Disney Getting Rid of Reservation Requirement For Select Guests!

When Walt Disney World Resort reopened after its months-long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of things that were different. All Guests were required to wear masks and practice social distancing. All four Disney World theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — also had to have extreme capacity limits to try to keep people safe. These capacity limits were the reason Disney introduced the highly-controversial reservation system.

The reservation system required all Guests visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth to make a reservation at the theme park they wanted to visit. In the beginning, Park Hopping was not allowed. Then, when Park Hopping was brought back, reservations were still required, but only at the theme park where Guests wanted to begin their day.

It has been nearly three years since Walt Disney World Resort reopened after COVID, and nearly all of its COVID safety measures have disappeared. Masks are no longer required, and social distancing isn’t practiced. However, the reservation system and Park Hopping restrictions are still in place. Reservations and Park Hopping restrictions have been controversial nearly from the start, and now they are pretty much universally hated.

However, a BIG change will soon be coming to the reservation system. On May 8, Disney shared that, beginning in early January 2024, Guests with date-based tickets will no longer have to make reservations to visit the Parks! Date-based tickets are tickets that have a set start date and are for a certain number of days. They may or may not be Park Hopper tickets.

Disney Parks Blog shared more on the changes coming to the Walt Disney World reservation system.

Starting with park visits on Jan. 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets. You heard that right! When getting your ticket, you will simply select a start date for Jan. 9, 2024 or later, complete your purchase and then you will be all set! For reference, date-based tickets are the standard ticket option we offer to guests. For other admission types, including non-dated tickets, theme park reservations may be required to help us continue managing attendance and delivering a great experience for everyone. You can check which admission types require park reservations by visiting DisneyWorld.com/ThemeParkReservations before you purchase. 

This is not the only change coming to Walt Disney World’s reservation system. Disney also shared that, beginning in 2024, Cast Members and Annual Passholders will have “good to go” days. These will be days when no reservation is needed to visit the theme parks. Disney has not commented on its Park Hopping restrictions. Guests can currently Park Hop after 2 p.m.