Magic Key Program

[JWelch62]

In the past, it was by closing on your last day. I'd love to see what it is now.

From the T&Cs

If an upgrade to a Pass is made from a multi-day ticket, the Pass will be backdated to begin on the first day that such ticket was used;

 

[ej119]

I've been scouring articles and fine print to find the answer to this question: does the first day of the Magic Key begin on the day you purchase it, or the date of your first reservation?

This will probably impact my decision of when/if I buy. One of the biggest "perks" of the old AP was I could pre-purchase the AP a few weeks/months before my first visit, but the AP-year wouldn't begin until the moment I stepped into the parks.

 

[JWelch62]

I've been scouring articles and fine print to find the answer to this question: does the first day of the Magic Key begin on the day you purchase it, or the date of your first reservation?

This will probably impact my decision of when/if I buy. One of the biggest "perks" of the old AP was I could pre-purchase the AP a few weeks/months before my first visit, but the AP-year wouldn't begin until the moment I stepped into the parks.

This is in the T&Cs on the website.

A Pass is valid for applicable privileges for one (1) year from the date of use of the Pass for first entry into a Disneyland® Resort theme park or use of the parking benefit on the pass for a fully-paid first entry into a pay-on-entry lot at the Disneyland® Resort.

 

[ej119]

This is in the T&Cs on the website.

A Pass is valid for applicable privileges for one (1) year from the date of use of the Pass for first entry into a Disneyland® Resort theme park or use of the parking benefit on the pass for a fully-paid first entry into a pay-on-entry lot at the Disneyland® Resort.

Thanks for that -- I guess I didn't look hard enough!!

 

[disneymum58]

I haven’t been able to find a calendar that shows the block out days for each pass. Anyone know where I can find that?

 

[limace]

Posted earlier in this thread.

 

[JoanneAZ]

Where does it show that?

I would also like an answer to this. I’ve seen it mentioned on another fan site but they did not cite a source. I can’t find anything on the DL website or the D23 website.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Ok, I changed the OP of this post to be informative for people showing up and wanting to read about the program. If anyone has suggestions for info to add there, let me know!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I haven’t been able to find a calendar that shows the block out days for each pass. Anyone know where I can find that?

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/magic-key/
You can click the link below each of the "keys" and there's an Access Calendar with Blockout Dates shown.

 

[dieumeye]

I don’t want to start an argument but…

—Disney doesn’t want APs crowding the park because they don’t spend money. They’re going to get rid of the cheaper passes. No more SoCal passes. They’re going to stop having the payment plan option to reduce the number of APs.—

I’d say the new pass options do NOT reflect that line of thinking.

The fine print does say that there will be a limited number of Magic Key Passes available, but I think that just CYA language. I’d be surprised if any tier ever actually “sells out”.

The most potentially limiting factor is the reservation system, but whether availability is a major issue or not remains to be seen.

 

[LilyJC]

—Disney doesn’t want APs crowding the park because they don’t spend money. They’re going to get rid of the cheaper passes. No more SoCal passes. They’re going to stop having the payment plan option to reduce the number of APs.—

I’d say the new pass options do NOT reflect that line of thinking.

I’ll just speculate that they’ve missed APs since reopening. We might be in the minority, but we haven’t spent a cent at DLR since the reopening. Normal summers typically consisted of 1-2 day trips per week. We were fine either way about the payment plan, but I’m definitely happy to have that option. Also, was it always the case that the payment plan was only available for CA residents?? I never paid attention to that I guess.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I don’t want to start an argument but…

—Disney doesn’t want APs crowding the park because they don’t spend money. They’re going to get rid of the cheaper passes. No more SoCal passes. They’re going to stop having the payment plan option to reduce the number of APs.—

I’d say the new pass options do NOT reflect that line of thinking.

The fine print does say that there will be a limited number of Magic Key Passes available, but I think that just CYA language. I’d be surprised if any tier ever actually “sells out”.

The most potentially limiting factor is the reservation system, but whether availability is a major issue or not remains to be seen.

Yeah. The new system basically being "APs with a few tweaks" indicates that Disney has decided that there IS a lot of value in APs, after all.

I'm honestly surprised by it, but it certainly validates the people who were insisting Disney needed/wanted APs. (To be clear, that was not me!) Monthly payments and all...

