What to expect from Disney in 2023

2022 at Disney World was pretty gosh darn busy!

From pent up demand to new attractions and of course, there’s been that little 50th Anniversary celebration at Magic Kingdom too!

We’ve seen the return of After-Hours events and specially themed parties, full parades and our beloved Princesses and Mickey are once again full of hugs. 😊

So, what can we expect from Disney in 2023? Let’s start with the big one:

Prices

Unless you’ve been avoiding the news (that’s not such a bad idea these days!) Disney World has increased its pricing several times over the past two years. Price increases are something we’re all seeing in every aspect of our lives these days. But we do anticipate the rate in which things have been increasing at Disney World to slow down.

While Disney will likely not lower prices to pre-pandemic figures (we’ve never seen them backtrack on ticket and hotel prices) we may encounter some offers and promotions to encourage guest travel this year. There have already been a few announced for the beginning of 2023 and we’ve been applying those discounts to our guest reservations wherever possible already.

We’ve seen new pricing structures for day tickets and Annual Passes announced for 2023. And room rates have increased and will fluctuate based on seasonal popularity, with the higher rates inching a tad higher than previously seen. (Not to mention the surge pricing recently introduced with Genie+).

Overall, we suspect pricing will remain static, at least until the U.S. and global economies do whatever it is they’re going to do.

Crowds

Ahh crowds… if prices are the #1 topic discussed by Disney travelers… then crowds are a close second.

Clients often tell us, “We want to go when it isn’t busy.”

There isn’t a time when it’s not busy at Disney World. There are times when it is slightly less busy but, no actual time when it’s just dead.

If you’re looking for lower crowds, your vacation needs to be about managing expectations and creating opportunities to make the most of your time, while getting in all the experiences you want to enjoy.

(That’s where us Travel Agents at Let’s Talk Travel come in to play… we spend a lot of time in the parks testing out different ideas, talking to cast members, trying new offerings and applying what we know and learn, in order to tell you how to get the most bang for your buck!)

In the end, Disney is crowded and it’s not going to stop. It may lessen a bit, but the parks are always going to draw vacationers from all over the world. Just know you aren’t the only one looking to experience some Disney Magic!

Dining Reservations

Are easier now!! Woo Hoo!!

Since the Pandemic, dining reservations had been a sore spot for a lot of guests. We can point to staffing shortages limiting the actual amount of restaurants and quick service locations able to be open. Compound that with social distancing within the restaurant, not as many servers or chefs to handle volume… well, you know the rest… we all lived through it!

Now, staffing is closer to normal and while Disney still isn’t at pre-pandemic numbers, they’re much closer. So dining reservations are becoming less… chaotic.

On top of that, Disney has made changes to some dining locations by holding back more reservations for on property guests and changing dining cancellation policies, which makes walk-up requests a more viable option than it had been previously.

Whats around the corner…

An operation like Disney World is sort of a living, breathing… well… Princess (if we have to label it, lol). There is always something coming or going, getting fixed, repaired or updated… it’s just never ending. There’s quite a lengthy To-Do list around the House of Mouse…

Splash Mountain is closing for re-theming into a Princess and the Frog attraction. Tron will (FINALLY!!!) be opening, Rockin’ Rollercoaster is shutting down for a re-theming, Journey of Water (a walk through attraction inspired by Disney’s Moana) will open in late 2023 and the return of the Walt Disney Railroad (which technically opened over Christmas break, but we’ll take it) and the new Polynesian resort is well underway and expected to open in 2024.

We’re also looking at the completion of Dreamers Point in Epcot and a new nighttime spectacular in both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. There’s the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company to celebrate and the Figment Meet and Great (which appears to be more hotly anticipated than I had expected) and new dining in Toy Story land in Hollywood Studios called Toy Story Round Up Rodeo BBQ.

The parks aren’t the only things getting an upgrade. The refurb teams are going to be busy, updating and renovating Value, Moderate and Deluxe resort accommodations to make sure we all have the most Magical (and restful) vacations ever.

And if experience is anything to go by, we expect a whole lot more changes, updates and offerings to be shared in between all the goodies listed above, which are just the high points.

Disney has a way of keeping us on our toes, so we’re hopeful for more updates on new attractions heading our way, not to mention processes and procedures currently in place will likely get updates and tweaks over the coming year.  

Like I said, Disney is constantly changing and your experience from two, four or even ten years ago will be vastly different from what you experience in 2023.

Ready to jump in and start planning? Reach out to us here and lets start planning!