One thing that has majorly changed at Disney World due to the pandemic is the Disney Park Pass Reservation System, which requires guests to make a theme park reservation in order to enter any of the theme parks, even if you have a ticket.
Disney World
This is a new system to people who haven’t visited the parks since the pandemic began, and it seems like it’s going to stick around for a while, as based on what Disney CEO Bob Chapek had to say about them recently. Our readers understandably have a lot of questions about how it works, so, we’re breaking down the answers to your frequently asked questions!
Remember ALL of this is subject to change. Disney can make changes at any time, so these are the best answers we can give you right now; but you should always ask your Disney representative when you call to get confirmation.
General Questions
This section takes a look at several general questions about the Disney Park Pass System.
Can we leave the park and come back later in the day?
Yes! As long as you have a park pass reservation for the day, you can leave and return later in the same day. You just can’t hop to a different park than the one you have a pass for unless you have a park hopper ticket and it’s 2PM or later, which is when park hopping starts. If you plan to park hop, you must also have been to the park you have a pass for before you can hop to the next one.
Hello from Hollywood Studios!
What if a linked member of my travel party has a regular ticket and another has an Annual Pass?
When making park reservations for multiple people, everyone in your party has to have the same type of admission, according to Disney. So, this means reservations for Annual Passholders and regular theme park ticket holders can’t be made at the same time. You may meed to make more than one theme park reservation to include all members of your party.
Walt Disney World Annual Passholder
Also, if you’re staying in a Disney Resort or other select hotels with a package that includes tickets, everyone in your party must also have a hotel reservation. If you do not, you will have to make separate theme park reservations.
If someone in my party isn’t going to the parks. Do I need to remove them from my account before I try to book my Disney Park Pass reservation?
No, you DON’T need to remove them from your account — just don’t include them in the “party” you’re booking Disney Park Pass reservations for.
The Tree of Life
Is there a limit on the number of days I can make park reservations? So, if I have a three-week trip planned, can I book a park for 21 days?
The number of theme park reservation days you can hold at one time varies based on your plans. Let’s break it down:
- People staying at Disney Resorts and other select hotels can make park reservations for dates during their stay for the number of days that they have valid theme park admission.
- Annual Passholders staying at Disney Resort hotels or other select hotels can make theme park reservations for each day of their Resort stay(s). In addition, they can make park reservations up to the maximum number their pass can hold at a time on a rolling basis. You can read more about park pass reservation limits for Annual Passes here.
- Existing ticket holders can make park reservations for the number of days of valid theme park admission.
Tower of Terror
Note that if you booked a vacation package, your ticket eligibility is tied to your package travel dates. To make a park reservation for a different date, be sure to modify your vacation package dates.
If we need to change our reservations, can we? Without penalty?
Guests can cancel Disney Park Pass reservations in their My Disney Experience account. Just go to the My Plans section and hit Reservation Details, where you’ll see your reservations and be able to cancel. There is no penalty for canceling.
Expedition Everest
As of now, guests are unable to modify their Disney Park Pass reservations. To change them around, you will need to cancel your existing Disney Park Passes and rebook — all subject to availability, so make sure you check that the parks you want are available before cancelling your existing reservations.
Can I have a park pass reservation if I don’t have an on-site or affiliated hotel room?
Yes, Annual Passholders can hold varying amounts of reservations at one time depending on their pass type.
New Passholder Logo
Guests with other ticket media can make park pass reservations for their park ticket dates.
Click here for more information on the Disney Park Pass system!
Resort Guest Questions
The following section takes a look at questions that are specific to resort guests.
If our friends who we add to my account are not actually staying in a Disney Resort, can we still get a reservation for them, too?
All guests in your travel party will need to be added to the hotel reservation.
Beach Club Resort in Disney World
Also, if you’re staying in a Disney Resort or other select hotels with a package that includes tickets, everyone in your party must also have a hotel reservation. If you do not, you will have to make separate theme park reservations.
If you make your Disney Park Pass with a Resort reservation and later cancel the Resort reservation, will you lose your DPP?
All park reservations made in connection with tickets included in a room and ticket package will be automatically cancelled in the event that the package is cancelled.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Any park reservations held by an Annual Passholder which exceed 3 days will be automatically canceled if the Disney Resort hotel reservation which allowed the Annual Passholder to hold more than 3 park reservations at a time is canceled.
Annual Passholder Questions
This section takes a look at common questions that are specific to Annual Passholders.
My Annual Pass isn’t activated. It’s just a voucher. Will I still be able to make park pass reservations?
Yes. Guests who have an annual pass voucher that hasn’t yet been activated in the parks will be able to make park pass reservations using that ticket media.
Annual Pass
Can Annual Passholders book Disney Park Passes for the length of the resort stay AND their Park Pass Reservation limit?
