Are you ready for a change? Disney World sure is!

If you’re planning for your next Disney World trip for 2024, you’ve got to know all the things that are changing from this year to the next (and be prepared because it’s a LONG list). But fear not — we’re here and we’ll guide you through all of the changes coming so that you’re ready to make those travel plans with confidence!

What’s going to be changing at Disney World in 2024? Well, do you have a minute? Go ahead and get comfortable, put your feet up, and let’s go over it all.

Resort-Wide

Disney Dining Plan

Look, this is probably the BIGGEST change that you’re going to see on this list and the one we’ve been anticipating greatly. The Disney Dining Plan will be returning on January 9th, 2024. For those who don’t know what the dining plan is (especially since it’s been missing from Disney World since 2020), it’s a way for Disney World guests who book a vacation package through Disney to pre-pay for their dining costs.

Two plans will be available: the Standard Dining Plan and the Quick Service Dining Plan — here are FULL details on what each plan will offer and here’s a list of all the Disney World restaurants participating in the plan.

The One Thing We Noticed About the Disney Dining Plan That Could Change Everything

New Park Pass Reservation Rules

Alright, next up, you know that all Disney World ticket holders must make a park pass reservation for each day they plan on being in the theme parks. That will change on January 9th, 2024 — park pass reservations will NOT be needed for those who purchase date-based tickets. This means that guests who buy theme park tickets tied to specific dates will not need to make a reservation.

However, this change doesn’t affect those with tickets that are not based on specific dates. They will still need to make park pass reservations (i.e. Annual Passholders unless they’re visiting specific parks after 2PM, Cast Members, and other non-date-based ticket types).

Read More About The Park Pass Reservations Change

Genie+ Changes

Moving right along, there might be some good news for those who miss the days of grabbing FastPass+ reservations in advance of their Disney World trip. Disney recently shared that they’ve listened to guests who wanted to “plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit.” The company has expressed that is now “working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024.”

However, Disney has not yet revealed any further details on what this means for guests using Genie+, but more details should be released later. Disney did announce a new change to the pricing of Genie+, but we think there are more changes to come in 2024.

Here’s More About This BIG Genie+ Change

Disney World Hotels

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is currently constructing some new Disney Vacation Club villas at the resort that are set to open sometime in 2024. This will give DVC members some new options for staying at the resort. The new rooms will feature waterfront views with most also offering balconies.

The new structure will also offer new dining and swimming options, as well as other recreation areas.

Here’s Everything We Know About the New Hotel Rooms Coming to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Disney’s BoardWalk

Next, over at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, they are in the process of updating all the hotel rooms with new furniture and decor. These new rooms will feature artwork that contains images of Mickey, Minnie, and other Disney pals strolling through the BoardWalk.

On top of that, the lobby of the hotel is expected to get a refresh. We already saw some construction at the check-in desk, and the former Dundy’s Sundries shut down to make way for Carousel Coffee.

Also, a new bakery and cafe is coming to the BoardWalk. It’s The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers and it will feature a variety of pastries and baked goods, as well as offer a counter service and table service restaurant. It will also even serve an afternoon tea.

The new restaurant is set to open in 2023, which you’ll want to plan on visiting in 2024.

Learn more about The Cake Bake Shop’s Afternoon Tea

Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs

Next up for you corn dog lovers, the Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs stand is coming to Disney’s BoardWalk. They already run a stand at Downtown Disney in Disneyland Resort, but now they’ll be making their way to the east coast.

While you will generally find a “regular” corn dog on the menu, the really exciting thing here is Blue Ribbon’s constantly rotating menu of unique corn dog creations. The Disney World menu hasn’t been released yet, but in Disneyland, we’ve seen things like the Mexican Street Corn Dog, a Christmas Corn Dog, and even a Golden Dragon Corn Dog!

An official opening date hasn’t been released yet but it is set to open in 2023, meaning by 2024 there could be a whole new world of corn dog creations for you to try!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

Room changes are also coming to the Grand Floridian Resort. Disney announced that some of the rooms will be updated with new furniture and color schemes. We’ve already seen many of these updated rooms open up to guests.

Lots of the DVC rooms have been updated already with a Mary Poppins Returns theme.

Disney also announced a little while back that the lobby of the hotel is going to undergo a refurbishment soon.

