Welcome to planDisney, Cassandra! I'm so glad to be able to answer your question today. I'm so excited to hear that you're about to visit Walt Disney World at
the end of December. There's no energy quite like the last week of the year at the Most Magical Place On Earth, but it can require a bit of extra planning, and I'm happy to walk you through it.
I have great news for you: nothing is wrong here. The reason you can't make a reservation is that you bought
date-based tickets, the standard kind of ticket sold on the Walt Disney World website, and those don't require park reservations anymore. You'll just show up at the park you want on your ticketed day, scan in at the tapstiles, and you're in. No reservation needed!
Now, about capacity. I have zero concerns about you being able to visit
Animal Kingdom on December 29. It can be busy during the holidays, but it very rarely hits a capacity closure.
Magic Kingdom on January 1, however, is one of the most popular days of the year, and it can reach capacity. When that happens, Disney uses a phased closure system to manage admissions. In simple terms, the park temporarily limits who can newly enter based on a set order of priorities. Guests with certain entitlements, like those already inside the park or those who are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, are prioritized first, and then the phases relax as crowd levels drop. If a phased closure is in effect, new entries may be paused, and hopping into Magic Kingdom can be restricted until the phase lifts.
If Magic Kingdom is your plan for New Year's Day, treat it like a special-ops mission and arrive early with a plan. Rope dropping is important on this day, so make sure to arrive well before opening, get through security early, and head straight in at park opening. Once you're inside, try to stay. If you hop out midday, re-entry isn't guaranteed during a capacity phase. Turn on push notifications in the
My Disney Experience app, because if a phased closure is implemented, or later lifted to admit additional guests, you'll see the updates there.
The bottom line here is to build your day around being in the park for the long haul. Book
Lightning Lane selections early if you're planning to use them, plan meals inside the park, stay flexible, and enjoy the atmosphere because there's no place like it!
Have a magical day, Cassandra!
Jessica