If you purchased a Disney Dream Key pass between August 25 and October 25, 2021, you could receive a portion of $9.5 million in compensation.
Disney has settled a class action lawsuit filed in November 2021 in a California district court over the marketing of the $1,400 “Dream Key” pass. This program allows customers to visit the Disneyland and California Adventures theme parks at any time throughout the year for a flat fee.
The settlement group's website indicates that payments to eligible class members were made on June 14, either by check or digital payment.
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Unless a class member opts out of the settlement, that class member waives any right to sue Disney for the same claims in the lawsuit.
Disneyland. Photo by Barry King/WireImage
According to plaintiff Jenale Nielsen, Disney advertised the Dream Key Pass as a way to enter Disneyland without restrictions. However, when she purchased the pass and tried to make a reservation, she discovered that Disney had blocked off many days, including all weekends in November 2021.
“Given that Disney had advertised and promised that there would be no 'lock-ins' for Dream Key holders, Ms. Nielsen was surprised,” the filing states.
Nielsen checked Disney's website and found that on the days Dream Pass holders were blocked, passes were still available for sale, so the blockages were not due to sold-out tickets.
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The lawsuit calls the Dream Key a “second-class ticket” to Disney’s parks and claims Nielsen was “deceived by and relied upon by Disney’s false and misleading advertising.”
Disneyland closed during pandemic. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Disney denied all of Nielsen's claims and denied any wrongdoing or liability.
Nielsen received $5,000 as part of the settlement, and 100,000 other affected parties will receive approximately $67.41 from Disney.
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For reference, a standard Disneyland theme park pass costs between $96 and $194 per day.
Disney has now made changes to the way it advertises its Magic Key Pass. The Dream Key is no longer available. In its place is now the Inspire Key, which is the highest tier and costs $1,649 and is marked “subject to applicable pass blackout dates.”
At the time of this writing, almost all days in July, August and September were available on the Magic Key calendar for Inspire Key holders.