Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company, M-I-C-K-E-Y........M-O-U-S-E. And it's time to say goodbye to our magic key. It's not that we didn't love it—we loved it. But our kiddo is outgrowing it. He's getting too interested in buying candy and toys, and it's getting out of hand. It's impossible to get out of the parks without a meltdown. Either that or spend more than $100 daily on food and souvenirs.
See Also https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2023/11/fun-month-boring-month.html
Magic Key #1 ($400)
- 5/16/22 Disneyland - Kayla
- 5/31/22 DCA - Kayla
- 8/22/22 Disneyland - Kayla
- 8/23/22 DCA - Kayla
- 9/12/22 Disneyland - Kayla
- 12/15/22 Disneyland - Kayla
Magic Key #2 ($450)
- 1/13 Disneyland - Mike + Kayla
- 1/14 DCA - Mike + Kayla
Magic Keys #3 & 4 ($900)
- 3/20/23 Disneyland - Mike + Kayla + Albert
- 5/15/23 DCA - Kayla + Albert
- 5/16/23 Disneyland - Kayla + Albert
- 8/21/23 Disneyland solo - Kayla
- 11/8/23 DCA - Mike + Kayla + Albert
- 1/11/24 RunDisney weekend - Mike + Kayla + Albert
- 1/12/24 RunDisney weekend - Mike + Kayla + Albert
- 2/9/24 Disneyland - Kayla + Albert
- 3/19/24 Disneyland - Kayla + Albert
Kayla (visited the parks 17 x $154 = $2618), which is a savings of $1,768 by having a magic key.
Mike (visited the parks 6 x $154 = $924), which is a savings of $474 by having a magic key.
Albert (visited the parks 8 x $154 = $1232), which is a savings of $782 by having a magic key.
- So, as a family, we saved $3,024 over two years.
Or you can think of it as $2,708 of unnecessary spending (giving our money to Disneyland)
- 17 x $100 = $1,700 on average daily spending (to Disneyland for treats and trinkets)
- 17 x $30 = $510 for parking (to the city of Anaheim or Disneyland)
Not to mention the spending on Genie+ every now and then and hotels for the days that we stayed the night nearby at either Element Anaheim or the La Quinta near the GardenWalk. These calculations were done using $154 as an average daily ticket price. It could be more or less per day depending on the day of the week and the time of the year.
The price of gas was surprisingly less than the admission, but still leaves a carbon footprint.
- 60 miles x 17 x 2 x 20 mpg x $6 per gal = $612
For my sister's visit this year, I have already purchased 2 x Ages 3+ ($275.00 each) = $91.67 per day per person for myself and Albert. Mike won't be going. Disneyland offers So-Cal Resident tickets occasionally, giving you a discount on regular ticket prices. And those tickets have fewer blackout dates than the Magic Keys. It seemed to have fewer blackout dates recently, even Fridays were available.
- Mike had a 3-day SoCal resident ticket = $249 for Aug 22-23 2022 + Sept 12 2022
- For Mike's 50th Bday Extravaganza we bought 1 ticket = $159 for Dec 15 2022
- $159 + $249 = $408, which is equivalent to 1 magic key
So I guess it would have been economical (or at least at a break even point) for Mike to have a Magic Key the first year too.
My sister and I have decided that May 2024 may be our last epic trek to Disneyland with the two cousins Evelyn and Albert. At least for a couple of years. Here is our spending from this most recent visit with just Albert and I to bid farewell to our magic keys.
- $5.50 cotton candy
- $6.99 dole whip
- $17.93 Bengal BBQ
- $12.58 cafe daisy
- $6.67 watermelon slush
- $5.92 cutie fruit
- $7.26 lollipops
- $30 for parking
- $10 for a new cars toy = $102.85
My dear husband encourages me to create the "Disneyland at home" experience going forward. We have a silly humidifier, as an aroma dispenser, in each of our 3 bathrooms. I have dozens of different Disney-themed scents. I have my Disneyland cookbook. We have Disney+ on the TV. And there are endless streets to walk here in the valley. I can always find something interesting to look at if that's what I need to do (lots of walking).
I always say that everyone needs a hobby. And Disneyland was kind of my hobby for awhile. Learning about it, going there, doing debriefs, researching cost-cutting measures, packing and revising packing lists. It was all kind of my hobby for a couple years. It was a great family-friendly place to go while Albert was young.
I guess I'm transitioning my hobby from Disneyland to running. Altogether, the races I have planned for the next year are just under what the Magic Key would cost, if you don't count the LA Marathon. I want to sign up for that one, at the current price, to save money, of course, but also to give me the commitment to say that I'm doing a marathon next year.
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