californians are allergic to it

 

[mel2014]

I was on vacation the last two weeks and not paying attention to anything Disney-related, so I'm late to this discussion, but as a former FlexPass holder with school-age kids, the Enchant Key blockout calendar is kind of a gut punch.

I understand that the big downside, and the reason for the reduced cost of the FlexPass, was the need to make reservations for many days, which offset the reduced blockout days, and that disadvantage disappears when even the highest level passes need reservation, but as someone from Northern California that can take weekend trips, I would much prefer a pass with a reduced number of allowable reservations and a less restrictive blockout calendar (with less than 70% of Saturdays being blocked out). But I'm guessing their surveys found that most people thought the two-day max reservations for FlexPass weren't sufficient to make the pass attractive to out-of-area residents and that having Sundays available was sufficient to make it attractive to those who are more local.

I also feel a bit bamboozled having bought the California Resident Tickets only to have this program announced in advance of our September trip (I assumed, as I think many others did, that a new program would be announced after the end of the California Resident Ticket promotion and we were set on going for my daughter's September birthday). I think it's a big stab in the eye to sell people tickets and not allow the face value or even some reduced value to be applied toward an upgrade. Luckily I bought my tickets through aRes travel with the added refund protection (thinking more about COVID at the time than passholder implications), so I was able to refund the California Resident Tickets and re-buy regular 3-day PH tickets that we'll be able to apply to an upgrade.

With all of my dissatisfaction, we're still going to upgrade to the Enchant Key. Even with the broad blockout dates, our next two planned trips (in September and February) are for non-blockout weekends and the total cost of tickets for those two trips ($284 for the 3-day resident ticket and $340 for the regular three-day tickets through aRes) almost equal the cost of the Enchant Key, Since we can pay the upgrade cost with discount gift cards from Target, it's almost a wash, so as long as we can get one more trip in during the course of the year, it makes sense to go for the pass.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I vaguely remember this is how flex pass went -- I was pretty good at booking right at the opening of the window (7 or 8am), and I would follow up days and weeks later just to see, and random days would flicker from sell-out to available, and back again. The movement was always a two-way street, park visitors would cancel/move around, and the park itself would* increase caps.

So, we were strongly considering changing to Flex in May of 2020, so I was really carefully following it. (Also, one of my friends was a Flex, and she went all the time, several times booking while AT the gates because she'd forget she needed a rezzie). My recollection was that very few days ever truly "booked up" during the short life of that pass, but I wasn't sure if I'm remembering right, so I went back to the thread on here about the pass. Even though the circumstances of the Flex were very different than what we have now (a 30-day window, included many "good to go" days, was only pass with a reservation, etc), it's interesting to see how that one was functioning.

The gist seems to be that no days booked up from the pass's release in May until the fall. Then, starting in October, sometimes DL booked up, although a lot of times it unblocked periodically. But then in February, some people couldn't get into DL on Saturdays and could only get into DCA sometimes, even with several days of checking to try to switch. At the time the parks shut down, Saturdays/weekends were consistently booking on release day (but not right at 7am) for the first time, really, which was attributed to Spring Break.

Some relevant pages about the state of the pass when the parks shut down here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/f...ombines-value-and-flexibility.3749065/page-67
Also, it's really weird to read all of that now! I'm all over that thread commenting about our plans.

 

[Evita_W]

Interesting that they’re even calling it “Annual Passholders” there, none of this “Key” business.

“Reimagined system,” my foot…

My thoughts exactly

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I also feel a bit bamboozled having bought the California Resident Tickets only to have this program announced in advance of our September trip (I assumed, as I think many others did, that a new program would be announced after the end of the California Resident Ticket promotion and we were set on going for my daughter's September birthday). I think it's a big stab in the eye to sell people tickets and not allow the face value or even some reduced value to be applied toward an upgrade.

I feel the exact same way. I never would have bought the CA three-day tickets if they were going to start selling new passes the very next month. I feel very misled (though in the end it’s on me since I read the fine print). With the announcement today of the new pay-to-play on rides, I am feeling so soured by the Disney brand, which is depressing to me because Disney is usually my happy place.

 

[HairyChest]

Not sure I’m going to buy the dream key anymore. This new fastpass announcement is making me think I may not enjoy DL as much and won’t go as much so I’ll either wait and see or go with the imagine key.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Can we keep calling it AP? Everytime I see 'MK' I think Magic Kingdom. MagicKey has to use some other abbreviation/acronym - MK is taken and it is weird to see it so much on this section of the forum . I keep wanting to correct people that MK is at that other park.....

