Everything New or Coming Soon to Disney World in 2024

There's always something new and exciting to experience at Walt Disney World, and this is one of the countless reasons guests feel compelled to return to the resort as often as possible.

Walt Disney himself was a pioneer in his industry who believed in looking ahead toward fresh ideas and enterprises, and he famously said, “Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Let's dive into the most recent additions and updates that are now at Disney World or coming soon.

Don't Miss These Disney World Updates

Today's Imagineers are still mindful of Walt's words, and transformations are always underway at the most magical place on Earth. From the long-awaited removal of the construction walls at EPCOT to the return of a highly popular vacation package option, here are the newest additions to Walt Disney World that you'll want to factor into your next visit.

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No More Park Reservations!

Ever since Disney World reopened after the pandemic closure, Disney has required all guests to make park pass reservations for a specific park on the exact date they wish to visit. This meant no more spontaneous visits or last-minute plan changes. For the past three years, we've had to meticulously plan out our trip days long in advance.

Starting January 9, 2024, Disney will no longer require guests with date-based tickets to make park pass reservations! In Disney terms, a date-based ticket is the standard ticket option. Annual Passholders, Cast Members, and other promotional ticket types will still have to make reservations. Any guest with tickets tied to specific dates, however, will be able to visit any park they choose each day during that time frame.

There are lots of changes coming to Disney World starting on January 9th! See them all here.

There is good news for Annual Passholders, though. Disney is introducing “Good to Go” days, beginning January 11, and on these days, Passholders will not be required to make park reservations (blockout dates will continue to apply). Disney plans to add “Good to Go” days to the My Disney Experience Calendar periodically, days or weeks in advance.

All-Day Park Hopper Access Returns

Since Disney reintroduced park hopping post-COVID, Annual Passholders and guests with the Park Hopper option have been restricted to park hopping only after 2 p.m. Beginning January 9, 2024, guests with Park Hopper benefits or an Annual Pass can visit another Walt Disney World theme park anytime during park operating hours. Read our top tips for Disney World Park Hopping.

On non-“Good to Go” days, Annual Passholders will still have to make park reservations for the first park they plan to visit and scan into the reserved park before freely hopping to another one.

Genie+ Changes Coming in 2024

Taking guest feedback into consideration, Disney is simplifying the Genie+ experience for 2024. Guests have expressed that they would like ways to plan with Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit. Here's everything we know so far about advanced reservation Genie Plus at Disney World.

To reduce the amount of time guests must spend on their phones during their vacation and promote quality time with others, Disney is working on a solution that will allow guests to pre-plan Genie+ services before the day of their visit. While further details have not yet been announced, we can expect this update sometime in 2024.

Dining Plan is Coming Back!

Prior to the pandemic, the Disney Dining Plan was a popular add-on option that allowed guests to pre-pay for their meals to avoid the burden of monitoring food expenses during their trip. In the past, guests could choose from a Quick-Service Plan, a standard Dining Plan, and a Deluxe Dining Plan, all of which allowed them to use their dining credits at participating locations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, including parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.

The Disney Dining Plan will be available as an add-on option for vacation packages including a resort stay, starting January 9, 2024. Packages will include either the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan or the Disney Dining Plan. See everything you need to know about the return of Disney Dining Plans in our guide!

The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers Opening on Disney's Boardwalk in 2024

This whimsical addition to Disney's BoardWalk area is now opening in early 2024. The much-anticipated table service restaurant is replacing ESPN Club and will feature sweet and savory menu items for brunch, lunch, and dinner, as well as afternoon tea service and even a champagne bar! Guests will also be able to purchase to-go items from the shop's bakery case.

See everything you need to know about Disney's BoardWalk in our guide!

Magic Kingdom Country Bear Jamboree Getting New Songs

Country Bear Jamboree will be singing new songs and performing a new act in 2024. The bears will be “reinterpreting favorite Disney songs” in genres of country music like rockabilly, bluegrass, pop-country, and more! Disney is working with Nashville musicians “to get the authentic country sound.”

See all the details on this and a couple of other Magic Kingdom changes coming soon.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Tiana's Bayou Adventure will follow the adventures of Princess Tiana as she searches for a missing ingredient she needs in the middle of preparing for a Mardi Gras celebration. The ride will feature new animatronics, zydeco music, and several original actors from the Princess and the Frog movie reprising their voice roles as the characters.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure is currently under construction and projected to open in 2024, and you can read more details about the upcoming ride in our guide. Plus, see when this new version of Splash Mountain will reopen.

EPCOT Redesign

EPCOT's “Future World” is currently in the process of developing three new neighborhoods: World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. Together, each of the four neighborhoods of EPCOT will serve as a “celebration of curiosity, discovery and the magic of possibility.”

On December 5 (Walt's birthday), World Celebration Gardens opened, debuting an urban park-like hub filled with green spaces, tables, benches, bars, charging stations, and other built-in seating. A new statue of “Walt the Dreamer” sits on a bench in the Dreamer's Point area of the gardens, where guests can gather for a photo with daydreaming Walt as he looks over EPCOT. World Celebration becomes even more magical at night when the planter centerpiece lights up and circular glowing bars illuminate the pavement.

World Celebration also includes CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, which are event spaces that will be used to host live performances, food, and art events for various festivals throughout the year. While these areas were scheduled to open with the gardens before the end of 2023, we recently learned they won't be complete until 2024.

World Discovery is home to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Mission: SPACE, and the Space 220 Restaurant. The neighborhood is described as a place where “stories about science, technology and intergalactic adventure come to life.”

World Nature features the film “Awesome Planet” and soon Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, and the neighborhood aims to strengthen our understanding of the natural world and commitment to preserving it.

New EPCOT Disney100 Nighttime Spectacular

A new Disney100 nighttime fireworks spectacular opened at EPCOT on December 5, along with World Celebration Gardens. “Luminous The Symphony of Us” features canons firing from every country in World Showcase, lights and dancing fountains, fireworks, a rousing soundtrack, and a spectacular display on Spaceship Earth.

New arrangements of Disney favorites like, “You'll Be in My Heart,” “Proud Corazon,” and “Into the Unknown” combine with two new original songs to highlight “common themes of the human experience.”

Journey of Water, Inspired By Moana

New to the World Nature neighborhood of EPCOT is Journey of Water Inspired by Moana, an outdoor trail that aims to honor the natural world and deepen our understanding of it. In this experience, guests can “play and interact with water” as they learn about its importance.

A highlight of the trail is a stunning model of Te Fiti that stands 16 feet tall! You can read more about this brand new experience in our guide to Moana’s Journey of Water.

Figment Meet-And-Greet

Guests can meet Figment, the purple dragon that is the unofficial mascot of EPCOT, at the Imagination! Pavilion at World Celebration where his ride Journey Into Imagination With Figment is located. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

The lines for this character were extremely long when the meet and greet first arrived, but have since died down.

Walt Disney World Railroad Returns with New Narration

After over four years of closure due to TRON Lightcycle / Run construction, Cast Members, Imagineers, and guests enthusiastically welcomed the return of the beloved 100-year-old vintage steam train to Magic Kingdom this past holiday season.

Celebrating Walt Disney's life-long love of locomotives, the Walt Disney World Railroad now features updated voiceover narration from a new conductor who “grew up on Main Street, U.S.A., dreaming of the day they’d be on the railroad.” During the closure, Disney repainted two of the Walt Disney World Railroad train stations, refurbished the Walter E. Disney train engine, and replaced some of the tracks. The train also now travels through a new tunnel, which runs beneath TRON Lightcycle / Run.

New Moana Character Meet-and-Greet

The adventurous young wayfinder from Motunui began greeting guests at the character landing on Discovery Island in Animal Kingdom on April 22, which also happened to be Earth Day and the park’s 25th anniversary. Explorers of all ages will enjoy swapping stories of their voyages with this brave Polynesian princess!

