When Walt Disney World reopened after the closure in 2020, they implemented a system that required reservations to enter. This was to keep crowds down. Most tickets no longer require a reservation, but Annual Passholders still do. It can be a bit confusing, especially if you’re brand new to the Annual Passholder family.
Annual Passholders can only hold a certain number of Park Reservations at one time. That number changes, based on the Annual Pass level. It’s five for Disney Incredi-Pass and Disney Sorcerer Passholders. If your pass is a Disney Pirate Pass, you can hold four reservations at once. Disney Pixie Dust Passholders can only hold three at a time.
It’s easy to make a Park Reservation. You can do it on the My Disney Experience App. Touch the three lines in the bottom right corner, then scroll down. Look for “Park Reservations” under “Plan My Next Visit”. On the next page, choose “Guests with Tickets or Annual Passes”. Hit “Reserve” and then choose who you want to make reservations for under “Create Your Party”. (It should tell you how many reservations each person still has available.) After you’ve checked the names, scroll to the bottom to “Continue”. This is where you’ll pick the date and the park. You’ll then “Continue” again at the bottom. You aren’t done yet! Scroll to the bottom and check the “Terms and Conditions”. Next, it’s “Confirm Selections”, and you’re done! You should receive an email with your reservation information, but don’t count on it.
You can also make Park Reservations on the Walt Disney World website. The process is the same.
If you don’t plan to visit any of the theme parks until later in the day, you don’t need a reservation after 2:00. The exception to this is the Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays. You need a reservation, although it doesn’t need to be for the Magic Kingdom. You will need to scan into the park that you have the reservation for before you head to the Magic Kingdom.
If you plan to Park Hop, you need to scan into the park that you have the reservation for first. This is true, even if you arrive after 2:00. If that’s the case, just cancel the reservation and enter the park of your choice.
Speaking of canceling, it’s easy enough to cancel or modify. What I do is to head again to “Park Reservations” on the App or the website. Once you hit that, all the current reservations for those on your Friends and Family list will show up. Under each reservation you’ll have the option to modify or cancel. Just follow the prompts!
If you look at the Reservation Calendar and see a date with a circle around it, that’s a Good-to-Go Day. You won’t need a reservation, even if it’s a Saturday or Sunday at the Magic Kingdom. If you already have a reservation for that date, it won’t count towards your reservation allotment, and you don’t have to hit that park first. You usually won’t find Good-to-Go Days on days that are expected to be busy, such as three day weekends or holidays. Disney doesn’t add them too far in advance, and sometimes there aren’t any.
Did you add the Water Park and Sports Option to your Annual Pass? Good news! You do not need to make a reservation for the Walt Disney World Water Parks.
One more thing about reservations. Most days you won’t need them, so you don’t need to make them too far in advance. I often make mine the day of. That said, if there is a date that is important to you, make your reservation in advance. Holidays, first days of Epcot Festivals, and May 4th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are some examples of dates that could fill up. And if it’s a day that’s full for others and your plans change, please cancel your reservation so that others may have a chance.