Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
Currently struggling with it and man, the park reservation system is utter garbage. Totally unacceptable. It's evidence we really will put up with anything.
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News Disney Park Pass System announced for Walt Disney World theme park reservations
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
gerarar
Premium Member
So I had a school friend me reach out to me a couple weeks ago. He knew I was a big Disney Parks fan, so he asked for any tips about how to go about the parks since they were going in less a week. My first question was if he reserved his park days yet, and he was like what..?!?
I explained to him that a ticket isn’t enough to get into a park and that he must reserve his days. He immediately did so and a couple days later, they filled up. If he didn’t know any better he would’ve been well out of luck.
Now just imagine this on a larger scale for those guests that aren’t really in the know (like my friend). Come Christmas week, how many families will be turned around at the gates and told that they can’t get into MK, or even any of the 4 parks since they’re all booked up.
Disney does tell you that a park reservation is required upon purchasing tickets online (but still easy to miss), but why doesn’t it immediately force you to choose the parks you want after selecting your start date and how many days and such.
This reservation system really does suck. Add to that Genie+. I’m going back in a couple weeks and I’m going to envy my Dec. 2019 trip a lot when things were good/better. Heck trams we’re still a thing then too…
I explained to him that a ticket isn’t enough to get into a park and that he must reserve his days. He immediately did so and a couple days later, they filled up. If he didn’t know any better he would’ve been well out of luck.
Now just imagine this on a larger scale for those guests that aren’t really in the know (like my friend). Come Christmas week, how many families will be turned around at the gates and told that they can’t get into MK, or even any of the 4 parks since they’re all booked up.
Disney does tell you that a park reservation is required upon purchasing tickets online (but still easy to miss), but why doesn’t it immediately force you to choose the parks you want after selecting your start date and how many days and such.
This reservation system really does suck. Add to that Genie+. I’m going back in a couple weeks and I’m going to envy my Dec. 2019 trip a lot when things were good/better. Heck trams we’re still a thing then too…
bubbles1812
Well-Known Member
What are you struggling with? Just curious. It’s annoying to have to decide in advance where you were going (but hey, this has really been the case for years as you had to decide where to start off your day with FP+), but I don’t remember having too much difficulty actually making the park reservation themselves. Just not liking the availability??
zapple
Well-Known Member
I think the thing I hate most about the reservation system is having to scan into that first park before going to another one after 2. It’s hard for me to predict what park I’m going to want to go to on any day months in advance, so I just pick one. Well depending on how I feel on the day, maybe I want to go to Seaworld in the morning, but I picked AK as my park for the day, but it’s 3:00 and I don’t feel like going to AK anymore, I want to go to HS instead, but there are no park passes for HS to switch to, so I can’t change my reservation, but HS is available for park hopping, so I have to drive all the way to AK, park, scan in, then leave and go over to HS, which is where I want to go. Yes, it’s a run-on sentence to depict the frustration and rigamarole you have to go through to just do what you want on your vacation. And yes, sometimes I just don’t go to the park and go to their competitors instead. I am out of state and have passes to SW/BG and Universal.
These systems are not for guest convenience in ANY way.
These systems are not for guest convenience in ANY way.
disneygeek90
Well-Known Member
Parks reservations are a drag.
as is park hopping after 2.
as is no trams.
and shuttered stores.
and closed theaters.
and genie+.
and ILL.
and upcharged events with limited offerings.
sigh.
If I wasn’t a local, I’m not sure I’d have the stamina to keep showing up. Hard to beat a couple hours in the park in the evening where you can ignore most of these issues.
as is park hopping after 2.
as is no trams.
and shuttered stores.
and closed theaters.
and genie+.
and ILL.
and upcharged events with limited offerings.
sigh.
If I wasn’t a local, I’m not sure I’d have the stamina to keep showing up. Hard to beat a couple hours in the park in the evening where you can ignore most of these issues.
TikibirdLand
Well-Known Member
Yeah, you listed many of the reasons why we're sitting it out.
matt9112
Well-Known Member
You and me both.
It’s a Christmas miracle!!! 
Mander
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Our next trip is a long planned visit in April to celebrate a close family friend's high school graduation. It's our last shot at doing this trip with them, so we're going. We're also using tickets we bought in February 2020 that we never got to use. If it weren't for that I don't know if it is what I'd choose this year.
The park hopping limitations are so frustrating. We loved opening a park for two hours and then hopping elsewhere for the rest of the day. Genie+ and ILL seem way worse for a group of our size (11 in total). When we started planning I figured we would at least be able to get some FPs together...hah! The loss of Magical Express was really annoying as it's just another unexpected expense for the people in our group on tighter budgets.
We'll see how this trip goes. I'm trying to "go with the flow" but planning this one feels so much more stressful than any I've planned before. I'm not sure when we will be back if it doesn't go well- especially with how good Universal's prices are.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
But
You
Keep
Showing
!
Yeah…well looky there!!It’s a Christmas miracle!!!
…you mean if I buy a day ticket…at about $180…that gets me to 7 pm when they shut er down for the $249 Mickey E-ride nights…then they want me?!?
magic…is all it can be
I are the Magic!!!But
You
Keep
Showing
!
Yeah…well looky there!!
…you mean if I buy a day ticket…at about $180…that gets me to 7 pm when they shut er down for the $249 Mickey E-ride nights…then they want me?!?
magic…is all it can be
disneygeek90
Well-Known Member
Rich Brownn
Well-Known Member
As capacity has been increased the no trams is really a problem. Its becoming an insanely long walk just to get into the parks.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Not really. It’s not like they will increase staffing to match the capacity increase.It’s a Christmas miracle!!!
Godspeed.
True, sadly.
I’m actually looking forward to reading about peoples’ Christmas week experiences in the parks. Having been there just before Thanksgiving, things were bad enough - Rise hit 4 hours several times, FoP was 2-3 hours regularly, and the mountain range at MK was usually 60+ nearly all day (when they weren’t down, of course). I can’t imagine what wait times will look like Christmas week.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t go this year. They don’t have the staff to do this safely.True, sadly.
I’m actually looking forward to reading about peoples’ Christmas week experiences in the parks. Having been there just before Thanksgiving, things were bad enough - Rise hit 4 hours several times, FoP was 2-3 hours regularly, and the mountain range at MK was usually 60+ nearly all day (when they weren’t down, of course). I can’t imagine what wait times will look like Christmas week.
I never would, because I hate it when sardines laugh at how packed the humans are in the parks (and busses). I’ve been there before Christmas, in the 80’s and then again in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, and back then it was perfect for me (and then my wife and 2 young children). Low waits, Christmas decorations, sanely-prices Christmas parties… As such, I’ll never go during Christmas. My sanity is worth far more than that.
ETA: My last trip with my dad was December 2007. I’m not ruining that memory by going anywhere close to Christmas these days.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
We went Christmas Week 2019 and had a wonderful time. But they were fully-staffed and had all of the entertainment running. This year, not so much.