2024 is a lighter year for the Disney Parks and the newly-renamed Disney Experiences division.
Yet there is quite a bit that is happening in 2024. It’s a year where Disney Cruise Line expands with the Disney Treasure and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, where Disney launches Cotino — A Storyliving by Disney community, and where we will see the opening of the highly-anticipated and often-discussed reimagining of Splash Mountain that is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Let’s take a look at everything coming from Disney Experiences in 2024.
Normal Park Hopping Returns at Walt Disney World
Beginning January 9, guests at Walt Disney World with a ticket with Park Hopper benefits or an Annual Pass will be able to once again visit another theme park at any time of the day during park hours.
This is a huge and welcomed change, as previously Walt Disney World wouldn’t allow you to park hop until 2 P.M. The park hopping rule was instituted as the parks reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Theme Park Reservations Go Away For Some Guests
Also on January 9, theme park reservations at Walt Disney World will no longer be required for certain ticket types. Annual passholders will still have to make reservations but there will be options for passholders to go on days and times without needing a reservation.
Hollywood Studios 35th Anniversary
Disney’s Hollywood Studios celebrates its 35th anniversary this May. I’d expect new merchandise and food offerings during this time. Walt Disney World should capitalize on this significant anniversary.
Typhoon Lagoon 35th Anniversary
Typhoon Lagoon celebrates its 35th anniversary. Similar to Hollywood Studios, I expect new merchandise and food offerings. Maybe even some kind of special event? Maybe announce some new experiences coming to Typhoon Lagoon as well?
Fantasy Springs
Fantasy Springs will open at Tokyo DisneySea and it will encompass three incredible areas, Rapunzel’s Forest, Peter Pan’s Never Land, and Frozen Kingdom. It will also feature a brand-new hotel. Also, I wouldn’t be shocked if Disney tried to duplicate this Fantasy Springs concept elsewhere in the future.
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will open this year. It will be Disney Cruise Line’s second island destination, where you’ll discover a celebration of Bahamian storytelling, artistry, and culture.
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point opens this summer.
Disney Treasure
Disney Treasure will join the Disney Cruise Line feet. The ship will feature an AquaMouse water attraction, lounges based on Jungle Cruise and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a Coco restaurant, musical productions, themed staterooms, and so much more.
The Disney Treasure sets sail in December 2024.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open this year at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The attraction will feature characters from The Princess and the Frog. You’ll join Princess Tiana, Naveen, and jazz-loving alligator Louis on an adventure as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration.
The attraction will feature audio-animatronics but at this time it is unclear if it will be as long as the original Splash Mountain (10 minutes). Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is often-discussed and it will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure will replace Voyage of The Little Mermaid at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The reimagined show will feature stunning set pieces, cutting-edge effects, and a bold new design aesthetic. It will be based on the original animated film and not the 2023 live-action version.
New Star Tours Sequences
Star Tours will receive new sequences and characters during 2024 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. We know Ahsoka is confirmed but I’m expecting a few more characters and scenes to be added.
Country Bear Jamboree
Country Bear Jamboree will be renovated in 2024 with new audio-animatronics and the bears will now sing Disney tunes. The new act pays homage to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. More updates will be revealed about this update throughout the year.
CommuniCore Plaza
EPCOT’s CommuniCore Plaza and Hall will open this year. It will complete the front of the park, and it will be used for Festival space. The new spaces will provide a new home for exhibits, entertainment, and additional festival offerings.
New Fort Wilderness Cabins
The new modern Fort Wilderness cabins will open in Summer 2024. Just another modern update for the Walt Disney World Resorts.
Polynesian Resort Tower
The new Disney Vacation Club Polynesian Resort Tower will open this year. Maybe there are some surprising additions to this project, and it won’t just be a modern tower.
The Cake Bake Shop
The Cake Bake Shop will open this year after being delayed. The Cake Bake Shop will feature beautifully displayed handmade cakes, cookies, French macarons, brownies, dessert bars, pies, and cheesecakes. The Cake Bake Shop will be featured in a prominent spot on Disney’s BoardWalk.
Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Paris will reopen on January 25.
The resort is inspired by Disney’s royal stories such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Sword in the Stone, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Frozen, Moana, and Raya and the Last Dragon.
Cotino: A Storyliving by Disney Community
In 2024, Storyliving by Disney will welcome its first residents in the Cotino community in Rancho Mirage, California.
Cotino will bring Disney’s legacy of placemaking and attention to detail to life like never before. This vibrant new community is thoughtfully designed with creative guidance from Disney Imagineers who have taken inspiration from the region’s history. The community will have Disney’s quality service and many amenities as well.
Storyliving by Disney recently announced a second community called Asteria which is being planned for North Carolina.
Disneyland Events in 2024
Disneyland released its event calendar for 2024, and it’s a loaded list. Lunar New Year, Celebrate Gospel, Food & Wine, Star Wars: Seasons of the Force, Pixar Fest, Halloween Time, A Celebration of Coco, and The Holidays Begin Here. That’s a pretty big lineup.
Possible It’s Tough to Be a Bug Closure
This year it is rumored that It’s Tough to Be a Bug will close at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to make way for a brand-new Zootopia show. We haven’t been given an official timeline yet but it could happen in 2024.
Possible Confirmation on the Tropical Americas Land for Animal Kingdom
During Destination D23, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro teased the possibility of replacing Dinoland USA with a Tropical Americas Land that would feature Encanto, Indiana Jones, and possibly Coco. This year we may get confirmation on the plans either at an event or in the event Disney decides to close Dinosaur.
D23 Parks Announcements
D23 will take place August 9–11 in Anaheim. The event is expected to give us some major Disney Parks announcements, as Disney plans to invest heavily into the parks in the back half of the 2020s. D23 will be something to look forward to.
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
