Originally Posted by writerguyfl

Yes, they do.

I used to work as a trainer at the Disney Reservations Center. During busy times (like the back half of December), I was on the phones or walking the Sales Floor helping newer agents. The phased closure system is an integral part of crowd control. It's never going away.

For those who don't know what this is:

Disney uses a system of "phases" to limit the number of guests in a park due to capacity constraints. Here are the basics:

• Phase 1: Open only to guests with pre-purchased, non-base level tickets. (Base level = "1 Day - 1 Park" or "Magic Your Way".)
• Phase 2: Open only to Disney Resort Guests, Passholders, Guests "hopping" from another park, Guest re-entering the same park, Guests with dining reservations.
• Phase 3: Open only to Disney Resort Guests, Passholders, Guests with dining reservations.
• Phase 4: Closed to Everyone.

Phased closures are common at the end of December. For example, one Disney message board reported this for New Year's Eve 2013 at Magic Kingdom:

• 9:40am: Phase 2 Closure
• 11:04am: Phase 3 Closure
• 8:00pm: Phase 3 ended - Open to All Guests