“Happily Ever After” Returns to Magic Kingdom with New Projections

Fan-favorite fireworks and projection show “Happily Ever After” returned to Magic Kingdom on April 3, 2023, with new projections extending all the way down Main Street to even further immerse guests in the magic of Disney storytelling. Previously, projections were limited to Cinderella Castle only.

This extraordinary display of color, light, and animation features original music that makes our hearts swell and stirs our emotions. It’s a climactic culmination to a fun-filled day at the Magic Kingdom and not to be missed!

Narcoossee's Reopens with Refreshed Interior Design and New Menu Items

Disney continues its trend of lighter and brighter refurbished spaces with a new look for this signature dining location as part of a “multi-year transformation” plan for Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The once warm-toned woodwork now surrounds the dining room with a white and light blue palate that opens the space up to the “panoramic views of Seven Seas Lagoon” the restaurant’s locale provides. Cerulean accents on the booths and chairs give us those signature oceanic vibes, and carefully chosen details pay tribute to Narcoossee’s history, like the new bar crafted using oyster shells from the Florida seaside–a nod to the restaurant’s past as an oyster bar.

Along with the updated décor, there are plenty of new menu offerings to try, including the Ocean-Inspired Charcuterie Board, Beef and Ricotta Tortelloni, Roasted Vegetable Paella, and Blackened Redfish. Cocktails influenced by popular late nineteenth century concoctions and carefully curated wines are available and designed to complement the cuisine, and zero-proof beverages are also offered here for those who don’t wish to imbibe. To top off your dining experience, Pastry Chef Kristine Farmer’s new dessert, Berry Pavlova, is “a light combination of fresh Florida berries and citrus served with bright yuzu crémeux and a tableside pour of anglaise.”

As always, if you time your visit to Narcoossee’s just right and if you’re fortunate enough to snag a window seat by the waterfront, you might get a serendipitous viewing of the Magic Kingdom fireworks or even the Electric Water Pageant as it floats by the Grand Floridian.

New Scenes in Recently Re-opened Fantasmic!

Disney villains interrupt Mickey's slumber-time fantasies, and Mickey must battle them with the power of his imagination in this epic nighttime show. Read more about new Disney World rides and attractions.

Combining live performances with pyrotechnic elements and animation projected onto sprays of dancing water, Fantasmic! is now back at Disney's Hollywood Studios with some new lighting and a new hero sequence, featuring scenes from Moana, Mulan, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Frozen 2. You'll also see characters from Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King in this Sunset Boulevard spectacular.

Be sure to check out our full guide to evening spectaculars at Walt Disney World, with details about each show!

Round-up Rodeo BBQ

Home to three headline attractions to keep guests whiling away the hours within its perimeters and only one counter-service dining option (Woody’s Lunchbox) up until now, Toy Story Land has long needed another food offering. Now, guests can make advanced dining reservations to experience this new table service location at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

At Round-Up Rodeo BBQ, in keeping with the theme throughout Toy Story Land, Andy’s favorite toys are prepared to welcome you as one of their own in a rodeo arena Andy has created using game pieces, drawings, stickers, and more! The larger-than-life iconic characters uphold the illusion that guests are indeed toy-sized, and Green Army commander “Sarge” even periodically announces that Andy is coming over the loud speaker, at which point toys and guests are supposed to freeze to maintain their inanimate façade.

Food at this location is family style, and guests can choose from traditional backyard BBQ sides like potato salad, baked beans, and slaw or new twists on old favorites such as grilled street corn or fried pickles. A substantial plant-based menu is also available, and instead of smoked meats, guests can select from a platter featuring a house-smoked “wedge of cauliflower with a Harissa drizzle” and “walnut gremolata,” a “plant-based grilled bratwurst,” and an “impossible rib-chop” with barbeque sauce.

