UPDATED December 17, 2024

Are you gearing up for a 2024 Disney World trip? Watch out for some huge CHANGES affecting the parks and hotels this year!

The Disney Dining Plan is back, Park Hopping has changed, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s dig into all the BIG CHANGES taking place at Disney World in 2024.

Resort-Wide

Disney Genie+/Lightning Lane Changes — NOW IN PLACE

BIG CHANGES have come to Disney World’s Lightning Lanes as of July 24th, 2024!

The Disney Genie service made its debut within Disney World’s My Disney Experience app in October 2021. Disney Genie provided access to “Lightning Lanes” (which allow guests to bypass Standby lines for select attractions with an extra purchase) as well as other on-the-go planning tools to help guests maximize their time in the four Disney World theme parks:  Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 

But BIG changes have come to the service! 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 are now Lightning Lane Single Pass. In addition to these changes, as Disney shares, guests can now:

• 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, Lightning Lane Premier Pass was added in October 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).

PLEASE BE AWARE that this new option is only available to guests staying at Disney World Resort hotels,  the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, or Shades of Green.

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 Dining Plan

One of the BIGGEST changes in 2024 is that the Disney Dining Plan IS BACK as of January 9th. If you’re not familiar with Disney Dining Plans, they’re essentially a way to pre-pay for your meals and snacks in Disney World. You can purchase them as part of a vacation package.

Two plan types are available: the Standard Dining Plan and the Quick Service Dining Plan. Click here to see a list of ALL the Disney World restaurants participating in the Disney Dining Plan.

Click here to learn all about the Disney Dining Plan!

New Park Pass Reservation Rules

You may know that all Disney World ticket holders were required to make a park pass reservation for each day they planned on being in the theme parks since July 2020. That also changed on January 9th, 2024 — park pass reservations are NO LONGER NEEDED for those who purchase date-based tickets. This means that guests who buy theme park tickets tied to specific dates do NOT need to make a reservation.

Guests with tickets that are not based on specific dates still need to make Park Pass Reservations. This includes Annual Passholders (unless you’re visiting the parks after 2PM), Cast Members, and other non-date-based ticket types.

Learn all about Park Pass Reservations here!

Even though Annual Passholders usually still need to make Park Pass Reservations, there’s another way they can get around this rule (besides just visiting after 2PM): “Good to Go” days! As of January 11th, 2024, Disney is offering “Good to Go” days for Annual Passholders and Cast Members. On these days, these visitors can enter the ANY of the four theme parks without a Park Pass Reservation.

The circled dates that appear when an Annual Passholders is logged into their My Disney Experience account denote the date as Good-to-Go! Keep an eye on the Annual Pass and Cast Member calendars throughout the year to find out each date they’ll be offered (on a rolling basis).

Click here for more details about “Good to Go” days.

Park Hopping Rule Change

Also as of January 9th, 2024, all-day Park Hopping is BACK! Anyone who has a park ticket with Park Hopper or an Annual Pass can visit another theme park at any time of day during park hours.

When Park Hopper returned in 2021, it was limited to after 2PM each day. That restriction ENDED on January 9th.

Learn more about Park Hopper here!

Magic Kingdom

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is NOW OPEN in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland as of  June 28th, 2024!

Country Bear Jamboree Transformation

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!

EPCOT

CommuniCore Hall and Plaza

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!

We saw Minnie and Goofy greeting with Mickey, but be aware that the “& Friends” in the space may vary, so be ready for a surprise!

And rest assured that Mickey himself will always be present to SEE YA, PAL!!!

Check out Mickey’s NEW Meet-and-Greet Spot HERE!

NEW Encanto Show Debuting in EPCOT

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

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

Get ready to party with Bruno and Mirabel!

See why we LOVE EPCOT’s new Encanto show HERE!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

New Scenes in Star Tours

On April 5th, NEW adventures made their debut at Star Tours in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios (along with Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris) featuring NEW-to-the-ride characters!

The new adventures feature characters and locations from Ashoka, Andor, and The Mandalorian. Parkgoers can now experience over 250 different adventures with a plethora of different characters, locations, and experiences!

Click HERE to check out the CHANGES at Star Tours (though beware of spoilers)!

Disney Springs

“Disney Dreams That Soar” Drone Show Debuts in Disney Springs

UPDATE: Dream That Soar ended its summer run on September 2nd, 2024, but we are keeping this information here in hopes that it returns to Disney Springs in the future!

Make sure you head to the West Side of Disney Springs to catch a BRAND NEW Drone show above Lake Buena Vista: “Disney Dreams That Soar” is inspired by Disney stories that showcase flight! It made its debut on May 24th, 2024.

These drones are programmed to create designs in the sky and are accompanied by a beautiful musical score that includes memorable movie quotes. The show ran through September 2nd, and was a great late-night perk for those still hanging out at Disney Springs!

The viewing area for it is on the West Side of Disney Springs along the water between the Aerophile balloon and the Cirque du Soliel Theatre. But, we also heard a pro tip that the rooftop bar at the Coca-Cola store is another great spot to catch the show! These areas are first-come, first-served, so keep that in mind for planning.

Click here for PICS and VIDEOS of Disney Dreams That Soar!

Disney World Hotels

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!

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

NEW Polynesian DVC Villas — which Disney calls Island Tower — have been built on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, offering waterfront views. And, the Villas officially opened on December 17th, 2024! You can check out four unique features at the Tower here. 

As for dining options at Island Tower, the Wailulu Bar & Grill offers “breathtaking views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom Park.”

This is a casual walk-up pool bar and grill, and features an all-day menu for lunch and dinner. There are also specialty coffee and on-the-go morning pastries available for breakfast.

STEP INSIDE Polynesian Resort’s Island Tower HERE!

Disney’s BoardWalk

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!

And, as of August 23rd, Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs is OPEN at long last!

Located on Disney World’s BoardWalk, it was initially slated to open in 2023 (“late 2023,” to be precise), but met with delays. So we’ve been looking forward to this for a LONG TIME.

Why? Because these are NOT you average Corn Dogs with options like Mexican Street Dogs, Pickle Dogs, and more. And let me tell you… the wait was WORTH IT!

Click HERE for our full review of Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs!

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.

The cabins sleep up to six adults and feature a bedroom, bathroom, living room, full kitchen, and private patio. A select number of cabins are dog-friendly.

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.

Click HERE to take a PHOTO TOUR of the NEW Cabins at Fort Wilderness!

A new dining experience has already debuted at Trail’s End Restaurant, with Crockett’s Tavern having been refurbished, as well.

We’ll likely see even MORE changes in Disney World next year, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates!

Click here to see the 5 big decisions you need to make FIRST when planning a 2024 Disney World vacation.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by how many changes there are to keep track of, consider talking to our friends over at Small World Vacations. Their travel agents can help take the headache out of planning your upcoming trip!