When the Walt Disney World parks open in July, all guests will need a park reservation for admission. The Park Pass reservation system is only available at present at the Walt Disney World Website. Beginning on June 28, 2020, all existing ticket holders can make reservations for their number of days of valid theme park admission. The system opened with a rocky start on June 22, 2020, for Disney Resort guests. Annual Passholders had a smoother rollout on June 26. We can hope that the system will also go smoothly for existing ticket holders on June 28.
The Disney Park Pass System allows Disney to control the inventory based on the group each individual falls in. The groups are “Disney Resort Guests,” “Annual Passholders,” and “Theme Park Ticket Guests.” You can check availability for any day and group by clicking here.
I fall into two groups: I have a Resort reservation in September, and I am an Annual Passholder. It took me several hours until I was successful getting Park Pass reservations for my September stay. On June 25, Disney would not commit to an opening time for Annual Passholder access. Thanks to my dogs, I was up at 4:30 a.m. on June 28. Not surprising, the system was not working for Annual Passholders. I tried again at 5:58 a.m. I was able to start the Park Pass process, but the system froze before I could confirm my first reservation. (I assume Disney rebooted the server.) At 6:03 a.m. I made my first successful reservation for July 11. The second reservation for July 12, went smoothly. The third reservation hit a snag.
It appeared that my Park Pass reservations tied to my September trip was interfering with my Annual Passholder Park Pass reservations. I deleted my September Park Pass reservations and then was able to make my third July Park Pass reservation. I could not re-book my Park Pass reservations for September, but I have time to work that out.
Park Availability is Dynamic and Conditional
Disney is prioritizing Resort Guests over Annual Passholders, and we can assume Annual Passholders are prioritized over other guests. Besides having first access to the Park Pass System, Resort Guests have more availability. Currently, July only has 6 days with partial park availability. Typically Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the first park to sell out. EPCOT is the last park to sell out. The Magic Kingdom usually sells out before Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney is hoping to increase attendance each week. If things go smoothly, the Disney Park Pass System will add capacity. I’m guessing Disney will start with very low availability for days that are already sold out for Annual Passholders.
Annual Passholder Availability Timeline on June 26
After making my Park Pass reservations I watched availability for Park Passes change through the day at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/?segments=tickets,resort,passholder&defaultSegment=passholder. You can view one month, and one Disney guest type at a time. The calendar will show green, for all parks are available; yellow for some parks are available, and gray for no parks are available. If you select a day, you can see which park(s) are available.
July 11-14 started off as yellow as only the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open. Also, notice that by 6:30 a.m. that July 11 and 12 were sold out, but availability returned at 6:33 a.m.
It took longer for August to see parks fill up for Annual Passholders.
What to Expect on June 28, 2020
Expect limited availability for current ticket holders. Plan for the Park Park System to open early, but don’t be surprised if availability does not show up until after 7:00 a.m. Make sure you have tickets linked to all guests on the Disney website, and that you have access to everyone you want to make a Park Pass reservation.
What after June 28, 2020
If conditions improve and demand increases expect Disney increase availability. If you did not get the Park Pass reservations you wanted, keep checking.
Booking Dates for Park Reservations
The Disney Park Pass system is now available to select Guests. Booking dates vary based on your plans.
- Beginning June 22, 2020, Disney Resort and other select hotel Guests with valid theme park admission can make reservations for their length of stay.
- Beginning June 26, 2020, Annual Passholders without a Resort stay can make theme park reservations for up to 3 days at a time.
- Beginning June 28, 2020, existing ticket holders can make reservations for the number of days of valid theme park admission.
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Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), coronavirus, Disney Park Pass System, park tickets
