Hello there! Thank you so much for purchasing the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2024 e-Book! Read on for the latest updates.

Things are constantly changing at Disney World. That has been particularly true over the last few years, and we expect that there will be many more changes made in the future.

We’ve put any and all details we had at the time of publishing into The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2024. But to ensure that you have the latest Disney news, we’ve created this Post-Press Updates Page. This is where we’ll post any news or updates that come out after the date of publication. Be sure to check back often as we’re continuously updating this page throughout the year.

Disney World Vacation Packages

Bookings for 2025 Walt Disney Resort Vacation Packages are NOW OPEN (as of February 27th, 2024)!

Disney World has announced that in 2025, those staying at Disney Resorts (including DVC properties) will get a FREE park ticket to the water parks on their arrival day! You’ll be able to use this perk at either Blizzard Beach Water Park or Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and only on your check-in day.

Currently, when you stay at a Disney World hotel, you can get access to longer theme park hours, and Disney just announced that these perks are carrying over through 2025!

According to an official Disney press release, 2025 arrivals for room-only reservations can cancel their reservations UP TO EIGHT (8) DAYS before their arrival without penalty. (Previously, reservations could be canceled up to five days before to avoid penalty.)

Disney World Lightning Lanes and Disney Genie+

BIG have come to Disney Genie+ at Disney World! First, as of July 24th, 2024, there have been official name changes for the Lightning Lane services that were previously part of Disney Genie.

Disney Genie+ is now Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Individual Lightning Lanes have become Lightning Lane Single Passes. In addition to name changes, as of July 24th, guests can:

• Make Lightning Lane plans before you’re in the parks, “for added confidence:”
• Choose experiences and times prior to purchasing, so you know exactly what you’re getting with your purchase;
• Book Lightning Lane passes for multiple vacation days, all at once, if you wish!

AAAAANNNNNDDDD… A third option, A new third option, Lightning Lane Premier Pass made its debut on October 30th, 2024!

This inclusive option grants one-time entry into EVERY Lightning Lane entry in a given park for one price, eliminating the need to monitor Lightning Lane availability and make new Lighting Lane reservations throughout the day, and granting the ability to simply show up at an attraction and enter the Lightning Lane (as opposed to booking a specific time).

You will DEFINITELY want to be in the know about Lightning Lanes before you visit Disney World, sooo…

Click HERE to find out Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lanes in Disney World

Disney World Theme Park Tickets, Park Pass Reservations, and Park Hopping

As of January 9th, 2024, Park Pass Reservations are NOT needed AT ALL for those who have date-based tickets! In other words, people who buy theme park tickets that are tied to a specific date or set of dates don’t need park passes to get into the parks at all.

Also as of January 9th, visitors who no longer need a park pass reservation can book one attraction Virtual Queue at any theme park where they have valid admission.

Park Passes continue to be required, however, for Annual Passholders, Cast Members, and others with non-date-based tickets. However, Good-To-Go Days are NOW visible in the Annual Passholder and Cast Member calendars. On these days, Annual Passholders and Cast Members can visit ANY of the four Disney World theme parks without a Park Pass Reservation.

AAAAAAND ALL-DAY PARK HOPPING returned on January 9th, 2024!

Ticket prices for 2025 have been revealed.

Disney World Technology and App Updates

A major dining reservation change has gone live on the Disney World website and the My Disney Experience app — you can now search availability for multiple days at one time!

Disney Dining Plan Updates

The Disney Dining Plan is BACK AT LAST as of January 9th, 2024!

We’ve got a STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE for using your Disney Dining Plan credits in the Disney World App HERE.

We also show you how the Disney Dining Plan works specifically with Mobile Order at participating Quick Service restaurants around Disney World.

Several lounges around Disney World now accept Table Service meal credits! How does it work, though? We walk you through it here.

More Disney Property-Wide Updates

Guidelines for the Disability Access Service at Disney World have changed; You can read about the 4 changes that have come to the service HERE.

Magic Kingdom

Attractions

Following in the footsteps of previous iconic nighttime spectaculars like the Main Street Electrical Parade and Spectromagic, the new Disney Starlight evening parade is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2025! 

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is NOW OPEN (as of June 28th)!

HOW TO RIDE: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is accessible via Virtual Queue and as a Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Tier 1 option. Click any link to find out more!

