Is The Reservation System Really Staying Forever?

[TsWade2]

Hi,
Um, first of all, I'm finally going to Disneyland. YAY! Second of all, I was beginning to accept that the reservation system is here to stay forever, since I've heard the president of Disneyland Ken Potrock says that the Reservation System is here to stay. But, some people say it's temporarily. So I don't know what to believe. So I need to ask, is the reservation system really staying forever or is it a long temporary thing?

 

[gottalovepluto]

Josh D’Amaro also said it’s here to stay. With the exec’s practically gloating about it I expect it will stay.

 

[ironband74]

There is no way to know. Forever is a very long time...

For the foreseeable future, though, Disney apparently likes the ability to control park attendance via this mechanism. It prevents the holiday case where they have to "close" a park to new entrants, and helps them to smooth out demand, as well as determine staffing levels to a degree

There may come a time when they change their view, but I would expect reservations to be in play at least for the next couple of years. If attendance drops off after this post-covid honeymoon period, things might change...but right now they are bragging about how they are making more money than ever with lower attendance, so they are unlikely to make any big changes at this point in that regard.

 

[TsWade2]

There is no way to know. Forever is a very long time...

For the foreseeable future, though, Disney apparently likes the ability to control park attendance via this mechanism. It prevents the holiday case where they have to "close" a park to new entrants, and helps them to smooth out demand, as well as determine staffing levels to a degree

There may come a time when they change their view, but I would expect reservations to be in play at least for the next couple of years. If attendance drops off after this post-covid honeymoon period, things might change...but right now they are bragging about how they are making more money than ever with lower attendance, so they are unlikely to make any big changes at this point in that regard.

Okay. Thanks.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

Yes.

 

[TsWade2]

First someone said yes and someone said it’s temporarily, so please people, make up your mind! Sorry to be rude, but all I get is mixed answers.

 

[Lisa24jks]

First someone said yes and someone said it’s temporarily, so please people, make up your mind! Sorry to be rude, but all I get is mixed answers.

You're asking a forum of people who do not control these decisions, and can only speculate as Disney hasn't said what's going to happen one way or another. If you want a definitive answer, you are not likely to find one here.

 

[TsWade2]

You're asking a forum of people who do not control these decisions, and can only speculate as Disney hasn't said what's going to happen one way or another. If you want a definitive answer, you are not likely to find one here.

I hate to say this, but you maybe right. I guess I’ll have to deal with reservations until further notice.

 

[dieumeye]

First someone said yes and someone said it’s temporarily, so please people, make up your mind! Sorry to be rude, but all I get is mixed answers.

The President of Disneyland and head of Disney Parks both said reservations are staying. What's there to be confused about?

 

[TsWade2]

The President of Disneyland and head of Disney Parks both said reservations are staying. What's there to be confused about?

I guess it is forever. But, I'll live with it, eventually.

 

[Steven G]

I'd say it will stay as long as they are not losing money from it.

The only hope I have of it going away is that no other theme park still uses it (that I know of).

 

[DisneylandFan22]

Anything can change. I wouldn’t expect reservations to go away in our lifetime.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Disneyland opened in 1955 and ticket books went away in the 1980s. Fastpass was introduced in the 1990s and went away in 2020. From that timeline, if the current execs are really happy with reservations, we could expect them to stay around till around 2050 which is "temporary" to some and "permanent" to others.

 

[Karin1984]

Forever, in our lifetime... Depends on your age

People and especially businesses want the world to be predictable. If you know how many people will visit exactly during a day, you can do a much better job at crowd control and staffing. (Yes, I know: provided you have enough staffing)

The advantages of having park reservations for Disney outweigh the advantages for guests not having reservations.

I don't think reservations will go away. What I can see happening is that rules/options will be relaxed after a few years when Disney has more data on how this works out.

 

[TsWade2]

Forever, in our lifetime... Depends on your age

People and especially businesses want the world to be predictable. If you know how many people will visit exactly during a day, you can do a much better job at crowd control and staffing. (Yes, I know: provided you have enough staffing)

The advantages of having park reservations for Disney outweigh the advantages for guests not having reservations.

I do think reservations will not go away. What I can see happening is that rules/options will be relaxed after a few years when Disney has more data on how this works out.

Well, I’m not used to with the reservations yet, but what you said is a very good point.

 

[GatorChris]

Don't hate me for this. Hear me out. I like the reservation system. OK, not completely. I'm thinking about getting APs this fall and the reservation system could cause a bit of a headache.

BUT....ever since the reservation system came out, DL park hours on weekdays have been a lot longer. When we went in October, hours were 8am to 9pm or 10pm. Before the system, "off-season" hours were typically 9am (sometimes 10am) through 7pm or 8pm. We're getting 2 or 3 more hours at DL each weekday. The reason they can do that is because Disney knows how many guests are coming and can properly staff the parks. They never "over" staff now, which means they can keep the parks open longer, increasing those satisfaction scores. And believe me, I'm a lot more satisfied with longer hours.

Is it one more step in planning? Yes. Does it make life better at the parks? It appears so. Now, if you want to talk Genie+, I'll pour in all the hate you can handle.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Once staffing levels get back to normal, it won't actually matter. Disney might still say "park reservations are mandatory," but the number of days when the parks will actually "sell out" are going to be extremely few and predictable. Yeah, if you're going on Christmas or 4th of July, you'll want a reservation. But if you're going on a normal random Tuesday, you can just ignore Disney's "you must make a rez in advance" and make the rez on your phone while you're walking to the parks that morning.

 

[starlite_]

I like reservations tbh, I'll rather have my entry guarantied than arriving at the parks and have the unhappy surprise that they are full.

 

[pokee99]

Once staffing levels get back to normal, it won't actually matter. Disney might still say "park reservations are mandatory," but the number of days when the parks will actually "sell out" are going to be extremely few and predictable. Yeah, if you're going on Christmas or 4th of July, you'll want a reservation. But if you're going on a normal random Tuesday, you can just ignore Disney's "you must make a rez in advance" and make the rez on your phone while you're walking to the parks that morning.

Hmmmm... I'm not convinced this will be the case. For several years pre Covid, crowds were getting crazier and crazier as every year went by. My guess is there will be more sell-outs than we think - and I think that's exactly what they're predicting, as well. That's why the reservation system is really essential.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Hmmmm... I'm not convinced this will be the case. For several years pre Covid, crowds were getting crazier and crazier as every year went by. My guess is there will be more sell-outs than we think - and I think that's exactly what they're predicting, as well. That's why the reservation system is really essential.

Don't forget that Disney has drastically retooled the AP system.