Happy New Year, Melissa! I am so glad to welcome you to planDisney! I am always excited to meet other members of the
Annual Passholder family. I love having a whole year of magic at my fingertips and talking with others who share my passion for vacations at
Walt Disney World Resort.
I know Walt Disney World tends to be busy the first week of January. It wasn't until I read your question and checked the
Annual Passholder Admission Calendar that I learned what you already knew: no
theme park reservations are available for Saturday, January 4. I guess many people are ringing in the new year at the Most Magical Place on Earth.
Without a theme park reservation, Annual Passholders can enter a theme park most days after 2 p.m. if the park has not reached capacity. Since you are going on Saturday, you can go to
EPCOT,
Disney's Hollywood Studios, and
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Annual Passholders must have a theme park reservation to visit
Magic Kingdom Park on Saturdays and Sundays.
If you are concerned about parks reaching capacity before 2 p.m., you have a few ways to check. You can call (407) 560-5000 for a recorded message about which parks are accepting new Guests. You can also check the
My Disney Experience app. From the Welcome screen or on the main menu page (the "≡" at the bottom of the screen), find "Park Hours & Info." With the current date selected, you can see each park's hours and "Park Hopper Availability." This should indicate if park hopping is unavailable, which would be a sign that the park has reached capacity.
Han Solo never wants to be told the odds. Rebellions are built on hope, after all. I have no advice other than "keep checking" to see if reservations for any theme park become available.
I hope you can make it to one of the theme parks on Saturday, and it is the beginning of another magical Disney vacation. Be sure to check out the
Annual Passholder benefits. I always think about the discounts at table service dining. You can also use the benefits for miniature golf, Surrey bike rentals and fishing excursions. So much fun! And one of my favorite Passholder tips: rather than buying bottled water or sodas from a kiosk, head to a gift shop that offers an Annual Passholder merchandise discount. They apply it to these drinks, too.
If you have any other questions, we'd be happy to see you again at
planDisney. You have a friend in us!
'Ohana!
Jana