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Credit: Brian Becton / FlickrCould Walt Disney World take a step back on their park pass reservations? Their website notes that it is possible.
During the onset of the pandemic, Walt Disney World Resort, much like every other business, faced significant disruptions. All four major theme parks, including Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, temporarily closed their gates on March 15, 2020, initially planned for a brief two-week hiatus. However, as the severity of the pandemic became evident, these closures extended far beyond the anticipated timeframe which forced the theme park mogul to change course.
Amidst an economic push to reopen, Florida accelerated the resumption of businesses, including Walt Disney World. Commencing on July 11, 2020, the phased reopening began with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, followed by EPCOT and Hollywood Studios on July 15, 2020 after around four months of closures.
Upon reopening, guests encountered a notably altered theme park experience.
Mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing measures were enforced, with Disney implementing capacity limits and introducing a park pass reservation system. This reservation system required guests to secure a spot in their chosen park in addition to purchasing tickets, ensuring controlled attendance and adherence to safety protocols.
While initially challenging, the park reservation system gradually eased anxieties as capacity limits expanded over time, offering guests more flexibility in planning their visits. Changes unfolded on January 9, 2024, signaling a further return to normalcy.
Walt Disney World reinstated all-day park hopping, revoked the 2:00 p.m. restriction previously imposed, and reintroduced the Disney Dining Plan. Additionally, date-based ticket holders were no longer obligated to make park reservations upon ticket purchase, marking a significant stride toward resuming pre-pandemic operational norms at Disney parks.
While things are a little more normal for guests who are purchasing date-based tickets, guests without them or guests with Annual Passes must still make reservations to enter the theme parks, and at times, reservations are still showing as full, meaning that Annual Pass guests cannot enter till later in the day (2:00 p.m.) if they want to visit a park that is “at capacity”.
Two parks, however, have never instated the park pass reservation rule, allowing guests to come and go as they please without having to worry about reserving a spot in the theme park. While both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon have not yet been operational at the same time, each park has never asked for guests to make a park pass reservation to enter.
While it seemed from the January 9th changes that Disney was slowly beginning to move away from park pass reservations, the Blizzard Beach website notes the opposite. In bold red lettering, guests can read, “At this time, a park reservation is not required to visit a water park; however, reservation requirements are subject to change”.
While the wording confirms that park passes are not currently needed, it does leave the door open for the reservation requirements to change. We likely would not see Disney move in a more strict direction unless the volume of guests were to dramatically increase. That being said, during the Q1 2024 earnings report, Disney said that attendance at Walt Disney World was lower in the quarter compared to last year.
One good thing that Disney has done for Annual Passholders is enacting good-to-go days, which allow Annual Passholders to enter the theme parks without a reservation on select dates, which change on a month-to-month basis.
In terms of the water parks, we will soon see Disney’s Blizzard Beach shut down, likely until November 2024, and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon reopen. These changes will begin on March 17, 2024 following the trend of leaving one water park open, while shuttering the other for refurbishment.
Would you be upset to see Disney move back towards park pass reservations always being needed?