Day Trips

Back to Disney, Part 2: How to Use the Disney Park Reservations System

Posted on by Tricia Sportsman

The new Disney Park Pass reservation system recently went online. Here’s everything you need to know to grab a reservation for your favorite Theme Park and get back to the magic!

Last month, we talked about what you could expect as Walt Disney World prepared to reopen following the coronavirus lockdowns. One thing we knew was coming, although we didn’t have many details, was Disney’s park reservations system. As reopening day draws ever closer, we now know more about how the system works. So let’s fire up the computer and grab our mouse ears as we walk you through making your own Disney Park reservations.

A Note About Tickets and Disney Park Reservations

First up, do you have existing tickets or an Annual Pass? This is key because as we speak, Disney still isn’t selling park tickets for the remainder of 2020. While that may change, at the moment we need to work with what we’ve got. If you don’t have tickets and think you want to try to visit the parks later this year, bookmark the Disney Parks Blog and check back often for news on when ticket sales might resume.

Some good news? If you can wait until 2021 to visit, tickets for next year are on sale now. Plus, Disney recently announced a new Florida Resident discount on 3- or 4-Day tickets for 2021, so waiting a while may just pay off. And you can make Disney Park reservations right now for 2021, too!

Okay, tickets in hand? Let’s do this thing.

Step 1 – Sign In and Check Dates

To start the process, sign in to your My Disney Experience account on the Walt Disney World website. (And note, you need to do this on a computer, not in the My Disney Experience app on your phone.) Once there, look for a “Disney Park Pass” header and click “Learn More.” Then, scroll down until you see a link to view this calendar for Disney park reservation availability online (it may be embedded in the text). You can go directly to the reservation system, but I suggest checking the calendar first. Otherwise, you can waste a lot of time checking dates one at a time only to get an error message when your date isn’t available. Trust me. I learned this one the hard way.

Walt Disney World Park Reservations Calendar
You can see available dates at a glance on this calendar, saving you some time.

When you’re looking at the date calendar, pay attention to the tabs just above it. You should see choices for “Resort Guests,” “Annual Passholders,” and “Theme Park Tickets Guests.” These differences are important because the available dates can change depending on the type of ticket you have. Make sure you’re looking at the right calendar for your ticket before you try to make your Disney park reservation!

Step 2 – Choose Your Party and Confirm Date

Now that you know your dates are available, let’s make some magic!

At this point, we need to navigate to the Disney Park Pass reservation page, either from the homepage or from the “Learn More” page we clicked on before. Now let’s step through making a reservation.

Choose your party…

Select Guests for Disney Park Pass Reservations
Build your traveling party from your Friends & Family list.

Choose dates and parks for your Disney Park reservation…

When and Where Do You Want to Go
Click on the date you want for your Disney Park Pass reservation, then select the Theme Park from the images on the bottom. This is where it helps to know the availability of your preferred dates beforehand. You can select dates here, but you won’t know if they’re available until the next screen. At that point, you’d have to go back and select again.

Select a time. Note – this is just the operating hours of the park for that day. You can arrive at any time.

Time and Park You're Visiting
Don’t worry about the time here, it’s just park hours. Click and move on!

Review and confirm your Disney Park Pass Reservation…

Confirm Your Information
Everyone present and accounted for? Got the park you wanted on the right day? Smash that confirm button!

Congratulations!

Confirmation Screen
And you’re in! Need to make another reservation? Hit the button and add more days of fun!

Step 3 – Add Another Disney Park Pass!

Now that you have one reservation on the books, you can go in and make another one! It’s worth pointing out that you can only visit one park per day, and you’ll make your Disney Park reservations for one day at a time. To make reservations for multiple days, click “Make Another Park Pass” at the bottom of your confirmation screen and start the process again. Disney resort hotel guests can make Disney Park Pass reservations for the length of their stay. And for all my fellow Annual Passholders out there, we can have up to four days’ worth of reservations at a time.

And that’s it! You’re good to go! You can review all of your Disney Park Pass reservations and other plans in your My Disney Experience account on a computer or on your phone. You can also cancel or make changes to your plans there as well.

As always, if you have any questions about planning a visit to Disney Parks, stop by the Disney Parks Moms Panel. You can browse for more information or answer a question yourself. The Disney Moms are always happy to help.

I wish you a magical visit to Walt Disney World. Keep Disney Dreaming!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *