It’s time to start planning those 2024 Walt Disney World vacations! *cue happy music*
If you’re like me and you’re in the midst of planning a 2024 Disney World vacation, you’ve probably spent a good amount of time scheming, budgeting, researching, and dreaming up the perfect trip. One thing you should be aware of, especially if you’ve been to Disney World in the last few years, is that a trip here will look slightly different in 2024!
Oddly enough, if you haven’t been to Disney World since the COVID-19 closures in 2020, a trip in 2024 to the parks might not look any different at all – that’s because the final few pandemic-era policies and restrictions are finally being lifted, and a Disney World vacation will, in large part, resemble what it did in 2019.
Park Reservations Go Away For Date-Based Tickets
One of the most glaring pandemic-era policies was Disney World’s Park Pass Reservation System. I say “glaring” only to highlight the fact that the Park Pass system was one of the few policies that had a direct impact on every single guest. Whether you were staying on resort property or were an Annual Passholder driving from across Orlando to visit, you were required to make a separate reservation in addition to buying a ticket in order to enter the parks.
That all went away on January 9, 2024, at least for all date-based tickets. That means that if you’re flying in from Rhode Island and you’re staying at Disney’s Riviera Resort for 4 nights, and you bought a 5-day Park Hopper ticket, you don’t have to make a Park Reservation anymore like you would have needed to from July 2020 through the end of 2023. (I mean, it obviously extends beyond visitors from Rhode Island staying at Riviera, but you get what I’m saying).
The exceptions to this change are guests who do not purchase date-based tickets when they visit. This includes Annual Passholders, Disney Military Salute Ticket holders, Cast Members, etc. Yes, Annual Passholders are still required to make Park Reservations in 2024 because their passes are not date-based, as in they could visit whenever they want. Note, however, that Annual Passholders are already seeing those Park Reservation restrictions loosen somewhat. Earlier this year, Disney World made it so Annual Passholders visiting after 2 PM no longer needed to book a Park Reservation. The one exception to this was if they were to visit Magic Kingdom on a Saturday or Sunday.
Another exception to note about Annual Passholders are Disney’s “Good-To-Go” Annual Passholder Days. On these pre-determined dates, Annual Passholders will not be required to make a Park Reservation prior to their visit, not matter what time of day they enter the park gates. The lineup of available Good-To-Go Days will be updated throughout the year.
Now, there’s one other impact I want to make mention of. Because Park Reservations are no longer required, guests with date-based tickets (that’s the vast majority of regular day guests who purchase single or multi-day tickets) are no longer bound to just 1 park when booking their Virtual Queue reservations. You can join any virtual queue at any theme park starting at 7:00 a.m. This specifically impacts super-popular rides, like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle/Run, and, most likely, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when it opens later this year.
It has gotten relatively easier and easier to book a Park Pass Reservation in recent months, making the system seemingly worthless, compared to when it first launched in 2020 as a means of anticipating park demand at a time when capacity was limited. If your 2024 vacation plans include a trip to Disney World and you’re not an Annual Passholder, this will provide one less step you have to do in the planning process.
CLICK HERE FOR A 10-STEP GUIDE TO PLANNING A DISNEY WORLD VACTAION.
Park Hopper Restrictions Are Lifted
The most recent announcement that will have a huge impact on 2024 Disney World vacations has to do with Park Hopping. When the parks reopened in July 2020, Park Hopping wasn’t even allowed – then, in January 2021, it returned under the restriction that guests could not Hop until after 2 PM. That 2 PM restriction remained in effect until early 2024.
As of January 9, 2024, the Park Hopping restriction have been suspended, and guests with Park Hopper privileges will be able to travel from park to park at whatever time they please! This will make planning the first half of your day much easier if you were previously accustomed to moving about more freely between parks.
So, go right on ahead and have breakfast on Main Street, U.S.A. first thing in the morning at Magic Kingdom, hop on the Monorail, and head straight to EPCOT before noon. Hop on Rise of the Resistance at rope drop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios before scooting over to Animal Kingdom to eat lunch at Satu’li Canteen. The (Disney) World is your oyster.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT PARK DAY ESSENTIALS YOU SHOULD BRING WITH YOU TO DISNEY WORLD.
The Disney Dining Plan Returns
Foodies, heads up: the Disney Dining Plan is back in 2024. The Dining Plan was suspended when the parks closed in 2020, and it remained a mystery for when it would return. Then, earlier this year, Disney announced that it would be back in time for vacations starting on January 9.
What is the Disney Dining Plan, exactly? Think of it as an all-inclusive meal plan that you pay for upfront before your vacation. When it returns in 2024, there will be 2 available Dining Plans to choose from: the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan and the (standard) Disney Dining Plan. Each one comes with a different allotment of meal credits that you can redeem at most Walt Disney World restaurants.
The Dining Plan is a great way to get the food spending done and out of the way before your trip, so all you need to worry about once you arrive is souvenir shopping (note that the Dining Plan does not include tip or gratuity; please remember to tip your servers!).
CLICK HERE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD BUY THE DISNEY DINING PLAN ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION.
New Attractions and Hotels
In addition to the major policy changes in planning a Disney World vacation, there are several new offerings on their way in 2024 that could impact the way you go about your days in the parks. Perhaps the biggest addition to the attraction lineup at Disney World that takes place in 2024 is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney has announced that the new E-ticket ride will open at Magic Kingdom in summer 2024.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be located at the former home of Splash Mountain, and will take guests on a musical journey through the world of The Princess and the Frog.
The ride will also feature brand-new Audio-Animatronic figures, including one of Princess Tiana herself!
Another attraction coming to Magic Kingdom in the summer of 2024 is Country Bear Musical Jamboree. The long-running attraction Country Bear Jamboree will be reimagined into a new show with new songs, featuring the musical bears that call Grizzly Hall home. No specific opening date or month as been announced at this time.
Over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue will get an update in spring 2024! New characters and destinations will be added to the attraction, and while we don’t know the full lineup yet, it was announced at Destination D23 that Ahsoka Tano will be one of the new characters appearing on the ride.
There will be some exciting developments in the resort hotel sector of Walt Disney World in 2024 as well. Disney has been hard at work constructing a brand-new Disney Vacation Club tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The new tower is currently projected to open in late 2024.
Modified EPCOT Festival Dates
If you’ve been to Disney World in the past few years, you are probably used to EPCOT being in near-perpetual festival mode. For the most part, EPCOT’s four festivals — Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival, and Festival of the Holidays — have run up against each other, with only a week or two “off” at most in between to transition.
A 2024 Disney World vacation, as far as EPCOT’s festivals are concerned, will more closely resemble a pre-2020 vacation. The park’s springtime Flower and Garden Festival concludes on May 27 (roughly five weeks shorter than previous years), and the flagship Food and Wine Festival does not start until August 29 (five to six weeks shorter than previous years).
Specifically, if you are planning a summer 2024 vacation to Walt Disney World, you will want to be aware that EPCOT will not have a festival happening from May 27 through August 29.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT EPCOT’S FESTIVAL LINEUP FOR 2024.
Be sure to follow along with The World of Spark as we continue to bring you the latest major updates from Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, and beyond! Our goal is to help you plan your next Disney vacation better than your last, and that involves highlighting the major differences guests will notice in the coming year. There are sure to be even more changes arriving at the theme parks in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned for the latest news and updates!
Considering a 2024 vacation to Walt Disney World? Click here to start planning!