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I’ll just speculate that they’ve missed APs since reopening. We might be in the minority, but we haven’t spent a cent at DLR since the reopening. Normal summers typically consisted of 1-2 day trips per week. We were fine either way about the payment plan, but I’m definitely happy to have that option. Also, was it always the case that the payment plan was only available for CA residents?? I never paid attention to that I guess.

I *think* it might have even just been for certain SoCal zip codes. I could definitely be wrong about that, though.

 

[Kender]

Also, was it always the case that the payment plan was only available for CA residents?? I never paid attention to that I guess.

I *think* it might have even just been for certain SoCal zip codes. I could definitely be wrong about that, though.

Yes, the payment plan was available to all Californians previously. It was not just certain SoCal zip codes. Taken advantage of it a few times myself the last several years and I'm not a local/SoCal resident and never have been.

 

[ComeToSocialize]

I really don't think you "get" this.

some people cannot afford $200 a month. BUT they may be able to order, $75 or so, and can save up for a few months beforehand to get enough of a "down payment" to lower their monthly cost. Or maybe they get a bonus every September that would allow them a little more cash flow. Or they've been saving their stimulus money for something.

people's funds are not static 100% of the time.

My point is this doesn’t make sense. Let’s put numbers on it:

If you’re buying 4 “enchant” tickets, that’s 4x $649 or $2596 total. If you do the payment plan and the minimum down payment, you’d pay 4x179 or $716 upfront, plus 4x$40 per month, or $160 per month.

Let’s say you have a one time cash windfall and as a result have $716 plus an additional $600 in the bank. Going forward though, you can only afford $110 per month. You could pay an additional $600 of down payment upfront, and reduce your monthly payments to $110 per month. My point is instead of doing that and giving your money to Disney earlier than you need to, you could stick that $600 under your mattress instead of giving it to Disney, take out $50 of it each month plus your $110 of monthly cash flow to make the $160 payment, and be in the same place. Unless for some reason that $600 under your mattress is going to disappear in the meantime (like creditors collecting or whatever), then I don’t see why you’d rather the money be in Disney’s pocket than your own. Of course you’d keep your money in your bank, not under the mattress, but it works the same.

I can see how it might help with budgeting and planning, but it doesn’t help with affordability to pay a higher down payment.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I can see how it might help with budgeting and planning, but it doesn’t help with affordability to pay a higher down payment.

While not the point that most others are making, at least for me, credit card bonuses mean that it likely makes sense for me to pay in full rather than monthly this time around. Last time, I got a flex pass on a monthly payment plan with a minimum down payment because that made sense at the time. This time, I want to hit a minimum spend before the end of the year to get a particular bonus so putting a pass towards that would get me closer to it. Additionally, due to spending category changes, I'm also getting more points per dollar for Disneyland spending on that card done before the end of September than after the end of September.

Closer to the spirit of what others are saying is the fact that credit cards have a limit. I can see a situation where if a person were paying for the highest tier of annual passes for a large family, the sudden swing in credit utilization could create problems. I've been paying for some very rare large expenses lately and want to put the spend on a particular card but need to split them up into smaller transactions because these transactions would exceed my credit limit if they hit my credit card all at once.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I think there is a graph somewhere in a nondescript office building in Burbank that indicates the maximum profitability for a DLAP holder at the $1349 price point is 6 day visits in a 90 day period.

love that Disney math

 

[Bigmace]

So safe to assume that if we have normal 3 day tickets and start our trip on 8/25 that we can apply the value of the tickets towards a key pass? Even if we bought the tickets from authorized reseller?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

So safe to assume that if we have normal 3 day tickets and start our trip on 8/25 that we can apply the value of the tickets towards a key pass? Even if we bought the tickets from authorized reseller?

Based on what’s been published and how things worked in the past, that seems safe to assume.

As for when you’d want to actually do the upgrade, I guess it depends on reservations? If you upgrade at the end of day 1, for instance, you’d need to immediately be able to reserve days 2 and 3…

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Someone posted on Instagram that there’s no physical “pass” included with these - you can pay $20 at the ticket booth for a “paper pass.”

That’s interesting in terms of using them for discounts; you’ll have to be able to pull them up on your phone easily all day…