Disney has announced new updates to its policies for 2024 including bringing back the Disney Dining Plan! Here’s the announcement:
Every guest who visits Walt Disney World has a completely unique experience. The magic of these experiences comes from the little moments, the ones we don’t quickly forget. Like the décor when guests step into a Disney Resort hotel, the smell of their favorite Disney snack as they walk down Main Street U.S.A., the cast member who went out of their way to help a guest, or feeling the thrill racing across the Grid on TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom Park.
Thousands of these unique moments happen every day, creating a deeper connection with Disney. We care about that and are always listening to your feedback. That is why we recently rolled out updates to improve the Guest experience, like bringing back complimentary overnight self-parking at our Disney Resort hotels, adding attraction photos taken in the park on the day of a visit to Disney Genie+ and more.
And today we’re thrilled to share some more exciting news just in time for the launch of 2024 bookings for theme park tickets, Disney Resort hotel stays and packages at Walt Disney World on May 31. These updates will make planning a Walt Disney World visit easier, so guests can simply enjoy all we have to offer and make more memories:
Removing theme park reservation requirements for date-based tickets
Starting with park visits on Jan. 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets. You heard that right! When getting a ticket, simply select a start date for Jan. 9, 2024 or later, complete the purchase and you will be all set! For reference, date-based tickets are the standard ticket option we offer to guests. For other admission types, including non-dated tickets, theme park reservations may be required to help us continue managing attendance and delivering a great experience for everyone. Guests can check which admission types require park reservations by visiting DisneyWorld.com/ThemeParkReservations.
Introducing ‘good-to-go days’ for Annual Passholders
In 2024, we plan to offer select days on which our Annual Passholders* may visit Walt Disney World theme parks without needing a park reservation. Once introduced, we will roll out these “good-to-go” days on an ongoing basis. This will be in addition to the recent update which offers Passholders the opportunity to visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park. “Good-to-go” days may vary by park, and pass block out dates and capacity limitations continue to apply like they do today. Please stay tuned for more details on “good-to-go” days
Bringing back our fan-favorite Disney dining plans
Time to eat! Disney dining plans will be coming back as an option for those staying at Disney Resort hotels who purchase a vacation package with us starting with stays beginning Jan. 9, 2024, which will also open for bookings on May 31. We know our guests – and families in particular – have missed dining plans, which are pre-paid and offer added convenience and peace of mind. Guests will be able to choose from two popular options: Packages that include either the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan or the Disney Dining Plan – both will be a great value for families with young children with access to many spectacular food and beverage offerings across Walt Disney World.
Continuing to provide extended park time to Disney Resort hotel guests
For those planning to stay at a Disney Resort hotel, we will continue to offer the popular early theme park entry for visits through 2024. This great benefit gives Guests a jump start on their day. For those staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas, we’ll also be continuing to offer extended evening hours on select dates at select parks through 2024. Early theme park entry and extended evening hours require valid theme park admission and a Resort ID.
Simplifying the Disney Genie+ experience
We have heard from guests that they would like ways to plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual lightning lane selections before the day of their park visit, and while we don’t have specifics to share yet, we want you to know we are working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024. We want to give guests the opportunity to spend less time planning in the park and more time enjoying their visit with friends and family. We look forward to sharing more details at a later date.
Updated room categories
Effective later this month, and including all 2024 reservations, the names of some room categories at Deluxe Resorts will be simplified to be three categories in most cases: resort view, water view, theme park view. This adjustment better enables us to focus on the guest experience at check-in as we assign rooms and prioritize specific requests.
