Tell us which Walt Disney World ticket or Annual Pass you have, add where you’re staying, and PlanTheMagic will work out the park reservation guidance and expected Lightning Lane booking dates for your trip.
That’s the big addition in our latest web planner update. The rules can change with your ticket, your hotel, the guests traveling with you and even the time you enter your first park. We now bring those details together, so you can see what applies to your plans and what to do next.
There’s plenty to explore, too: a photo-filled Attractions guide, sensory and accessibility information, favorite attractions, rides you can add to your day, and one Bookings area for dining, Lightning Lane and park reservations.
Tell us your tickets and where you’re staying
Start with Ticket details in your trip’s booking workspace or trip settings. You can also add tickets while creating a trip. Choose the admission you’ll use, enter its validity dates, tell us whether you’ve purchased and linked it in My Disney Experience, and record whether Park Hopper is included.
Everyone can share the same ticket details, or you can give individual guests different tickets. That matters when, for example, two people have date-based tickets and a friend joining them has an Annual Pass. They’re going to the same park, but they may have different reservation requirements.
Annual Passholders can select their specific pass, including Disney Incredi-Pass, Disney Sorcerer Pass, Disney Pirate Pass or Disney Pixie Dust Pass. Your saved hotel stay then feeds into the guidance alongside those ticket details.
Park reservations, explained for each guest and day
The new Park reservations workspace looks at the parks in your plan and explains who needs a reservation, who doesn’t, and which details still need checking.
For date-based admission, a theme park reservation isn’t required. Other admission types can work differently, including Annual Passes, Military Salute tickets and some group tickets. We apply the relevant guidance to the ticket you’ve saved, rather than expecting everyone in your party to follow the same rule. Disney’s park reservation guidance explains the current requirements.
For Annual Passholders, arrival time can matter. Disney generally allows entry without a reservation after 2 p.m., except at Magic Kingdom Park on Saturdays and Sundays. Good-to-go days provide another exception, while applicable pass blockout dates still apply.
Hotel benefits get their own explanation. Annual Passholders staying at Disney Resort hotels can hold park reservations for their stay in addition to their normal pass allowance. We show how your saved stay affects that guidance, alongside the allowance for your pass. Disney’s Annual Passholder guide covers the exceptions and reservation limits.
Once you’ve reserved with Disney, save the confirmed park, date and guests here. Recorded reservations remain available if you later rearrange your planner, helping you spot bookings that need attention.
Park hopping gets the context it needs
A morning at EPCOT followed by an evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios sounds straightforward. The question is what your particular admission requires before you can make that hop.
PlanTheMagic identifies your first park and explains the next step for the guests who need it. Where a reservation is required, you must reserve and enter that first park before hopping. With the appropriate hopping entitlement, you can then visit another park during park hours, subject to capacity. A separate reservation isn’t required for the later park. Disney sets out the Park Hopper requirements for Annual Passholders.
In the example above, Alex needs to enter EPCOT using the required reservation before joining the evening visit to Hollywood Studios. Sam and Jamie’s date-based tickets don’t need that reservation. Seeing the explanation against the actual park day makes the distinction much easier to follow.
Your Lightning Lane booking date, worked out
“Three days before” and “seven days before” only help when you know which rule applies, and what date to count back from. Your hotel check-in, ticket start date and park visit date can lead to different answers.
PlanTheMagic uses your saved tickets and stays to calculate the expected opening, with a countdown, Orlando time and your local equivalent. Here are the main patterns behind the guidance:
| Your circumstances | Expected purchase window |
|---|---|
| Staying at a Disney Resort hotel or another eligible hotel | Seven days before check-in, for the stay, up to 14 days. |
| Date-based tickets without an eligible hotel stay | Three days before the ticket’s start date, covering its valid admission days. |
| An Annual Pass or other non-date-based admission without an eligible hotel stay | A rolling window beginning three days before each park visit. |
Disney opens purchases at 7 a.m. Eastern Time on the relevant day. Eligible hotels include Disney Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green. See Disney’s Lightning Lane purchase windows for the current terms.
That hotel advantage can apply to an Annual Passholder, too. PlanTheMagic checks the stay alongside the pass. Different ticket windows within a riding group remain visible, and split stays or dates outside your saved ticket validity receive extra guidance.
These are expected windows based on your saved information. Each rider needs the applicable hotel and admission eligibility. For readers traveling from the UK, Disney’s UK guidance currently says purchases are available after arrival in the US. You can prepare your choices in PlanTheMagic from anywhere.
Explore 98 attractions, then build your shortlist
The new Attractions guide gives you a much more inviting way to decide what belongs in your trip. Browse 98 attractions across the four theme parks, with large images, descriptions, locations and practical details.
Search for a favorite by name, explore one park, or narrow the collection by experience type. Want roller coasters? Start there. Prefer boat rides, trails or a place to explore at your own pace? You can browse those, too.
Additional filters help you explore recorded height requirements, indoor and outdoor settings, Lightning Lane participation and practical features such as Rider Switch. Tap the star to keep an attraction in your favorites, ready to return to as your plans take shape.
Sensory and accessibility details before you choose
A ride’s name and picture only tell you so much. Open its detail page and you’ll find sections for height requirements, accessibility, sensory effects and practical planning information, wherever those details are recorded.
The sensory section makes effects such as darkness, loud noises, speed, drops and bumpy motion easier to find. Accessibility information can include mobility and transfer requirements, hearing or visual assistance, and service-animal guidance.
We’re especially pleased to bring these details into your attraction shortlist. If darkness, transfers or particular sensory effects matter to your group, you can consider them before adding a ride to the day.
Source links help you check the underlying guidance with Disney. Use the information to narrow your choices, then confirm current requirements and any personal accessibility needs with Disney before riding.
Add rides and organize your Lightning Lane choices
Found something you want to do? Choose Add to trip from the guide, or add an attraction directly in your planner. Place it in the morning, afternoon or evening, with a preferred time if useful. You can plan a ride without adding Lightning Lane.
For attractions you do want to prepare as Lightning Lane choices, the workspace keeps the selected riders, preferred times and pass types together. Initial Multi Pass planning accounts for the three-choice limit and selection groups, while Single Pass choices sit separately. Premier Pass records use an untimed checklist.
You can change the riders for each attraction or use Swap ride to explore a suitable replacement. After booking in My Disney Experience, record the actual date, arrival window and guests in PlanTheMagic. You can also mark a recorded selection as redeemed or missed.
Hopping can affect later Lightning Lane choices, too. After redeeming your first Multi Pass selection, Disney allows additional choices in another park if you have Park Hopper benefits, subject to availability. PlanTheMagic helps prepare your initial choices. You manage additional selections in My Disney Experience.
Changing the plan doesn’t erase a recorded Disney booking. Its actual date and return window remain available for review, even if you move or remove the planned ride.
One Bookings overview, plus clearer dining menus
The Bookings overview now brings Dining, Lightning Lane and Park reservations together. You can see upcoming booking openings, the number of choices you’ve prepared, reservations you’ve recorded and the next action to take.
You’ll still purchase Lightning Lane passes and make or change reservations with Disney. PlanTheMagic organizes your plans and the confirmations you record; it doesn’t connect to your Disney account or check live booking availability.
Open your PlanTheMagic trip, check your hotel stay and ticket details, then head into Bookings. We’ll help you turn the rules that apply to your trip into a clear next step.