Those beloved Country Bears have put together an ALL-NEW ACT in Magic Kingdom! The Country Bear Musical Jamboree opened on July 17th, 2024 with a show featuring classic songs AND Disney songs in NEW styles like country, rockabilly, and bluegrass voiced by artists including Emily Ann Roberts and Grammy winners Allison Russell and Chris Thile.

So be sure to step inside Grizzly Hall next time you mosey on into Frontierland so you can catch the new show, you hear?

Check out pics and VIDEOS of the NEW Country Bear Musical Jamboree HERE!

A new experience is NOW OPEN in Fantasyland’s Storybook Circus: Check out Smellephants on Parade!

Be aware that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will undergo a LENGTHY refurbishment which will start in the New Year:  the ride will close on January 6th, 2025, and won’t open again until 2026!

Magic Kingdom Expansion

In August 2024, Disney officially announced that Magic Kingdom is expanding the theme park with a brand new Villains Land!

So, what’s coming to Villains Land? TWO major attractions, along with new dining and shopping experiences will be presented “on an incredibly twisted grand scale.”

Disney has shared NEW information for a “reimagined section of Frontierland,” and we’re so excited to share it with you. A new area inspired by the movie Cars is coming to Frontierland!

The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into this brand-new land coming to the park. Construction on this new area is expected to begin in early 2025. 

Dining

At last year’s D23 event, Disney announced that a NEW tavern would be coming to Adventureland in Magic Kingdom. Look out for a new pirate-themed area where guests of all ages can tell their tales from land and sea!

Disney explained, “This first-of-its-kind experience will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean.” And it has since been announced that the Pirate Tavern will open in 2025!

Seasonal Events

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a seasonal Magic Kingdom event requiring a separate ticket for entry. This year, the event took place on select nights from August 9th through October 31st, 2024.

Once inside, guests enjoy plenty of ghoulish fun and entertainment only available at the Party! Find all the info HERE!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a seasonal Magic Kingdom event requiring a separate ticket for entry. This year, the event is taking place on select nights from from November 8th to December 20th! Once inside, guests enjoy plenty of festive fun only available at the Party!

Find all the info HERE!

EPCOT

EPCOT Attraction Updates

On June 17th, Test Track, which is located in EPCOT’s World Discovery, will temporarily close so the ride can be — in Disney speak — reimagined!

Disney hasn’t released too many details about what the updated ride experience will be like just yet, but they did mention that it will take inspiration from World of Motion, the ride that was originally there when the park opened in 1982! The attraction will reopen in 2025. 

EPCOT Festivals

2025 Festival of the Arts

The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will RETURN from  January 17th – February 24th, 2025!

This EPCOT Festival — the park’s first in the calendar year — made its debut in 2017, and celebrates three artistic disciplines: the Culinary, Visual, and Performing Arts.

2024 Flower & Garden Festival

In 2024, the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival kicked off on February 28th and ran through May 27th.

The Garden Rocks Concert Series returned with the Flower & Garden Festival, and you can find the full performance lineup here to get an idea of who might return in 2025!

2024 Food & Wine Festival

The 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is ON! It’s running from August 29th through November 23rd. Featuring delicious Global Marketplace Food Booths around the park as well as a Concert Series, additional family-friendly activities, and MORE, this annual event is a can’t miss part of the Disney calendar!

You can find ALL the info you need here, and check out our MUST-EAT AND DRINK menu items here!

2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

The EPCOT International Festival of Holidays is an opportunity for park guests to experience holiday traditions from around the world. It’s honestly such a cool, unique experience — it’s basically like Food and Wine Festival, holiday edition! — and it includes special events, music, and cuisine presented in food booths that are called “Holiday Kitchens” during the season.

The event begins the day after Thanksgiving — which, in 2024, is November 29th — and runs through December 30th.

EPCOT Dining Updates

In August 2024,  Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced a NEW tribute to Spaceship Earth coming to EPCOT: a Spaceship Earth LOUNGE is opening in 2025!

Shiki-Sai Sushi Izakaya has a new seasonal program. With these new stamp cards, you’ll get a stamp at each visit, and if you return through the changing seasons, you’ll earn stamps to complete the card, and ultimately earn a prize!

Fireworks and Entertainment

A BRAND NEW nighttime spectacular made its debut on December 5th, 2023 in honor of Disney 100 Years of Wonder: Luminous The Symphony Of Us!

