'For the first time in forever,' Disney World feels like the good old days

10.01.2024 - 13:36 / thepointsguy.com

When Disney World reopened in July 2020 after a brief closure during the pandemic, the Central Florida resort did so with a lengthy list of procedures intended to control and monitor crowds for health and safety purposes. Most were done away with long ago, like temperature checks at the front gate and six-foot distance markers in ride queues. But a few have stuck around since the park reopened...until now.

Beginning Jan.9, 2024, Disney World kicked off some major changes. Most guests will no longer need to make a theme park reservation to get into the parks and guests with Park Hopper tickets no longer need to wait until 2 p.m. to visit a second park.

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Now, Disney is returning to the old way of doing things and, in doing so, giving guests much more freedom and flexibility — two things we all want more of when we are on vacation.

I visited the parks on the first day these changes went into effect to see if it really did feel like "the good old days" at Disney World. Here's what I experienced and what you need to know before your next visit.

Theme park reservations are officially a thing of the past for most Disney World guests. If you have a date-based ticket, you no longer need to choose which park you want to visit ahead of time. You'll still need to purchase tickets, but you won't need to take the extra step of making a reservation for one of Disney's four theme parks each day of your visit.

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The major exception to this rule is Disney World annual pass holders. Annual pass holders will still need to make a theme park reservation on most days, though Disney is introducing "Good-to-Go" days on select days beginning Jan. 11, 2024. On these days, annual pass holders can visit any of Disney's four theme parks without reservation. Even on days requiring a reservation, annual pass holders can visit a park without making a reservation after 2 p.m. (except Magic Kingdom on Saturdays or Sundays).

Theme park reservations will also still be available for certain promotional ticket types.

If you have a ticket with the Park Hopper option or are an annual passholder, you no longer need to wait until 2 p.m. to visit a second (or third, or fourth) park. Before this change, you had to wait until 2 p.m. to visit a park other than the one you had made a theme park reservation for that day. Now, you can visit additional parks any time you like throughout the day.

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This makes Park Hopper tickets more valuable because you can spend much more time visiting additional parks instead of being stuck at one park until 2 p.m. If you are only at Disney for a