Are you planning to visit Walt Disney World Resort within the next couple of years? Well, take note that it looks like the Park Pass Reservation system isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
If you haven’t been to the Disney Parks since the initial phased reopening began in summer 2020, you have yet to experience the new Park Pass Reservation system. What was initially a way to keep capacity low to combat COVID social distancing in the Parks, has now become a Disney experience new normal.
Gone are the days of waking up and deciding to spend the day at a Disney World Park spontaneously. Instead, Guests are now required to make a Park reservation at one of the four Disney World Parks including Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
RELATED: February 2022 Walt Disney World Refurbishments
Purchase your Park ticket in advance and make a Park Reservation for which Disney Park you would like to enter for that select day. For example, if you want to spend the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’ll need to secure your ticket and Park Pass before entering the Park. Keep in mind, you can (and should!) check for Park availability before purchasing your ticket. Then once you purchase your ticket, snag a Park Pass reservation right away.
The tricky part is that on more popular Disney Park days, the reservations system won’t allow you to enter select Parks. It all depends on what kind of crowd traffic Disney is expecting.
How does this work for Park Hopping? You only need a Park Pass reservation at your first Park selection, but you MUST enter that Park and use that Park Pass first. Then after 2 pm, you can Park hop if you have the Park Hopper ticket option. As long as that second, third, or fourth Park aren’t at capacity, you can enter.
RELATED: Disney Changes Park Pass Options to “Select Resort Hotels” with List of Qualifying Resorts
The interesting piece to the puzzle is that the number of Theme Park reservation days you can hold at one time varies. If you’re a Disney Resort Guest, you can make Park reservations for dates during your stay for the number of days that you have valid Theme Park admission.
For Annual Passholders staying at a Disney Resort, you can make a Disney Park Pass reservation for each day of your Resort stay(s). In addition, Annual Passholders can make Park Reservations up to the maximum number their pass can hold at a time on a rolling basis which varies depending on your Annual Pass selection. Finally, existing ticket holders can make Park reservations for the number of days of valid Theme Park admission.
Now, Walt Disney World has updated its Theme Park Reservation calendar to show reservations are currently available through mid-January 2024 as shown in the screenshot below.
What are your thoughts? Are you happy to see the Disney Park Reservation system stick around or do you wish Disney would do away with it? Let us know in the comments.
