Walt Disney World resort recently dropped several announcements, including the return of the Disney Dining Plan and the date of release 2024 packages. With so much news happening in such a short period of time, let’s dive in and tackle these updates piece by piece.

No more Park Reservations for date based ticket beginning January 9, 2024.

The key takeaway here is that if you purchase a Walt Disney Travel Company Package for Walt Disney World resort or tickets only, you will no longer need to plan your park days in advance of your arrival. January 9th is for a variety of reasons. It allows all 2023 packages that would start by December 31st to be completed, the holidays are over and the RunDisney Marathon weekend will be over by January 9.

Park Pass Reservations for Cast Members and Annual Passholders

We have already seen some alterations to these requirements and Disney is continuing adding additional days where Annual Passholders and Cast Members no longer need reservations in order to go into the parks. This was one of the announcements made earlier this year and this latest announcement acknowledges more flexibility is on the way.

The ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: DINING PLANS RETURNING

Yes Dining Plans are coming back… in 2024. They will be able to be added to packages for check-ins beginning January 9, 2024. At this time we know that they have simplified the available Dining Plan options and have cut some of the previous offerings within the plans. We also do not know the cost of the plans and likely will not see pricing until the plans are rolled out with 2024 packages on May 31, 2023. Key thing to know is that there will be less snacks in the plans and will be a Quick Service Plan and the classic Disney Dining Plan. One will be focused on Quick Service (mobile order type dining) and the other will be a mix of sit down and quick service entitlements.

EXTENDED Evening Hours for Deluxe will continue in 2024

This has been a wildly popular offering for Deluxe staying guests with valid park tickets(and in my opinion, an excellent perk). Extended evening hours have been available for the last year or so for Deluxe guests with valid park tickets a couple evenings a week for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Disney has announced, this will be available into 2024.

Genie+ Changes

The Genie+ announcement is the most generic of the announcements as it basically says, we know you want to plan ahead and they are working on ways for guests to do this. I would expect any change to be a hybrid of the old FastPass+ system and the current system. It will likely be tied to if you are staying at a Disney Resort or off-site, will still require fees and still be priced seasonally based on supply and demand. Biggest question is what availability for spontaneous trips or last minute decisions to purchase on day of park planning.

Planning to Visit Walt Disney World?

If you are considering a visit to Walt Disney World in 2024, now is the time to get started! 2024 packages for travel through December 2024 will go on sale beginning May 31, 2023. If you are interested in obtaining your no-obligation quote from me, Blair Crush, click here!