Disney has introduced that Magic Key Annual Move (AP) gross sales will as soon as once more resume for Disneyland and California Journey in late January 2025! This submit covers the beginning date & time, pricing, digital queue data, previous precedent, and extra. Plus, our commentary on the finish about why we’re anticipating APs to promote out quick this go-round.
As a fast recap, Disneyland Resort has resumed gross sales of Magic Keys a number of instances in the previous few years. They appear to be using the “Disney Vault” technique at this level, trying to generate FOMO and synthetic shortage. Final 12 months, Magic Key gross sales resumed 3 times: January, March, and most just lately from November 5 to 12, 2024. Since then, all tiers of Magic Keys have been bought out and “out there for renewal solely.”
That is noteworthy as a result of these patterns play out considerably equally from year-to-year. The final time AP gross sales resumed in January, they have been short-lived. After solely a pair days of gross sales–full with a digital queue to entry the gross sales web page with a wait time of 3-4 hours–Disneyland suspended all Magic Key gross sales as soon as once more, and didn’t resume till March…once they remained out there for a number of months.
Quick-forward to Winter 2025, and Disneyland is as soon as once more going to renew gross sales of Magic Keys on Wednesday, January 22, 2025!
All 4 move sorts will likely be out there for buy whereas provides final. The web queue opens no sooner than 8:45 AM Pacific Time, and gross sales start no sooner than 9:00 AM Pacific Time.
Change into a Magic Key annual passholder to take pleasure in reservation-based admission, reductions and particular experiences. Plus, a move will pay for itself in simply 4 visits relying on move kind and present availability, based on Disneyland.
As soon as gross sales goes dwell, the Magic Key digital queue could be tough to seek out–you’ll be capable of be part of right here: disneyland.disney.go.com/passes
That “whereas provides final” notice from Disneyland above isn’t simply boilerplate language. Magic Keys do promote out and there’s prone to be a prolonged digital queue when AP gross sales resume. Further recommendation and commentary about buying Magic Key Annual Passes is mentioned beneath.
For every little thing else you want to learn about Disneyland’s Annual Passholder program earlier than you buy, see our complete Information to Disneyland Magic Key Annual Move: 2025 Costs, Perks, Blockout Dates & Reductions.
Right here’s a breakdown of present vs. previous costs:
- Encourage Magic Key: $1,749 (was $1,649)
- Imagine Magic Key: $1,374 (was $1,249)
- Enchant Magic Key: $974 (was $849)
- Think about Magic Key: $599 (was $499)
Notice that Disneyland Elevated Costs on Park Tickets, Annual Passes & Lightning Lanes just some months in the past, in early October. Costs will probably go up once more in October 2025, simply as they did in every of the final 4 years.
As at all times, Magic Keys are topic to promoting out and there’s prone to be a prolonged digital queue when AP gross sales resume.
Given the prolonged digital queue and the way shortly gross sales have been paused the previous few instances they went on sale, it’s best to completely be part of the digital queue ASAP as soon as it goes dwell. The entire predictions and hypothesis above are enjoyable in idea, however that’s what I’d truly do if I didn’t have already got a Magic Key.
In actuality, how lengthy Magic Key gross sales will proceed is anybody’s guess. The draw back of attempting to purchase on January 22, 2025 is that you just is perhaps in a digital queue for a number of hours versus ~quarter-hour in the event you as an alternative wait till the next morning at 6 am. The draw back of ready till then is that gross sales could have already concluded.
The excellent news is that Disneyland goes to as soon as once more use the ‘notify me’ characteristic for the digital queue, so that you don’t have to have your eyes glued to a display screen all day lengthy, ready on your flip to come back up.
Right here’s how that’ll work, based on Disneyland. If this isn’t your first rodeo and as an alternative need extra ideas about how shortly APs will promote out on or after January 22, 2025, scroll right down to the “Our Commentary” part (beneath the Paint the Night time photograph of Belle from Magnificence and the Beast).
