Park reservation winging it and days off..

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm normally a solo traveler to the resorts and since the last time I was there was 2020 just before the closure and seeing the rules changed drastically for admission to the parks, it has gotten me a bit confused and I need a little help here...

I keep reading you need to make a reservation each day..But, what if your a solo traveler and wake up each day to make your decision before leaving your hotel to go to the park..Can you do this?

So, say you have a 4 day pass on a 5 night stay I want to go to the parks on my first 2 days take the 3rd day off away from the parks to Disney Springs and such then finish off
 

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Sure you can go to a park day of. But you have to make a park reservation, if a park is available, before you enter. For example, as an AP holder, all parks are available to me today. But I have to pick one before I can enter it and can only hop to another at 2pm after entering the reserved park first.

Just keep in mind that by "winging it", your chances are reduced that all parks are available depending on the day. Just another aspect of WDW touring that takes the spontaneity out of a Disney vacation. If you're an AP holder or staying in a resort with entrance media, you might be better served by making park reservations for the time you're there just in case. Then changing your park reservation if you see another park that you're in the mood to visit on that day.
 
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Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sure you can go to a park day of. But you have to make a park reservation, if a park is available, before you enter. For example, as an AP holder, all parks are available to me today. But I have to pick one before I can enter it and can only hop to another at 2pm after entering the reserved park first.

Just keep in mind that by "winging it", your chances are reduced that all parks are available depending on the day. Just another aspect of WDW touring that takes the spontaneity out of a Disney vacation. If you're an AP holder or staying in a resort with entrance media, you might be better served by making park reservations for the time you're there just in case. Then changing your park reservation if you see another park that you're in the mood to visit on that day.
My priority park is Epcot on my first and last day. During the middle I have no plan and just go with what is available..Normally, I'm going in January & February so the availability should be not as bad...
 

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
I keep reading you need to make a reservation each day..But, what if your a solo traveler and wake up each day to make your decision before leaving your hotel to go to the park..Can you do this?

So, say you have a 4 day pass on a 5 night stay I want to go to the parks on my first 2 days take the 3rd day off away from the parks to Disney Springs and such then finish off
Technically yes, you can still do this. A much better plan though would be to tentatively reserve a park for each day, or at least some days.*

In practice though, if you wing it, Epcot might be your only option. WDW now tends to lock in park attendance about 2 weeks out, or at least that is the simplest way I would describe what WDW now does. I sorta think it is not just about limiting crowds so much as it is for Disney to set employee schedules a week out.

Watch the park availability for a few weeks, and you should see what I mean. Right now this upcoming week is 'yellow' but next week is still green. Thanksgiving week is yellow, and all of December is green except Christmas, 12/28, 12/29 and 12/31.

If you wait until same day, odds are high you will not be able to visit MK. It almost doesn't matter if you visit Christmas week of the middle of January. Touring plans listed most of last week as 5/10, but the same day reservation options were still often yellow. Next to fill is usually HS. HS is currently unavailable for 11/11, 11/21, 11/22, 12/28, and 12/29.

Reserving a pass is easy. AK and Epcot as usually the last to be unavailable. So another decent strategy- if you want to keep flexibility- would be to reserve 2MK and 2HS days for now so you keep those as options.

* As long as the park you want is available, it is not hard to change park reservations. If you wake up on 11/7 and decide AK would be more fun than MK, and AK is available, it only takes a moment to cancel and rebook.
 

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