Destination D23 (the biggest convention for Disney fans) is nearly upon us!
The convention is set to take place at Disney’s Contemporary Resort from September 8th through September 10th, 2023 — and we’re expecting some pretty big news.
Every Destination D23 conference brings confirmation of new things coming to Disney, news that something that was planned is scrapped, or that we’ll be saying “goodbye” to a beloved experience. No matter what the news is, it’s usually big news that something is going to change.
This year, we have some things we think we could get confirmation on that will be changing in Walt Disney World. And we want to share that list with you!
Opening Date for Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
Ok, we’ve been holding our breath for the opening date for Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana to be announced and we really hope that this weekend is finally the moment! This attraction, which takes you on a self-guided tour of playing and learning about water and how it impacts us, has been much anticipated for some time now.
We’ve been following the construction of this attraction very closely for months and just recently have seen walls start to come down!
While Disney has told us that we can expect this journey to open this fall, they have not given us a specific opening date. We won’t be surprised if this is one CHANGE they finally announce at Destination D23.
Genie+ Changes
Genie+ is your guide to the Disney parks. It’s part of the My Disney Experience app and helps you plan your day. It’s also where you purchase Lightning Lane passes so you can skip some of the lines at many of the attractions.
Well, we’ve heard that things could be changing for Genie+. Now, it’s not likely that Disney will be getting rid of Genie+, but there could be some updates to how we use it. We think we could hear about these changes at Destination D23 and possibly, specifically about how you make Lightning Lane selections.
Maybe we’ll finally be able to make these selections prior to our trip like we used to be able to do with the FastPass+ system. We’ll have to wait to see, but maybe this is another change we could get confirmation on!
Park Hopper Changes
Starting in January, the Park Pass Reservation system is set to change.
This change will make it so that guests who purchase date-based tickets will not need to make a Park Pass reservation. As of now, Disney has said that you go to your first park and then after 2PM you can park hop to other parks.
Disney hasn’t released any other information on Park Hopping, and we want to know if we can expect any changes to this system! How will not making Park Pass Reservations change how we go from park to park? Maybe we’ll find out at the conference.
Opening Dates for CommuniCore Plaza and CommuniCore Hall
The CommuniCore Hall and Plaza areas are set to be central hubs for festivals going on inside EPCOT. It’s a space for people to gather to see demonstrations, exhibitions, and galleries as well as host concerts within EPCOT.
All we know as of now is that it’s supposed to be opening sometime by the end of this year. A Figment meet-and-greet and the Dreamers Point statue are supposed to be in these areas as well. We’re hoping the opening date of these spaces will be announced this weekend!
Expansions Coming to Disney World
We’ve been teased with talk of expansions coming to two Disney World parks. First, an expansion over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been discussed. We had also heard that DinoLand U.S.A. at the park was going to be getting a re-theming, so could these two things be related?
We also learned there could be an expansion coming to Magic Kingdom! These expansions have only been teased with no confirmation at this point. However, we could see this BIG news being dropped at Destination D23!
At this point, we don’t know exactly what’s to come, but we know from past Destination D23 conferences that big announcements are not uncommon.
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What changes do you think will be announced at Destination D23? Let us know in the comments!
I’ll stick with Universal. More reasonable. Not required to pay extra to ride any attractions. Food is more reasonable and never worry about getting into eatery of choice. Disney nickels and dimes you at every turn. You need to mortgage your home just to enter the parks. Disney is not any fun anymore. I have been to Disney over 100 times and have just watched it become a money grabbing industry over the years. Disney is working on their own Demise at a alarming rate. SO SAD.