Hi Aislyn. Thanks for bringing another great question to us here at planDisney. We are always happy to see Guests come back to ask more questions, so keep them coming!
As long as you have date-based
theme park tickets starting on or after January 9, 2024, you will not be required to make
Theme Park Reservations. To access the parks, you'll just need to make sure that you are using your theme park admission during the
window of dates assigned to your ticket. Because things can change, make sure that you follow along with the
Disney Parks Blog to see if there are any updates to policies leading up to your trip.
Disney is always looking to improve the Guest experience. Not only are Theme Park Reservations no longer required on or after January 9, 2024, but the fan-favorite
Disney Dining Plan will be returning then as well. Disney has also promised some updates to the popular
Disney Genie+ Service to make planning easier and allow Guests to enjoy their time at the theme parks even more!
Speaking of improvements, when you start adding new
restaurants with menus to drool over, you have my immediate attention. There are a few restaurants that are likely to open before the end of 2023. You have the
Cake Bake Shop Restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers on
Disney's BoardWalk,
Summer House on the Lake at
Disney Springs, and
Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya over in
EPCOT. The last one will be opening in one of my favorite World Showcase pavilions, Japan. Be sure to secure
advanced dining reservations for any (or in my case, all) of these restaurants if they are going to be open when you visit.
Aislyn, 2024 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for the
Walt Disney World Resort. I hope you enjoy every magical moment. If you have any other questions,
please reach out to me and I'd be happy to answer them.
Second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning,
Matt