Welcome to planDisney Kristie, and thanks for stopping by with your question! Your
Walt Disney World vacation will be here before you know it and with so many recent updates to the planning process, it's a great idea to double check what you need before you arrive. I’d be happy to help you understand how park entry works so you can focus on the fun ahead!
At this time, Walt Disney World no longer requires park reservations for most ticket types, including standard date based tickets. Park reservations are generally only required for special ticket types, such as student group tickets, annual pass holder tickets, convention tickets, or other very limited use tickets. If you have a regular ticket, you can simply enter the parks on the day of your visit without needing a separate reservation.
You can book any available
dining reservation up to 60 days in advance of your trip, regardless of which park you plan to visit that day. The system does not require that you have a park assigned or a park reservation (since those are no longer needed with date-based tickets). Also keep in mind that if the restaurant is inside a theme park, you must have a ticket that allows entry to that park that day. For example, if you have a reservation at Be Our Guest (Magic Kingdom) at 6:00 PM, you must either have a regular theme park ticket and visit Magic Kingdom that day, or have a park hopper ticket and hop to Magic Kingdom before your dining time (hopping is now allowed any time of day).
If you purchased a standard date based ticket as part of a vacation package or directly through the Walt Disney World website and selected your travel dates at checkout, your admission is all set. You’ll also be able to view and manage your plans in the
My Disney Experience app, including park hours, wait times, and dining reservations. It's a great way to stay organized and make the most of each park day!
I hope you find this information helpful, Kristie. Thank you again for visiting planDisney. We'll see ya real soon!
Kay