And we can’t forget about the restaurants! Both Citricos and Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridan got refurbishments with new decor in the past couple of years. So, you’ll definitely want to pop into the resort while you’re at Disney World.

Disney’s Beach Club Resort

Disney’s Beach Club Resort is also updating guest rooms. The rooms’ look and feel might be changing, but you won’t feel out of place.

The bathrooms have also seen a little bit of an update. The shower curtains have been replaced with a glass door.

You’ll find new carpet in the hallways, too. Look closely — do you see those Donald Duck footprints?

The hotel hopes to have the rest of the rooms at the resort upgraded by October 2023.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

Here’s a massive update for you. Disney Vacation Club has announced its plan to redesign the cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The proposal calls for more than 350 refreshed cabins to replace the existing cabins at the resort. Although the new cabins will be part of the Disney Vacation Club resort lineup, the proposed cabins will be open for reservations to all guests, including those who are not Disney Vacation Club Members.

So far, the concept art shows modern cabins “inspired by the resort’s idyllic setting, while also paying homage to the resort’s unique culture and heritage through the magic of Disney storytelling,” per Disney. The cabins will sleep up to six adults and feature a bedroom, bathroom, living room, full kitchen, and private patio. A select number of cabins will be dog-friendly.

As part of Disney’s Environmental Sustainability initiative, Disney stated that “the proposed cabins will be built with an eye toward the environment, utilizing the footprint of the existing cabins and taking advantage of more energy-efficient features.”

There will also be an updated pool and walking trail enhancements as well as new dining experiences at Trail’s End Restaurant and Crockett’s Tavern.

Currently, Disney expects the new Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort to open in 2024.

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

Now over to All-Star Sports. The refurbishments are in progress currently but should be completed sometime this year, which means all the new rooms should be open by 2024.

So far, a few sections of the resort have been completed, and the updated rooms look very similar to the new ones at All-Star Movies and All-Star Music, with two queen beds (one of which is a Murphy bed).

Another Big Hotel Change

If we’re talking about changes at Disney World hotels, we also need to talk about a new piece of Disney tech — Hey Disney! This service works with Amazon Echo and Alexa devices and offers “custom voice assistance” to guests staying at Disney World resorts. Through Hey Disney, you can get assistance with room amenities, guest services, planning, weather info, and much more.

So far, the only hotels with Hey Disney! devices are Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans — French Quarter Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

Don’t forget that you can also get Hey Disney! for your home on Amazon!

Now let’s talk about what’s going down at the parks.

Magic Kingdom

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

A new ride is coming to Magic Kingdom. Splash Mountain closed in early 2023 to make way for a NEW ride themed to Disney’s animated film The Princess and the Frog. The new attraction is called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and is set to take visitors through the bayous of Louisiana to help Tiana with her new endeavor, Tiana’s Foods.

This ride will pick up the moment after The Princess and The Frog ends and we will “join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.” 

So what actually happens after the film? Tiana opens Tiana’s Palace and requires the riders’ help finding a missing key ingredient for the Mardi Gras party she’s throwing for the people of New Orleans. We’re going to be seeing old and new characters, hearing familiar and new songs, and embarking on a whole new adventure with Tiana! It’s set to open in 2024.

Read all about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure here!

Hatbox Ghost is coming to Disney World

Disneyland’s infamous Hatbox Ghost will finally be making the journey East to appear inside Disney World’s Haunted Mansion. Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, took to the stage at the D23 Expo in 2022 to make the announcement.

Hatbox Ghost is set to start haunting Haunted Mansion guests sometime in 2023.

Learn more about Hatbox Ghost Coming to Disney World

EPCOT

Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana

If you haven’t heard, EPCOT has been undergoing an EPIC transformation over the past few years, with much of it set to complete by or during 2024. That means that EPCOT visitors will finally get to enjoy a new attraction, Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana. The walkthrough attraction will feature lots of shade, as well as a series of water features.

This attraction is set to open in the fall of 2023.

Here’s An INSIDE LOOK at the ‘Moana’ Attraction Coming to EPCOT

World Celebration Completion

Most of the construction at EPCOT is happening at what is now the World Celebration section of the park. The good news is that those construction walls should all be down by late 2023. That means that riders exiting Spaceship Earth will have a good look at Dreamers Point, which will feature a new statue of Walt Disney.

