Welcome to another weekly roundup of Disney theme park news! Once again, we were handed a busy week in the world of Disney theme parks, with stories coming from both coasts. Whether you’re planning a Disney World or a Disneyland vacation, you will definitely want to read up on this week’s announcements.
These news stories could very well change the way you plan and navigate your vacations in 2024. Let’s get started in this week’s news catch-up session!
Disney Bringing Major Changes To Its Disability Access Service
The news story that made the rounds nationwide this week has to do with Disney’s Disability Access Service or DAS. The system was designed for guests who cannot wait in long lines and has led to years of misuse. In fact, according to Disney, DAS usage has tripled in the last five years. This could be due to a number of reasons, including misuse. If you’ve seen the length of Lightning Lanes over the past few years, you probably agree that a change to the system is needed.
This week, Disney announced that DAS would receive significant updates in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. While some of the details have yet to be revealed, we can infer that big changes are coming. According to Disney, DAS is intended for guests who have a “developmental disability like autism or similar.”
This could point to changes in how guests with other disabilities would need to go about receiving accommodations for future visits. Theme park journalist Scott Gustin revealed that a “return to queue” system is in the works as well. Regardless, all DAS users will need to reapply once these changes go live.
Other changes include the party size reducing to four (4) guests, the DAS usage window expanding from 60 days to 120 days, and that DAS Advance pre-arrival attraction selections will no longer be a default offering. These changes are happening soon – the DAS updates will roll out at Disney World on May 20 and Disneyland on June 18.
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Free Dining Plan & Other Summer Promos Launched at Disney World
Disney World’s summer promotions rolled out this week, with several ways to save on a hotel room in the coming months. There’s a discount for every type of guest, with savings of up to 30% available for a room-only reservation for stays 5 nights or more from July 8 through October 3 (select dates).
Florida residents have their own special offer that gives them up to 30% savings on a room-only reservation from July 8 through October 3 (select dates). Annual Passholders can save even more, up to 35%, on a room-only reservation for stays starting July 8 through October 3 (select dates).
Also launched this week is Disney World’s Free Dining Plan offer. This is a very popular promotion that gives you and your party the Disney Dining Plan at no extra cost. Your food is free! That said, in order to redeem this offer, you must pay for a non-discounted vacation package that includes room and Park Hopper Tickets.
So you may not be saving much, if any, money, but you’ll need to crunch the numbers to see what your options are. In order to redeem this Free Dining Plan offer, you must be a Disney Visa cardholder. The offer is good for most stays that begin from July 1 through 31, September 1 through 7, and December 9 through 21. You only need to be checked in within those windows in order for the promotion to apply for your entire stay.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF THE WAYS YOU CAN CURRENTLY SAVE ON A DISNEY WORLD VACATION.
Disney To Host a Rare Pre-Market Call For Its Q2 Earnings
Disney announced this week that its Quarter 2 Earnings Report and Call will take place on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. What’s unique about this quarter’s Earnings Call, however, is that it will take place before the opening bell, starting at 8:30 AM ET. Typically, Disney’s earnings calls take place after the market closes at 4:30 PM ET.
This unusual shift to have a morning call this time around should signal good news from Disney, who wants to get the word out before the market opens that day. Be sure to tune your ears to the news that morning to see what the hype is all about.
CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON HOW TO STAY COOL IN DISNEY WORLD THIS SUMMER.
More Characters and Retail Locations Announced For Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
No, we still don’t have an opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. But we have a couple of new and exciting updates if you’ve followed the attraction’s development closely. The first update is the third and final ensemble of musical critters. This group is a choir of frogs that will bring “jazzy sounds and complex rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to life in the bayou.”
We also know more about the retail locations that will open around Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disney World. There will be two shops: Critter Co-Op and Tiana’s Bayou General.
We previously learned about the retail shops coming to Disneyland, Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club.
CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL GUIDE ON TIANA’S BAYOU ADVENTURE
Updates From Downtown Disney’s Restaurant Transformation
The landscape of Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort has been changing in big ways, especially when it comes to the food! Several new restaurants are currently in development, and we heard several updates this week.
Three sister restaurants – Paseo, Céntrico, and Tiendita – will open on May 2, 2024. That’s just a few weeks away! The popular Southern California chain Din Tai Fung will open later this summer.
It was also announced that two new restaurant concepts – a steakhouse and a barbecue eatery – will take over the former location of Tortilla Jo’s, which had its last day of operation this week.
In addition to these new restaurants moving in, we also heard about an update coming to Marceline’s Confectionery! The sweets shop in Downtown Disney will close temporarily to transform into “an all-new, expanded and completely reimagined confection experience.” A temporary pop-up cart will be available during this transformation.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT ALL OF THE FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS COMING TO DISNEYLAND RESORT THIS YEAR
Foodie Guide Unveiled for Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort
The next big festival to happen at Disneyland Resort is Pixar Fest, which officially kicks off on April 26 and concludes on August 4. This will overlap with Season of the Force, which began last week. Pixar Fest brings with it a new daytime parade to Disney California Adventure, a special fireworks show to Disneyland Park, and tons of limited-time food.
Speaking of food, Disney launched a huge Foodie Guide to Pixar Fest this week. The guide includes all of the specialty food and beverage items you’ll only be able to enjoy during Pixar Fest. This includes the food booths in California Adventure that will serve small bites and sips à la Food and Wine Festival or Festival of the Holidays.
CLICK HERE TO START PLANNING YOUR 2024 DISNEYLAND VACATION
More Details Revealed For V.I.Passholder Days at Walt Disney World
Last week, Disney World revealed this year’s V.I.Passolder Days for 2024. The limited-time event will take place from May 1 through June 26. During this time, Annual Passholders can score exclusive discounts, gifts, and other offerings.
One of those added offerings is a Passholder-exclusive lounge space, revealed this week to be Restaurant Marrakesh, located in the Morocco Pavilion in EPCOT. The lounge will be available from May 1 through June 18. As V.I.Passholder Days draws near, we could learn about even more offerings, so stay tuned.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT 2025 DISNEY WORLD VACATIONS
Walt Disney Studio Park at Disneyland Paris To Be Renamed
The final update for this week comes directly from Disneyland Paris, which today (April 12) marks its 32nd anniversary! The resort announced a slew of updates for projects currently underway, along with a few surprises at a press conference today.
The big headliner announcement is that the resort’s second park, Walt Disney Studio Park, is getting a brand-new name: Disney Adventure World. This update coincides with the opening of World of Frozen, in which we got a sneak peek at some of the updates coming from that land today.
The park will receive new entertainment, lands, attractions, and more. A new acrobatic show called “Alice and the Queen of Hearts” will premiere at Walt Disney Studio Park on May 25, 2024. Another new nighttime show will debut towards the end of 2024 at Avengers Campus featuring Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch.
We also learned this week that the Electrical Sky Parade drone show will conclude its run at Disneyland Paris on January 6, 2025. Disney Village, the resort’s shopping and dining district, has also been receiving its own updates in recent months.
Cast-to-Guest Pin Trading Returns to Disney World
Early this week, on Sunday, April 7, Cast-to-Guest pin trading returned to Walt Disney World. Pin trading has come a long way since the pandemic closures in 2020, and now, guests are now welcome to have direct pin trading encounters with Cast Members around the parks and resorts.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Cast Members with their pin lanyards as you explore the parks and resorts. And keep your eyes peeled here for more of the latest Disney theme park news.
