Buying a Disneyland Magic Key vs a Park Hopper – when is it worth it?

by Tinker Belle Diva

I purchased my first Disneyland Annual Pass in 2005. It was a Deluxe Annual Pass (AP) and the purchase price was around $300 for the year. That year I was taking two trips of 3- and 5-day durations and saved money by purchasing the AP. I have used both Park Hoppers and APs in the years since, doing calculations on the number of trips and the discounts to determine what is best for my family. The Disneyland Annual Pass is now called a “Magic Key”. If you need to catch up on that new program, please read my article here, Disneyland Magic Key – FAQs for the new annual pass program.

The four “Keys” from most to least expensive are Dream ($1399), Believe (949), Enchant ($649) and Imagine (399). The Imagine Key is only for Southern California Residents living in zip codes 90000 to 93599. The other three keys are open to anyone inside or outside the state of California. All Keys are Park Hoppers, but the additional perks and discounts do vary based on the type of Key purchased. Since I am out-of-state, I am only comparing the Dream, Believe adn Enchant Keys. Note that as of this writing, the Disney Genie Service, has not yet launched, and at this time, no add-on to your Magic Key is available like it was for MaxPass.

All Magic Keys are Park Hoppers, but the additional perks and discounts do vary based on the type of pass purchased. As of August 25th, 2021, the choices and prices for non-Southern California residents are:

Ticket Option	Ticket Price	Additional Perks/Information
Enchant Key	$649	· 10% off select dining, 10% off select merchandise· Check the blockout dates at this link. Some weekends and most of the summer/holdiay times are blocked. · No parking included · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 4 theme park reservations at a time
Believe Key	$949	· 10% off select dining, 10% off select merchandise· Check the blockout dates at this link. Some Saturdays and most of the holiday weekends are blocked. · 50% off standard theme park parking (excluding blockout days, and available for purchase at Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure and the Toy Story Parking Area). Parking is currently $25, so this would reduce it to $12.50 per day/visit · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time
Dream Key	$1399	· 15% off select dining, 20% off select merchandise· No block out dates · Standard theme park parking included · Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks and may hold up to 6 theme park reservations at a time

Within each of the Magic Key choice, the perks and blackout dates vary widely and may be more or less appropriate for your family. The Enchant Key is blocked during the peak of the summer from June 10 – August 14, so you cannot visit either park at the Disneyland Resort during those dates. In addition to blockout dates, how often do you drive and need to park at the Disneyland Resort? Or do you stay at a hotel within walking distance and don’t need parking? Do you have children in school and only vacation during weekends and holidays? Do you travel only during the holidays? That will impact which ticket is right for you.

Here are the Park Hopper prices as of May 2021 and the number of times you would need to make a trip under each ticket option to make it the cost equivalent of purchasing Magic Key. This is the ticket price only and doesn’t include discounts or other perks. While there are options for discounted tickets through 3rd Party providers, like Undercover Tourist, or severely discounted tickets, like Military, I am doing a comparison of only the retail ticket prices directly from Disney. Keep in mind that you would need to add days to your trip if you have those discount options available to you to create your trip equivalent.

Ticket Option	Adult Ticket Price	Price/day	Trip Equivalent with Enchant Key ($649)	Trip Equivalent with Believe Key ($949)	Trip Equivalent Dream Key ($1399)
2 day Park Hopper	$290	$145	3 individual 2 day trips	4 individual 2 day trips	5 individual 2 day trips
3 day Park Hopper (includes Magic Morning)	$365	$121.67	2 individual 3 day trips	3 individual 3 day trips	4 individual 3 day trips
4 day Park Hopper (includes Magic Morning)	$395	$98.75	2 individual 4 day trips	3 individual 4 day trips	4 individual 4 day trips
5 day Park Hopper (includes Magic Morning)	$415	$83	2 individual 5 day trips	3 individual 5 day trips	4 individual 5 days trips

None of the Park Hopper tickets include blockout dates, so your decision on what to buy may also be driven by your vacation dates. Be sure to check the blockout calendar on the Disneyland website for the dates when the Magic Keys cannot be used. Remember too that you can buy discounted tickets for children 3-9, while you will need to pay full price for anyone 3 or older when you purchase a Magic Key.

Since the math from the table above doesn’t include discounts or perks or a combination of trips over a different number of days, we can look at a couple of scenarios to see what might be the right choice. I am not including tax in the meal or merchandise prices.

Scenario 1 – A family of two adults will be taking two trips, one a 3-day and one a 4-day trip. They typically spent $75/day on meals and $25/day on merchandise. They do not need theme park parking.

	Cost with Park Hoppers	Cost with Enchant	Cost with Believe	Cost with Dream
Ticket Price	$1520	$1298	$1898	$2798
Meal Price	$525	$472.50	$472.50	$446.25
Merchandise Price	$175	$157.50	$157.50	$140
Vacation Total	$2220	$1928	$2528	$3384.25

This family should definitely look at the blockout dates for the Enchant Key to confirm they fit with their vacation dates as this is the best value. If the dates do not work, the Park Hoppers would be the right choice over the Believe or Dream Keys.

Scenario 2 – A family of four (all 10 and older) will be taking three trips, one a 2-day, one a 3-day and one a 4-day trip. They typically spent $150/day on meals and $45/day on merchandise. They do need theme park parking ($25/day), and they will want MaxPass for 8 days of the 9 of their trip.

	Cost with Park Hoppers	Cost with Enchant	Cost with Believe	Cost with Dream
Ticket Price	$4200	$2596	$3796	$5596
Meal Price	$1350	$1215	$1215	$1147.50
Merchandise Price	$405	$364.50	$364.50	$324
Parking	$225	$225	$112.50 (half price)	Included
Vacation Total	$6180	$4400.50	$5488	$7067.50

Either the Enchant or the Believe Magic Keys are the right choice for this family. They will save nearly $2000 by looking at the blockout calendar to confirm they fit with their vacation dates. If this family does not want to plan around block out dates for the Enchant or Believe Keys, they should go with the Park Hoppers.

There are a few more considerations that might influence your decision. Do you want the flexibility to add another vacation weekend? Do you shop or eat at the stores in Downtown Disney that have an AP discount? The Dream Key may be the best choice when you add in another trip or additional discounts.

Once you have estimated the number of trips, the duration of each of those trips, your food/merchandise spend, parking needs, and desire for MaxPass, you will be able to make the decision that financially fits your needs. Enjoy your vacation! I would be happy to answer any questions you have about which one may be right for you or questions on the Flex AP as I have that one. Just ask in the comment section!

If you are just looking for Disneyland Park ticket, not an Annual Pass here at Tips from the Disney Diva we have partnered with Undercover Tourist to bring you park tickets you can find here.

Need help planning your Disney vacation? Patricia at All 4 Dream Travel is here to help! Contact her today for a quote.