Welcome to planDisney, Amy! We are glad you brought your important question to us today.
At this time, in order to enter a theme park, all Guests ages 3 and up will need a
Disney Park Pass reservation in addition to valid
admission. A Disney Park Pass reservation is good for all day, no matter what time a Guest chooses to arrive. A Guest with the
Park Hopper Option added to their ticket must have first entered the park for which they hold a reservation in order to be eligible to "hop", even if after 2:00 pm when park hopping hours begin. Park hopping availability is not tied to
theme park reservation availability, so if your friends have a reservation for a different park on that date, they should still be able to hop to
Magic Kingdom Park, subject to capacity. Push notifications are sent via the
My Disney Experience mobile app when Park Hopping availability is temporarily paused.
If your friends currently do not have a Disney Park Pass reservation, I recommend that they continue to check the
theme park availability calendar. Other Guests' plans change all the time, and it is possible that Disney Park Pass reservations might become available for the date and park they are looking for. If your friends are unable to secure Disney Park Pass reservations, perhaps consider meeting them for dinner at one of the amazing dining locations at nearby resort hotels such as
Steakhouse 71 or the
Grand Floridian Cafe, or at
Disney Springs.
I hope that helps! Please stop by and see us again if you have any additional questions.
Anne Marie