What is the point of Disney park reservations?

The original reason for requiring theme park reservations at Disney World was to help limit the number of Guests in the parks during their phased reopening following the COVID-19 closures. Capacity limits have eased since then, but the reservation system has remained in place.



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For non-dated tickets, theme park reservations may be required. Disney notes that this is so they can continue to monitor and manage park attendance to ensure they deliver a great experience to guests.

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Standard tickets for Disneyland Resort don't really sell out, however, theme park ticket reservations do fill up for dates. Theme park ticket reservations are needed along with a valid ticket for entrance to either of the Disneyland Resort parks.

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It's actually fairly unusual for Disney World tickets to be completely sold out. Even if a specific park's reservations are sold out, other parks are typically available. For example, Magic Kingdom reservations may be sold out, but Animal Kingdom may have reservations available.

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You now can only park hop AFTER 2PM. So you'll have to wait until well after lunchtime if you're planning on visiting another park. However, this rule is different for Annual Passholders.

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You don't need a parks pass reservation for any parks you visit after 2PM after you visit your first park, however you do need to start your day at that first park with a parks pass reservation. You cannot simply show up at any park after 2PM if you haven't first used a park pass reservation to visit a park.

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Disney charges a $10-to-$25-per-person penalty for missing a reservation, or if you cancel on the day of the meal.

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Before we get to advance reservations, I want to quickly cover an option you'll want to keep in mind during your trip—walk up lists. Like basically all restaurants in the world, you can always walk up to a Disney restaurant and see if they're taking walk ups and what a wait might look like.

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Genie Plus is definitely worth it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and if you don't like early starts, you might consider it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. If you are park hopping, Genie+ is even better value as it maximises the number of rides you have access to.

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The Genie 120-minute rule says that you can make a new reservation at most 2 hours from when you made the last one, and this countdown timer doesn't change if you modify the reservation. If you made it at, say, 11 a.m., then your two hours will be up at 1 p.m. even if you modify the reservation at noon.

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Off-peak times fall around January, February, September, and early November. Discounts on vacation packages booked directly through Disney (which combine park tickets and hotel stays) can be found year-round, though they're most common at these less-crowded times.

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With a Disney base ticket, you're welcome to leave and re-enter the same theme park as many times as you like during the same day. So, if you want to visit the Magic Kingdom in the morning, go back to your hotel room for a nap, and return to the Magic Kingdom in the evening, then you do not need a Park Hopper ticket.

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Starting January 9, 2024, guests with Park Hopper benefits or an Annual Pass will be able to visit another theme park at any time during park hours. This is a significant shift from the previous rule that allowed Park Hopper access only after 2 p.m. This change gives guests the freedom to plan their day as they wish.

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Visit My Disney Experience and click onPark Reservations. Click on cancel for the date and park you want to cancel. Once you cancel your existing reservation, you can make a new one for a new theme park and with an additional guest by visiting Walt Disney World Theme Park Reservations.

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You'll need to plan your visit in advance, but you are limited to 180 days in advance at this time. The reservations are released on a rolling basis, and new reservations out go live at 8 a.m. Pacific Time each day. The earlier you book, the better park availability there is.

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You can make Disney World dining reservations for your trip starting 60 days in advance. (In the past, this window had been 180 days.) No matter what time of year you'll be visiting, we recommend making reservations as close as you can to the magical 60-day mark.

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At approximately 6:00 AM daily, new reservation booking windows become available for select Walt Disney World restaurants.

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So how many Disney guests actually use the service? In the Quarter 3 Earnings Call, Bob Chapek said that close to 50% of park guests purchase Genie+. “Even our Genie product, which we released short of a year ago, now about 50% of the people who come through the gate, buy up to that Genie product,” Chapek said.

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In fact, usually the most popular rides are excluded for Genie+ guests. For example, Lightning Lanes aren't available through Genie+ for Disney World's Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle/Run, Avatar Flight of Passage, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

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Individual Disney lightning lane prices range from $7.00 plus tax up to $17.00 plus tax based on the lightning lane ride selected.

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