Southern California residents can purchase an exclusive annual pass for $399 following Disneyland’s Passholder relaunch

The Magic Key Program offers Disney fans a four-tier program, with prices ranging from $399 a year all the way up to $1399.

Entrance to Disneyland

Disneyland in California was revealed as the third most expensive theme park for families in the new report by the personal finance experts at money.co.uk with a day pass for two adults and two children costing $544.94 – but could a new park pass be a better option for Disney adventure seekers?

Here’s the low down:

Imagine Key – annual cost: $399

The cheapest option is only exclusively available for Southern California residents living in the Californian Zip codes 90000 to 93599. The plan gives Disney-lovers admission on select days of the year to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. Pass holders can make up to two park reservations at a time, and you also get 10% discounts on select merchandise and food.

Plus, there’s also a monthly option, where guests can pay $19 a month for a year after a down payment of $179. So if you’re a local and don’t mind missing out on the busiest and most popular times of the year, this is the best plan for you.

Enchant Key – annual cost: $649

The next available pass is an option for anybody in the world, but it will cost an extra $250. The pass appears to be equivalent to the Imagine Key in terms of merchandise and food discounts and reservations at either park will still only be available on select dates throughout the year.

This pass allows you to make up to four park reservations at a time. If you live anywhere in California you can pay by the month instead of in a lump sum, with a $179 down payment and then a $40 a month fee.

Believe Key – annual cost: $949

Now this pass is for the true Disney fanatics. Although the Believe Key doesn’t get you unlimited access, it does let you into either park on most days of the year. So it’ll have less blackout dates than the lower tier plans. It also lets you make six reservations at a time, gets you the same 10% discounts, and gets you a 50% discount on parking. The Believe Key is also available in a monthly plan for California residents, at $65 a month after the standard $179 down payment.

Dream Key – annual cost: $1399

Finally, if you want to go to Disneyland whenever you feel like it, and have the money to make that possible, the Dream Key gets you admission to both parks every day of the year, as long as you make a reservation. This plan lets you make up to six reservations at a time, knocks 20% off the price of select merchandise, 15% off select food and drink, and gets you free parking. And as always, California residents can break it up by month, with a $179 down payment and a monthly fee of $102.

How should you go about deciding if these new passes are right for you?

For Southern California residents within the Zip code area for the Imagine Key pass, it is more cost effective to purchase the annual pass as you can save $145.94 as opposed to spending $544.94 for a day pass for two adults and two children. As a pass holder you can also make up to two park reservations at a time and get access to discounts on selected merchandise and food.

Regular Disneyland day pass tickets are expensive, so if you are planning to visit the parks multiple times per year, the Magic Key might be right for you. If you only intend to visit the park once for a family break it will be more cost effective to pay for day admissions at $544.94 rather than the annual cost of $649 for an Enchant pass.

If you are a frequent visitor it might be worth investing in an annual pass if you regularly add the price of a Parkhopper ticket onto your standard ticket admission and also pay for discounts within the park, a Magic Key pass will be a smarter financial investment for those planning on visiting more than once a year.

If you’d like to use the research, please credit money.co.uk with a link to their Best Value Theme Parks Report here: https://www.money.co.uk/credit-cards/best-value-themeparks

Below, I’ve pasted the full best value for money theme park tickets table for more detailed insight.

Theme Park

Location

Cost of a Family Ticket

Parque Mundo Aventura

Bogotá, Colombia

$52.33

Hopi Hari

São Paulo, Brazil

$54.71

Liseberg

Gothenburg, Sweden

$56.13

Gold Reef City

Johannesburg, South Africa

$56.19

Tivoli Gardens

Copenhagen, Denmark

$62.36

Fantasilandia

Santiago, Chile

$65.84

Six Flags México

Mexico City, Mexico

$70.76

Bakken

Klampenborg, Denmark

$86.89

Gardaland

Ronchi, Italy

$95.32

Six Flags Over Georgia

Georgia, USA

$100.53

Beto Carrero World

Penha, Brazil

$104.37

Six Flags Great Adventure

New Jersey, USA

$124.66

Isla Mágica

Seville, Spain

$128.71

Puy du Fou

Les Epesses, France

$152.55

Siam Park

Tenerife, Spain

$152.55

Canada’s Wonderland

Toronto, Canada

$168.95

Carowinds

Charlotte, North Carolina

$168.99

Leolandia

Bergamo, Italy

$169.24

Heide Park Resort

Soltau, Germany

$171.63

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Blackpool, UK

$180.19

Kings Island

Ohio, USA

$181.07

Six Flags Magic Mountain

California, USA

$181.07

Chessington World of Adventures Resort

Chessington, UK

$188.51

Cedar Point

Ohio, USA

$189.11

Fårup Sommerland

Fårup, Denmark

$190.39

Djurs Sommerland

Djursland, Denmark

$192.96

Efteling

Kaatsheuvel, Holland

$195.46

Parque Warner Madrid

Madrid, Spain

$199.63

Astérix Park

Plailly, France

$207.38

Hersheypark

Pennsylvania, USA

$212.65

Prater

Leopoldstadt, Austria

$214.53

Alton Towers

Staffordshire, England

$216.26

Gröna Lund

Stockholm, Sweden

$220.43

Parque de la Costa

Buenos Aires, Argentina

$224.34

PortAventura

Catalonia, Spain

$228.84

Phantasialand

Brühl, Germany

$236.00

Europa Park

Rust, Germany

$243.15

Knott’s Berry Farm

Buena Park, USA

$249.49

Tibidabo Amusement Park

Barcelona, Spain

$257.61

Thorpe Park Resort

Surrey, England

$277.26

Ferrari World

Abu Dhabi, UAE

$287.60

Dollywood Parks & Resorts

Knoxville-Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

$338.70

Warner Bros. Movie World

Oxenford, Australia

$343.84

Disneyland Paris

Paris, France

$348.14

Dreamworld

Queensland, Australia

$377.51

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay, USA

$386.23

Universal Studios Hollywood

California, USA

$506.98

Disneyland Resort

Anaheim, USA

$545.20

Walt Disney World Resort

Orlando, Florida

$624.79

Universal Orlando Resort

Orlando, Florida

$649.82