Greetings, Anelle, and welcome to planDisney! The only thing better than visiting the Disneyland Resort is being able to experience the magic of the parks throughout the year. I love that you're thinking of getting a
Magic Key pass. Let's talk about a few different approaches you can take to purchase one.
How you purchase a Magic Key pass depends on a number of factors. Timing is the most important. Magic Key pass sales could be suspended at any time. If there's a certain pass that you really want, it would be better to get it outright. You can make reservations right away, and it will become active the first day you use it to enter a park. You'd also be able to take advantage of the various
Magic Key perks during your visit, which could include discounts on parking, dining, merchandise, and the Lightning Lane Multi Pass,
as well as other benefits.
There are a couple of scenarios when it may make sense to visit with a one-day ticket and then
upgrade to a Magic Key pass before the end of the day. Let's say there's a day you really want to visit, but it's blocked out for the Magic Key pass you're interested in. As an example, you want to go on a Saturday, but you plan to buy the
Explore Key, which currently doesn't include Saturdays. You might also buy a ticket and upgrade if there's a day you really want to visit, but
Magic Key reservations aren't available. Lastly, if you already have a standard theme park ticket, it would make sense to use it and then upgrade. For an unused ticket, you can also upgrade it at the ticket booth in the Esplanade.
One important note on upgrades – if you have a multi-day ticket, the Magic Key pass would be backdated to the first day you used it. So upgrading makes the most sense if not too much time has passed since you first used that ticket.
Outside of these scenarios, I'd recommend purchasing a Magic Key pass outright. It especially makes sense if you're visiting a few weeks out – purchase the pass and make your reservations now. As a California resident, you'll have the option to
set up monthly payments. Just make sure your stored credit card address is in California. You can also use a Disney Gift Card (up to $1,000) when purchasing a new Magic Key pass.
Anelle, I hope you have a wonderful time visiting the Disneyland Resort, along with many fun future trips with your Magic Key pass! If you think of any other questions, please reach out – we're always happy to help here at planDisney!
Your pal,
Kriss