Disneyland guests who paid nearly $1,400 for a Dream Key annual pass can expect a settlement check soon. But it amounts to less than a one-day ticket.
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Disneyland guests who paid nearly $1,400 for a Dream Key annual pass can soon expect a check from Disney.
Payments from the $9.5 million settlement were sent to eligible class action lawsuit members through the mail and digitally on June 14. The settlement included over 100,000 people.
Jenale Nielsen filed the lawsuit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in November 2021 after she purchased a Dream Key, which allows guests to make reservations at Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks without additional charge for one year.
The lawsuit said Nielsen purchased the Dream Key for $1,399 because Disney advertised it as having "no block-out dates."
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"Shortly thereafter, Ms. Nielsen attempted to use her Magic Key to make park reservations to visit Disneyland. She was, however, disappointed to learn that Disney had already blocked out many days, including all weekend days in the month of November 2021," the lawsuit read.
Nielsen discovered she could make park reservations and purchase single-day passes for those dates, but they were unavailable to Dream Key holders, the lawsuit said.
"The problem was not that park reservations were unavailable, or that the parks had reached their capacity and therefore could not provide reservations to its Dream Key pass holders," the lawsuit said. "The problem was that Disney had decided to block out otherwise available park reservations so that they were only available to new purchases and were not available to Dream Key pass holders."
The Dream Key pass has since been discontinued.
Disney denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement in July 2023 to avoid trial. Nielsen will receive $5,000 from the settlement.
Representatives for Disneyland and The Walt Disney Company did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Here's what Dream Key annual pass holders need to know.
The official settlement website said people who purchased a Dream Key between August 2021 and October 2021 are automatically included. They do not have to opt into the settlement.
People included in the settlement likely received a notice via postcard or email explaining the details.
Each payout could vary, but people can expect an estimated $67.41.
That's less than a standard one-day, one-park ticket to Disneyland, which starts at more than $100.
The deadline for objecting to the settlement or requesting to be excluded was January 15.
As part of the agreement, class members have given up the right to sue Disney for claims that were resolved in the settlement.
