ANAHEIM, Calif. — Prospective annual passholders are shut out from buying a new Disneyland yearly pass — for now. 

At the same time, those with existing yearly passes will need to shell out more money if they want to continue visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

What You Need To Know

  • Disney unveiled renewal options for existing Magic Key holders

  • The Magic Key is the Disneyland Resort's new annual pass program introduced in August 2021 that replaced the former yearly pass option

  • The Magic Key options range in price from $449 to $1,599

  • Renewals of Magic Keys are based on availability 

On Tuesday, Disney rolled out the much-anticipated renewal information for Disneyland Resort's Magic Key annual pass program, less than a year after its original introduction. 

The changes include a new tier level, higher cost for existing passes and elimination of one other pass type. 

Additionally, Disney continued to pause new sales. And none of the passes offers an option with no blackout days.

Here is a full breakdown of the Magic Key renewal program:

Imagine Key

  • Only available for Southern California residents living in the 90000 to 93599 area codes
  • Renewal price increased from $399 to $449
  • Can hold up to two reservations at a time
  • Mainly good for visits midweek (Monday to Thursday), with some Friday sprinkled through the year. The summer months of June, July and August are mostly blocked out, and so is the two-week Christmas holiday season to New Year
  • 25% off parking at the Toy Story lot (normal parking is $30)

Enchant Key

  • Mostly visits Monday to Friday with a few available Saturday but mostly Sunday visits throughout the year
  • Renewal price increased from $649 to $699
  • Can hold up to four reservations at a time
  • Visitors are blocked out most of June, all of July, and half of August, as well as the two-week Christmas holiday to New Year
  • 25% off parking at the Toy Story lot

Believe Key

  • Visits are good for most of the year, except some Saturdays in October and July and certain holiday weekends
  • Renewal price increased from $949 to $1,099
  • Can hold up to six reservations at a time
  • 50% off parking at any of the theme park parking structures 

Inspire Key

  • Replaces the former Dream Key, which was $1,399. The Inspire Key is $1,599 
  • Good for visits any day of the year, except for the two-week Christmas holiday season to New Year
  • Can hold up to six reservations at a time
  • Unlimited photo downloads
  • Includes parking

Every pass offers a discount on merchandise and food, and a 20% discount to Genie+, a service that allows visitors access to Disney's Lightning Lane pay-to-ride high-in-demand attractions. 

Passholders must continue to reserve for days they plan to visit the theme park, but the number of reservations they can hold simultaneously varies depending on pass type. 

The new annual pass information comes about a year since the introduction of the Magic Key, which replaced the decades-old former yearly pass program that Disney eliminated several months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the park.

Disneyland is rumored to have had more than 1 million annual passholders, pre-pandemic. 

Since its introduction in August, the Magic Key program has been a source of contention for many passholders. 

Because Disneyland had to operate under reduced capacity, the Magic Key required passholders to make advanced reservations, removing the spontaneity of visiting the theme park on a day the pass allowed. 

But it also allowed Disney to manage the crowds better and provide what they say is a better overall guest experience. 

In Disney's latest earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek and Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy highlighted the economic benefits of the reservation system to manage capacity and spread demand. Despite lower attendance, people are spending more. 

A few months after its introduction, though, a Magic Key holder who purchased a pass with no blackout dates filed a lawsuit against Disney, claiming breach of contract. That lawsuit is still pending. Shortly after that, Disney paused new sales of Magic Keys. 

A Disney official previously told Spectrum News that the lawsuit had no bearing on the pause of new sales of Magic Keys.

While there are no new sales of annual passes, existing Magic Key holders can begin renewals starting Aug. 18. 

Those whose passes expired before that date have until Aug. 30 to contact Disneyland's customer service to renew their passes. 

Current passholders can purchase any of the four Magic Keys within 30 days of their annual pass expiration date. 

However, renewals are subject to availability, so there's no guarantee that a person whose Magic Key expires later will be able to renew a certain tier level. Renewals are subject to availability. 

According to Disney officials, at this time, current Magic Key holders have the opportunity to renew their passes, during their renewal windows, for an available pass in the program. But that may change, and each pass type is subject to availability that may change from time to time.