Disney shares that the show is meant to “reflect the commonality in all of us,” and that the show invites “everyone to gather around World Showcase Lagoon for a show that will unite us through commonalities of the heart in a dazzling display of fireworks, lasers, music and light. Featuring an original composition along with select songs from the Disney songbook, this new spectacular will remind us that we’re more alike than different, connecting our hearts together as one.”

Click HERE to find out more about Luminous!

And a NEW live show has arrived to entertain guests in World Celebration. Forces of Nature is a 15-minute acrobatic performance, and it comes from the same company that provides the Art Defying Gravity entertainment during the EPCOT Festival of the Arts!

Five AMAZING acrobatic performers who perform impressive stunts on a large globe-like stage.

Park Transformation Updates

The Walt the Dreamer statue officially opened to guests in EPCOT on December 5th, 2023–in celebration of Walt’s birthday. The statue features Walt sitting, “dreaming up the overall Florida Project and the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, EPCOT.”

Walt sits in the new World Celebration Gardens, at Dreamer’s Point, overlooking all that he dreamed up as it sits today.

Four gardens can be found in the center of World Celebration, including Dreamer’s Point, and connect together at a central planter that is based on the EPCOT logo.

The area evolves with the seasons and includes lighting elements that “take on a whole new life” at night.

EPCOT’s historic — and lengthy — transformation is at long last COMPLETE! The final touch was the opening of CommuniCore Hall and Plaza in World Celebration on June 10th, 2024!

The new area serves as a central location for EPCOT’s rotating festivals throughout the year, providing a communal space to celebrate — and to provide additional programs for the events! Communicore Plaza is an outdoor space where guests can enjoy the festival offerings, while Communicore Hall is flexible enough to host a myriad of different things — food stalls, exhibition, mixology class, and so much more!

Take a Photo Tour of CommuniCore HERE!

Along with providing dedicated spaces for EPCOT’s seasonal Festivals, CommuniCore Hall is also the location of a new year-round Mickey & Friends Meet-and-Greet!

As part of the CommuniCore opening celebration, a BRAND NEW Encanto stage show has made its debut! ¡Celebración Encanto! is a sing-along that features beloved songs — and characters! — from the film.

The show is running several times a day and takes place on the new CommuniCore Plaza stage.

More EPCOT Updates

The American Adventure Pavilion in EPCOT is hosting a gallery of portraits painted by former President George W. Bush. The portraits are showcased inside the pavilion as part of an exhibit titled Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors. 

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

A NEW LAND Coming to Hollywood Studios

In August 2024, Disney  announced that an all-new LAND is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Monsters, Inc. Land will officially be in Hollywood Studios! The monsters are inviting humans to Monstropolis, and they need our laughs to power the city and keep it running.

Josh D’Amaro, Disney Experiences Chairman, shared, “The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley. You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”

Construction on the new land will begin next year.

Hollywood Studios Attractions

Disney has announced that Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy in Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closing permanently. The attraction is closing to make way for a BRAND-NEW Disney Villains show debuting at Sunset Showcase in the summer of 2025.

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy currently has hours listed for October 7th, 2024; this is the last day to experience the attraction.

Disney announced in December 2023 that a NEW show — “The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure” — is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! It was originally anticipated to open in the fall of 2024, but the opening has been pushed to summer of 2025. 

It’s also been confirmed that Voyage of the Little Mermaid is permanently closed in Disney World.

NEW adventures can now be experienced at the Star Tours attraction as of April 5th, 2024!

A few Character Meet-and-Greets have changed around the park!

Disney has also revealed that a popular ride in Galaxy’s Edge will receive an update. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will include one of the most popular Star Wars characters, the Mandalorian, in new ride missions! This new Mandalorian and Grogu storyline will coincide with the release of upcoming films in 2026.

Hollywood Studios Dining

Changes have come to the Fantasmic! Dining Packages at Hollywood Studios.

Ice Cold Hydraulics is a brand-new snack stand with some brand-new eats in Muppets Courtyard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Newly open in February 2024, this spot serves a couple of truly unique spotlight items like Candy Painted Cinnamon Rolls, savory Bouncin’ Mini Churros!

You’ll also find plenty of park classics like Mickey Bars, Mickey Pretzels, Frozen Slushes, and more.

Check out our first REVIEW of Ice Cold Hydraulics here!

