ORLANDO, Fla. — Walt Disney World will relax — but not eliminate — its requirement for park reservations for its annual passholders in the coming months, the company has announced.
Passholders will be able to go to the theme parks after 2 p.m. without holding a reservation — except for Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays, when a reservation will still be required. Disney says that change will start “in the next few months.”
The parks reservation system, which requires ticket holders and annual passholders to book a date-specific and park-specific reservation for entry, kicked in after the resort’s four-month shutdown in response to the COVID pandemic in 2020.
The after 2 p.m. change will allow more spontaneity, Disney says.
“We are committed to listening, adapting, and staying relentlessly focused on making the guest experience at our Disney parks even better,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experience and Products, wrote on the official Disney Parks Blog.
Block-out dates associated with the passes will still be in effect, Disney said.
The blog also indicated other changes coming to Disney World and Disneyland under the headline of “more value and flexibility to your visits.”
Two coming to WDW:
Overnight self-parking for guests at Disney World hotels will again be complimentary, starting immediately. (Disney instituted that fee in 2018.)
Folks purchasing Disney Genie+ service will receive digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction photos taken on the day of their purchase at no additional charge. That start date was not announced but applies to attractions such as Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom and elsewhere.
The changes at Disneyland Resort in California involve earlier times for park-hopping, more availability of its lowest-priced one-day/one-park admission tickets throughout 2023 and more times for sales of its Magic Key passes.
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