ORLANDO, Fla. — Two Florida residents are suing Disney for its park reservation system, saying the park has prevented annual pass holders from "unlimited visits."
The suit, filed on Oct. 18, says Disney's Platinum Plus Pass included admission to all four of Disney World's parks and waterparks with no "blockout dates." The filing describes "blockout dates" as pre-designated days Disney closes off the parks to certain annual pass holders due to high park attendance.
Plaintiffs say prior to March 15, 2020, Platinum Pass and Platinum Plus Pass holders were allowed to go to all of Florida's Disney parks 365 days a year without any restrictions. However, after March 15, parks were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and would later open with new restrictions.
To control park capacity, Disney introduced a reservation system, requiring guests to have a park reservation in addition to a valid admission ticket. The lawsuit says the plaintiffs and other pass holders thought the reservation system would be temporary and would end "once the threat of the pandemic lessened."
The plaintiffs say the state of Florida no longer mandates COVID-19 precautions but Disney continues to use "the restrictive park reservation system."
In a statement to WKMG-TV, Disney said:
"Annual Passholders continue to be some of our biggest fans and most loyal guests. We’ve been upfront with Passholders about the updates we’ve made, and we offered them the flexibility to opt-in or opt-out of the program early in the pandemic, including refunds if they desired.
"This lawsuit mischaracterizes the program and its history, and we will respond further in court."