Disney World's reservation system now requires you to have not only a valid park ticket, but also a reservation to the theme park that you want to visit. If you don't have both things, you wont be permitted to enter the parks.

So what do you do if the theme park shows "sold out" on Disney's website on the days you want to visit?

Here are some things you need to know about Disney tickets and park reservations.

Get Familiar With Disney Reservations System

If you aren't yet familiar with Disney's reservation system, there are a few things you need to know.

1. Reservations are held in different buckets. Guests with park tickets, guests staying on Disney property, and annual pass holders. You can check park reservation availability for each of these groups.
2. You'll want to make reservations as early as possible. Reservations can be made at the same time that you purchase your tickets. So I would recommend making reservations as soon as you have tickets. You can always change your reservations later if needed.
3. The reservations system is a live system. So availability on busier days can sometimes come and go quickly.
4. No one else can make a park reservation for you. This includes travel agents and Disney Guest Services. Disney does not allow anyone else to make your park reservations no matter the circumstance.

If you want to see examples of how to make park reservations and exactly how it works, you can read more about the parks reservation system here.

Can You Buy Tickets For Sold Out Days?

Unfortunately, no. The calendar will show completely sold out days as unavailable to buy tickets.

You won't be able to buy tickets from any vendor for that date if the date shows sold out. So it doesn't matter if you buy through Disney or another third party vendor, the date you want must show available in the theme park reservation calendar.

But that doesn't mean all hope is lost! There are things you can do.

What to do if Your Theme Park Reservation Date is Sold Out

If the date and park you want is sold out, there are a few things you can do to try to get in. Nothing is guaranteed, but this will help you chances:

1. Keep refreshing. The system is live and people cancel reservations all the time. So just keep checking back for new availability.
2. Upgrade to Park Hopper tickets. If another park shows available, you can make a park reservation for that park. Starting at 2pm you can then hop to the park of your choice.
3. Change your ticket dates. If you have tickets but no reservation, the My Disney Experience website lets you make changes to your tickets. This includes ticket type and dates. So if you are able to, change the ticket dates to a date that show availability.

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See you at the parks,
-Julie