Annual Passholders staying at a Disney Resort hotel (or other select hotels) may also make Park Pass Reservations for each day of their Resort stay in addition to the Park Pass Reservations they may already hold with their Pass.
Annual Passholder entrance at EPCOT
We hope that this FAQ has helped to clear up some of the confusion of the Park Pass Reservation System! If you have heard different information to our answers above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with your experience. Like we said, this is all subject to change, so stay tuned to DFB for more news and updates.
Click here to learn more about the Park Pass Reservation System!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What questions do you have about the Disney Park Pass system? Let us know in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Just want to give you guys a huge thank you! We’re planning on visiting from the UK in September, and we’ve decided that we’ll stick with the plan and see what happens – you guys are seriously making the process a lot easier. I know everything is up in the air, but DFB has been a total life saver and stopped me from feeling completely stressed out!
I have a DVC stay 9/6-9/12 at Kidani village. I am so worried I won’t be able to get park tickets and even if I do that it will be too late to get a reservation to a park. Any news about that?
Thank you!
Christopher, if you have a room-only reservation (as you mentioned), you’re eligible to add tickets and access the Disney Park Pass system on June 24. You may even be able to call DVC Member Services (not sure if they’re open today) sooner than that to add tickets. Good luck!
Rosie, I am so touched. Thanks for writing!
Hi
I have a DVC Reservation for 8/16-8/21 (2020) without park tickets. I called DVC and they said I have to wait until new tickets go on sale later this summer. ?. I read resort only reservation for 2021 can purchase new tickets on June 24. I’m confused. Can I buy tickets for this august on June 24?
Hi! Do you know what time the reservation system will open tomorrow morning? Thanks!
Does this mean there won’t be fastpasses choices at all?
Disney didn’t give us a time when we could start making reservations for Park Passes on 6/22, did they?
I called and specifically asked about entry and exit and what the “time” meant. I was told by a cast member that the “time” just refers to park hours and we are free to arrive whenever works and can come and go to our reserved park as often as we’d like during that day. Hope that’s all true!
I’ve been trying for Over an hour to get into the my Disney Experience app! This is crazy! I feel like the hunger games. Can’t even call Disney. Ugh!
Serena, may the odds be ever in your favor!
Thanks, Dee!
Melissa, they did not.
Hunter, FastPass selections are suspended for reopening.
Stacy, we finally got action around 9.
DFB (Sarah)….Thanks for the well wishes! Finally got into orbit, I will tell you that Orbit 13 min countdown was so looooong! Just like these past few months.
I was so nervous making my park reservations. I keep looking at them! Now to see about my park hopper refund!
Thanks again DFB for listening and all the support.
Have a great day all!
Serena, I’m so pleased you got what you needed. I’m confident your PH refund will work out. Best wishes!
I have been trying for 7+ hours now to log in to make park reservations for my trip in September. On 4 occasions, the “Pink Castle” screen has gone away and I received the Disney account sign-in screen. And from there I’m stuck. I have attempted signing in over and over for anywhere from 30 mins to 60 mins each time. It won’t accept my sign-in apparently. It never says the username or password are wrong. (And both worked fine when I tested them yesterday afternoon and at 6 am this morning.) it just keeps reloading the sign in page. Incidentally, you can load that sign in page 8 times a minute, I can now say from experience. I have never seen the Space Mountain orbit page once today. And no one is answering phones anywhere at Disney World. Prettt sure we’re going to have to cancel our trip and give up on going to WDW until 2022. Won’t fight all of this again for a trip in 2021.
Sorry you’ve had such a rough time, Mike. I hope it’ll work out for you.
I’ve had really good luck using the Microsoft edge browser. Chrome was taking hours, so I tried Microsoft Edge and was let into the park Pass system almost immediately.
Where will the reservation option be in the disney app once it is available?
Doralicia, no word on this. We’ll update when the app gets updated.
I was able to get on and make reservations, however, it would not let me make more than 7 days worth of park reservations. My stays include a total of 9 days. System says I have reached my park pass limit. 🙁
This is all a bit overwhelming! Not anyone’s fault. I’m sure Disney IT developers have been putting in very long hours. I need some clarity (assuming that exists at the moment.) We are AP holders and stay at Hilton resorts (have a lot of points.). Will I need the hotel reservation first? Seems that would be difficult since I don’t know what days I will be able to get in. Appreciate any insight.
Ginger, Disney says this about APs who don’t have Resort reservations: Beginning June 26, 2020, Annual Passholders without a Resort stay can make reservations.
Lisa, we think this might be a glitch. Disney hasn’t announced any limits on the number of days a guest can book (of course, it could be in the system but not announced), so I’d recommend you keep trying (unless you can get through in a call or chat to ask).
I have an active Silver Annual Pass, expires in late October, 2020. I also have a ten day reservation for Ft Wilderness Campground that I made months before Covid-19 outbreak. I went online to make my Theme Park reservations today, was able to reserve park admission for the first three days of my stay, but am unable to make any further park reservations because it says that Ive reached my Park Pass Limit! Whats that all about? I cannot get through to Disney on the phone….can someone help me?
