Disney Fans Are Ready to Scrap Disney Park Passes

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Screenshot via My Disney Experience app

If you have been to Walt Disney World Resort or planned a visit since the parks reopened in July 2020, you have surely been introduced to the Disney Park Pass reservation system.

Related: How to Snag Disney Park Passes After All Availability is Gone

When Guests want to go to Disney World, they must have a valid ticket linked to their My Disney Experience account, whether a day ticket or an Annual Pass, and then, they can make a theme park reservation to obtain their Disney Park Pass. Annual Passholders can only book three park passes at a time, and the system is meant to ensure capacity is being controlled.

disney world guests magic kingdom
Credit: Inside the Magic

That being said, as demand continues to increase, snagging the Disney Park Pass is becoming very difficult to obtain. We recently reported that all availability for May was gone for all Guest types, and now, it looks like the majority of June is also disappearing. This means that if you plan on going to Disney World, you must book your park pass weeks or months in advance.

So, last-minute park days are no longer possible unless you get a reservation at the last second; however, those moments are hard to come by. Disney CEO Bob Chapek also announced that the Disney Park Pass reservation system would stick around post-pandemic, so it seems like it would be helpful to Disney if Guests liked the system. Unfortunately, based on what we are hearing from Guests and Disney fans, it doesn’t look like a majority of Disney World visitors like the reservation system. Instead, they want it scrapped.

bob chapek onstage
Credit: Disney/Matt Stroshane, photographer

Many Disney Guests are beginning to speak up on Twitter about their feelings regarding the Disney Park Pass reservation system. The consensus is that Disney Park Passes should change or be eliminated.

Maddie (@maddie_odair) is one of many Annual Passholders who have lost much value in their pass while still paying the exact costs as before the pandemic:

Literally this past two weeks ALONE I have wanted to dip into a park for an hour and just walk around or ride one thing and I can’t because of the park pass system. What’s the point of an annual pass then?

Gabe (@ectopuppy) is also ready to see the reservation system leave:

im honestly really worried anout this new park pass and reservation system. i dont want to have to plan out my entire trip in one go but with how people are seeing things booked out a week in advance it looks like ill have to start. this really ruins the energy of a disney trip.

Fazza_BayBay (@Fazza_BayBay) told Disney Parks that the value of a theme park ticket is too high not to allow Guests entry without a reservation:

@DisneyParks absolutely disgusting you’re keeping the park pass reservation system. People pay alot of money to enjoy going from park to park or to come to Disney in the first place

Jeff (@amazingjr87) does not understand why the system will be around post-pandemic:

Tbh, I understood why Disney put the park reservation system in place due to Covid-19. But why keep it after the pandemic ends? Why make the experience of visiting WDW and/or DLR feel so restrictive? Why is Chapek such a horrible & tone deaf CEO?

Kevin (@KevinPerjurer) also thinks that this system needs to be scrapped:

I really can’t foresee the Park Pass System sticking around considering that absolutely no one except for Chapek and maybe the IT guy that made it thinks it’s a good idea.

Dani at This Florida Life (@thisfloridalife) wants to get her money’s worth when it comes to Annual Passes:

If Disney Park Pass Reservations continue into the foreseeable future I’m gonna need them to work out a better way to check availability and make adjustments.

But also I am so sick of not getting my money’s worth on that AP.

Joseph (@FarmStuffz) is okay with the system, but not in the way it is functioning at the moment:

I don’t have an issue with a park reservation system. I have a problem with having to plan going to a theme park weeks/months in advance and not being able to do anything last minute.

As an Annual Passholder who lives minutes from the parks, I can agree with many other Disney Guests that the value of an Annual Pass has shrunk dramatically as I cannot get a Disney Park Pass for weeks. The purpose of purchasing an Annual Pass is so that Disney World Guests can visit as often as they like. This reservation system, unfortunately, removed that luxury without lowering or reimbursing the cost of the pass.

disney world
Credit: Disney

That being said, it is understandable why the system was put in place, as Disney is monitoring capacity. However, after 2:00 p.m., Guests can enjoy Park Hop unless the park they want to visit is at capacity. Even on busy weekends, I have never been turned away from a park. When calling the capacity hotline, I had never heard that any parks were at capacity past 2:00 p.m.

Knowing this, it would be nice if Disney could open up available day-off to Guests who did not originally have a Disney Park Pass reservation, considering the parks continue to let in Guests that were not fully accounted for since they made a reservation for a separate park.

Related: Annual Passholders: How to Get Help with Disney Park Pass

Tree of Life Animal Kingdom
Credit: Disney

Alternatively, Universal Orlando Resort operates on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing for last-minute park entry. It is typical for the parks to hit capacity earlier in the day, but more Guests can enter as others leave by the afternoon.

For now, it seems that the Disney Park Pass system is here to stay, although, as capacity increases, it may become more accessible for Guests to make reservations. 

What are your thoughts on the Disney Park Pass reservation system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

Want help booking those park passes? Click here to get started today with expert help to ensure you have the best Disney World vacation possible!

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