To help manage capacity numbers and ensure that guests are able to social distance, there is a new step you will need to take when planning your vacation to Walt Disney World at least for the foreseeable future.

After you’ve booked your vacation package and have your park tickets (pssst…if you haven’t done this part yet, send me an email and we’ll get you set up!), make sure you have it all linked to your My Disney Experience account. This will allow you to make a theme park reservation through the Disney Park Pass system. This is something that is new and began when the parks reopened in June 2020. All guests over the age of 3 must have both valid admission and a park reservation for the same park on the same date. This is limited to one park per day (park hopping did just become available after 2pm with a valid ticket, but you don’t need a park reservation for a second park at this time). These reservations are limited and subject to availability. If you have multi-day tickets, you will need to make a park reservation for each day. This is something you will need to do in advance and certain parks on certain days DO fill up (Hollywood Studios has been filling up the quickest), I recommend doing this as soon as you purchase your tickets. Also note, this currently can only be done on a website browser and not on the My Disney Experience app on a phone.

There are three tiers of available dates: Walt Disney World Resort Guests, Ticket Holders, and Annual Passholders. You can check the availability calendar, just make sure to select which calendar applies to you!

When you’re ready to make your reservation, here are the four steps to follow:

1. Make sure you have set up an account on My Disney Experience and confirm your admission is linked to your account.
2. Create your travel party. Select the family and friends you’d like to include if they’re already on your Family & Friends list or select the option to add a guest if needed. Keep in mind…if you are making park reservations for multiple people, everyone in that party must have the same type of park admission. For example, reservations for Annual Passholders and theme park ticket holders cannot be booked at the same time. Depending on your admission type, you may need to make more than one theme park reservation to include all members of your party.
3. Select a date and a park. View the calendar and select one of the available dates for your visit. Then select the theme park. It will show the park hours for the day, but you are able to enter the theme park at any time during the day of your reservation. After you select your date and theme park, you can confirm your reservation.
4. Review and confirm your plans. If you need to make any changes, select “Back” to revise your selections. Before confirming, you’ll have to agree to the Terms & Conditions, including an updated COVID-19 liability waiver. After you’ve done that, select “Confirm” to complete your park reservation. It will then show under “My Plans.” If you need to make another park reservation, you can just select “Make Another Reservation” to continue planning.

While this may not be an ideal situation, especially for spur of the moment trips, it does seem to be working. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer in the comments or send me an email and we can chat more!