Doug, we believe this is a glitch. Disney has told at least one of our readers that their IT is working on it. I would say to keep trying, and if you can’t get what you need or you just want to talk to a human, try reaching out to Disney, too.
Any word on how long these park reservations will be required? How about vacations for October 2021?
Thanks
MickeyMom, as a fellow mom hoping to make plans for October 2021, I can tell you… we don’t know. Unfortunately Disney hasn’t released a timeline. They say they want to respond to the situation as it evolves (I’m paraphrasing), so we will keep watching and update whenever there’s a change or new information.
As an AP holder you can make up to 3 park reservations. If you have a 7 days hotel reservation in December, can you make your park reservation for December and still make individual reservations up to three days or are you blocked from the parks until December.
Dennis, we’re still awaiting confirmation of this. We will attempt to confirm on the 26th when AP’s without Resort stays can book their three days.
I did it! They must really be working on it because I just tried again and I got all 14 of my park passes now. For the Nov trip I had to work mostly backwards but I got em
Hi I have booked seven days of Park reservations as we are staying onsite in Disney for our first week, we are then moving offsite but still have another seven days on our park tickets, can you advise me as to what I need to do in order to book up some park dates for these additional seven days please? As we have booked the package holiday through Ocean Florida we haven’t paid our holiday balance yet so will I still be able to book tickets on Sunday when access goes live to offsite tickets holders? I don’t want to risk not getting tickets if we are not eligible I would like to sort it out now so that I am definitely able to book on Sunday? Ocean Florida said call Disney but I can’t get through!! Thanks Xx
Jane, if you have those seven additional days of tickets confirmed in your Disney account, I believe you will be eligible to book Park Pass reservations starting June 28. The biggest thing is making sure the tickets are linked in your Disney account. As long as they are in there, you should be set for Sunday.
DFB Sarah – I’m not sure what I would do without your blog…it’s been a lifesaver so many times through the years. Thank you for your heroic efforts during these crazy days!
My question: I realize we can only choose one park per day, but does our entire party have to go to the same park each day or can we split up on a few days?
Cindy, happy to help. It sounds like you can make different reservations for different members of your group. I’m sorry I don’t know the exact mechanics of it, but I am confident this is possible. (Disney has said that if people in your party have different types of tickets (like AP and standard admission), you may need to make separate reservations, so that’s why I’m certain it’s possible.)
Honestly it sounds needlessly complicated and too much work for a vacation!! It was always this way to a degree but now it’s too much for too less. Guess I’ll be going elsewhere for awhile. So sad but I don’t have the patience for needless complicated mess.
Thanks for all the great information. I do have a question. I am in a group of 5 that is staying in a Disney resort. Although 4 of us have tickets, one does not. How can we get them a ticket so they can come to the parks with us?
Kelly, if your trip is in 2020, Disney says those ticket sales will resume “later this summer” — which could be as soon as next week. If your trip is in 2021, it sounds like you can purchase a new ticket on June 28.
What time does the system allow to book tmw?
John, Disney hasn’t said. Usually reservations phone lines and online open at 7AM.
Just got off a call with Disney because I was getting a “you have reached your limit” message for park reservations. There is a limit (14 days) on how many days of park reservations you may hold at any one time, even if you have resort reservations for more than 14 days. With reservations for 4 days in August, 3 in November, 4 in December and 4 in March, the total was 15. I was told that once that first park reservation day is used In August, I would be eligible to book the final park reservation day in March.
Thanks for sharing, Anne!
Hi, we are AP’s and already had a Disney resort hotel stay for 8 days linked to our ac well before the closing. We haven’t been able to book Park reservations today for that stay in early September. It lets us book 1 day and then says we’ve exceeded our limit. We had booked a prior 2-day resort stay in late July and it let us reserve parks both of those days with no problem. It appears to be only “reading” our AP status, and not the resort stay status. All circuits are busy when we keep trying to call Disney. Anyone had this happen to them? Any suggestions?
Gloria, I would recommend you keep trying to book online while also trying to get ahold of Disney. Hopefully they can help you sort it out if the website doesn’t cooperate.
Got booked today. I had to get linked to the app then book the park online. July 29 – aug 2
hi, do you know what time on the 28 th (today) I can book my park entrance, I am in the uk.. worried that If I miss out and a £20,000 family Disney holiday will be disneyless!
kind regards
sue
Hi,
We are planning a trip to Disney world June 2021 staying off site. How long in advance can you make Park reservations? Is it like fast passes and 30 days before? Or could park reservation no longer be needed by then. Any advice would be great. Thanks!
Kathryn, I think you can make Disney Park Pass reservations as of this morning. No idea yet how far in advance you’ll “need” to make them in order to ensure you get your days reserved, though.