ANAHEIM, Calif. (KNX) — A Disneyland "Magic Key" passholder feels she's been wronged by Disney, alleging in a lawsuit that the company falsely advertised its new annual pass system as having no blockout dates when in fact, it's been difficult for key holders to secure reservations.
Magic Key passholder Jenale Nielsen filed her complaint Nov. 9 in Orange County Superior Court, according to The Orange County Register.
The newspaper reported that the $5 million suit was filed on behalf of all annual passholders based on the fact that Disneyland "relegated them to 'second class' ticket holders by artificially limiting Magic Key reservations and the number of passholders that can visit on any given day."
On Wednesday the case was moved to United States District Court as the matter is considered to exceed the value of $5 million, the paper added.
Over the summer, Disneyland announced it would be updating the annual pass system with four different "Magic Keys" that would go on sale Aug. 25. By Thanksgiving, at least two of the keys had already sold out.
The Imagine, Enchant, Believe and Dream Keys ranged between $399 and $1,399 according to information shared on the Disney Parks Blog.
Based on information shared in August, keys offered "reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year" and allowed keyholders to hold between two and six theme park reservations at a time, depending on which key was purchased.
However, the O.C. Register reports that key reservations were "frequently unavailable on weekends and near-term dates" and that Nielsen paid $1,399 in September for a Disneyland Dream Key with no blockout dates — but found it difficult to make reservations in both October and November.
"Given that Disney advertised and promised that there would be no 'blockouts' for Dream Keyholders, Ms. Nielsen was surprised," according to a portion of the lawsuit shared by the newspaper. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has not filed an answer, according to the suit.
A quick glance back at Disney's August blog post about the Magic Keys shows a large update message at the top of the page saying "UPDATE: There may be updates to the Magic Key program. Please visit Disneyland.com/MagicKey for the latest information.
A visit to that page also has a large message at the top, advising guests to "check access calendar before purchasing."
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