Walt Disney World Sued by Annual Passholders Over Theme Park Reservation Availability

The theme park reservations (along with restrictions on Park Hopping) have been among the most divisive changes to the Walt Disney World experience since the Parks and Resorts reopened during the pandemic.

While the reservations system was initially put in place to manage Park capacity based on restrictions set by state and local governments, Walt Disney World has continued to use the system even after all COVID-19 precautions were dropped.

RELATED: Bob Chapek Continues to Defend Park Reservations & Limits on Annual Passes

The theme park reservation system has been particularly challenging for Annual Passholders, who prior to the pandemic, could make spontaneous trips to the Parks. With the reservation system still in place, a couple of Passholders are considering all of the fine-print details of their ticket program, and have initiated a lawsuit against the company for what they believe to be unfair treatment given the terms of their specific passes.

Florida Politics shared the initial report of Walt Disney World Annual Passholders who anonymously filed the suit on the basis that on occasion, reservations are made unavailable for Annual Passholders while day-Guests who purchase tickets are still able to make reservations.

The Passholders who initiated the lawsuit noted that because their passes were listed as having no blockout dates, they had the expectation that they would be able to visit the Parks any day of the year regardless of the reservation system. An ongoing lawsuit with similar arguments is still ongoing on the West Coast for Magic Key Holders who argued the same logic at the Disneyland Resort.

During quarterly earnings calls, both Walt Disney Company CFO Christine McCarthy and CEO Bob Chapek have continued to praise the theme park reservation system both for its ability to provide greater Guest service with fewer crowds in the Parks and also for its work in curbing which types of Guests are visiting.

In a controversial moment during one quarterly earnings call, the company even referred to Disneyland Magic Keyholders as an “unfavorable attendance mix,” noting that the number of Magic Keyholders vs. day Guests was at least partially to blame for less than stellar financials.

With the lawsuit ongoing, Gabrielle Russon, the reporter who broke the original story with Florida Politics, shared an update from the Walt Disney Company:

At about 7 p.m. tonight, #Disney issued this statement in response to the lawsuit I wrote about. https://t.co/upu3jJGlsq @Fla_Pol pic.twitter.com/u1SIwASk5h

— Gabrielle Russon (@GabrielleRusson) October 19, 2022

RELATED: Mother Who Faked Kidnapping to Go to Disney World is Once Again Facing Fraud Charges

With the company repeatedly stating that the theme park reservation program is here to stay, and with sales of new Annual Passes still paused, it will be interesting to see the eventual outcome of the suit, and whether or not Disney takes further action.

For now, the only new Annual Passes available are limited options for Florida residents only. The company has not yet announced when other Passes will once again go on sale. We will continue to monitor the lawsuit, and will provide updates on both the latest legal situation and new Annual Pass sales as we have them here on Disney Tips.