Magic Key Reservation Availability Is A Joke

[LAS2AMS]

Did you spend nearly $2,000 on the Inspire Key? Hopefully you already made your reservations. There’s no weekend availability through the first weekend of February. The next three Fridays are gone, as well as many other dates. We usually don’t see this until summer.

Where are the posters who claimed it was an open secret they MK sales were slow, and many existing MK holders were not renewing?

 

[LKing]

I think what you are seeing is MK rebound after being blocked. Also, MK get LLMP at 50% off this month.

Other than Feb 2 and Valentine Day, Feb is fully open, as are March and early April. Feb 1 & 2 are the race weekend. I expect reservations will open closer to the date.

 

[KimberMama]

We were at DL Saturday 1/4, and I currently have the following Saturdays reserved: 1/11, 1/23, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15. 1/18 was available when I was reserving but we have other plans that day. I also have Monday 1/13 booked. As soon as we go through the gates 1/11 I’ll book 2/22, and then after I enter on 1/13 I’ll book 3/1. So far I’ve yet to cancel a reservation, but I’ll probably cancel 2/8 unless my youngest wants to come with me, since DH can’t. I also might book a Sunday in February or March and do an overnight instead of only going on Saturdays. Reservation availability was my main concern about buying a Magic Key, but long time posters here said it wasn’t likely to be a problem, and so far it hasn’t been. I expect things to be fine as long as I book in advance.

Things also change around. Kid #1 asked for pin that didn’t release until 12/17. At the time we found out (12/13), reservations for that date were full. Two days later on 12/15, DCA was available to book for 12/17, so I reserved that, and then later that afternoon DL became available for 12/17 and I modified the reservation.

I agree with LKing that there’s probably a rebound after blackouts — I know we were eager to be back at DL as soon as we could be. Also a lot of colleges aren’t back in class yet. Even my local school distract is still on break. And while the buckets are separate, Disney is probably making reservations available for people with the ticket deal.

 

[Bruno33]

I know this has been said, but it’s pent-up post-blockout reservations and the Lightning Lane deal probably.

I bet most of these days will still be available night before or even day-of as people cancel.

Since they can control the percent of reservations that they give to MKs, it’s perfectly possible for people to not renew AND for reservations to be full. If there are 10% less MKs and Disney gives them 20% less spots, that’s going to fill up quickly even with fewer MKs. That’s not necessarily what’s happening, but full days don’t tell us anything about the total number of MKs or renewals…

 

[JerrodDragon89]

Yeah the pools for MK are a joke

If the day is not sold out...then most spots should open up but they dont

Disney would rather have less guests in park......While Universal isn't perfect they for sure respect their AP's more. we have like 6 months this year with free things being given out, and 2 take over nights along with a Free HHN ticket if you have the highest pass

Also you can go in on even sold out dates....while Disney doesn't let you in one days not sold out

 

[LAS2AMS]

I disagree that it’s pent up demand. Only 11 of the next 28 days are available… and all of the first seven dates of this month have been gone awhile. I also doubt that they’re restricting the number of reservations compared to years past. We went to watch the fireworks last night and the Toy Story parking lot was nearly full. It took over 1/2 hour to get on a bus at 10:30PM, which is about the longest it’s ever taken us.

Usually the early months are the slowest… come summer, reservation availability tightens up, but not typically this time of the year.

I’ve checked periodicity, and additional reservations haven’t been made available. Perhaps that is related to pent up demand, but we will see if the trend continues. Some larger school districts are still out this week.

@KimberMama has a great strategy, but it’s ridiculous that people have to retort to using it. If you don’t live nearby DLR, you may need to plan your trips well in advance.

For an last that cost nearly &2K, it’s ridiculous.

 

[KimberMama]

I agree, I hate playing the reservation game. This is our first MK, we had annual passes until the end of 2018. I would probably be more upset about the reservations if I were more local. It’s about a 65 minute drive without traffic, except there is almost always traffic, so we don’t pop over in the evenings just to see fireworks or a parade. Being able to go most Saturdays works because our kids are young adults now and our time is our own. I was diagnosed with a life threatening autoimmune disease after being sick all last year, and we’re committed to finding time for fun in our lives. DL is a place I can enjoy and still have access to necessary amenities and close by health care if needed. And it’s our place, we had our first real date at DL (with a group of friends, but as a date) and we spent a honeymoon day there as well.

I think Disney might be allocating reservations based on sales of the 3 day resident ticket, which is a much better deal that it has been for the past few years. $199 for one park, including weekends with no blockout dates. I know people who wait for the deal and who have already said they will take advantage of it at least twice, if not more. When you think about it, as long as they can get reservations, it’s like having the availability of an Inspire Key at bargain prices that only lasts until May 15th. For $597 a person could go twice a month January - April and then once in May, and all on the weekends if they want.

This is kind of why I’ll be surprised if Disney doesn’t open up Magic Key sales toward the end of the promotion — it will be a great opportunity to turn the low cost tickets into higher cost Magic Keys.