There has been a major change to the side items served as part of the Family-Style meal at Roundup Rodeo BBQ.

Hollywood Studios Seasonal Events

A new holiday event made its debut in 2023 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Disney Jollywood Nights… and it is BACK FOR 2024! 

Disney Jollywood Nights is a separately ticketed event that is taking place on thirteen select nights from November 9th through December 21st, 2024. Find all the information here. 

More Hollywood Studios Fun

You can now have your VERY OWN PHOTO SHOOT in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom’s NEW Land

We’ve been waiting for MONTHS to hear more about the DinoLand, U.S.A. re-theming into the Tropical Americas, and now we have news to share! Disney has confirmed that the new land will feature Encanto! There will be an all-new ride that features the Madrigal family inside the Casita.

Disney has also announced that an Indiana Jones ride is coming to Animal Kingdom’s new 11-acre Tropical Americas section that will transform DinoLand, U.S.A. The Indiana Jones ride will feature a brand-new story. As described by Disney, the attraction will follow “the man with the hat” during a time when he has “recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Construction on the new land — which will be called Pueblo Esperanza — will begin fall 2024 and will open in 2027. In order to accommodate construction, DinoLand will close in phases: the last day for TriceraTop Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures at Animal Kingdom is January 12th, 2025. Construction walls will go up around these areas on January 13th.

Animal Kingdom Attractions

A new show ‘Zootopia: Better Zoogether’ will officially be coming to the Tree of Life theater in the winter of 2025!

Animal Kingdom Dining

We ordered a new burger at Animal Kingdom’s Signature Restaurant, Tiffins!

You can find our review here.

Character Appearance Updates

One of our FAVORITE snacks has returned to Animal Kingdom! Check out the Mango Pie!

We were visiting Animal Kingdom recently and we ran into our favorite Junior Wilderness Explorer, Russell from Up. You can meet him again on Discovery Island at the Wilderness Explorers Club House!  Our favorite talking dog, Dug, is also meeting guests in that same location.

More changes have affected character appearances within the park. Since the reopening from the pandemic closures, Disney’s Animal Kingdom initially brought back characters at a distance through the use of flotillas that would glide down the Discovery River. Now that the Disney World parks have been reopened for a few years again, it seems that character meet and greets around this particular park are looking to return to a pre-pandemic state, as the Flotillas seems to be phasing out while more traditional character greetings return to the park.

Disney Water Parks

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park reopened on March 17th, 2024! The water park had been closed since November 2023 while Disney worked on some refurbishments and sprucing up the place.

In recent years, Disney has only been operating one water park at a time based on demand and staffing capabilities, and therefore Blizzard Beach reopened on November 4th, 2024, and Typhoon Lagoon closed for the season on that same date.

Disney Springs

Dining Updates

Raglan Road is a popular table service restaurant in Disney Springs, and it has an adjoining quick service spot (Cookes of Dublin) along with a bar area (The Hole in the Wall). Now, there’s another addition coming to the Raglan Road complex: Paddy’s Bar, opening in the fall!

EET — a new restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef and Food Network star Maneet Chauhan together with hospitality entrepreneur Vivek Deora — has officially opened in Disney Springs!

You can find our FULL REVIEW of this new spot HERE.

Terralina Crafted Italian is a popular table-service restaurant in Disney Springs, and they announced recently that they promoted Claudio Daggio to serve at the spot’s new Executive Chef.

Summer House on the Lake opened on December 14, 2023 in Disney Springs! You’ll find it on the West Side near Jaleo, Splitsville, and Salt & Straw.

So that means YOU can look forward to California-inspired bites including everything from pizza and pasta to fresh salads and sandwiches during your next visit to Disney Springs! (Oh, and don’t forget the weekend BRUNCH!) You can enjoy any of these meals on one of the three expansive patios. And tucked inside Summer House on the Lake you’ll find The Cookie Bar! The Cookie Bar is “a dessert-focused market” that serves “freshly baked cookies and house-made pastries.”

Click HERE for our full review of Summer House on the Lake, and HERE for our review of the goodies at The Cookie Bar!

Entertainment Updates

To celebrate their two-year anniversary, Cirque Du Soleil: Drawn To Life has added a new finale to their show! This new finale honors the heart of the show, which is the relationship between father and daughter.

