Guests with dated Walt Disney World tickets no longer will have to make the extra step of booking a theme park reservation to use them, starting with visits on January 9, 2024.
In addition, Walt Disney World will add "Good to Go" dates for its annual passholders when they also will no longer have to make advance reservations to enter the parks, starting sometime in 2024. Disney World last month opened its parks after 2pm to annual passholders without park reservations, with the exception of Magic Kingdom on weekends.
Like many other parks, Walt Disney World introduced park reservations when it reopened following the pandemic lockdowns in order to manage capacity. Most parks now have abandoned those requirements, though Disneyland in California is continuing with them and guests with undated Walt Disney World tickets (such as group tickets) and annual passholders on some dates will continue to need to make reservations to enter the parks.
For annual passholders, Good to Go dates may vary by park and pass blockout dates will continue to apply, as they do now. This change will be similar to the old Flex Pass system that Disneyland introduced before the pandemic. That was the first major implementation of advance reservation requirements for Disney theme park tickets, though it also included Good to Go dates where reservations were not required.
In other news today, Walt Disney World also announced the return of its dining plans in 2024. See Disney Dining Plans Are Returning in 2024.
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Please, please do not remove Magic Key reservation requirements at Disneyland.
Sure, requiring reservations on top of dated daily tickets is redundant and can be ditched. But opening the gates of Disneyland and DCA to hundreds of thousands of Magic Key holders to visit on a whim would be a disaster for those parks. California is very different than Florida, and I hope that park reservations remain a requirement for annual passholders indefinitely at Disneyland.
*Reads Robert Niles comment*
Nah, I want chaos. Muahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
*still grumbles about park hopping limitations*
Well overdue. Dated tickets never should have required the extra step.
Disneyland can continue whatever makes the masses happy. Disney World guests would prefer less hassle, and I'm all for the reduction of steps to attend that park. I'd be more happy if reservations were not required for AP holders, but I doubt that will ever return.
I TOTALLY agree with your comment Robert !!!!!!!!!!!
I TOTALLY agree with your comment Robert !!!!!!!!!!!
Regarding all of the news regarding ticket reservations, dining plans and "improvements" to Genie+, there is a school of thought among some YouTube vloggers that claims Disney foresees stormy economic seas ahead.
This morning, one of these commentators said, " "... because the endless demand that D'Maro and Chapek were bragging about back in 2020, it is drying up. Look at the economic situation. You look at the banking situation. You look at the actions that have been taken this year by the Federal Reserve. And I think what it's all pointing to is that, in the future, consumers are going to have less access and more expensive access to consumer credit. There's less stimulus going around the savings rates in this country is beyond grim."
While this person is not alone in his opinion regarding the economy, the impact associated with the circumstances he lists are not unique to the Disney parks. A stalling economy could effect other escapist entertainment companies as well. If, for example, a company is making a multi-billion dollar investment in a brand new theme park, it could also be slapped by the bad economic conditions described above.
That is very true TH. Some could draw comparisons to the timing of economic conditions with the debut of Hard Rock Park in 2008 and Epic Universe in 2025. However, HRP was not backed by an already successful manager of theme parks and was not located in a proven theme park market.
I don't buy this line of analysis though, because if Disney was concerned about a potentially stalling economy and travel industry, making these changes would not alleviate those concerns, at least not in a significant way. If Disney was worried about a slowdown in demand, they would pull some of their pricing levers. These moves are instead targeted towards repairing damage caused by Chapek (and COVID), and to reinvigorate their core guests, not as direct actions to mitigate against potentially sagging demand.
RM: "Some could draw comparisons to the timing of economic conditions with the debut of Hard Rock Park in 2008 and Epic Universe in 2025."
Me: "Some could" ... But I didn't -- and wouldn't. Primarily because the money Comcast is spending on Epic Universe dwarfs the investment made on the Hard Rock Park.
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Wow! Here's hoping this happens in SoCal, too!