For dessert, Round-up Rodeo serves up its take on pie, offering several flavors guests can spoon out of a whimsical jar, including apple, lemon blueberry cheesecake, and chocolate silk. Grown-ups can enjoy some picnic-themed alcoholic beverages, like “Whinnyin’ Whiskey Lemonade” and “Grown up’s Peanut Butter & Jelly” served in old-fashioned mason jars, as well as a selection of beer, hard cider, and wine.

See our Round-up Rodeo BBQ review for details about our experience dining here!

TRON Lightcycle / Run

If you’ve visited Magic Kingdom at any point during the past 4-5 years, you’ve likely seen the “curved wave canopy” enclosure taking shape next to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. After a lengthy construction period interrupted by pandemic closures, the innovative thrill ride housed within this structure is now open and available to guests with a TRON Virtual Queue boarding pass or as an Individual Lightning Lane selection.

Based on Disney’s TRON and TRON: Legacy films, TRON Lightcycle / Run is the fastest coaster in a Disney theme park, with the exception of its equally speedy counterpart, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, in Shanghai Disneyland. The ride and the surrounding area (deemed TRON Plaza) are intended to be an “expression of biological and technological harmony” and mark the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom since 2012, when New Fantasyland brought us The Enchanted Forest and Storybook Circus areas.

Sam from TRON: Legacy has opened two gateways into the digital realm (one in Florida and one in Shanghai), allowing guests to become digitized “Users” who race against “friendly” adversarial Programs through 8 “energy gates” in a “gaming-style” event. As a member of User Team Blue, you will travel underneath the canopy exterior (aka the “Upload Conduit”) and into the dark of the Grid, where you will face off against Program Team Orange.

This indoor-outdoor coaster features a “one-of-a-kind” ride vehicle system that allows guests to actually lean forward on their lightcycles in a natural cycling position because of its “specially crafted safety restraint.” Imagineers use light, color, and sound to immerse guests in the neon aesthetic from the films, and shifting color-change panels comprised of over 1,200 light fixtures create an entirely different visual experience for guests at night.

New Pirates of the Caribbean Lounge Coming to Magic Kingdom

Disney announced at the Destination D23 event that a Pirates of the Caribbean Lounge will be coming to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom. Imagineers are still designing the lounge, with more details to come in the future!

New Zootopia Experience Coming to Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom

Disney shared that a new Zootopia show will be coming to the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom. This new experience will feature different biomes from the film and the characters Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and more.

You can read more about the new Zootopia show coming to replace “it's Tough to Be a Bug” here.

EPCOT Test Track Reimagining

At the Destination D23 event, Disney announced that Test Track will be reimagined. Imagineers and teams from Chevrolet will be working together and “reaching back into history for inspiration” to the original World of Motion ride for this next iteration of the attraction.

No further dates have been shared for when the attraction will close for work to begin.

Hatbox Ghost at Magic Kingdom

The Hatbox Ghost came to the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom in late November! You can spot him as you pass the Haunted Mansion's Endless Hallway.

Animal Kingdom Dinoland Reimagining

At the Destination D23 event this year, it was announced that Dinoland will be reimagined into a new land inspired by the region referred to as the “tropical Americas.” It was teased that Encanto, Coco, and Indiana Jones could be featured!

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Don't Miss Out on These Top 10 Disneyland Copycat Recipes You Can Make At Home

If you ever find yourself dreaming of a delicious, creamy Dole Whip but don't have a trip to Disneyland planned in the future, know that you can create iconic Disneyland recipes at home. In our recipe suggestions for the top 10 Disneyland copycat recipes you can make at home, you'll be able to experience the Disneyland magic from your own kitchen.

NEW Rides and More Coming to Disneyland

While there have already been some exciting changes to Disneyland this year, there are several projects in development that we can look forward to! From the upcoming Tiana's Bayou Adventure to a new multiversal Avengers ride coming to Avengers Campus, read all about the new rides, shows, re-themings, and more coming to Disneyland in the future.