Does no park reservation availability = at capacity?

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Can someone explain this to me? If a given park has no park reservations available, does that mean the park is at capacity? Or does it mean that Disney has decided to cut off availability for some other reason? I'm just curious what that might mean for crowd levels. We had booked Magic Kingdom park reservations for a day that was expected to have low crowds due to MK closing early for a cast member event that night. I just looked and MK has no availability anymore. Does that mean they are actually maxed out and the crowds are going to be high?

 

[gharter]

It may mean there are no further park passes available for that type of pass.
while they have moved availability around, there are passes reserved for normal ticket holders/resort guests and annual pass holders. I have seen both groups unavailable on a really busy days. Often one group or another is available.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

It means it's currently maxed at the level Disney has assigned that particular day for a particular reservation type (resort guest, AP, etc). They don't seem to actually say what that is. But allowing for folks who have a park reservation for MK that day, along with potential park hoppers to MK later in the day, that's the number they're allowing. We have seen at times, though, that those days could reopen slightly for some additional folks later.

 

[rosie5189]

It means it's currently maxed at the level Disney has assigned that particular day for a particular reservation type (resort guest, AP, etc). They don't seem to actually say what that is. But allowing for folks who have a park reservation for MK that day, along with potential park hoppers to MK later in the day, that's the number they're allowing. We have seen at times, though, that those days could reopen slightly for some additional folks later.

Ok, so example: We plan on park hopping on May 9th. Our AM/early PM is tied up in HS, but have a 4:00 reservation at LA Cava for the tequila experience that same day. Epcot currently says it is no longer taking reservations, but has anyone with a park hopper actually been turned away? I'm getting a little nervous (we haven't been since 2019 and the park reservation system has me in a tizzy).

 

[gharter]

Ok, so example: We plan on park hopping on May 9th. Our AM/early PM is tied up in HS, but have a 4:00 reservation at LA Cava for the tequila experience that same day. Epcot currently says it is no longer taking reservations, but has anyone with a park hopper actually been turned away? I'm getting a little nervous (we haven't been since 2019 and the park reservation system has me in a tizzy).

I haven't heard of anyone being turned away.
However, their "official word" on park hopping is its allowed after 2 pm IF there is park availability. The only way you will know that day is to look in the app and after 2 it will tell you what parks you can hop to.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Ok, so example: We plan on park hopping on May 9th. Our AM/early PM is tied up in HS, but have a 4:00 reservation at LA Cava for the tequila experience that same day. Epcot currently says it is no longer taking reservations, but has anyone with a park hopper actually been turned away? I'm getting a little nervous (we haven't been since 2019 and the park reservation system has me in a tizzy).

Yeah I'm worried about this too. Seems crazy that they could potentially charge you for a no show when you couldn't get in the park with a park hopper you paid for.

 

[soniam]

The only day that anyone was turned away from hopping was only for a few hours at MK on October 1, the official 50th anniversary. Also, I have not heard of Epcot reaching capacity in 10 years. Park reservations do not equal park capacity. The park reservations are set at an artificial lower limit than the actual safety/fire code capacity.

 

[TinkBink]

We are going the first week of May so I have been looking at the park reservations every day. The entire week looked like it was booking up in several parks on every day. This morning I check and a whole lot of parks opened up across the entire week. Does anyone know if that means they increased capacity? Or did just that many people cancel their park reservations? I guess maybe they could have also taken from another type of reservation and added to the Theme Park Tickets/Resort Guests category? We will just expect it to be packed either way!

 

[soniam]

We are going the first week of May so I have been looking at the park reservations every day. The entire week looked like it was booking up in several parks on every day. This morning I check and a whole lot of parks opened up across the entire week. Does anyone know if that means they increased capacity? Or did just that many people cancel their park reservations? I guess maybe they could have also taken from another type of reservation and added to the Theme Park Tickets/Resort Guests category? We will just expect it to be packed either way!

It could mean all 3. We have no way of knowing. This is not the first time this has happened. I believe this happened at Thanksgiving and Spring Break.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

We are going the first week of May so I have been looking at the park reservations every day. The entire week looked like it was booking up in several parks on every day. This morning I check and a whole lot of parks opened up across the entire week. Does anyone know if that means they increased capacity? Or did just that many people cancel their park reservations? I guess maybe they could have also taken from another type of reservation and added to the Theme Park Tickets/Resort Guests category? We will just expect it to be packed either way!

I am trying not to read to much into it, although I do like going in informed. The whole park reservation thing just stresses me out and I really hate how much it limits flexibility. We are going the beginning of May as well, just hoping everything goes smoothly.

 

[Leight19]

Since there’s a prevailing theory Disney uses the park resevations to balance crowds and to staff parks I’ve also wondered if they start with higher capacity and restrict as you get closer once they set staffing. As example maybe they start 90% of capacity then 1 month out they set schedule based on current reservations and set final capacity based on staffing (if was 50% maybe they set new low level at 60%)?

Main reason I think this is antectdotal evidence from posts that seem to indicate all sold out days do not appear to treated equal in terms of crowds.

 

[Matt'sMom]

It is very rare that one of the parks closes to hopping -- unless you are visiting on a very popular date (such as New Year's Eve, or similar) I wouldn't stress too much about it. So long as you have a reservation for a park, and tap in at that park first, you should be able to hop to any of the WDW parks after 2 PM.

