New Year! New You! New Changes to Disney World!

You heard us right! Coming January 2024, Disney World is bringing back the Disney Dining Plan, and doing away with many park pass reservation requirements. And while these changes are what many Disney fans have been asking for, we’re also worried about going to the Parks during this time!

Our main concern is about technology changes. We’ve seen many, many hiccups with Disney tech through the years — systems crashing when runDisney events or holiday party tickets go on sale, for example. Disney World’s app glitches somewhat regularly, and sometimes, it goes down completely.

Let’s face it, technology problems can and do happen anywhere, but we’re especially worried about them with so many big changes happening at the same time in Disney World! So, if you are planning to go the week of January 9th, we suggest a couple of things just in case there’s a problem:

1. Take screenshots of any dining reservations you have, as well as any mobile orders you place. If any Disney dining systems go down, you’ll have the proof of what you have reserved and/or paid for to show guest services.
2. Likewise, be sure you’re familiar with the Disney World app, and have screenshots of all hotel reservations and ticket purchases you have made.
3. Pack your patience. Disney World is a magical place, and you’re going to have a GREAT time, but it’s not without some minor hiccups and frustrations. Come armed with your screen shots, and talk with guest services about any issues that arise!

Beyond the tech issues, we expect some other things to CHANGE starting January 9th! Let’s take a look!

No More Park Pass Reservations

Starting January 9th, park pass reservations will be discontinued for date-based tickets. If you aren’t familiar with park passes, here’s a primer: Since the park re-openings in 2020, Disney World has required not only a ticket for admission to the parks, but also a reservation for whichever park you are planning to visit on any given day. Starting Jan. 9th, unless you are an annual passholder or Cast Member, you are no longer going to need to make these park pass reservations — you’ll be able to scan into whichever park you want to on each day of your vacation (as long as you have a valid ticket, of course).

There are a few more types of tickets that will require a park pass reservation — they are tickets that you might have if you are traveling as part of a student group like a cheer team or high school band, or if you are coming to Disney World for a convention. Trust us, the organizer of your group will make it clear if you fall into this category.

So, here’s the thing about eliminating park pass reservations. We are thrilled about this change, BUT … the availability of park passes was a pretty good indicator of how crowded a park was gonna be. We have gotten used to checking park pass availability and if it is sold out in a certain park on a certain day, choosing another park that will almost certainly be less crowded. Without that indicator, we’re going to be doing more guesswork about which days will be the most crowded.

How can you know which days will be most crowded? Well, keep following DFB! We’ll let you know about special events and other happenings that could pack the parks. Disney World uses dynamic pricing — meaning tickets are more expensive on the days when it expects the most demand. So, that’s another way to judge.

These are the most expensive (and probably most crowded) 2024 dates in Disney World

Return of the Disney Dining Plan

The Disney Dining Plan is now available to buy with Disney World vacation packages — provided you are checking in on or after January 9th.

The dining plan allows you to pre-pay for your meals while you are visiting Disney World. It is not necessarily a way to save money, but it is a way to budget and plan in advance! There are two choices — the Disney Dining Plan which allows for one table-service meal, one quick-service meal, and one snack per day, or the Quick-Service Dining Plan which allows for two quick-service meals and one snack per day.

So what changes are we anticipating that worry us about the return of the Disney Dining Plan? Well, Disney restaurants are likely to get busier! People taking advantage of the Disney Dining Plan tend to eat more meals in Disney World than they might otherwise (and that’s one good reason why Disney offers it)!

People who might not otherwise dine in table service restaurants will be having one meal each day in one because they bought the dining plan — and that means reservations could be harder to come by.

And the same is true of quick-service spots — Disney World guests will be eating more meals in them, which means lines could be longer, and mobile order spots could fill up.

So, if you don’t have the dining plan, how do you ensure you can eat where you want in Disney World? Be sure you’re up early to make your Advanced Dining Reservations on the very first day you can (60 days out from your check-in date), and get your mobile orders in early when you’re able. You might want to consider using a travel agent — like our friends at Small World Vacations — who can help you navigate your plans and dining reservations!

Follow DFB for all your up-to-date Disney news!

Check out these Disney World updates coming in 2024!

 

Which update are you most excited about coming back to Disney World? Let us know in the comments!