Disney World: What if I forgot to make a park reservation?
Forgot to make a park reservation at Walt Disney World? Here are some options.
You are required to make theme park reservations for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disneyâs Hollywood Studios and Disneyâs Animal Kingdom Park. Theme Park Reservations are made on the Walt Disney World website only, not on the mobile app.
But what happens if you forgot to make a reservation and the parks are at capacity? Can you still get into the park?
Sometimes same-day availability opens up, so keep checking the website everyday.
Do not show up without a reservation expecting to plead your case to the Cast Member at the gate. You will be denied entry without a reservation, assuming reservations are at capacity. Disney is firm on this. I see it happen all the time - heartbreaking!
One solution might be to add the Park Hopper option to your ticket. If you see availability at other Disney parks, make the reservation then park hop to the park you really want to visit.
Just keep in mind that park hopping begins at 2 pm.
The fee is approximately $100 per ticket, but on multi-day tickets, it will be valid for all your remaining ticket days.
I was hoping that Disney would eliminate the need for park reservations in 2023, but it appears leadership is just getting started. There are rumors that premium (paid) park reservation options may be coming.
Park reservations are subject to availability and they do book up on certain days - especially weekends.
Itâs best to make your reservations as far in advance as possible. They can be adjusted later if there is availability.
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Theme Park Reservations Becoming Limited
Walt Disney World Theme Parks are now reaching capacity.
To help manage attendance after reopening, all guests now have to make a reservation to visit one of the four Walt Disney World Theme Parks. Now more than ever, itâs critically important that you check the availability calendar prior to booking anything that is non-refundable, as the system is beginning to show signs of reaching capacity. One important note, you must use the Walt Disney World website, Park Pass is not available on the My Disney Experience mobile app.
Until now, theme park availability for Disney World hotel guests and day guests hasnât been an issue. Annual Passholders are having a different experience (but thatâs another article).
And for the first time [in forever] Iâm now starting to see Park Pass availability reach capacity even for hotel guests and day guests. This is consistent with new bookings on the rise and more people keeping their fall reservations. It appears the tide is turning!
Hereâs a look at theme park availability as of today, September 19, 2020. Yellow indicates that some parks have reached capacity. On the live website, you can click on a date to see which parks are still available.
A strange thing happened after Labor Day: there are noticeably more people in the parks, at a time when crowd levels typically drop off significantly. Wait times for attractions are longer too. 80 minutes for Test Track and 60 minutes for Peter Panâs Flight are typical now. I think weâre ready to have FastPass again. Restaurants are busier and itâs more difficult to get a last-minute reservation. It seems more and more people are venturing out now.
There are numerous offers available for fall travel to Walt Disney World in 2020. Check them out on the Offers Page
See whatâs included in my vacation package for Disneyâs Coronado Springs Resort