Disney World is dropping reservation requirements and park hopping restrictions this week to make visiting the Florida theme park resort easier, simpler and more fun while Disneyland will continue to keep the pandemic-era rules in place indefinitely.
Disney World annual passholders will begin seeing “good-to-go days” on the theme park reservation calendar starting on Thursday, Jan. 11 when they can visit any of the four Florida parks without a reservation.
In addition, passholders can visit any park on any day after 2 p.m. without a reservation — except on Saturdays and Sundays at the Magic Kingdom.Daily visitors will no longer need reservations to visit any of the Disney World parks.
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Disney World daily visitors and annual passholders can once again parkhop any time of the day starting on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
Disney World parkhopping has been limited to after 2 p.m. daily since the Florida parks reopened in July 2020 after COVID-19 pandemic closures.
Why is Disney World dropping reservation requirements and park hopping restrictions now?
“We want to make visiting Disney World easier, simpler and more fun,” according to the Disney Parks Blog. “We know how much Disney means to so many of you and we continue to make changes so you get more value out of your vacation and to help you, your friends and family enjoy our theme parks the way you want to.”
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Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will make no changes at this time to their reservation system or park hopping, according to Disneyland officials.
Operations vary at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort because each market is different, guests visit and experience the parks in different ways and offerings are unique at each destination, according to Disneyland officials.
“People ask me if reservations are going to go away,” Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said in February 2022. “I don’t think so. Reservations create a really important opportunity for us to be able to manage the demand more effectively than we ever could.”
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At the time, Potrock said the objective of reservations was to spread out demand — whether it’s a Tuesday or a Saturday.
“If we do that, a couple of really good things happen,” Potrock said in 2022. “One, it’s a better experience for all. Two, we can better manage the labor scenario in a more efficient way.”
Disneyland daily visitors and passholders won’t have the same amount of flexibility as their Disney World counterparts when it comes to reservations and park hopping.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure still require daily visitors and Magic Key annual passholders to make reservations — a requirement that has been in place since parks returned from a yearlong pandemic closure in April 2021.
Disneyland introduced a Flex annual pass in 2019 that had “good-to-go days” when no reservations were required — much like Disney World is now offering passholders.
Disneyland relaxed park hopping restrictions in February — moving the start time from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m. for daily visitors and annual passholders.Before the pandemic, there were no time restrictions on park hopping between Disneyland and DCA.
