Good news to anyone who wanted to visit Walt Disney World and didn’t realize you not only needed tickets but also reservations (yes—we know a family that was denied even while holding date-based tickets and instead went to Universal Studios)! The mouse empire has removed the need to have theme park reservations made in advance, but unfortunately, that won’t cover you for this summer since the rollback starts Jan. 9. So if you’re heading there this summer—maybe staying at a Disney resort for less than $100?—you still need to make a reservation. But we’ve got a few other tidbits of awesome news to share, as reported by MSN.
One is that the Disney dining plans will be again offered to visitors staying in its resort hotels. This plan which lets guests prepay for meals and snacks is coming back after its pandemic-based departure...but again, not until Jan. 9. But once winter is here, you can choose from a Disney Quick Service Dining Plan or a Disney Dining Plan. Check Disney’s website at the end of this month for all the details and to book your stay for next year.
Another good reveal is that overnight parking is again free (now!) at the Disney resort hotels for those staying there. That means saving $15-25 a night just to have your car nearby and not subject to illegal joyrides by Goofy.
And, those digital photos you can get of yourself screaming your head off at Space Mountain and the like? Those can be downloaded free the same day if you purchase the Genie+ service (the line-skipping software that costs $15-22 per guest per day). So it's free if you pay. Got it!
Finally, if you stay at one of those resort hotels, you can enter the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom 30 minutes before the parks open to the general public (and some of the hotels let you stay late). Our pick? The Universal Cabana Bay Resort, a mid-century modern hotel that shows up on our list of best retro hotels.