Hi Kate,
Thanks for stopping by planDisney! Making theme park reservations is fairly simple once you know where to go on the website.
Most of the time, you'll be able to make a reservation at any of the four parks in Walt Disney World, but you'll want to check the
Theme Park Reservation Availability Calendar just to see which parks are available on a given date. If the date is green it means ALL four parks are available. If it's yellow, only some parks are available, and grey means there are no reservations available for that day.
Next, you'll need to
purchase your park tickets. There are several options available, from just visiting a single park for one day to purchasing a multi-day pass that allows you to hop to several parks on any day of your visit.
Once you have your tickets and they are linked to your account, you are ready to make your park reservation! If you don't already have a My Disney Experience account, you'll need to create one. When you are on the Disney World website, the link can be found in the menu bar at the top right of your screen. Once you have set up your account, hover over "My Disney Experience" to access the drop down menu and select "
Disney Park Pass System."
You'll be prompted to select all of your family and friends that you'll be traveling with. Check the box for each friend and family member, or click the "add guest" button to include them in your reservation. After that's complete you'll be able to select a date, available theme park, and arrival time. The next screen will ask you to review your plans, agree to the terms and conditions, and confirm your reservations.
If you add the Park Hopper Pass Option to your tickets, you'll only need to make a reservation for the FIRST park you plan to visit. At 2 PM (or whenever park hopping begins for the day), you can go to any other park without a reservation, as long as it hasn't reached capacity.
Hope this helps. Have a magical vacation!
Diane