Disney made a $9.5 million settlement with guests who purchased a Dream Key pass in 2021, they started sending payments on June 14, a lawsuit claimed that Disney deceived visitors into believing that the annual pass had no blackout dates, Disneyland visitors who paid approximately $1,400 for a Dream Key annual pass will be able to expect a check from Disney.
The payments of the $9.5 million settlement were sent to eligible class members by mail and digitally on June 14, the settlement included about 100,000 people, Jenale Nielsen filed the lawsuit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in the month of November 2021 after making the purchase of a Dream Key, which allows visitors to make reservations at the Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks at no additional charge for a year.
Why Disney is Paying Money to Dream Key Owners
The lawsuit claims Nielsen bought Dream Key for $1,399 because Disney made an announcement that it “had no blackout dates.” “Shortly after, Ms. Nielsen tried to use her magic key to make reservations at the park to visit Disneyland, however, she was disappointed to learn that Disney had already blocked many days, including every weekend in the month of November of the year 2021.” Indicated the demand.
Nielsen found that she could make reservations for parks and purchase single-day passes for those dates, but they were not available to Dream Key holders, according to the lawsuit.
“The issue was not that reservations at the parks were unavailable, or that the parks had reached capacity and therefore could not offer reservations to Dream Key pass holders,” the lawsuit says. “The problem was that Disney had decided to block the reservations of parks that would otherwise be available so that they would only be available for new purchases and not for Dream Key pass holders.”
Since then, the Dream Key pass has been discontinued, Disney denied wrongdoing, but accepted the settlement in the month of July 2023 to avoid the trial, Nielsen will receive $5,000 from the settlement.
Check Your Mailbox for Disney’s Settlement Payment
On the official website of the agreement, it was indicated that people who bought a Dream Key between the month of August and October of the year 2021 are automatically included. They don’t have to opt out of the deal.
The people included in the agreement possibly received a notice by postcard or email giving them the details.
How much money will you receive?
Each payment can change, but people can expect an estimated $67.41. That’s less than a standard one-day park ticket to Disneyland, which starts at more than $100.
Now, if you don’t want the money, can you be excluded from the agreement? The deadline to object to the settlement or request exclusion was January 15. As part of the settlement, the class members waived the right to sue Disney over claims that were settled in the settlement.