Disney Park Reservation System Announced

With the Walt Disney World theme parks closed since mid-March, and the continued threat of the ongoing pandemic, guests visiting Walt Disney World will be required to have a reservation in order to enter each park once the theme parks re-open on July 11, 2020. Walt Disney World has announenced their new Disney Park Reservation System.

Disney Park Pass System

To manage attendance during this reopening period, Walt Disney World has are introducing the new Disney Park Pass system. During this time, all guests with a ticket or Annual Pass will be required to make a reservation in advance for each park entry, using this new online tool on DisneyWorld.com. 

Here are a few important details to know about this new system: 

• You’ll need a My Disney Experience account, as this is where your Walt Disney World Resort plans are stored and managed.
• You’ll also need a valid theme park ticket or Annual Pass that’s linked to your My Disney Experience account. 
• If you have a Disney Resort hotel reservation, be sure to link it to your My Disney Experience account beforehand, as well. 

Once you’ve logged into your My Disney Experience account and linked your ticket, you’ll have access to a calendar of available reservation dates for each theme park. If you have a multi-day ticket, you will be required to make a park reservation for each date of your visit. Families and friends can link their tickets together and look to arrange theme park entries at the same time. 

Unfortunately, at this point, guests will only be able to schedule a visit to one park per day, so no park hopping will be allowed. While Disney World expects to bring park hopping back to the parks at some point, they will not commit to a return date, but are planning on selling the park hopping add-ons with 2021 tickets.

Existing Ticket Holders and Annual Passholders

Beginning this week, Walt Disney World will reach out to existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders with more information on when they will be able to check availability to make their park reservations. We will open the Disney Park Pass system to these guests in phases (listed below), beginning with those with future Disney Resort and other select hotel stays. Later this summer, we will resume sales of 2020 tickets and Disney Resort hotel arrivals, based on availability of park reservations, while we continue to provide guests with existing tickets and Annual Passholders the opportunity to make park reservations for 2020 dates.

Disney Park Reservation System Key Dates

• June 22, 2020 – Disney Park Pass system opens to guests with a Disney Hotel Reservation in 2020 including valid theme park admission linked in My Disney Experience
• June 26, 2020 – Disney Park Pass system opens to Annual Passholders
• June 28, 2020 – Disney Park Pass system opens to other existing ticket holders without a current Disney Resort Reservation.
• June 28, 2020 – New Disney Hotel Packages and theme park tickets go on sale for arrivals in 2021.
• Later this Summer – Based on availability, sales of 2020 tickets and Disney Resort Hotel arrivals for 2020 travel dates will resume.

Annual Passholders

Annual Passholders will an existing Walt Disney World resort reservation will be able to book up to 14 days of park reservations to correspond with their stay (if you have a 7-night stay, you can book up to 8-days of park reservations, including the day you arrive and the day you leave). If Passholders do not have a Walt Disney World Resort reservation, they will be limited to 2-days of reservations at one time, and must use 1 of the days in order to book another day.

Disney Swan and Dolphin Resorts

Walt Disney World is including the Swan and Dolphin Resorts along with the Disney Resorts when it comes to booking park reservations. All guests at the Swan and Dolphin will have access to park reservations starting on June 22, 2020.

Planning a trip for 2021?

By June 28, 2020, all guests will be able to purchase new Disney Resort hotel packages and theme park tickets and make their park reservations for arrivals starting in 2021 as our phased reopening continues. Guests will be able to view park reservation availability on DisneyWorld.com prior to purchasing their tickets. 

MagicBands, RIP

Starting in 2021, Walt Disney World will start making the transition from MagicBands to Smart Phones.  In 2021, Walt Disney World plans to unveil an innovative new offering as part of the My Disney Experience app that will bring features of a MagicBand to smart devices, building on the app’s existing digital key feature. With this new offering on the horizon, we will be retiring our complimentary MagicBand distribution to Disney Resort hotel guests for new reservations with arrivals beginning January 1, 2021.

Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests will continue to have the option to purchase new MagicBands at a discount, and we’ll be introducing even more colors and designs featuring favorite Disney characters in the future. Guests who prefer not to purchase a discounted MagicBand will be able to use the My Disney Experience app or a Key to the World card during their visit. We will still offer MagicBands in retail locations and on shopDisney.com, and guests will be able to continue using the wearables throughout Walt Disney World Resort.