11 Disney World Perks That Disappeared in the Last 5 Years

We see Disney World perks come and go all the time.

Oftentimes, Disney will add new perks for people staying at one of their many resorts. This can include things like more time for planning your trip and making dining reservations. It can also include more time in the parks.

But just as quickly as they introduce new perks, they can remove them as well. Over the past five years or so, we’ve seen several Disney perks disappear and be replaced with other options (some better others not so much). Let’s take a look at eleven Disney perks that we used to have access to that are no longer around in Disney World.

Free Skip-the-line System

Before Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Disney had a skip-the-line system called FastPass. It was a FREE system that went through several modifications before we ended up with the system we now know and use (which is no longer free).

Way back in the old days, you had to speed walk to a kiosk with each person’s ticket to get a FastPass for whatever time was listed on your pass. Then it was re-imagined as FastPass+ and now, today, we all have to pay for Genie+ service and Individual Lightning Lanes if we want to skip any line.

Booking FastPass+ in Advance

Once Disney started getting tech savvy and using their app to help you plan your day in the parks (My Disney Experience), they brought to us the new FastPass+ system (which was still free). This system allowed us to not have to run (er…speed walk) to a kiosk to get whatever time slot the FastPass gods gave us, but instead actually pick out times in advance of our trip!

You could also use kiosks around the parks to continue getting more passes once your advanced ones were all used up. Of course, with both of these old systems, there were guidelines and stipulations, but they weren’t difficult to understand and all the passes were FREE! (Don’t mind us shedding a tear over here while we reminisce about the olden days.)

Extra Magic Hours

Extra Magic Hours was the precursor perk to Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours. Unlike the two new systems, Extra Magic Hours was available to all Disney resort guests plus a few additional resorts (Shades of Green, Disney Springs area hotels, and Four Seasons Resorts Orlando).

Today, Early Entry and the occasional Extended Evening hours are only available to select resort guests. Early Entry allows you to head into the parks 30 minutes before opening. Extended Evening hours are only available on select nights to select resort guests. Both of these new options require a valid park reservation along with staying at a qualifying resort.

Magical Express

The Magical Express was a free bus service that you could book in advance to pick you up or drop you off at the MCO airport. If you got picked up, it would take you directly to your resort so you could start your vacation.

As of 2022, this complimentary shuttle service was discontinued. Now, you can either use a different shuttle service that you have to pay for, a taxi, a ride-share service or rent a car. We certainly miss the Disney Magical Express.

Package Delivery to Hotels

There’s nothing more annoying than trying to haul around all the bags of souvenirs you’ve purchased while also trying to ride all the rides in one of the four parks. That’s why Disney used to offer another free service, package delivery.

Package delivery was a complimentary option for anyone who purchased items inside the park. They could have their items sent to the front of the park to pick up before leaving the park or if you were staying at a Disney resort, it could be sent to your resort and be waiting for you. While you can still pay to have your packages shipped home, we haven’t seen this complimentary perk fully come back yet.

Room Service

Many of these perks were directly affected by COVID-19. That is also true for room service. Room service went away when social distancing became a big deal. And now that we’re all pretty much back to normal, we’re only seeing room service offered at the Grand Floridian and occasionally (but irregularly) at some other resorts.

If you’re staying anywhere other than the Grand Floridian, we suggest not expecting that they have room service but instead ask just in case it is being offered. Otherwise, you can visit the quick-service food locations inside the hotel for some grab-and-go food or have food delivered from a local grocery store.

Airline Check-In

This was a convenient service offered to those staying at a Disney World resort. You could check in and have your boarding pass printed off for you right at your hotel.

This service is no longer offered and it doesn’t seem like Disney has any plans to bring it back. However, with online check-in for flights and using the airline apps, this isn’t a huge problem since a lot of us use our boarding passes on our phones.

Special Events/Programs at Hotels

Several Disney hotels used to have special offerings that we have not seen return. This includes Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique at the Grand Floridian, some hotel spas, and even free tours.

We’re not sure which or how many of these special hotel offerings and events will come back, but we’ll be on the lookout for them!

Disney Dining Plan

Another post-COVID perk that’s been missing is the Disney Dining Plan. This allowed you to pre-purchase meal credits of varying types (quick-service, snacks, and table service) and then use those credits to pay at each restaurant location.

While this perk has been gone for a while now, Disney has announced we will be seeing its return in January 2024! For more information on these plans, click here.

Tables in Wonderland

Tables in Wonderland was an exclusive discount offering for Annual Passholders, Florida Residents, and Disney Vacation Club members. It was 20% off food and beverages at several locations around Disney World.

This perk has still not found its way back to Disney World.

Park Hopping

Okay, yes, you can still park hop in Disney World, but it is much more limited and restricted than it used to be, and frankly, we miss how it was. You used to be able to park hop whenever you wanted, even if it was only an hour after the park opened.

Right now, the Park Hopping system is limited due to the need for park reservations. You can only park hop after a certain time which is not how this perk used to be. However, this is changing! As of January 9th, 2024, park hopping will be back to normal meaning you can park hop anytime if you have a park hopper ticket.

With all the changes that are coming to Disney World in the future, we won’t be surprised to see more perks change for us. Things come and go in the parks at Disney and we just learn to go with it.

As more changes come, make sure you check back to AllEars.net for the latest news.

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Which of these perks do you miss the most? Let us know in the comments!

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