Disney has announced some major changes to the Park Pass Reservation System at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in California and those changes go into effect, August 23, 2022. (And we have to admit, we kinda like at least some of these changes!)
Disney’s Park Pass Reservation System is among those things that many Guests would rather not have to deal with as a part of their Disney vacations. It is a product of the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020, but it has remained in place at the parks, largely as a means of crowd control. (Though we don’t know that the system necessarily helps with crowds in the parks.)
Here’s a look at what’s changing:
The User Interface
One of the first things Guests will notice is an update to the Park Pass user interface. This means that the new interface will gel with other systems already in place at Disneyland and at Disneyland Paris.
Every Guest will be able to use the same Park Pass Reservation System. Before the changes took effect, Annual Passholders and Guests with multi-day tickets had to use a different interface and a different system. Park Pass reservations already in place will move over to the updated interface, and Guests with reservations won’t need to do a thing.
Reservations Tied to a Ticket
Previously, park pass reservations were linked to a Guest, and not to a ticket. But effective August 23, Park Passes will be tied to a ticket, meaning Guests can hold different types of tickets, such as an Annual Pass, a single-day ticket, etc., and choose which ticket to which a Park Pass reservation will be linked.
Ease of Use
Now Guests will be able to book Park Pass reservations for any ticket type–and all in a single transaction. Guests will also have the ability to book those reservations for as many as 30 Guests per transaction. (Formerly, Guests were limited to reservations for only 12.)
Guests will also have the ability to change the email address associated with a specific reservation. This allows for Guests to use an email address that is different from the one used with their My Disney Experience account, though this doesn’t change the email address used with the account. Sadly, Guests are still unable to make a Park Pass Reservation via the My Disney Experience app. (We’ll just keep our fingers crossed on that one!)
A few other things to note
The update to the Park Pass Reservation System allows Guests to have the ability to modify their reservations without canceling an existing reservation first.
Guests must still make their respective reservations via the official Walt Disney World website.
Click here for more information about the new updates to the system and to find answers to some of your questions about the Park Pass Reservation System.
Fall family fun is brewing throughout Walt Disney World. This year, there are so many ways to celebrate fall and Halloween with new flavors, sights, and experiences, plus the return of fan-favorite events.
1 – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has returned and has kicked off a fall full of fun at Walt Disney World. The special ticket event is offered at Magic Kingdom Park on select nights from August 12 to October 31 after normal park hours from 7 p.m. to midnight. Guests can dress in their happiest or most-haunted Halloween costumes to get in the spirit of the season! Guests can trick-or-treat their way through the park and indulge in delicious sweets like SKITTLES, SNICKERS, and M&M’s.
Frightfully fun entertainment abounds in “Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade,” the “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” stage show featuring the Sanderson Sisters, and “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” nighttime extravaganza hosted by Jack Skellington, featuring fireworks, projections, iconic Disney characters and more.
New for 2022, partygoers awaiting “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade” can ‘Stand Out’ and dance their way onto Main Street U.S.A., with a majorly awesome 90’s crew led by Max Goof cosplaying as Powerline – his favorite pop superstar!
Also new this year, guests can join Zombies and Cheerleaders at the ZOM-BEATZ BASH! as they BAMM out to music inspired by the ZOMBIES original movies on Disney Channel.
Several classic Magic Kingdom attractions offer a Halloween-themed overlay, including Mad Tea Party, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
The most wicked snacks of the season with specially themed fall and Halloween treats are available to savor throughout the park.
Guests can even bring home the memories with an event-exclusive, step-in photo experience, plus a reusable trick-or-treat bag and commemorative print that all guests will receive to round out the special Halloween offerings.
2 – Immersive Fall-Festive Décor at Magic Kingdom Park
What’s Halloween without some Disney magic? Summer transforms to the spooky season with festive fall decor at Magic Kingdom Park. Guests can stroll down Main Street, U.S.A where pumpkins and scarecrows are seemingly everywhere and where Disney characters are dressed in their Halloween best. Shops are festooned with fall foliage and garlands, and there are plenty of tricks and pumpkin-spiced treats making the season feel even more magical at this Walt Disney World Theme Park. Guests can enjoy festive fall decor through October 31 and other autumn-themed offerings at select locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
3 – Enjoy Global Flavors at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival presented by CORKCICLE
Now through November. 19, guests can sip, savor and repeat across six continents at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival presented by CORKCICLE. The festival offers new experiences for foodies and families alike as part of the “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” honoring the Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th Anniversary.
More than twenty-five festival food and wine marketplaces located throughout EPCOT celebrate the best in global food and drink.
This year, the creative Disney culinary teams have dreamed up unique dishes as nearly one third of the menu offerings are new.
Guests can enjoy live musical performances at the America Gardens Theatre as part of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series presented by Florida Blue Medicare. Internationally recognized artists perform Friday through Monday and local bands rock the house Tuesday through Thursday.
New this year! From September 29-October 31 (or while supplies last), special Halloween fun for the whole family is available in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit. With the purchase of a map and stickers, guests can search around EPCOT for hidden decorative pumpkins themed to Disney characters. Whether they search for the pumpkins or not, guests can return their maps to redemption locations in the park to receive a festival keepsake.
