Since Disney World’s reopening in summer 2020, Disney has introduced the Park Pass Reservation system. 

What started as a way to control capacity at Disney World as a health and safety measure seems to be the new “normal” of Disney vacation planning. The Park Pass Reservation system requires that you make a free reservation at the park you’re planning to go to before you can go in. This is pretty different from how park entry worked before, so we asked our readers if the park pass reservation system has changed the way they plan Disney World trips! 

Yes, it takes away flexibility

Reservations can fill up very quickly, especially during busy times of the year, so you have to make your reservations early, and once they’re made, it’s difficult to change them. Some of you said that yes, park pass reservations have changed the way you plan your trips because they take away some of the flexibility that we knew before. 

One reader said,”Yes. No more last minute decisions when park hopping. Back in the day, we bounced around depending on what we felt like that day.”

Yes, because Park Hopping is later

The Park Hopping rules have also changed with the reservation system. Now, guests must enter the park they made a reservation at before hopping to another park, and you can’t hop before 2PM.

One of our readers doesn’t like “needing to wait until 2 to park hop! The reservation wouldn’t be soooo bad if we could leave and go somewhere else for lunch!”

Read more about park hopping in Disney World here! 

Yes, because I planned my Park days around Dining Reservations

Some of you noted how planning which park you would do what day isn’t a new concept at all. The old FastPass+ system allowed you to make FastPasses for rides in advance, and a lot of exclusive dining options also require advance reservations.

One of you said, “Yes, we used to make dining reservations and then base our park day on that or hit up HS when raining. We miss the flexibility!”

No, I like planning ahead

Some of you said that the reservation system hasn’t changed how you plan at all! Some people like planning ahead and knowing exactly which parks they’re going to do what day. If you like having your plans set in stone ahead of time, the reservations can guarantee that you can get into the park you want! 

A reader said, “We had no problems with the reservation system at all. We were able to go to our planned park in the morning and then go wherever our hearts took us once park hopping was available.”

See which dining reservations you need to make in Disney World this year! 

No, I don’t care for Park Hopping

Alternatively, some people don’t care for park hopping to begin with, so the changes to the park hopping system don’t affect their plans.

Someone said, “We have no problem with it. I always go by crowd calendars and don’t bother park hopping.”

Another one of our readers told us, “No. We go to the parks at rope drop anyway. So nothing has changed for us. Park hopping availability, maybe but that was more prevalent when we were able to make FP reservations.”

There are so many things that have changed at Disney World over the last few years, like Genie+, so planning a Disney vacation is pretty different from how it used to be! And Disney CEO Bob Chapek has commented on Park Passes and their impact on capacity, so it seems like this is another change that is here to stay for the time being. We’re always staying up to date with all the latest in all things Disney, so stay tuned to DFB for more!

Click here to see which park pass reservations you need to make ASAP!

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What do you think of Disney World park reservations? Let us know in the comments! 

The post Guests Are DIVIED on Park Passes and Their Impact on Planning a Disney World Vacation first appeared on the disney food blog.