 

[Evita_W]

We have determined that as locals it MK just isn't worth it with the reservation headaches and extremely high price point, we will go when we can get a deal.

 

[LKing]

They also have a MK give away this week - it is a pin and lanyard. Supposedly the lines were really long.

 

[Disney0010]

We’re saying goodbye to our MK’s in April when they come up for renewal. Not paying more for less. Disney won’t care as they will still sell plenty of MK’s but we will return in a few years when they actually start to open new attractions. Disney is looking to sell more single day passes. If those don’t materialize then they open up more AP’s.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Great points but I don’t think they’re restricting reservations. Last week a CM in the Toy Story parking lot told me that effective today (Tuesday), DLR was going to slash the frequency of service and reduce the number of CM working the lot. The CM said this was despite the fact that DLR was expecting record attendance, partially fueled by MK. We shall see how the year plays out…

Staffing reductions shouldn’t be unexpected, given the pay bump the union won.

 

[LKing]

Numbers are relative. They increase the frequency of buses and number of workers during the fall/winter holidays and decrease in January. Did the CM say that people were being laid off or that they were being re-assigned to work in other areas of the resort?

 

[KPeterso]

Like others, I just keep my magic keys booked out. Saturdays are the best day for me to go. So I book pretty much every Saturday (unless I know there is some other event I have to attend). But then cancel as plans become clearer. I typically do not cancel until a day or 2 before. I have had luck picking up reservations the night before or day of several times.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

I had a MK last year....and it was not like this I only had trouble booking dates when events started or the end of the year

This is the off season....the park is not sold out

I think they might have made the pools for all levels of MK have even less spots in the park

Also Freshbaked did a video and showed some reservations's for the cheap tickets Disney are doing are unable to get a date but if you buy a normal ticket you can go....well look at that

I have the highest Key so have most dates I want for the next few months but...my god how do people do it with only like 3-4 days to get ahead of time?

 

[LAS2AMS]

Numbers are relative. They increase the frequency of buses and number of workers during the fall/winter holidays and decrease in January. Did the CM say that people were being laid off or that they were being re-assigned to work in other areas of the resort?

Fair but for clarification, CM said staffing levels will be lower this year than last year. Probably has a lot to do with the pay bump won by the union. I didn’t ask about displaced workers, but DLR has had a de facto hiring freeze since they pay bump… probably to re-evaluate staffing needs, which will undoubtedly shrink a la WDW after its pay bump.

Probably safe to assume some employees were moved around after seasonal employment ended.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

That is interesting about January. Especially considering only two days in February are sold out at the moment.

Less than a week ago I was able to book all the weekend days I wanted in January and February with no issues.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Much of January has been gone for awhile - since early Dec. I saw elsewhere that for a brief moment (a couple days), every day became available again, so looks like you lucked out and hit that window (where extra availability was dumped).

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Much of January has been gone for awhile - since early Dec. I saw elsewhere that for a brief moment (a couple days), every day became available again, so looks like you lucked out and hit that window (where extra availability was dumped).

That is so interesting, I guess I lucked out with my timing!

 

[LKing]

That is so interesting, I guess I lucked out with my timing!

I think it was more than a couple of days. We had to coordinate with friends who were out of town and availability was still there when our friends returned.

We had all six reservations booked when the block out occurred. After we entered on Jan 4, we could make another reservation and dates towards the end of January were available. I haven't looked since the 4th. We have Feb booked and are focusing on March now.

 

[twodogs]

Also Freshbaked did a video and showed some reservations's for the cheap tickets Disney are doing are unable to get a date but if you buy a normal ticket you can go....well look at that

I believe that limited reservation availability was explicitly listed in the terms of these specially-priced ticket deals. I think it is reasonable for Disney to make more reservations available to those who paid more for their tickets, as that is the type of purchasing behavior (buying full-priced tickets) that Disney wants from its guests.

Here is the detail from the So Cal ticket offer page (bolding is mine):

To enter a park, both a theme park reservation and a valid ticket for the same park on the same date are required. Theme park reservations for Southern California Resident Ticket holders are limited in number and subject to the availability of park reservations allocated to the Southern California Resident Tickets as determined by Disney, applicable blockout dates and theme park capacity. Reservation availability for Southern California Resident Ticket holders is not guaranteed for any date and reservations may be difficult to get for any particular date, especially as the ticket expiration date approaches. To ensure best availability, make reservations early. On any given date, park reservations may be available for general theme park tickets even though park reservations allocated to the Southern California Resident Tickets are fully reserved. Southern California Resident Ticket holders are not entitled to any reservations Disney makes available to others. Parks, attractions, entertainment, experiences, services and offerings may be modified, limited in availability or unavailable, and are subject to restrictions, change or cancellation without notice. Park admission and offerings are not guaranteed. View important information about what you need to know before visiting the Disneyland Resort.


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