Walt Disney World fans rejoiced earlier this year when it was announced that Walt Disney World wouldn’t be requiring reservations anymore in 2024. However, this announcement came with a few caveats that may have been overlooked initially following all the excitement.
Fortunately, we’ve put together this handy guide to reservations for Walt Disney World in 2024 so no matter when you go, or what kind of ticket you have, you’re prepared!
Date-based tickets will no longer need reservations
Beginning January 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets at any Walt Disney World park. No matter whether you purchase single-day tickets, multi-day admission, or get your theme park tickets as part of a hotel package, guests with any ticket type tied to a specific day or time frame will no longer need to worry about reservations.
Simply show up at your park of choice on the day your ticket(s) are valid, and you’re good to go. Pretty easy, right? And the good news doesn’t stop there!
Park hopping will no longer have time restrictions
Also on January 9, 2024, all restrictions on park hopping will be lifted. That means that guests who have a ticket with Park Hopper benefits or an annual pass will be able to visit another theme park at any time of day during park hours, and will no longer need to wait until the afternoon to go to a different park. Which is handy news for annual passholders specifically because…
Annual passholders and Cast Members will still need to make reservations
Unfortunately, though all guests with date-based tickets will be able to visit any park they want to without reservations, guests who use annual passes or Cast Members who are getting themselves or friends/family in with their Main Gate pass or comp tickets will still need to make reservations to be granted entry.
However, despite this potentially unfortunate development, there is a workaround these guests can use if reservations for a park they want to visit is unavailable. Since guests can now park hop at any time, guests with these ticket types who want to go to a park with no reservations can simply start their day at another park with reservation availability and then hop to the one they actually want to visit immediately after scanning their ticket.
Disney has also announced that annual passholders and Cast Members will be able to take advantage of select “good-to-go” dates where reservations won’t be required. However, nothing further has been announced about what these dates might be, or how far in advance these “good to go” dates might be shared, but hopefully we’ll learn more soon.
Genie+ changes are also coming in 2024…but we don’t know when
Though the end of advance reservations for date-based tickets has been met with universal praise, there are some aspects of a vacation that guests do enjoy planning ahead, One frequent criticism of the Genie+ line skip system is that there is no way to make individual attraction or time selections before the day of a park visit, which can make securing advance dining reservations and planning other activities difficult.
Fortunately, Disney has heard this complaint and has shared that they’re “working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024.” While we don’t know when in 2024 this change may come (or what it might look like) at least Disney is taking guest feedback seriously, and will hopefully share more information soon.
