Disney World Just Threw 5 Curveballs This Week, So Here's How You're Gonna Get Around Them

Y’all, we need to have a chat.

Cinderella Castle at Disney World

This week has been FILLED with news bombs from Disney, ones that will absolutely impact your vacation if you’re visiting Disney World in 2024. Some of these updates will even affect you NOW. Don’t panic yet, though. These changes are big, some are daunting if you’re in the throes of planning your vacation, but it’s gonna be okay. Why? Well, because the DFB team is here to tell you how to navigate these curveballs and still have the bestest and most magical trip ever. (And yes, we just said “bestest.” That’s how awesome your trip is gonna be with a little extra planning.)

Alright, so we’re just gonna talk about these changes one by one, as well as offer a solution, alternative option, or how to best prepare for the implementation of that change. Let’s go!

THOUSANDS of Restaurant Price Increases

Yes, we mean it when we say THOUSANDS. Multiple items on nearly every restaurant menu across Disney World property experienced price increases of at least 25 cents — sometimes a dollar or more. While these changes might be minimal if you’re ordering a single item, if you are visiting Disney World as a group or will be dining for multiple meals in a row or multiple days in a row, these increases can add up.

Breakfast at ‘Ohana

As a solution, just be prepared! That’s all! Budget a little bit extra per meal — $10 to $15 for a family should be fine. Another solution is to take advantage of the Disney Dining Plan returning on January 9th, which will allow you to pay in advance for your food.

Annual Pass Price Increase

If you’re an Annual Passholder or are hoping to become one soon, Annual Pass prices have also been increased by $30 to $50 depending on pass type.

Disney World Annual Pass

The only solution to this is… unfortunately to just budget more. However, a lot of our readers have told us that this was the final straw that did them in, and that they will NOT be renewing their pass. You can decide what’s best for your family, and remember that if you are a Florida resident, you can always use a payment plan.

All-Day Park Hopping Is Back

This news is so exciting, and a lot of you are probably wondering how this could be a frustrating thing. Well, you know how backed up the lines to the buses, Skyliner, and Monorail get around park hopping time each day? Yeahhhhh. There’s a real possibility that it could be like that all day long. HOWEVER. The unlimited ability to park hop could also spread crowds out enough that we might not see transportation crowd surges at all.

Monorail line

Just in case, though, the best way to prepare is to give yourself a little extra time to get from Park A to Park B, especially if you have a reservation.

Special Tours Are More Expensive

Most of Disney’s special tours are now more expensive, with an average price increase of about $15, but there were a few that increased by only a dollar.

Tour Guide

The price increases here are totally manageable if you prioritize what you want to experience ahead of time, and just budget a little extra per family member. Also, if a friend of ours asked us… we’d tell them that if you’ve done a tour once, you’ve done it a million times.

Fireworks Dessert Parties Are More Expensive

The Magic Kingdom and EPCOT fireworks dessert party prices increased by about $10 on average, which is manageable with a bit of budgeting, but we’re going to go out on a limb here and suggest not going at all. If this is a dream of yours — totally go. However, we’d recommend doing a private fireworks cruise instead. It’s more expensive if you’re going alone or as a family, but you get a whole basket of food and drinks and even some decor. Plus, you don’t have to deal with other people.

Fireworks Cruise

If you split the price as a group, it can cost the same as the dessert parties. We love this experience and recommend it to everyone celebrating a special occasion.

And there you have it! Those are all the BIGGEST changes coming your way at Disney World, as well as how to mitigate those changes. We’ll be sure to keep you all in the loop, so make sure to follow along so that you never miss a thing.

Click here to see the changes at DISNEYLAND!

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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

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What do you think of all the changes? Let us know in the comments!