4 – Race into Fall with the Disney Wine & Dine Half-Marathon Weekend
The 2022-23 runDisney race season kicks off November 3-6 with the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend presented by Shokz. The popular race weekend features a 5K, 10K, and half marathon, as well as the Disney Two Course Challenge (10K and half marathon) and Post-Race Party. While the races on property are sold out, you can still participate in the Virtual runs, click here for more details.
Guests can experience the blend of music, stories, and culinary delights found during the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival and the Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary celebration.
The weekend features a Coco-themed 5K, a Raya and the Last Dragon-themed 10K and a half marathon celebrating the music and magic of Soul.
Guests can also experience the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, including the opportunity to buy merchandise and gadgets for runners.
Olympic track and field champion and reality TV star Sanya Richards-Ross will be among the thousands of competitors at this year’s race weekend.
The magical weekend will be capped off with a unique Post-Race Party at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. Half Marathon and Challenge registration includes entry to this after-hours event. Friends and family can purchase Post-Race Party tickets to join in the celebration with their favorite runners.
The Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend is the first of four race weekends during the 2022-23 runDisney season. Next is the 30th anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (Jan. 4-8), the 15th anniversary Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend (Feb. 23-26), and the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend (April 13-16).
While some backstage tours at Walt Disney World have resumed this year, many have yet to return. Thankfully, Disney has announced the return of some fan-favorite tours at EPCOT.
From a Disney Cast Member;
From immersive attractions, flavorful festivals, and interactive pavilions that spark your curiosity and enable you to experience cultures and cuisine from around the world, EPCOT truly offers something for everyone. And with the park transforming before our eyes – and preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary on Oct. 1 – it’s an exciting time to experience EPCOT!
And now, there are three more reasons to visit! I’m thrilled to share additional fan-favorite tours from our Enchanting Extras Collection are returning to EPCOT beginning Oct. 2, adding to and completing the previously announced lineup of highly popular tours returning to Walt Disney World Resort.
These personalized experiences offer an exciting look at the magic of possibilities and provide you with the unique ability to experience EPCOT by land and by sea!
Experience The Land:
If you like the Living with the Land attraction at EPCOT or have an interest in gardening and natural sciences, then you’ll love Behind the Seeds!
This one-hour walking tour gives you an up-close and personal view of amazing plants, insects and fish throughout four state-of-the-art greenhouses.
Take in the sights and smells of unusual crops from around the world as you explore the future of agriculture. Your knowledgeable guide will help you discover some of the latest plant-growing techniques in use at The Land, including hydroponics, and provide ideas you can try at home in your own garden!
Experience The Seas:
The Seas with Nemo & Friends is home to more than 2,000 sea creatures representing over 90 aquatic species including sea turtles, angelfish, dolphins, eagle rays and sharks.
With the return of EPCOT Seas Adventures – DiveQuest, guests once again can dive right into this 5.7-million-gallon saltwater environment and immerse themselves into the sea life surrounding the coral reef. This experience offers SCUBA-certified guests guaranteed calm seas, unlimited visibility, no current and incredible marine life.
If you aren’t SCUBA-certified or prefer to stay on your “sea legs,” don’t worry; there is a tour for you, too! With the return of EPCOT Seas Adventures – Dolphins in Depth, guests can meet the bottlenose dolphins at The Seas to learn about their complex undersea behavior and talk with the experts who work with them every day.
These guest-favorite tours return beginning Oct. 2 and are on sale beginning Aug. 22 on DisneyWorld.com or the My Disney Experience app. Due to the popularity of these tours, advance bookings are highly recommended. Please note the Behind the Seeds experience requires a valid theme park admission and reservation. For a complete list of the Enchanting Extras Collection across Walt Disney World Resort, click here.
During D23’s Fantastic Worlds Celebration event called “EPCOT – The Magic of Possibility,” Zach Riddley, Imagineering Portfolio Executive for Walt Disney World Resort, and Melissa Valiquette, Vice President of EPCOT shared that the massive barges on World Showcase Lagoon will be permanently installed to provide entertainment all day — meaning the barges will be used for both a daytime show as well as for the new nighttime spectacular, Harmonious.
Although the barges have been in use for EPCOT’s nighttime spectacular, Harmonious, ever since October 1, 2021, Guests have not really seen them in use for the daytime show Riddley teased last year, aside from random days here and there.
“These show elements will become a defining feature of EPCOT,” Riddley said. “Their scale gives us a chance to bring a beautiful new ambient daytime look to the world showcase lagoon with water fountains that perfectly situate these elements within World Showcase and of course the real magic will happen at night when they come alive.”
EPCOT did put the barges on display just for the Walt Disney World Marathon back in January, but then they were shut off again, until this past weekend!
One Disney World Guest shared a photo of the daytime fountains at EPCOT up and running this past weekend:
It is unclear at this time if the show was just in testing mode, or if this was the daytime show Zach Riddley was referring to as we don’t have many details regarding the EPCOT daytime show at this time. The fountains have come on here and there at EPCOT, but they have not been steady, indicating this was more than likely anther test.
In order to maintain the highest quality standards, Walt Disney World Resort must conduct routine maintenance from time to time.
To help you and your clients plan for vacations early next year, we’re sharing that all lines of the Disney Skyliner will be closed for routine maintenance Jan. 22-29, 2023.
Bus transportation will be available at all Disney Skyliner Resorts throughout the planned closure so your clients can reach their desired destinations across Walt Disney World.
