5 Biggest Disney World Park Pass Problems

Disney World has been operating with limited park capacity since reopening last year.

And, though capacity has slowly been increasing recently, Disney is still requiring that guests have a valid park ticket and make a Park Pass Reservation before visiting to manage the crowds. This system can be pretty beneficial for guests because you’re guaranteed to get in if you have a reservation, but there are still a few downfalls. And, that’s what we’re covering today!

Here are 5 of the most common park pass reservation problems in Disney World.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Booked

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has become a popular park to visit with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. And, all of these things are drawing a lot of park-goers, making it pretty difficult to secure a park pass reservation here.

We started seeing park passes booking up for Hollywood Studios on busy days over Spring Break and the trend has only continued. Now you have to plan about two months in advance to secure you and your family a reservation in the park.

Keep in mind that Disney has been slowly been increasing capacity, so we have seen more availability pop up from time to time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The best way to keep up with these changes and grab yourself a “last-minute” (aka less than 2 months out) reservation here is to check the availability calendar often or follow us on social media — we post any big updates to park passes there!

The Park You Want is Completely Booked

Though Disney’s Hollywood Studios is often the first park to book up when it comes to park pass reservations, the other parks are often close behind during busy times of the year!

Some days — like Spring Break and almost the entire month of June — are completely booked up for all four Disney Parks, and it is still pretty common to see just a few parks sold out on any given day.

So, when you’re planning your Disney World trip, there’s a chance that you’ll need to switch around which park you want to visit each day depending on which ones have available.

This is another woe that can be helped by checking the availability calendar often or following us on social media for updates. But really, flexibility is the name of the game if you’re planning your trip for a popular time of year.

No Last Minute Planning

With park pass reservations booking up for the parks weeks or so in advance, there really isn’t any ability to plan your trip last minute or make any changes. You’ll find the most park pass availability if you’re planning at least two to three months in advance, so the days of making last-minute plans are virtually gone.

And, because there is less flexibility when it comes to last-minute changes or planning, you’ll want to think ahead about Table Service dining reservations. Disney only allows those with a park pass reservation to dine in the parks, so you’ll need to book any in-park dining experiences on the same date you have a pass.

If you do happen to snag a dining reservation at a park that you don’t have booked for the day, you can still park hop though! Just be sure that you have a Park Hopper ticket and make your dining reservation for after 2PM when park hopping begins.

Technical Difficulties

And, Disney’s Park Pass Reservation system is no exception to having glitches every once in a while. We’ve found ourselves staring at a “Something Went Wrong” screen a few times when we’ve gone to make a reservation…

…and, we’ve also experienced issues with booking a reservation when there are multiple ticket types linked to your account (like an annual pass, park hopper ticket, or water park ticket). The system sometimes has trouble identifying which park ticket you’re trying to book your reservation with, so it might pop up and say that you don’t have a valid ticket for the date when really you do.

These issues are usually solved pretty easily though, you just need to pick up the phone! Check the availability calendar for which parks you’d like to visit and then give (407) 939-5277 a call — a Cast Member will be able to get you booked for the date you have a valid pass if there’s availability!

Reservation Cap For Annual Passholders

Disney World suspended new Annual Passholder sales last year and those who already were members now can only have 3 park reservations at a time, limiting the number of days they can book compared to regular day guests.

And, with park pass availability booking up at least a few weeks in advance for Annual Passholders, this can cause some problems for those vacationing to Disney World. If your trip is more than three days or you want to book in advance for popular days in the parks and you’re not planning to stay at a Disney World hotel, you’ll be pretty limited in which parks you can visit.

Now, Disney does allow Annual Passholders to book more than three reservations if they have a Disney World Resort hotel stay booked during the time. So, this can be one way to guarantee that you’ll be able to secure a park pass reservation in advance if you’ve already got three days booked.

Disney has announced that Annual Passholders will no longer need Park Passes to enter the parks after 2PM with the exception of Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays. There is currently no date for when this change will happen, but it is set to happen sometime in 2023!

When Will Disney World Sell Annual Passes Again?

So, you might have to plan your Disney World trip a bit more in advance and have less flexibility when you’re visiting, but we’ll continue to bring you tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible.

And, stay tuned for more Disney vacation planning tips and updates!

Learn more about how to make a park pass reservation here!

Have you had any issues with Disney World’s new park pass reservation system? Let us know in the comments!

Comments (4)