I'm...Kind of Digging the Park Reservation System

[Tess]

I don't mind it. However, it's not great if you have an AP and are staying onsite. Our APs will expire before our November 2021 trip. We already have the DVC booked. In order to make park reservations, I had to buy tickets that, hopefully, I can use toward AP renewals. Also, the system has been a pain for local and offsite AP holders.

We also had to purchase tickets to make October park reservations because our APs expire during the trip. We were assured that it would not be a problem to apply the cost to our renewal. Then again, we may be opting for other pastures after October. . .haven't yet decided.

 

[Sakiki]

I confess I seriously dislike the whole concept of ‘book your park days’ that far out. Our park days are normally determined by two things: how we feel when we get up each morning - if we‘ve had a late night, perhaps, or are feeling a bit fragile (unfamiliar food syndrome, perhaps ) we might decide not to go out until later in the day or even just hang around our villa and use the pool (we normally stay offsite for cost reasons), and what the weather is doing (who wants to go to a park when there’s thunder and lightning and lashing rain outside?). We’ve only stayed onsite twice (and only once for more than 2 nights) and done the whole ADR and Fastpass bookings at the outer limits, and it spoiled the spontaneity for us. I have enough schedules at work, I at least try to be more relaxed on vacation...

And as visitors from the UK we’ve always had the benefit of longer tickets. WDW has offered ‘14 days for the price of 7’ unlimited entry tickets (which in the past has also always included Memory Maker and unlimited park hopping) for travellers from the UK and Ireland for many years, and with the normal UK vacation being somewhere between 10 and 14 nights (losing a day at each end travelling, plus the jet lag, not to mention the cost of transatlantic flights, makes less than 10 days not worth it for most on our side of the Pond) it’s never been necessary to decide in advance which days you want to visit which park because you could simply go to any park on any day of your trip, as you decide on the day. (That’s a UK-specific issue, of course, but hey, that’s where I’m from... )

 

[monkyby87]

As a local AP, I hate it. To go to HS, I almost have to plan to go a month in advance as that fills up so quick. Also I think only being able to book 3 days is way too low. I understand not allowing unlimited, but I feel 5 days is a better number.

Agreed. With an AP, the benefit and joy was your ability to go essentially whenever and wherever you wanted, aside from the usual blackout dates. Now, there's an extra burden of trying to find a park that's open on a day that also works for you. It negates the one big benefit of an annual pass.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I loved not having FP+! Our last two trips felt more like a vacation instead of watching the clock.

The SB lines moved quickly not the slow shuffle of the past. The only line that moved slowly and was consistently over an hour that I recall was Frozen.

 

[slpybeartx]

We went last August. Loved the reservation system and no FPs. We rode everything we wanted, max wait time we ever saw was 40mins, and were not as stressed out as usual.

 

[Delirium]

Everyone does realize that your experiences with the crowd restrictions due to the virus will not translate to when capacity rebounds to what is was prior to the pandemic. Your not going to be able to 'walk-on' to attractions to without some sort of FP system.

Park reservations are way too restrictive for us, and I would probably not go to Disney in that environment. Yes, I always plan everything in advance, but if conditions (weather, ride down-time, etc.) impact our experience early in the trip, we can, and often do, adjust,

Yes, we do longer trips and buy park hoppers to allow for that flexibility, but we don't go every year either. If Disney wants me to purchase a 10 day trip, they can't ask me to lock into plans I can't easily change.

 

[MomOTwins]

There is no penalty for cancelling a park pass, so I don't think it locks you in at all. Yes, park passes do sell out especially for HS and on weekends, but it is rare that all four parks are sold out at one time, and when it is on one day, it certainly not the case every day of the trip.

 

[wdw&sonny]

With FPs and ADRs, I was always locked into a park anyway. I always had my parks pre-planned. I don't feel making an official reservation for the park is any different.

 

[GraceAnn]

I don't mind the park reservation, but to me, if the weather isn't good for a park day (or some other reason), you may not be able to change it to another day, if the parks are full. That is my only concern.
I also feel the same about Fastpass and dinner reservations, once you've made them, unless you are willing to loose them, you are stuck. I like being able to decide what I want to do, day to day, but those days are long gone.

 

[JakeAZ]

We're going later this year in November, but even though the park reservation system allows us to make choices right now, it really all depends on if the Christmas Party comes back. Hard to plan out your park days if MK isn't open without a hard ticket on some evenings. Yes, I know you'll be able to hop now, but still. Staying at BLT makes it easier to end most nights at MK. They are close and usually open the latest.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

I don't yet know if I like the park reservation system - we're months away from going but I've made guesses of which parks and have my parks passes.
What I'm worried about is taking a break from my reserved park and wanting to get back into that park. With a form of park hopping now allowed, how likely is it that if I leave my reserved park for an afternoon break it will be at capacity later that afternoon and I can't get back in? Or does a park pass allow me unlimited entries to my reserved park all day - even after 2pm? (I haven't been able to find an answer on Disney's park pass or park hopping information.)

 

[Delirium]

With FPs and ADRs, I was always locked into a park anyway. I always had my parks pre-planned. I don't feel making an official reservation for the park is any different.

80% of the time, our FPs and ADRs (if we have ADRs) have been in different parks on the same day. If our FPs are in the morning, we do heavy touring until early afternoon, and park hop somewhere else for dinner and a slower pace. Vice-versa if our FPs are in the evening.

 

[Sha259]

I don't really mind the reservation system, but I also liked the FP+ system just fine and am a type A planner. What I dont appreciate is having an AP and only being able to reserve 3 days at a time. I tend to take extended trips and am very unhappy to only be able to reserve 3 days for a 9 day trip. so if parks fill to capacity while im there im out of luck.

 

[Bullseye]

I just want to get back to FP+ and hopping. I was fine with three VIP rides and any other FP I could secure or lines I had to wait in. Disney needs to get back to usual capacity as soon as it's doable so park reservation is going to go away eventually.