You Can Be Notified by E mail When It’s Your Flip for an Alternative to Buy (Optionally available) – For those who select to submit your e mail handle and decide in to being notified by e mail when it’s your flip, you’ll obtain 2 separate emails containing a singular hyperlink. Make sure you verify the receipt of the primary e mail earlier than closing your browser window. For those who don’t obtain that first e mail, verify your spam folder for it. For those who nonetheless don’t see it, re-enter your e mail handle once more from the ready room web page.
- First e mail – Deciding on the hyperlink within the first e mail will mean you can verify your home within the queue till it’s your flip. You should utilize the hyperlink a number of instances to verify your standing within the queue earlier than it’s your flip.
- Second e mail – You’ll obtain a second e mail notifying you that your flip for a possibility to buy a Magic Key move is approaching.
From the time your flip begins, you’ll have 10 minutes to make use of the hyperlink to return to the positioning otherwise you’ll lose your home in line and might want to rejoin the queue. When it’s your flip, you’ll solely be capable of use your distinctive hyperlink as soon as. The hyperlink will now not work after you utilize it, whether or not you buy a move or not. So, please be ready to pick your Magic Key move and take a look at when you open the hyperlink. For those who miss your flip, you’ll have to rejoin the queue.
Editorializing, I’ve examined out this method for different particular occasion tickets and it really works as marketed. Nonetheless, the large concern, at the least from my perspective, is that I don’t at all times get immediate e mail notifications on my cellphone once I obtain an e mail. Maybe it is a private downside, however this method can be way more helpful for me if it supplied a text-message notification.
Verify Your MyDisney Account Cost Methodology
- It’s possible you’ll wish to add and save a most popular bank card in your MyDisney account. For those who’re a California resident, make certain the bank card has a California billing handle as a way to use it for month-to-month funds.
- A restrict of $1,000 from a Disney Present Card can be used as a way of fee on-line whenever you pay in full for a brand new move. Just one Disney Present Card can be utilized per transaction, so if in case you have a number of present playing cards, mix them prematurely. Disney Present Playing cards can’t be used to buy renewals right now.
Put together Required Celebration Info – Every Magic Key move have to be assigned to a person on the time of buy (most of 10 passes). Passes might not be reassigned after buy. You’ll need to supply the next info for every particular person in your occasion:
- First and final title
- Date of start
- Handle
- Cellphone quantity (Friends 18 years of age and older)
- E mail (Friends 18 years of age and older)
Signal In – Check in to your MyDisney account earlier than visiting the Magic Key web page.
Ticket Upgrades – Eligible Disneyland Resort theme park tickets could also be upgraded to an out there Magic Key move whereas passes can be found on the market, topic to restrictions.
Move Upgrades – A present Magic Key move could also be upgraded to an out there increased move kind for the rest of its move 12 months. The distinction in buy worth between the two passes have to be paid in full on the time of improve. The expiration date of the Magic Key move won’t change. Passes could also be upgraded on the Disneyland Resort ticket sales space solely, whereas passes can be found on the market. Please notice that you just would possibly encounter a wait on the ticket sales space.
Enter the Ready Room to Buy on January 22, 2025, No Earlier Than 8:45 AM Pacific Time
- Enter the ready room to buy a Magic Key move by way of the “Buy Magic Key Passes” hyperlink on the Magic Key web page.
- While you arrive within the ready room for the sale, no sooner than 8:45 AM Pacific Time, you can be mechanically added to the queue. Gross sales will start no sooner than 9:00 AM Pacific Time.
- The amount of passes and move sorts out there for improve or buy could also be restricted or unavailable every so often or at any given time, and updates to move availability will likely be displayed on the ready room web page.
- Estimated wait instances could fluctuate all through the gross sales occasion. You will note an estimated wait time within the ready room.
- When you’re within the ready room, you might be able to signal as much as obtain an e mail notification when it’s your flip to buy. Extra particulars on this selection will likely be shared on the ready room display screen.
- Entry to the ready room doesn’t assure the chance to buy a move.
Hold Your Ready Room Browser Tab Open – Operating a number of browser tabs or manually refreshing the web page could take away you from the ready room. In case you are eliminated, you’ll have to re-enter the queue in the back of the road.
