How Do Disney Park Reservations Work?

Disney Park Reservations work through a system called the Disney Park Pass system. This system is used to manage the attendance at the four major Walt Disney World theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. To enter these parks, you need both a valid park admission and a park reservation.

Link Your Admission to Your Disney Account

Before you can start making reservations, you need to have a valid park admission linked to your Disney account. If you don’t have a Disney account yet, you can create one for free. After creating an account or signing in to your existing account, link your valid admission to your Disney account. Every guest in your party must also have valid park admission linked to their profile. If you have a Disney Resort hotel reservation, be sure to link it to your Disney account as well.

Create Your Party

When you begin to make a reservation, you’ll be prompted to create your party from your Family & Friends list. Select the family and friends you’d like to include, then hit the Continue button. If someone in your travel party is missing, select “Add a Guest” to include them.

Select a Date and Park

Choose the date and the theme park that you’d like to visit from the available reservations. Please note that dates and theme park selections are limited and subject to availability. After creating your party in the Disney Park Pass system, you’ll be prompted to select a date, a theme park, and a time. This is the time that you can visit the park.

Review and Confirm Your Plans

Before confirming, you’ll need to agree to the Terms & Conditions, including the health certification and liability disclaimer waiver. Then, select “Confirm” to complete your park reservation. Once confirmed, your reservation will appear in My Plans on My Disney Experience or DisneyWorld.com.

Check Your Reservation

After confirming your reservation, check your Plans in My Disney Experience, either on the web or in the app, you’ll see your Park Passes now. You’ll also receive a confirmation email. It’s a good idea to keep the emails handy when you head to the park.

Canceling or Modifying A Reservation

If you need to cancel or modify a reservation, you must go to the website. If you are on your “My Plans” page, you can click the “Manage Reservation” button directly to the right of the reservation. It will bring you back to the main booking page. After selecting “Make or Modify Reservation”, you should now see your park reservation with an option to modify or cancel.

Please note that you can’t currently make or modify a Park Pass Reservation in the app. If you click the Plus sign and select “Make Park Pass Reservations”, you’ll be taken to the Disney World website in your phone’s browser.

It’s also important to note that some parks book up as far as a month or so out, so it’s recommended to keep an eye on the Disney World Theme Park Reservation Availability calendar. When you see parks starting to become available in the weeks before your trip, you should book sooner rather than later.

Starting from January 9, 2024, Disney will be making significant changes to the park pass system. Date-based tickets will not require reservations for trips beginning on this date. However, if you have an annual pass, you will still need a parks pass reservation, subject to certain exceptions.

If you’re unable to secure a reservation, there are a couple of strategies you can use. One is to check back often and refresh the page constantly in hopes of a cancellation. Another is to follow Walt Disney World News Today (WDWNT) on social media to stay abreast of new park pass availability.

It’s important to note that for non-Annual Passholders, you cannot modify an existing park pass reservation. If you find availability for one park, but it wasn’t the exact park that you wanted to go to that day, you’ll have to decide if you want to take it and accept the change in plans, or if you’d prefer to keep looking.

To sum it up, the Disney Park Reservation system is a simple and convenient way to ensure you get to visit the parks you love on the days you want. With a little bit of planning and flexibility, you can make the most of your Disney Park experience.