The CommuniCore Plaza Festival Area and CommuniCore Hall should also open in late 2023. Communicore Plaza is an outdoor space for visitors to relax while enjoying festivals, although the space can also host concerts and performances. CommuniCore Hall is inside the plaza and will be the first structure built in EPCOT to support festival programming.

Everything You Need To Know About The EPCOT Transformation

New Nighttime Show

EPCOT will also be debuting a new nighttime show in late 2023 as part of the Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary celebration, so make sure to experience it when you come in 2024.

Disney hasn’t released a lot of details about the show, but has said that it would “reflect the commonality in all of us.”

Learn More About How EPCOT Will Be Disney World’s Host For the Disney100 Celebration

While we’re in EPCOT, let’s talk about food.

Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya

A new restaurant is coming to the Japan pavilion and it’ll be called Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya. The Table Service restaurant is meant to present a “festive dining experience in a sharable Izakaya-style.”

The menu will have “Japanese delights like sushi and teppan items,” plus there will be an open sushi bar and grill. Sushi options will include things like Kobore Sushi, Tokyo Negi Roll, and Funamori. Japanese Izakaya-style eats will be available too (Izakaya is a type of casual pub-style restaurant that puts an emphasis on drinks and conversations with friends). Some of the small dishes available will include Karaage Chicken, Salmon Misoyaki, and Tomato Salad with Avocado.

But the unique thing that’ll set this restaurant apart is that each month it will honor a different Japanese seasonal festival. Sometimes that’ll be with special menu items or unique decor. And a cultural representative will be present during your meal to guide you through the experience. Plus, the restaurant will feature fireworks views. It appears that it will be located in the former Tokyo Dining space within the pavilion.

The restaurant is set to open in the summer of 2023, and might be your new must-visit spot for Japanese eats, seasonal celebrations, and fireworks at EPCOT in 2024!

Click here to see more about Shiki-Sai!

Let’s hop on over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and find out what’s going on there.

Hollywood Studios

New Star Tours Adventures

Disney announced that Star Tours will be getting some new scenes/adventures that guests can get when they ride!

While this isn’t technically a new ride, the new stories will make your ride new, since it’ll be stories none of us have seen before!

This isn’t the first time that new stories have been added to the ride, as they’ve been updated multiple times throughout the years. We can’t wait to see the new stories!

Read all we know about the new stories being added here!

Alright, let’s head out of the parks now and head on over to Disney Springs.

Disney Springs

Summer House on the Lake

Summer House on the Lake is set to open in late 2023. The restaurant will serve up pizzas, sandwiches, salads, pasta, wood-grilled dishes, and more. There will even be a weekend brunch.

INSIDE the Summer House will be a snack spot, too, called The Cookie Jar, which will serve freshly-baked cookies and pastries.

Read About One of Summer House’s OTHER Locations For A Preview

EET by Maneet Chauhan

Another new restaurant set to open in 2023 is EET by Maneet Chauhan. The restaurant is a creation by James Beard Award-winning chef and Food Network star Maneet Chauhan together with hospitality entrepreneur Vivek Deora.

It is set to serve Indian cuisine in a “modern, fun” concept. Disney hasn’t revealed the menu for EET yet, but Chauhan owns another restaurant in Nashville called Chauhan Ale & Masala House, and the menu there features “globally influenced Indian cuisine that highlights aspects of the culinary scene not only in Mumbai or New Delhi, but Nashville as well, perfectly combining Indian fare with traditional Southern dishes.”

Menu items include Tandoori Chicken Poutine, Tamarind Lamb Chops, Paneer Cheese, Garlic Parmesan Naan, Gulab Jamun Cheesecake, and more. That could be an indication of what’s to come, but we’ll have to wait for the exact details.

The restaurant is set to open later in 2023 and could be an exciting NEW addition to Disney Springs. Will it become a new Disney Springs favorite? Only time will tell, but it is a new spot that should definitely be on your radar!

See more about what we COULD expect from EET here!

And those are all the projects we know are expected to open in 2024! Stay tuned to DFB because we’ll update you as we hear more.

See Disney’s confirmation of the opening timelines of MANY major projects right here!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

 

Which project are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments!

The post Everything NEW Coming to Disney World in 2024 first appeared on the disney food blog.