AND a brand new behind-the-scenes experience is available for Drawn to Life. The Page to Stage Signature Experience offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the show and its facilities, as well as a meet and greet with a Cirque artist, all timed around a Drawn to Life performance. Find out more info HERE!

Shopping Updates

Vineyard Vines is now open in Disney Springs!

And Everything But Water has reopened following a lengthy closure.

Disney World Resort Hotel Updates

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

Take a complete Photo Tour of one of the newly refurbished rooms in Disney’s BoardWalk Inn!!

HOORAY! Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs opened on Disney’s BoardWalk on August 23rd!

You can check out our first review of this new snack stand here!

And originally expected to open in late 2023, The Cake Bake Shop officially opened at long last on October 25th, 2024! The Cake Bake Shop is an elegant dining location open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but you can also grab delectable desserts here unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

We’ve been able to check out the bakery case (which offers baked goodies to go) and experience both the full service Breakfast and Dinner. And we are thrilled to share our experiences with you!

Find our review of Breakfast at The Cake Bake Shop here, and our review of Dinner at The Cake Bake Shop here!

Please be aware that Big River Grille & Brewing Works permanently closed in January 2024.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Heads up if you’re planning a Disney World vacation for late 2024 or 2025 — Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is set to undergo a lengthy refurbishment that will last for one whole year!

According to the Disney World website, the refurbishment will last from September 2024 to September 2025, but that is always subject to change. And, while the resort will still be available to book during these times, rooms may be limited.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

More than 350 refreshed cabins are replacing the existing cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground! Although the new cabins are part of the Disney Vacation Club resort lineup, the cabins are open for reservations to all guests, including those who are not Disney Vacation Club Members.

These refreshed cabins started to debut on July 1st! The opening is taking place in phases — the first loop opened on July 1st, and more will continue to open throughout the year.

Take a COMPLETE PHOTO TOUR of the NEW CABINS here!

Disney has also confirmed that guests staying in the Cabins are eligible for the Extended Evening Hours benefit!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

1900 Park Fare reopened at long last on April 10th, 2024! This restaurant, which is located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, is one of a few that had yet to reopen since the temporary closure of Walt Disney World Resort in 2020. But now, it’s back… with an entirely new Character Dining experience: Wish Makers Enchanted Dining!

During a buffet-style Breakfast or Dinner, guests enjoy tableside visits by characters including  Aladdin (in his Prince Ali look), Cinderella, Mirabel from Encanto, and Princess Tiana in her new look for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure “as they celebrate the power of a wish.”

Click HERE to step inside the reopened — and refreshed — 1900 Park Fare!

You can check out our review of Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare here, and Dinner at 1900 Park Fare here!

In other Grand Floridian restaurant news…

Victoria & Albert’s has been awarded a Michelin star!

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter

The Disney World website now has a statement on its Port Orleans — French Quarter page notifying guests of upcoming construction. From May 2024 through Spring 2025, some rooms at the resort are under refurbishment. This means that those rooms will not be available to guests. It also means that guests may hear some construction noise during the day.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

NEW Polynesian DVC Villas — which Disney is calling Island Tower — are being built on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, offering waterfront views. And, Disney announced that the villas will be opening on December 17th, 2024 — so mark your calendars! You can check out four unique features coming to the Tower here. 

As for dining options at Island Tower, the Wailulu Bar & Grill is coming to the Tower, and will “boast breathtaking views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom Park.” According to Disney, this will be a casual walk-up pool bar and grill, and will feature an all-day menu for lunch and dinner. There will also be specialty coffee and on-the-go morning pastries available for breakfast.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Heads up if you’re planning a stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort! Disney has announced a major refurbishment is taking place on the exterior of the hotel.

The Disney World website has a warning advising guests of the refurbishment, and as of August 5th, you may see and hear construction work at the Wilderness Lodge “during daytime hours.”

Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts

If you’ve made a 2025 reservation at Disney World’s Beach Club or Yacht Club Resort solely to visit their incredible pool area, we’ve got some news to share. Just recently, Disney announced that the 2025 refurbishment at Stormalong Bay is going to be extended through June, so it will be closed from January through June 2025.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels

This year’s Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic is running from November 15th through November 16th. Although this event doesn’t require a park ticket, it is a ticketed event, but for the price of a ticket, you get UNLIMITED food and beverages from restaurants at the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve.

Click HERE for all of the info on the 2024 Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic