Reservations are "Here to Stay"...

[ParkHopper1]

For those that were wondering if DL will ever return to "normal"...I was in an industry meeting and heard first hand from a senior DL exec that the reservation system "is here to stay..." even as they emerge from post pandemic and things get back to normal as staffing levels resume and restrictions ease.

Get used to the new "normal".

 

[DizMe]

Not necessarily opposed to the reservation system, but I am not happy with the current structure. I appreciate reducing crowds, but I feel they might need to offer a pass that actually works for people who come often but aren't local and must plan ahead. I don't know how that would be done, but it's currently very difficult for me to plan two trips a month apart, especially when they fall in holiday periods. I want to go to fall Dapper Day and my annual sister trip in Dec but I don't have enough reservation ability for 7 park days. I also hate the dining reservation system. It used to be simple and you didn't have to set up alerts or obsessively check. I don't even know what happened to make it so much more difficult.

 

[evilmommie]

I haven’t had any issues with the current reservation system but fully expect it evolve based on customer feedback, just like anything of this nature would…it will be interesting to see! In the meantime, I’m so happy to get my Disneyland fix and they are open!!!

 

[AndrewC]

I think a lot of people saw the writing on the wall when the FlexPass came out with reservations. I'm not at all surprised it's here to stay and didn't even think it was an "option" that it might go away. It's just the next step in line with dynamic pricing for tickets.

I do think there needs to be some adjustments or "add ons" with the keys. I know people hate to be nickel and dimed, but if they offered more than six reservations by saying any reservation after the 6 was $10 each or something, they could pick up some extra cash, deter people from just reserving like 50 days and then cancelling the ones they don't want, AND give out of town people some ability to plan in advance.

At least I'm very glad that you can use the resort bucket. If I really want to plan in advance and know I'll have maxed out my reservations, I'll stay on site to ensure I get in without having to buy single day tickets. In fact, the upcoming trip I have in a couple weeks is eight days with the first six already reserved with my key... I was almost ready to not gamble and buy single day tickets for those last two days before users here confirmed you CAN use the resort bucket. Staying on site anyway, so it works out for me.

I figure Disney will refine reservations as staffing levels are more predictable and faster to adjust and demand becomes easier to forecast.

 

[Wakey]

Pandemic is not the reason for ongoing park reservation- Bob C admitted as much when he said a few weeks ago the reservation system was a backbone which increased yield.

 

[AndrewC]

Pandemic is a smoke screen. Bob C admitted as much when he said a few weeks ago the reservation system was a backbone which increased yield.

I'm fairly certain it was pretty much a "known" way back when the FlexPass came out. It hadn't been updated across all tickets yet but it made total sense. Disney had dynamic pricing for single day tickets in 2019 and had reservations required for the FlexPass that year as well. The next logical move would be to merge the two. Require park reservations for all ticket types and integrate dynamic single day prices. Honestly, I think we might see dynamic multi-day prices since it's reservation based... maybe next summer?

 

[MATTERHORN]

I mean, they've always been around pretty much for DL Paris. It definitely helps with staffing, etc.

 

[Steven G]

If the system was purely to control how many people can enter the parks, I’d be fully behind it. However, they are playing games by having these different buckets For types of tickets. I’m not a key holder and don’t plan to be one, since I typically only go to disneyland once or twice a year. It’s sort of like comcast saying that you have unlimited use of your internet account, but then saying you have a data cap.

sure it probably makes it easier for me to get a reservation since I am in a different bucket, but it just seems openly hostile to key holders.

 

[cseca]

I think a lot of people saw the writing on the wall when the FlexPass came out with reservations. I'm not at all surprised it's here to stay and didn't even think it was an "option" that it might go away. It's just the next step in line with dynamic pricing for tickets.

I do think there needs to be some adjustments or "add ons" with the keys. I know people hate to be nickel and dimed, but if they offered more than six reservations by saying any reservation after the 6 was $10 each or something, they could pick up some extra cash, deter people from just reserving like 50 days and then cancelling the ones they don't want, AND give out of town people some ability to plan in advance.

At least I'm very glad that you can use the resort bucket. If I really want to plan in advance and know I'll have maxed out my reservations, I'll stay on site to ensure I get in without having to buy single day tickets. In fact, the upcoming trip I have in a couple weeks is eight days with the first six already reserved with my key... I was almost ready to not gamble and buy single day tickets for those last two days before users here confirmed you CAN use the resort bucket. Staying on site anyway, so it works out for me.

I figure Disney will refine reservations as staffing levels are more predictable and faster to adjust and demand becomes easier to forecast.

Unless I’m mistaken there’s no such thing as resort bucket for DL. I even asked them and they said just whatever number Magic Key gives you is what you get.
Wdw does have it on their AP benefit tho.

Am I mistaken?

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Unless I’m mistaken there’s no such thing as resort bucket for DL. I even asked them and they said just whatever number Magic Key gives you is what you get.
Wdw does have it on their AP benefit tho.

Am I mistaken?

There definitely is:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/av...egments=ticket,ph,ap,resort&defaultSegment=ap

 

[AndrewC]

Unless I’m mistaken there’s no such thing as resort bucket for DL. I even asked them and they said just whatever number Magic Key gives you is what you get.
Wdw does have it on their AP benefit tho.

Am I mistaken?

Yep, I tested it with my magic key and it worked and showed all of October starting at either park open when most of October was booked for key holders. This really put my mind at ease since I’m doing 8 days but can only book 6 max BUT I’m staying on property anyway…

 

[AliciaS]

...I was in an industry meeting and heard first hand from a senior DL exec that ...

Any chance they discussed when the indoor mask requirement might go *poof*? With only 2.5% positive tests in CA and cases down, I would hope it is soon.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Any chance they discussed when the indoor mask requirement might go *poof*? With only 2.5% positive tests in CA and cases down, I would hope it is soon.

That will likely not be lifted until the County lift all the mask mandates is my tale based on what they said. What they talked about was having a steady and predictable set of rules that they could operate under and guests understand. What they do not want to to is keep changing the rules so I suspect that is gonna be the policy for a while.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

There definitely is:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/av...egments=ticket,ph,ap,resort&defaultSegment=ap

Thanks for this link! I saved it on my iphone next to my DL app. It will be helpful when planning my visits.

 

[Wesley815]

....but it just seems openly hostile to key holders.

This is also my biggest feeling/takeaway after buying a Dream Key.

I know, I know- no days were promised to us (since it's reservation based).... but I feel like Key Holder's should still be at least given a thank you for dropping $1,400 rather than treated like an annoyance by Disney Exec's and most CM's.

Lesson learned. Oh well Not all of us are self-entitled rude AP's, we just enjoy living local and going to Disney. Loud mouth's have given others a bad name to the point when a CM hears the word AP'er or Magic Key Holder the eye rolls start.

 

[AndrewC]

This is also my biggest feeling/takeaway after buying a Dream Key.

I know, I know- no days were promised to us (since it's reservation based).... but I feel like Key Holder's should still be at least given a thank you for dropping $1,400 rather than treated like an annoyance by Disney Exec's and most CM's.

Lesson learned. Oh well Not all of us are self-entitled rude AP's, we just enjoy living local and going to Disney. Loud mouth's have given others a bad name to the point when a CM hears the word AP'er or Magic Key Holder the eye rolls start.

If you book early as soon as the day window opens, you’ll likely be able to book just about anything. If you’re local and don’t have to make air travel plans, you probably can keep it going on a rolling basis.

You probably could book at least one day every weekend (a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) except maybe four or five holiday weeks out of the year. That would mean like 45+ visits a year. The average entry price from that $1400 key would be $31.

Let’s say you’re a little less aggressive and you book a Fri-Sat at 90 days, then 30 days later book another Far-Sat as soon as those days open. Then the next month book nothing (because your reservations are all used up). So every quarter you’re visiting six days, well that’s still 24 times a year, or $58/visit. A 3 day park hopper is $121. I think that plan would be doable and would mean a fun 3 day weekend once a month for 8 months out of the year.

That’s still a HUGE saving with the key, but it’s not that absolute freedom of “I’m dropping by for three hours every single F, Sat, Sun” of the year type of deal as previously possible.

Personally that seems like a good balance. Locals will absolutely be able to go see every season at Disney, likely will be able to get in most three day weekends out of the year. At the same time, it’s not the standard after school spot for teens every day of the school year, or the babysitter all summer if the parents drop off the kids (“supervised”) by a teen every summer day from 8-5 or something…

Also, has anyone looked into buying more than one pass for the same person? Like if you have different Disneyland accounts…. ?

 

[AliciaS]

That will likely not be lifted until the County lift all the mask mandates is my tale based on what they said. What they talked about was having a steady and predictable set of rules that they could operate under and guests understand. What they do not want to to is keep changing the rules so I suspect that is gonna be the policy for a while.

Thank you so much for the reply. That makes sense but .

We have had to cancel so many trips (Hawaii twice, Disneyland/San Diego once and now probably twice) these past 18 months. The kids are at the stages they are for a such amount of time. Sigh....Our trip planned for mid-November is really needed. We desperately don't want to wait another year, but we can't wear the masks. Just. Can't.

I can try to plan another trip on such short notice, but what can be as magical as six nights at the Grand Californian and Disneyland at Christmas?!

 

[gelatoni fan]

Also, has anyone looked into buying more than one pass for the same person? Like if you have different Disneyland accounts…. ?

If I recall correctly, the terms and conditions of APs did not allow this but that language has been removed from the Magic Key terms and conditions. I suspect that Disney is trying to push Keyholders to occasionally buy day tickets by limiting reservations so much. You may not even need to get a separate Disney account for this.

On a related note, buying multiple annual passes is a thing for the other parks albeit for different reasons. The Tokyo one park annual pass had different block out days and entry restrictions when capacity was reached than the two park pass so some people would buy one for each park rather than a two park pass. Hong Kong has once per pass free gifts and events so I have seen people get a Platinum pass and a Gold pass to attend events multiple times or get multiples of the freebies.

 

[trishy]

NVM. Got it. Ignore

 

[cseca]

There definitely is:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/av...egments=ticket,ph,ap,resort&defaultSegment=ap

Thank you!
I freaking hate that they are giving out wrong information.