 

[PirateBrigade]

Can we keep calling it AP? Everytime I see 'MK' I think Magic Kingdom. MagicKey has to use some other abbreviation/acronym - MK is taken and it is weird to see it so much on this section of the forum . I keep wanting to correct people that MK is at that other park.....

i refuse to call it MK because it’s a stupid name and a flawed focus group decision hahah

 

[dieumeye]

i refuse to call it MK because it’s a stupid name and a flawed focus group decision hahah

Disney is also still calling the MagicKey an annual pass in their wording various places on their site. The way I see it, the Magic Key is just a TYPE of annual pass, so I’m still gonna go with AP.

 

[bryanb]

Here is the wording from the terms and conditions

1. A Passholder assumes the inherent risks associated with the operation of all rides and attractions and should read and obey all safety signage, instructions and rules. Theme parks, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, products, services and offerings may be modified or limited in capacity or availability; are subject to change, closure, cancellation and discontinuance without notice due to rehabilitation, refurbishing, capacity, seasonal considerations, weather, low demand, government or other authority guidance or order, pandemic-related restrictions, special events, or any other reason without liability to Disney or its affiliates; and are not guaranteed. No refunds or credit given for any such changes or cancellations.

I noticed this too, and came on here to see if anyone was discussing it.

As with many things in life, the real changes are the ones that are in the fine print. Not only do the Magic Key passes give Disney the ultimate (and hidden) flexibility to limit admissions at any time and for any reason, and adjust those limits however they please.

But the lawyers made certain that Disney has no legal liability to the guest if the parks ever have to close again or reduce capacity. Under the old APs, they ended up refunding all guests because they couldn’t provide the level of service and access expected prior to the pandemic, and also gave guests the option of a refund at WDW. This absolved them of potential liability.

Now, if the parks ever do close again or become so restricted that MKs are really not usable, I think Disney would do the right thing and offer extension or some kind of goodwill for the sake of good PR and guest satisfaction. But they would be under no legal obligation to do so.

 

[DLgal]

So, let's tell the 3rd party vendors to raise their prices so they can offer a discount.

ETA - Just looked at Universal - They have verbiage that states "All Universal Orlando owned and operated restaurants and carts".

Looking at Six Flags, same thing.

My issue is with the Disney run locations that don't give discounts, like Adorable Snowman treats, Schmoozies, and a few others. They have actual registers. They should be able to apply discounts, but they don't.

 

[DLgal]

I noticed this too, and came on here to see if anyone was discussing it.

As with many things in life, the real changes are the ones that are in the fine print. Not only do the Magic Key passes give Disney the ultimate (and hidden) flexibility to limit admissions at any time and for any reason, and adjust those limits however they please.

But the lawyers made certain that Disney has no legal liability to the guest if the parks ever have to close again or reduce capacity. Under the old APs, they ended up refunding all guests because they couldn’t provide the level of service and access expected prior to the pandemic, and also gave guests the option of a refund at WDW. This absolved them of potential liability.

Now, if the parks ever do close again or become so restricted that MKs are really not usable, I think Disney would do the right thing and offer extension or some kind of goodwill for the sake of good PR and guest satisfaction. But they would be under no legal obligation to do so.

This just makes a great case for using the monthly payment program and NOT putting any more money down than required. Worst case, you can "lose" your credit card and stop payments.

 

[bryanb]

This just makes a great case for using the monthly payment program and NOT putting any more money down than required. Worst case, you can "lose" your credit card and stop payments.

This is a really interesting approach. I like it. If you stop making payments on your pass, do you know if Disney ever put a penalty against users? Such as reporting it to a credit agency or refusing to let you use payment plans in the future?

If there is no penalty other than getting your pass deactivated, that‘s a pretty good additional reason to use the payment plan.

 

[bryanb]

Not sure I’m going to buy the dream key anymore. This new fastpass announcement is making me think I may not enjoy DL as much and won’t go as much so I’ll either wait and see or go with the imagine key.

I really really think they need to clarify before Magic Key passes go on sale whether keyholders will receive any Genie+ benefits included. I don‘t think I would be interested in a pass that is going to upcharge me both for parking and for the right to use FastPass on a per-visit basis. The whole idea of a membership is that the basics are included, so I can feel like I‘m part of Disneyland, and that I can come visit “home” when I feel like it.

I can get used to the idea of reservations as a necessity (even though Disneyland isn’t promising any transparency in how many reservations are actually available and how many passes they will sell to fill those reservations.. which is kind of problematic). But then lets say I want to join in for some after-work fun on a Friday night… will I really want to pay $20 per person to hop in two lighting lanes? I’m thinking I will rarely pay for this service, but will value it a lot more if it were included in my Magic Key price.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I really really think they need to clarify before Magic Key passes go on sale whether keyholders will receive any Genie+ benefits included.

No. They have already clarified that APs will have to add it per day like anyone else, at least initially.

I expect that eventually it will be available as an add-on for the year, the way you used to be able to add Maxpass for maybe $150? (I can’t recall the exact price.)

I hope they’ll at least add Photopass as an AP add-on.

Also, the fact that Magic Key abbreviates to MK is just another reason it’s a stupid name. AP it is!