Back to the Magic: Counting Down to Walt Disney World 2024

Your 2024 Walt Disney World vacation may look and feel a lot different as policies change and fan-favorite programs are reintroduced.

Walt Disney World is gearing up for 2024, and we’re getting ready by examining some of the biggest changes headed your way as booking opens May 31.

Much to our delight – and that of guests across the world – the parks are reviving many pre-pandemic policies, and re-evaluating certain programs to make life easier for visitors.

In true “ask and you shall receive” fashion, the Disney Dining Plan will return as of January 9th.

Guests will have the option to add either a Quick-Service Plan, or the traditional Disney Dining Plan to their 2024 packages as of May 31st. These dining plans are a popular and convenient option for guests who know they’ll want either quick-service or sit-down meals and snacks, but don’t want to worry about budget-planning during your trip.

Depending on how you use them, dining plans can even save your group money on memorable meals that you’ll want to repeat trip after trip.

Also starting January 9th, guests will no longer need to make park reservations for date-based tickets. Instead, when you buy theme park tickets for your vacation, you’ll select your start date and be ready to hit the rides.

Park reservations were introduced during the pandemic as a way to mitigate crowds and keep guests safe. Doing away with reservations means you’ll have more freedom to decide where you want to go, without having to know your plan so far in advance.

On top of this update, Disney is introducing “good-to-go days” for annual passholders and cast members to visit the parks without having to make reservations, as well.

Formerly beloved “Extra Magic Hours” were slowly reintroduced as extended park hours, and that additional park time will continue to be available to Disney Resort hotel guests in the coming year. All guests staying on property reap the benefits of early entry, making it easier to knock your favorite attractions off of your list with fewer people in the parks. Guests staying in Deluxe resorts and villas will also have access to extended evening hours on select nights, so be sure to consider how you want your park time to look when booking different resort tiers.

Though the details are still under wraps, Disney has announced that it plans to make Genie+ and Lightning Lanes more user-friendly for those who want to iron out trip details further in advance.

We’re keeping our ears open for more details, but hope any changes will mean guests can spend less park time on their apps and more time enjoying the Disney experience with their family and friends.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the new DVC tower at the Polynesian Village Resort are among the top “must see” items on our list for 2024.

Every year brings new and exciting updates and changes to the Disney parks and properties.

In 2024, we’re eagerly anticipating the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, currently under construction in the footprint of the former Splash Mountain. The new attraction is set to open in late 2024, but continuous updates and sneak peeks have us counting the days until we can join Tiana and Louis in a musical Mardi Gras celebration.

Also set for next year is the opening of the brand-new Disney Vacation Club tower at the Polynesian Village Resort in late 2024. The collection of villas is currently in the works, and will be home to additional recreation and dining options as well as guestrooms. This is another project we’re keeping our eyes and ears open for, and will share updates as soon as they’re available.

Still on our wish list for 2024 are more details about the reopening of restaurants and experiences that were previously closed during the pandemic. Several locations are still on hold as part of Disney’s phased reopening, but we hope to see these back in action sooner rather than later.