- Disney has agreed to a $9.5 million settlement with guests who purchased DreamKeepers passes for 2021.
- Disney began making the payments on June 14th.
- The lawsuit alleges that Disney misled guests into believing that annual passes had no blackout dates.
Disneyland guests who paid about $1,400 for an annual DreamKey pass will soon be able to get a check from Disney.
The $9.5 million settlement was sent by mail and digitally to affected class action participants on June 14. More than 100,000 people are affected by the settlement.
Jennare Nielsen filed the lawsuit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in November 2021 after purchasing a DreamKey, which allows her to reserve visits to Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks for a year at no extra charge.
According to the lawsuit, Nielsen purchased the DreamKey for $1,399 because Disney advertised it as having “no blockout dates.”
“Soon after, Ms. Nielsen attempted to use her Magic Key to make park reservations at Disneyland, only to be disappointed to discover that Disney had already booked many of the dates, including a weekend in November 2021,” the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, Nielsen discovered that park reservations and day passes could be purchased for those dates, but were not available to Dream Key holders.
“The issue was not that park reservations were unavailable or that the parks were at capacity and DreamKey Pass holders were unable to make reservations,” the lawsuit states. “The issue was that Disney blocked otherwise available park reservations, making them available only to new purchasers and not to DreamKey Pass holders.”
The DreamKeep Pass has since been discontinued.
Disney denied any wrongdoing but agreed to a settlement in July 2023 to avoid a trial. Nielsen will receive $5,000 in settlement money.
Representatives for Disneyland and The Walt Disney Company did not respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.
Here's what Dream Key Annual Passholders need to know.
Who is eligible to receive the money?
According to the settlement's official website, anyone who purchased a Dream Key between August 2021 and October 2021 is automatically covered by the settlement. There is no need to accept the settlement.
Those who are covered by the settlement likely received a notice via postcard or email outlining the details.
How much money will I receive?
Payments may vary, but you can expect an estimated $67.41.
That's cheaper than a standard one-day, one-park ticket to Disneyland, which can cost over $100.
Can I be excluded from the settlement?
The deadline for objecting to the settlement or requesting exclusion was January 15th.
As part of the agreement, the class members waived their rights to sue Disney for claims resolved in the settlement.
