News Disney Park Pass System announced for Walt Disney World theme park reservations

aaronml

Well-Known Member
I’m curious how much Park Pass benefits TDO beyond what FP+ did. Most guests made some FP+ selections in advance, and Disney could tell based on that which park they were going to spend much of their time in on a given day. In fact, they even had some special promotions in 2019 (IIRC) that allowed certain resort guests the ability to book FP+ across multiple parks per day, so TDO would know both parks a guest was planning on visiting in a given day.

The main benefit here over FP+ to TDO seems to be less about predicting how many guests will be in each park (which they already largely had with FP+), and more to do with limiting the number of guests in each park.
 

DisneyCane

Well-Known Member
At most, they might move it up to 1 pm or noon. They are trying to manage crowds so they want you in the first park for a bit.
I could possibly see them moving it up for Epcot if they think people will hop there to eat lunch who would have eaten off site (when they go back to a normal opening time for Epcot).

I assume they picked 2PM because that's when people who rope dropped start to leave or take a break.
 

SoFloMagic

Well-Known Member
The main benefit here over FP+ to TDO seems to be less about predicting how many guests will be in each park (which they already largely had with FP+), and more to do with limiting the number of guests in each park.
Limiting and leveling, I'd think. Sold out at MK, guess we're going to animal kingdom today to start. Instead of before (fake numbers) where you may have 20k or 40k people hit AK and you need to staff for 30 and you're either over staffed or it's a mob scene. Now they can just plan on 30k daily in each park
 

nickys

Premium Member
I could possibly see them moving it up for Epcot if they think people will hop there to eat lunch who would have eaten off site (when they go back to a normal opening time for Epcot).

I assume they picked 2PM because that's when people who rope dropped start to leave or take a break.
Absolutely. They will have used their data on when wait times started to drop and set the park hopping time accordingly.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Please get rid of the park pass system. My wife and I have traveled every year since 2009 and we never plan on what park we wish to go to on a daily basis until we have eaten breakfast and walk outside to see what buses are available. Why does having to decide what park you wish to go to while on vacation have to be so darn hard? I swear they are making a trip to the happiest place on earth anything but.
WDW's too popular for that, now. There's millions more visitors than a decade ago. Full is full and the only way to ensure getting in is with a reservation.

It'd be like showing up at NYC's Broadway District in the late afternoon and only then deciding where you'd like to have dinner and what musical to see. You'd have little to no choices in that case. Reservations and advance tickets guarantees a spot when there's more people attending than what can be accommodated.
 
WDW's too popular for that, now. There's millions more visitors than a decade ago. Full is full and the only way to ensure getting in is with a reservation.

It'd be like showing up at NYC's Broadway District in the late afternoon and only then deciding where you'd like to have dinner and what musical to see. You'd have little to no choices in that case. Reservations and advance tickets guarantees a spot when there's more people attending than what can be accommodated.
Maybe so for the high attendance period but not when we go like February of early September when you don't need fast pass because there are no lines or few lines at the most highly anticipated rides, when you can walk up and get a dining reservation anywhere, where you hardly ever wait for bus transportation.
 

DCBaker

Premium Member
Park Pass refresh in process for Ticket/Resort Guests -

Before and after -

Screen Shot 2021-06-21 at 12.04.14 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-06-21 at 4.18.25 PM.png
 

TrojanUSC

Well-Known Member
I’m curious how much Park Pass benefits TDO beyond what FP+ did. Most guests made some FP+ selections in advance, and Disney could tell based on that which park they were going to spend much of their time in on a given day. In fact, they even had some special promotions in 2019 (IIRC) that allowed certain resort guests the ability to book FP+ across multiple parks per day, so TDO would know both parks a guest was planning on visiting in a given day.

The main benefit here over FP+ to TDO seems to be less about predicting how many guests will be in each park (which they already largely had with FP+), and more to do with limiting the number of guests in each park.

Prioritizes high spending guests over low spending ones, allows them to manage staffing and better manage capacity. If the shows, restaurants, attractions and shops can only handle so many people per hour, there's no real difference in revenue between 80,000 people and 90,000 people (or whatever number they decide) except to clog walkways and require more staffing to manage the crowd.
 

Waters Back Side

Well-Known Member
Even with Park Pass reservation there is no guaranteed entry into a theme park. If you were staying at a deluxe resort, got a park pass reservation for MK on Dec 31st months in advance (like I have) and want to go to MK at 3pm and stay until closing i might be turned away. I know thats an extreme example and most know to be there early if you choose to be at MK on that day, but it still is an example of no guaranteed entry.
 
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MagicHappens1971

Well-Known Member
Even with Park Pass reservation there is no guaranteed entry into a theme park. If you were staying at a deluxe resort, got a park pass reservation for MK on Dec 31st months in advance (like I have) and want to go to MK at 3pm and stay until closing i might be turned away. I know thats an extreme example and most know to be there early if you choose to be at MK on that day, but it still is ak example of no guaranteed entry.
I don’t get what you’re getting at. I don’t believe you’d be turned away, that’s kind of the point of this system.
 

RonAnnArbor

Well-Known Member
Interesting that Epcot with fireworks is still not selling out. I wonder if this is mostly due to capacity or apathy
Its because you can park hop there without a reservation. Throughout most of the reservation debacle, Epcot is available except on weekends, and even then you check in the afternoon and there are reservations available. It's the last park anyone currently picks because you go to a different park first, then park hop to Epcot or go back later in the evening for dinner and you don't need a separate pass. I doubt many people make reservations right now for Epcot as a single park day. Back when the parks reopened last summer, there were days Epcot didn't even hit 5000 visitors. There were days they didn't hit 1000 visitors. It didn't start picking up until they brought back afternoon park hopping.
 

Waters Back Side

Well-Known Member
I don’t get what you’re getting at. I don’t believe you’d be turned away, that’s kind of the point of this system.
It even says it on the Disney site. A Park Pass reservation STILL does not guarantee admission. I've been told by several if I want to go to MK after noon on New Years as a family of five with a reservation, there is a chance of being filled to capacity I'd be told we cannot enter. If that's untrue that that's good news. I might switch MK to the 30th anyway and go to Epcot or elsewhere on the 31st just because of how full the park will be.

I will add this year could be different and improve our chances if they do not have Fantasy in the Sky and just have Disney Enchanted which seems probably since they announced no special holidays shows this year.
 
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ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Even with Park Pass reservation there is no guaranteed entry into a theme park. If you were staying at a deluxe resort, got a park pass reservation for MK on Dec 31st months in advance (like I have) and want to go to MK at 3pm and stay until closing i might be turned away. I know thats an extreme example and most know to be there early if you choose to be at MK on that day, but it still is an example of no guaranteed entry.
Not true at all.
 

jinx8402

Well-Known Member
It even says it on the Disney site. A Park Pass reservation STILL does not guarantee admission. I've been told by several if I want to go to MK after noon on New Years as a family of five with a reservation, there is a chance of being filled to capacity I'd be told we cannot enter. If that's untrue that that's good news. I might switch MK to the 30th anyway and go to Epcot or elsewhere on the 31st just because of how full the park will be.

I will add this year could be different and improve our chances if they do not have Fantasy in the Sky and just have Disney Enchanted which seems probably since they announced no special holidays shows this year.

Where on the site does it say this? I think you have it backwards. Since re-opening disney has said tickets alone do not guarantee admission even if a hotel guest, and that park passes are required. Once you have a park pass reservation you will get in.

The only other thing I think you may be confused on is that ADR also does not guarantee park entrance without park pass reservation.
 

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