Some of the most irritating tasks a Disney World or Disneyland Resort guest must complete before visiting is purchasing a ticket and securing a reservation for the date of their visit.
The Disney parks' reservation systems were established after Disney World and Disneyland parks closed down in 2020 for extended periods during the covid-19 pandemic. When the parks reopened for visitors, guests were greeted with a requirement to secure a reservation for the days they planned to visit specific parks. That meant you needed to study the theme park calendars on the Disney World and Disneyland Resort websites or apps, purchase tickets and reserve dates for your visit.
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Buying a ticket, however doesn't always guarantee that you will get a reservation for the day that you want to visit. It's best to make sure you secure your reservation at the same time when buying your ticket, which Disney makes easy on the website and app.
For example during certain summer weeks in June 2021, Disney World reservations were unavailable for Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, while only Epcot slots were available a few weeks before given dates. Local residents could just wait a week or so for a slot to open up to secure a reservation later on, but for someone or a family planning to fly in from outside Florida for a limited time, their options would be limited to what was available when they were going to be in town.
That might mean a family with young children could miss out on visiting Magic Kingdom, which has rides appealing to younger aged visitors, or older teens might not get a chance to experience Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The reservation system has been an irritation for both single- and multi-day ticket buyers, as well as annual-pass holders, who are also required to get reservations to visit. They used to be able to visit pretty much whenever they wanted, unless the gates were closed after reaching maximum capacity, such as on a high demand day like New Year's Eve.
Image source: Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images
Disney World Eliminating Reservation System
In early May, Disney World revealed that it would eliminate the reservation system for date-based tickets beginning on Jan. 9, 2024.
"Starting with park visits on Jan. 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets. You heard that right! When getting your ticket, you will simply select a start date for Jan. 9, 2024 or later, complete your purchase, and then you will be all set," the company said in a news release.
Tickets sold at Disney World are mostly date-based. People buying walkup tickets and other non-date-based options will still need reservations, but that affects relatively few people. Disney World is essentially going back to how things operated before the covid pandemic.
Disneyland Resort, however, has not indicated when it might eliminate its reservation system.
Park Hoppers Don't Get a Break at Disney World
While Disney World is ending its covid-era reservation system, it's keeping intact covid-era Park Hopper restrictions. Instead of allowing guests to move freely between the theme parks early in the day, ticket or annual pass Park Hopper guests will need to make a reservation for the first park they plan to visit and may not visit a second park until 2 p.m. They may visit until each park's regularly scheduled close.
Disneyland Resort has a much more lenient Park Hopper system. Guests with a valid Park Hopper ticket or Magic Key may make a reservation to visit both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure on the same day and choose the first park they plan to visit on that date. They may then cross over and switch between parks on the same day beginning at 11 a.m., subject to availability. After 11 a.m., a Park Hopper guest may visit either park first despite whichever park they designated first on their reservation. At this time, a park reservation is not required for the second park they plan to visit.
