Why does Disney have reservations now?

Disney park reservations became a reality in 2020, once the resort reopened, as a measure to manage crowd sizes. Tweaks were made to the system in the three years since it debuted but there was no indication it would go away until the announced changes were made in October 2023.



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UPDATED OCTOBER 2023. The Disneyland Resort continues to use a reservation system in 2023 to provide a better overall guest experience. Since this reservation system will continue to be in use in 2024, we want to make sure all of our guests are equipped with the most up-to-date information on how to use it.

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Disney has extended the park reservation system into 2024, though starting Jan. 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets. If you wish to visit the parks before Jan. 9, 2024, you will need valid admission AND a Disney Park Pass reservation for the same park on the same day.

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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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Because the number of park reservations is limited, they can occasionally run out. If you have found that the date you wish to visit no longer has reservations available, it's still worth checking the theme park reservation availability calendar often. You never know when other Guests may need to change their plans.

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If your preferred reservation date is sold out, you have a few options.
  1. Choose an alternate reservation date. The simplest, but probably not the most ideal, option is choosing another date that's available for your visit. ...
  2. Regularly check for updated availability. ...
  3. Get a park hopper ticket.


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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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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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Theme Park Reservations are required for every day you wish to visit the Parks- except for the two Water Parks. You will have to visit your My Disney Experience account and pick the Parks you wish to visit and on which day. Don't delay as the Park reservations can fill up!

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Disney has extended the park reservation system into 2024, though starting Jan. 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets.

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You won't need a Disney Park Pass theme park reservation or a regular theme park ticket to get in as long as you enter the park no earlier than 7:00 PM. If you want to drop in earlier, you'll need a standard theme park ticket — and a park reservation (if your ticket type requires one).

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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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You'll need park reservations to visit and can make them by using our theme park reservation system. To enter a park, both a theme park reservation and valid park admission, for the same park on the same date, are required for Guests ages 3 and up.

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If a Magic Key holder has a reservation and does not show up for that reservation date, you do get a strike. According to the Magic Key Terms and Conditions, if you are a no-show for three reservations in any 90-day period, you will not be able to make any new reservations for 30 days.

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Unfortunately, Tracey, if theme park reservations are fully booked for a particular day, you will not be able to access additional tickets or enter the parks. The Theme Park Reservation Availability Calendar reflects real-time availability for park reservations.

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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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While buying in person is possible, I highly recommend that you purchase your tickets ahead of time to avoid the worry of being able to get same-day reservations. In order to enter the parks, you need both a ticket and a theme park ticket reservation.

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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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According to the Magic Key Terms and Conditions, if you are a no-show for three reservations in any 90-day period, you will not be able to make any new reservations for 30 days. If you have existing reservations, those will be canceled.

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Early Theme Park Entry allows Disney Resort Guests (as well as guests from other select hotels) the opportunity to enter any of the 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios) 30 minutes before non-Disney Resort guests.

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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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If a Magic Key holder has a reservation and does not show up for that reservation date, you do get a strike. According to the Magic Key Terms and Conditions, if you are a no-show for three reservations in any 90-day period, you will not be able to make any new reservations for 30 days.

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