Can you believe it? December is almost over and it will soon be 2024!
Now, Disney has already dropped 2024 merchandise, but can we talk about how much Disney World is going to change in the New Year? Just in the month of January alone, some of the biggest rules at Disney World will be different.
Before we get into it, we do want to remind you that using a travel agent who specializes in planning Disney trips is THE way to go for your 2024 vacation! It’s their job to keep up with all of these changes, and to ensure your vacation goes off without a hitch! And their services are free! We recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel!
So let’s take a look at the biggest changes that will happen in January 2024.
No More Park Pass Reservations
One of the things we think Disney World visitors have complained about the most since 2020 is the park pass reservations. Disney has been managing capacity in the parks by requiring a reservation AND a ticket to get in. But for most folks, those reservations will be history on January 9th, 2024. If you have a date-based park ticket, meaning you bought it for use on a certain date or bought a multi-date ticket for use during a certain period of time, you will not have to make a reservation to visit any theme park in Disney World.
However, if your tickets or passes are not tied to a date, you will still have to make a park pass reservation. This generally applies to Annual Passholders and Cast members, as well as other categories of tickets — like possibly if you got a ticket as part of a student group or through a convention you are attending. When in doubt, just ask your group’s coordinator, or you can always call Disney World’s existing tickets line at (407) 934-7639 to be sure of whether you will need a reservation or not.
All-day Park Hopping Is Returning
Another BIG change coming in January concerns the rules about park hopping. Right now, you can only park hop (with a valid park hopping ticket) after 2PM. Well, on January 9th, 2024, if you’ve got an Annual Pass or valid park hopper option added to your ticket, you can park hop whenever you want.
This means that park hopping will be like it was before 2020, so no more watching the clock to see when you can park hop.
The Disney Dining Plan Is Returning
Another pre-2020 thing returning to Disney World is the Disney Dining Plan, which allows guests to choose to pre-pay for all their Disney World meals in advance of their trip. This is a big change in and of itself, but it will also impact Disney World restaurants a lot.
The biggest impact of the dining plan returning could be that those hard-to-get restaurant reservations will suddenly be even harder to get. The dining plan offers good value at some Disney World table service restaurants, so those are going to be booking up fast.
“Good to Go” Dates for Annual Passholders
Earlier this year, Disney World announced that it was adding “Good To Go” dates for Annual Passholders in 2024. That means that there will be certain dates when Annual Passholders will not need a park pass reservation to get into the parks.
Disney later announced that this Annual Passholder perk would arrive in January 2024.
MAYBE: Lightning Lane Advance Booking
So this may be wishful thinking, but Disney announced that the Disney Genie+ experience would be simplified in 2024, including giving visitors the ability to book Lightning Lane selections in advance. Now, we don’t know if this is coming in January, but with all the other changes announced for the first month of 2024, we’re hoping we see this change come to light, too.
We do have to stress that Disney has not confirmed when this change will take effect, though, but we’ve got our fingers crossed.
We’re looking forward to a New Year in Disney World and can’t wait to see what else will change next year. Check back with AllEars again soon to stay updated.
Don’t Be Blindsided By These Sneaky Disney World Changes
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
What do you think of these big changes? Let us know in the comments!
As an Annual Passholder, I am not pleased. We are still required to book a park unless it’s a Good To Go day. Honestly, the whole park pass system is very confusing. I’m somewhat shocked that we can now hop to another park anytime. That’s a good thing. If your family rope drops, waiting till 2 pm is a long slog. So disappointing. I have an idea for the next Disney popcorn container. Just make it a huge Disney trash can. People would love walking around eating out of a garbage can. I would
Isn’t buying a date based ticket the same as a reservation anyway? I mean you buying a ticket for a specific date that’s a reservation!