If you bought a Disney Dream Key pass between August 25 and October 25, 2021, you could get a share of a $9.5 million payout.
Disney has HAVE DECIDED a class action suit filed in November 2021 in California district court over how it marketed its $1,400 Dream Key pass, a program that allows customers to pay a flat fee to go to Disneyland and California Adventures theme parks as often as they want during the whole year.
RESIDENCE Web page shows that payments to eligible class members were sent either by check or via a digital payment on June 14.
If a class member does not exempt themselves from the settlement payment, they give up any right to sue Disney for the same claims in the lawsuit.
Disneyland. Photo by Barry King/WireImage
According to the plaintiff, Jenale Nielsen, Disney advertised the Dream Key Pass as a way to enter Disneyland without any restrictions. When he purchased the pass and tried to make a reservation, however, he discovered that Disney had blocked many days, including all weekends in November 2021.
“Given that Disney had advertised and promised that there would be no 'lock-in' for Dream Key holders, Ms. Nielsen was surprised,” the filing said.
Nielsen looked at Disney's website and found that it still had passes for sale on the days it had banned Dream Pass holders, so the blocks weren't caused by ticket sales.
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The filing called the Dream Key a “second-class ticket” to Disney parks and said Nielsen was “duped and relied on Disney's “false and deceptive advertising.''
Disneyland closed during the pandemic. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Disney denied all claims of Nielsen, as well as any wrongdoing or liability.
Nielsen received $5,000 as part of the settlement, and another 100,000 affected will receive about $67.41 from Disney.
For reference, a standard Disneyland theme park ticket starts from $96 to $194 per day.
Disney has now made changes to its Magic Key Pass ads. Dream Key is no longer available for purchase. In its place, the top tier is now the Inspire Switch, priced at $1,649 and labeled as subject to “applicable lockout dates.”
The Magic Key calendar at the time of writing availability was open for almost all days in July, August and September for Inspire key holders.