Disney is hosting a huge event this September and you’ll want to pay attention.

From September 8th through the 10th, Destination D23 will take place in Walt Disney World at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. During the event, there will be panels hosted by Disney executives that’ll give us a peek into the future of the parks and movies. In the past, we’ve seen some really important announcements made at this event, and the schedule for the 2023 event has given us some big clues about what could be coming. 👀 So let’s break it all down now and see what news we could get from Destination D23 this year!

Before we begin, we do want to note that we’ll be sharing updates ALL weekend long from Destination D23 when it’s taking place. Be sure to follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok) and subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!

In terms of updates we’re expecting, we’re drawing our analysis (and hopes!) from the panels that have been revealed for this year as well as things we’ve seen in the past. To see the full Destination D23 schedule revealed for 2023, click here.

In terms of announcements we’ve seen before, in 2021 Disney announced all kinds of things like changes being made to the Fantastmic! show, a new cavalcade for Magic Kingdom, an opening timeline for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the announcement of new restaurants for EPCOT — Connections Cafe and Eatery, news about the return of nighttime shows to Disneyland, technology updates, and MUCH more.

Basically, almost ANYTHING is fair game — opening timelines, new restaurant announcements, updates for existing or upcoming attractions, sneak peeks at new technology that could be implemented in the parks, and MORE.

Now, let’s get to what big announcements could be on the way this year!

1 — Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana Opening Date

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana — a NEW walk-through attraction — is set to open this fall in EPCOT. Cast Member previews are scheduled to be held soon and we’ve seen quite a few updates about the attraction recently but NO official opening date yet. It seems like Destination D23 could be the perfect time to make such an announcement and there are 2 panels where it could happen.

One is scheduled for 9:15AM on Saturday, September 9th, and is called “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” During that panel, Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and “special guests” will be looking to the future of the Disney parks and they’ve indicated that there could even be some “fun surprises along the way.”

On top of that, at 4:20PM on Saturday, another panel will take place which is called “EPCOT: Always in a State of Becoming.” This is meant to be a “look into the design and ideas behind the transformation of EPCOT and its new neighborhoods, attractions, and experiences.”

Either or both of these panels could present Disney with the opportunity to share some BIG updates about the Moana attraction including its opening date and perhaps a new look inside, information about how the attraction will work, any details about its potential use of Genie+ or a virtual queue, and more. So we’ll DEFINITELY be on the lookout for updates.

Click here to see EVERYTHING we know about the Moana attraction so far

2 — MASSIVE EPCOT Updates

As that one panel we mentioned above emphasizes, EPCOT is in a huge transitional phase right now. Aside from the new Moana attraction, the park is set to get:

1. a new fireworks show (late 2023)
2. the new CommuniCore Hall space (by the end of 2023)
3. the new CommuniCore Plaza area (by the end of 2023)
4. new gardens in World Celebration (by the end of 2023)
5. a new Mickey meet-and-greet in CommuniCore Hall (by the end of 2023)
6. a few Figment meet-and-greet (summer 2023)
7. the appearance of Mickey and Minnie in their 100th Anniversary outfits as part of the celebration (September 22nd, 2023)
8. more 100th Anniversary touches (like a platinum Mickey statue, a new Spaceship Earth lights show, and a Disney100 popcorn bucket) (September 22nd, 2023)
9. a Walt Disney statue as part of Dreamers Point

We’ve seen some updates about these additions here and there but exact opening dates and details for many of them are still pending.

Other things had previously been discussed for the park, like an update to Spaceship Earth itself (postponed), a Mary Poppins attraction in the United Kingdom pavilion (postponed), and a new movie in the China pavilion. We haven’t heard about those proposals in a LONG time.

Considering the fact that there is an entire panel dedicated to EPCOT’s transformation and how it is in a “state of becoming,” some important EPCOT updates could be on the way! We could get opening dates for some of these things, more news or sneak peeks at them, or reveals of more details surrounding them. Considering the fact that several of them are set to be completed by 2023 and the end of the year is rapidly approaching, we’ve got our fingers crossed for some big news!

Learn ALL about the EPCOT transformation here

3 — Tiana News

We already know that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is coming to Disney World and Disneyland in late 2024, but Destination D23 could provide us with more updates about this attraction re-theme. Perhaps we’ll get a more exact opening date for one or both of these ride transformations, or just more details about what to expect when these rethemes are done.

We also already know that Tiana is getting her own restaurant in Disneyland (Tiana’s Palace), but could Destination D23 bring us news about a Tiana restaurant addition in Disney World? Or news about other Tiana-themed spaces — like a Tiana-themed gift shop — that may be added to Frontierland in Disney World?

Considering that there is an entire panel dedicated to the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products division, part of that will be looking at the future of the parks, we’ve seen Disney announce new restaurants at Destination D23 in the past, and this particular ride re-theme is a MAJOR change, it seems like this could be a great time to get some Tiana announcements in!

Learn about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure here

4 — Disney World Restaurant News

On top of all the other things coming this year, Disney World is set to get some NEW restaurants in 2023 (yes, THIS YEAR) including:

1. The Cake Bake Shop (Disney’s BoardWalk)
2. Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs (Disney’s BoardWalk)
3. Summer House on the Lake (Disney Springs)
4. EET by Maneet Chauhan (Disney Springs)

Considering the fact that all 4 of these spots are supposed to open by the end of 2023 and there are only a few months left in the year, Destination D23 might be just the time for D’Amaro and others from the Disney team to provide some updates on these spaces — whether that’s in the form of opening dates or simply more restaurant details.

