One Disney resort has introduced a strict new reservation requirement for three days next week, stretching from January 13 to January 15, 2026. All guests hoping to visit one flagship location will need to secure a reservation in advance, with slots now available via the website.
The Era of Disney Park Reservations Continues
If there’s one remnant of Disney’s COVID-19 era that fans hate, it’s theme park reservations.
While some parks have loosened the rules in recent years – such as allowing those with date-based multi-day Disney World park tickets to enter the park of their choice on the day of their choice – annual passholders are still required to pre-book slots at the likes of Disneyland and Disneyland Paris before their visit.
Disney has also introduced other kinds of reservations over the years, such as requiring guests to book slots to buy merchandise on in-demand days.
Disney Enforces Reservations For New Merchandise
That’s the case at Tokyo Disney Resort next week, with guests required to book slots to visit Bon Voyage.
Located next to JR Maihama Station at the entrance of Tokyo Disney Resort, Bon Voyage is one of the largest gift shops on property, offering “the grandest selection of Disney merchandise available under one roof anywhere in Japan.”
Typically, guests can enter at any point between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. to purchase the goods of their choice. From January 13 to January 15, guests will need an Advance Shop Reservation.
These will be checked by cast members via QR code at the store’s entrance.
A system like this could eventually make sense in the United States as well. Disney World and Disneyland have both seen chaotic overnight lines for limited-edition popcorn buckets, Figment merch, and holiday collectibles, with guests rushing stores at rope drop.
Timed retail reservations could offer a safer, more orderly way to handle demand without turning shopping into a crowd-control problem.
Tokyo Disney Resort’s History of Lengthy Lines
Tokyo Disney Resort doesn’t introduce extra reservations lightly.
The resort has plenty of experience with lengthy lines. Back in September, police were called when guests gathered outside the resort entrance en masse the night before the final performance of Big Band Beat at Tokyo DisneySea.
Meanwhile, in January 2025, guests were warned of hypothermia risks when camping outside JR Maihama Station in sleeping bags from as early as 1.30 a.m. to secure the best spots for the first day of Disney Pal-Palooza: Vanellope’s Sweet Pop World.
Similar circumstances unfolded before the opening of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea in 2024. Guests brought sleeping mats to camp outside the park in their efforts to get one of the limited Standby Passes and Premier Access slots – then some of the only ways to gain access to the land – available for the land’s rides, such as Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival and Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey.
Are you visiting Tokyo Disney Resort this year?