It’s additionally clever to repeat your distinctive queue ID (it’s within the URL). This URL/ID could be transferred to different browsers or units, permitting you to keep up your home in line. This may be particularly useful if the digital queue is a number of hours lengthy, and also you begin out in your work laptop however then wish to switch to your cell system or no matter. (Been there, achieved that!)
Our Commentary
It’ll be fascinating to see what occurs with Magic Key move purchases going ahead. Will there be one other digital queue lasting effectively into the night and even the next day? Will APs promote out in 1-2 days? Or, have many locals lastly gotten their Disney “repair” (or have been most in a position to buy APs once they have been on sale final 12 months)? Will the upper costs lead to a big variety of folks being priced out, or is there an insatiable need for all issues Disney amongst locals? Will former Magic Key Passholders take a wait and see strategy, or will the ‘Disney Vault’ perceived shortage technique spike gross sales even additional?
Issues are a bit completely different this time than when AP gross sales resumed the primary couple of instances final 12 months. Our view is that the overriding issue this time is the begin of Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary Celebration. Throughout this blockbuster 18-month occasion, the next leisure is debuting or returning: World of Shade: Happiness, Paint the Night time Parade, Wondrous Journeys Fireworks, Higher Collectively: A Pixar Buddies Celebration, and extra.
Disney has been very aggressive with offers for Winter and Spring 2025, however the distinction is that these all finish at the least someday earlier than the beginning of Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary Celebration. Disney did this purposefully, as a result of the anniversary is prone to be an enormous driver of crowds all through the rest of 2025 and into 2026. (Head over to our Information to the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary Celebration to learn much more element about what’s to come back for the big celebration.)
In contrast, Annual Passes are legitimate for, because the title suggests, a full 12 months. So Disneyland providing aggressive ticket offers within the winter helps fill the parks throughout a interval that locals would possibly in any other case be avoiding, as they postpone visits till the seventieth begins. Alternatively, Magic Keys bought on January 22, 2025 will likely be legitimate by early 2026. Most significantly, they’ll be legitimate for all the busiest months firstly of the seventieth, not simply the slower interval beforehand.
Given all of this, it’s our robust expectation that Disneyland will solely wish to open the valve barely, so to talk, with very restricted Magic Key gross sales to “juice” attendance simply sufficient to maintain numbers acceptable by Might 15, 2025. They won’t, nevertheless, wish to “overdo” it and have parks stuffed with Annual Passholders in Summer time 2025 and past on the expense of vacationers and even locals who would in any other case buy full-priced single or multi-day tickets.
By now, Disneyland followers have undoubtedly heard of the notorious “unfavorable attendance combine” line from Disney executives when describing an overabundance of Annual Passholders within the parks. That’s exactly the dynamic we’re describing right here. Disneyland wants APs to some extent, with a robust emphasis on to some extent.
It’s all about threading the needle and attaining the right (within the firm’s view) stability. Disneyland needs to have its cake and eat it too on the subject of the native fanbase, which largely explains the hot-and-cold insurance policies (blockouts and park reservations…but in addition freebies, reductions and incentives to go to) in the direction of Magic Keyholders. Disney has considerably of a love-hate relationship with Annual Passholders. They want us…generally, and largely don’t need us different instances. Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary is a type of “different instances.”
Accordingly, we’d count on this to be one of many shorter-lived gross sales intervals for Magic Keys. Don’t be shocked if it closes same-day, or inside a couple of days on the newest. The underside line is that you just shouldn’t be lulled right into a false sense of safety by the nice offers proper now and the low attendance, and surmise that it additionally means an extended interval of Magic Key gross sales. The calculus is completely different earlier than Might 15 vs. Might 16, 2025 and past. Who is aware of, although–we’ve been incorrect about these things earlier than.
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Suggestions for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Study on-site and off-site resorts in our Anaheim Resort Critiques & Rankings. For the place to eat, try our Disneyland Restaurant Critiques. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, try What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, try our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seashore, and tons of different locations!
Your Ideas
Shocked that Disney is resuming Magic Key gross sales within the lead-up to Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary? Or do you suppose it is sensible given the gradual winter and spring forward? Will you shopping for an Annual Move or not? If that’s the case, which one? If not, why not? For those who’re an current Magic Keyholder, have you ever had problem making Disneyland park reservations? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