Did you know there’s a CHAMPAGNE BAR coming to Disney World? Learn about it here!

5 — Updates on 2024 Disney World Changes

Speaking of times that are rapidly approaching, 2024 will be here before you know it and it’ll bring some huge updates to Disney World including:

1. the removal of the Park Pass requirement for date-based tickets (goes into effect January 9th, 2024)
2. Genie+ changes (that may allow guests to do a bit of pre-planning with the system), and
3. the return of the Disney Dining Plan (returns January 9th, 2024)

Again, considering there is a panel that’ll apparently touch on the future of the parks and these changes are coming soon, it could be a good opportunity for Disney to provide any kind of update on them. Will the change in Park Pass requirements alter Park Hopping rules? Disney hasn’t shared any news on that yet…

What Genie+ changes will be implemented exactly and WHEN? Are there any other updates on the Disney Dining Plan guests need to know about? We’ll be watching closely for news on ALL of that.

Click here to see more about those Genie+ changes planned for 2024

6 — International Theme Park News

Disney specifically notes that their “Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products” panel will include “updates from around the world” and that’s NO surprise because Disney is working on tons of projects at the international theme parks.

We recently got a whole bunch of updates about Fantasy Springs — the new land coming to Tokyo DisneySea in 2024 — that’ll have new rides, restaurants, and more. And we’ve seen updates announced for Disneyland Paris in particular recently and its upcoming Frozen land.

Disney may be itching to share more news about these spots or other projects planned for the international parks, so be sure to have those passports renewed, you might have a big Disney trip to plan for your future.

See more about the Rapunzel, Peter Pan, and Frozen areas coming to Tokyo DisneySea

7 — Cruise Line Updates

Another panel that could bring us some big news is one dedicated to Disney Cruise Line. It’s scheduled for Saturday, September 9th, and is titled “Disney Cruise Line: 25 Years of Innovative Design at Sea.” During the panel, guests are supposed to get an “inside look into designing and building Disney Cruise Ships from the Disney Imagineers currently working on its newest fleet.”

Disney is in the process of working on 3 NEW ships — the Disney Treasure (set to debut in fiscal year 2025) and 2 others (one set to debut in fiscal year 2025 and another set to debut in fiscal year 2026). Plus, they’ve already shared some news about the new private island — Lighthouse Point.

This panel (or the one that includes news about everything to do with the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products division — which includes Disney Cruise Line) could bring us some exciting cruising news about the Treasure or the 2 other ships being worked on — perhaps we’ll get new ship names or other details.

This panel will also be held just days after Disney’s “grand reveal” of the Disney Treasure Cruise Ship (scheduled for August 30th) so this could be an opportunity to follow up on that grand reveal with more spectacular announcements.

Check out what we know about the Disney Treasure so far right here!

8 — Movie News

Destination D23 could also bring us some big Disney movie news. Why? Well, because there is an entire panel dedicated to Disney’s movie studios scheduled for Destination D23.

On Sunday, September 10th, there will be a Walt Disney Studios Showcase starting at 9AM that’ll have a “sneak peek at exciting upcoming projects from The Walt Disney Studios.” The panel is scheduled to last until around 10:30AM from what the schedule looks like, so there could be a whole bunch of updates packed in here.

Disney is working on a number of films — from animated features to live-action movies — and we could hear about a variety of them during this panel. Some of the particularly big films coming up include The Marvels (Marvel), Wish (Disney Animation), Elio (Pixar), Snow White (Disney Live Action), and Inside Out 2 (Pixar).

Plus, Disney previously announced a Frozen sequel, Toy Story sequel, and Zootopia sequel. It’s possible that we’ll hear about those films, maybe some of the new Star Wars films that have been announced, the future of Marvel, or other movies!

Click here to see what celebrities have had to say about some of the new Disney sequels announced

9 — Other Updates

In terms of other updates, some of the panels at Destination D23 could provide us with clues. One panel is all about celebrating Marvel’s Avengers and it notes that guests will be able to “join Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski to trace the comics history of the Avengers across six decades—and BEYOND!” So perhaps some Avengers news will be snuck in there.

Another panel appears to be dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of Disney World. It is called “100 Years of Innovation: Magic in Every Medium” and notes that “Imagineers Daniel Joseph and Karin Hanson reconcile a century of innovations in which Disney stories have been brought to life through magic, connecting how they have been inspired by the innovations of yesterday, to the exciting ways they innovate through storytelling today.”

Could this give us a glimpse into innovations coming in the future or a peek at some of the things Imagineering is working on now? Perhaps — we’ll have to wait and see.

We could also get some Disneyland updates since a number of projects are in the works over there too including a new Avengers store, the transformation of Paradise Pier hotel into Pixar Place hotel, and the new Disney Vacation Club villas coming to the Disneyland Hotel.

News We’re Hoping For

Finally, let’s talk about some news we’re hoping for:

1. A Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser update — considering the hotel will be closing this year
2. Updates on the proposed expansions at Magic Kingdom and retheme of DinoLand USA at Animal Kingdom that were teased at the D23 Expo in 2022
3. Any updates on the Disney Vacation Club addition coming to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (scheduled to open in 2024)
4. Any news about the expansion to the Avengers Campus space at Disneyland Resort that has been previously announced

We’ve got our fingers crossed for some exciting news. What announcements are you hoping for at Destination D23? Tell us in the comments! And stay tuned for all the news

What news are you hoping for? Tell us in the comments!