The park reservation system is more of a way for Disney to evenly distribute guests across all four parks on any given day, as well as knowing how many CMs they'll likely need in each park. When reservations fill in one park, guest making reservations will spill over into the other remaining parks. This way Disney can anticipate somewhat similar crowd levels in each of the parks, rather than ending up with a massive morning traffic jam at the single most popular park on any given date. By 2 PM, some guests are already exiting the parks which then creates space for hoppers to enter.

I do believe that adjustments are very likely made to the pools of potential reservations over time, as guests change or cancel plans and closer to the actual date. We've sometimes seen specific park availability pop up for APs on the day of (or a day or two prior)... so it seems that the reservation system really is not necessarily a case of any given park reaching capacity so much as it is a crowd management tool.

 

[lockets]

You should be able to get into any park with a park hopper after 2 pm. Chances of it being at capacity are slim to none. No reason to stress there!

Capacity is based on a number of factors but I believe staffing is a big one. If more people can work then more guests can be accommodated.

Either way, yes if the parks are no longer offering reservations on any given day it will likely be quite crowded.

But the thing is - even on days where the parks had reservations available - it’s still been crowded!

It seems there’s no way to avoid crowds completely these days. There are still a lot of people making up for previously canx trips.

Don’t stress! Have a blast!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

By "capacity" do you mean full capacity for fire codes? Probably not. What's the numbers on fire code capacity for each park? Disney won't say.

Seeing as in the "before times," fire code capacity was usually reached very rarely, just at MK at major holidays for the most part, it's probably safe to say that park reservation capacity is below official fire code capacity. How much below? Disney won't say. But if the park is sold out, there will be crowds.

Regarding hopping, it's only been stopped once, for a few hours at MK on October 1. Not even NYE was blocked for hopping, so I'd think you are probably fine to hop, especially to Epcot.

 

[tentaguasu]

I've also been planning to hit MK on a day when it closes at 4:30 under the theory that it will be much less busy. But... I'm not sure that will actually be reflected in wait times. I think (just a guess here) that Disney is doing with the reservation stuff is to match park attendance with staffing.

So let's say they expect half the normal public to show up on the early-close day. So they staff it with half the people they normally would and then limit entry to half of what it would normally be. The result is that the park is "full" in terms of what it can handle based on that day's staffing.

If I'm right, then there would be fewer people in the park, but since staffing would match it, things like ride and food capacity might be similar to a fuller day (e.g. they can send out fewer Kilimanjaro trucks so the wait times don't go down). It'd still be less congested, and I assume some rides are either "on" or "off" and staffing isn't that big of a difference.

Anyway, just a few guesses.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

pretty sure it's all about staffing. I'm going on a 4:30 day at MK too, hoping for less congestion.

I remember when they moved the cast events causing the MK 4:30 closings from February because the weather was bad. The park still closed at 4:30 after the event was cancelled, because they probably didn't have it staffed to remain open.

 

[DavidNYC]

Your question cannot be answered accurately unless you define what you mean by "capacity". Legal capacity - clearly not. At the capacity Disney has chosen it wanted to set - sure. Other than "legal capacity" which they are clearly not at - there is no set number which is "capacity" other than what Disney decides it is on any given day.

 

[Fangorn]

I've also been planning to hit MK on a day when it closes at 4:30 under the theory that it will be much less busy. But... I'm not sure that will actually be reflected in wait times. I think (just a guess here) that Disney is doing with the reservation stuff is to match park attendance with staffing.

So let's say they expect half the normal public to show up on the early-close day. So they staff it with half the people they normally would and then limit entry to half of what it would normally be. The result is that the park is "full" in terms of what it can handle based on that day's staffing.

If I'm right, then there would be fewer people in the park, but since staffing would match it, things like ride and food capacity might be similar to a fuller day (e.g. they can send out fewer Kilimanjaro trucks so the wait times don't go down). It'd still be less congested, and I assume some rides are either "on" or "off" and staffing isn't that big of a difference.

Anyway, just a few guesses.

I think you're on the right track with your assessment here. The fact that Chapek keeps saying that the Park Reservation system is here to stay, means it's a useful tool for Disney. They can use it as a way of artificially matching staffing and guest volume. If one park fills up, the system pushed guests to a less full park. Disney can then add more staff and guests to the first park of they feel the numbers warrant. What started out as safety theater (look at us, we're limiting capacity in our parks), has turned into an operational tool to help manage staffing costs.

Steve

 

[Gentry2004]

Your question cannot be answered accurately unless you define what you mean by "capacity". Legal capacity - clearly not. At the capacity Disney has chosen it wanted to set - sure. Other than "legal capacity" which they are clearly not at - there is no set number which is "capacity" other than what Disney decides it is on any given day.

I understood the poster to mean "capacity" as in the pre-Covid definition of when Disney started denying entry to certain categories of guests.

 

[DavidNYC]

I understood the poster to mean "capacity" as in the pre-Covid definition of when Disney started denying entry to certain categories of guests.

But even then - there were multiple versions of capacity. Disney has almost never reached true legal "capacity".