Disney is launching a new “Magic Key” annual pass for Disneyland Resort in California — and it looks to be an improvement over the one it replaces, especially for families.
It’s called the Explore Key, on sale from January 13, and while it costs slightly more than the Enchant Key that it replaces, $999 vs $974, it includes more guest-friendly weekday access in June and July. This means that families can use it to visit the Anaheim theme park with their kids during the school holidays, which they couldn’t do with Enchant.
The pass, which admits one individual over the age of three, under two’s go free, includes “park hopper” admission — access to the two parks that form the Disneyland Resort complex, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park — and variable discounts on parking, merchandise, dining, and Lightning Lane line passes.
Given that park hopper tickets can cost well over $200 on peak days, the Explore Key would likely pay for itself after about five or six visits per year, depending on the dates of those visits.
Current Enchant Key holders can continue to use their passes until they expire.
There are three other Magic Key passes available for Disneyland Resort: Inspire Key, $1,899, Believe Key, $1,474, and the Imagine Key, $599.
Generally speaking, the more expensive the pass, the fewer blockout dates it has, the larger the discounts it offers, and the more reservations holders can book at once.
California residents can pay for a pass for over 12 months at 0% APR with a $99 down payment.
Disneyland Resort was built in 1955, and Disney California Adventure Park in 2001.
The former is the original Disney theme park, the only one built under Walt Disney’s direct supervision.
The price of admission includes all the rides, from Matterhorn Bobsleds to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, as well as themed shows and spectaculars, including nighttime water-and-light extravaganzas such as Fantasmic! and World of Color to adaptations of classic tales, such as Beauty and the Beast and Tangled, at the Royal Theatre in Fantasyland.
Outside California, Disney is also investing in its international parks, making significant changes to Disneyland Paris, with a vast, multi-billion-euro extension to Walt Disney Studios Park opening on March 29.
The marquee new attraction is a land called World of Frozen, which features a life-size recreation of the kingdom of Arendelle.
Framing the town square is the North Mountain — standing 118 feet in height and blanketed in snow.
There’s also a kiosk called Fjord View Shop, selling clothes with motifs inspired by the movie, including princess dresses, bags, caps, woolly hats, and Rúna. This interactive troll doll is unavailable online or at other Disney parks and costs 70 euros ($80).