If there’s one thing that’s for certain at Disney, it’s that things are always changing.

That’s never been more evident than as of late — with CEO shakeups, potential battles over Disney’s board, attraction updates, and more hitting the company in the last three months alone. Park passes were also recently hit with changes in Disney World and Disneyland, and fans are hoping that could be a signal that more park pass changes are on the way. While Disney has shared that they won’t be going away anytime soon, here are two BIG ways the Disney World park pass system could change in 2023.

Disney has made it pretty clear time and time again that the park pass reservation system isn’t going away anytime soon — but that doesn’t mean it can’t change. We’ve already seen it happen, and that could be a sign of more to come. While Disney hasn’t said a word about future updates, we have some (total) guesses on how the Disney World park pass system could change in 2023.

What Are Park Passes?

The Disney World Park Pass System is an online tool that allows guests to make reservations to visit the four Walt Disney World theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It was introduced as part of new safety measures to limit guest capacity in order to promote physical distancing upon Walt Disney World’s reopening, but has stuck around since it’s a useful tool.

The Disney Park Pass System enables guests with valid theme park admission to make the required reservations to enter a theme park.

We have a full guide on who needs park pass reservations, how to book them, and everything else you might want to know right here. But, for now, we’ve got the basics covered.

Step-by-Step Guide to Booking Disney World Park Pass Reservations

How Have Park Passes Recently Changed?

Park passes have gone through countless changes since they were first introduced. Back in October of 2022, the system changed in Disney World so that guests can book more than 1 ticket type at a time, and so they can modify the date and park of a Park Pass without having to cancel it first.

Shortly after, in November of 2022, more changes were announced. Disney World’s 1-day, 1-park tickets (currently priced differently depending on what park you want to go to) now automatically come with a Park Pass for the park you want to visit. 

It doesn’t stop there, though, because, in January of 2023, Disney announced that Annual Passholders will be allowed to enter the parks after 2PM without a reservation. The exception, however, will be Passholders seeking to go to Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays. And at Disneyland, Park Hopping will begin at 11AM (instead of 1PM) starting February 4th, 2023.

So, we know that park passes can change — but how might that clue us into what’s to come?

How Could Park Passes Change in 2023?

Park Hopping

Park hopping ain’t what it used to be! Right now, guests cannot park hop (or visit more than one park in one day) until after 2PM in Disney World. But, that wasn’t always the case. Before park pass reservations were implemented, guests with valid tickets could hop to any of the parks whenever they wanted — no time requirement needed. If you wanted to grab breakfast in Magic Kingdom but then be at EPCOT by noon, you could!

Disneyland recently announced that park hopping will now start at 11AM instead of 1PM, which could mean that a similar change is on the way for Disney World. This would give guests more flexibility in planning their day and making reservations.

It’s also possible that Disney could get rid of the time constraint altogether — restoring park hopping to its former glory. This is something fans have been wanting ever since park hopping returned to the parks, but whether or not Disney will give the people what they want is another story. Disney could institute a completely different park hopping change — we’ll just have to wait and see.

System Changes

The Disney World Park Pass System might see more updates this year, too. We already mentioned that Annual Passholders will be allowed to enter the parks after 2PM without a reservation. Disney could make the decision to extend that change to all guests, meaning you’d only need to make a park pass reservation on days you wanted to rope drop or be in a particular park before 2PM.

We’ve also seen Disney play with the availability of park passes in the past. During busier times of the year, reservations fill up FAST — but they don’t always stay full. Disney will sometimes reserve a certain number of passes and release them at a later date so more guests have the opportunity to snag them. We could see this concept applied on a larger scale, with passes being more easily available to guests. 

Of course, there is always the small chance that Disney World could get rid of park passes altogether, but from what we’ve heard from Disney executives in the past and recently, it probably won’t happen anytime soon.

What Has Disney Said?

When Bob Iger first returned as Disney CEO, he was asked about park passes. He said he has not used the system yet himself. He also said that he wanted to hear from Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’amaro about the system before he made any more comments. We’re still waiting, Bob.

In a question-and-answer session, Josh D’Amaro referenced Park Hopping and Park Passes in a way that seemed to indicate that the restrictions aren’t going away any time soon, but Disney is taking steps to change them. He admitted one big problem guests have with the system: “You lose some of the serendipity.” He said Disney is “trying to create ease” while also making sure the guest experience is good.

One thing is clear — change is inevitable in Disney World, and what changes will continue to affect the park pass reservation system remains uncertain. Park passes are most likely here to stay, much to the chagrin of many Disney fans, but whether they’ll stay as they are or go through yet another update is something we’ll just have to wait and see.

Whew. We know that planning a Disney World trip is A LOT. And this Park Pass thing can be so confusing – which is why we bring you posts like this so often But we’ve also put together a complete guide in ebook format that gives you all of the info you need, all in one place! Use code WDW2023 for 25% off our DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World.

Stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney news and more!

Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Park Pass Reservations

What park pass changes do you want to see in 2023? Let us know in the comments!