Your Guide to Navigating the New Theme Park Reservation System at Walt Disney World
If you're reading this you are either planning a trip to Walt Disney World or you are interested in the new changes Disney has implemented. Regardless, after reading this post you will know how to make a theme park reservation at WDW!
To manage crowds, Disney now requires guests to make a theme park reservation for one of the four parks (Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom) everyday of their vacation. Guests still have the opportunity to park hop, but they can only begin to do so starting at 2pm EST everyday. Theme park reservations add an additional step to planning your Disney trip, so follow the steps below to make sure your trip planning isn't challenging.
Step 1: Review the theme park reservation availability calendar on Disney World's website.
Before purchasing your tickets, make sure the theme parks you would like to visit are still available for guests to make a reservation. You will be able to view the month and week(s) that you are planning your trip to determine which parks are still open for guests. The green color indicates availability, a yellow color on a date means that some parks are available, and the grey color indicates that no parks are available. Keep in mind that you can still plan a trip to Disney World during a certain week when some parks aren't available, just make sure you schedule your dates to ensure the parks you want to visit are available. For example, if Animal Kingdom isn't available on the Tuesday of the week you are planning to visit but is is available on the Thursday, you can still schedule your trip for that week and make another available park reservation for the Tuesday.
Step 2: Purchase your theme park tickets
Before you can make a theme park reservation, purchase your desired amount of theme park tickets (and/or park hoppers) for your trip. I purchase my tickets directly from Disney World's website. After your tickets have been purchased head over to the theme park reservations page where you will be prompted to create your vacation party.
Step 3: Create Your Party
Before you can make a theme park reservation, you must "Create Your Party" by selecting the family and/or friends who will be traveling with you. This is easy to do if all of your friends and family are connected to your account and sharing plans with you. If not, update your party list by adding guests.
Step 4: Make a Park Reservation.
Now that your tickets are purchased and your party is created you can now a make theme park reservation. To do so, select the members of your party that you are making the reservation for. Next, select your date and desired park, then confirm your guests, and you're done!
Although the new park reservations add an extra step to your vacation planning, it really is simple to do. And if you ever need to change your theme park reservations, you can also easily do so. Visit your "Plans and Tickets" page on the MyDisneyExperience website and select the park plan you want to change. You will then be prompted to a page showcasing the selected theme park and details of your party. Click on the "Cancel This Reservation" page to cancel the park pass for that day. Once complete, you can then reschedule a park reservation for one of the available parks for your date.
I hope this post will come in handy when you are making plans for your next Disney vacation. Questions and comments are always welcome, and thanks for reading!