Important changes just announced at Disney
And how they compare to Universal
Free parking and ride photos, plus more surprise changes
Seems like lately I've really been putting the 'news' in newsletter! Just after I sent out the last update, Disney announced a bunch of substantial changes at the US theme parks. I usually try to focus more on tips than news here in this email, but some of this really could have an impact - a positive one! - on your 2023 vacation, so I want to be sure you're in the loop.
If Universal Orlando's your destination, check my comments in italics to see how they stack up to Disney.
Disney World
These things are now FREE:
Overnight parking for all hotel guests, and standard theme park parking too (here is the Disney website page with details)
All ride photos will be included in Genie+ beginning sometime this spring
Universal's hotels do charge an overnight parking fee, and you'll pay to park in their theme park garage too - although the hotels are so close to the parks it's unlikely you'd drive there. Ride photos are not included in Universal Express Pass.
Classic fireworks shows are coming back April 3rd
Happily Ever After returns in Magic Kingdom
Epcot Forever comes back to Epcot
No more park reservations for annual passholders after 2pm
While this change only applies to annual passholders, it may positively affect overall park reservation availability. That's because Disney won't have to hold back reservation space for passholders who are only popping in for the evening.
This may also be a first-step towards easing reservation requirements for everyone, and maybe an eventual change to the 2pm park-hopping rule. (We can only hope!)
Universal doesn't require guests to make a park reservation - just show up and go in. And if you have a park-to-park ticket you are free to move between the parks as early and often as you'd like.
Tron Lightcycle Run officially opens April 4th
Of course they announced the date right after I sent out ;)
Disneyland
Hopping between Disneyland & California Adventure gets better, beginning February 24th. While there will still be a time restriction on when you can hop parks, it will be now be at 11am instead of 1pm. This means you can start your day in Disneyland but have lunch in California Adventure!
Free ride photos for everyone! Beginning February 4th, all attraction photos will be free to every guest.
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Why is Disney bringing back beloved fireworks shows, rolling back park access restrictions, and giving stuff away for free? All these announcements are coming after a huge management shake-up. Here is a super-quick explanation of what's going on.
The new boss is the same as the old boss, literally. Bob Iger (let's call him Bob 1) retired in 2021, turning the reins over to Bob Chapek (Bob 2). Now Bob 1 is back.
To be fair, Bob 2 took over in the middle of a global pandemic, but the decisions he is credited with were hugely unpopular with Disney parks fans. This included park reservation requirements, price increases, the implementation of paid FastPass (Genie+), and the severe curtailment of annual pass sales.
Bob 2 also wanted to move the entire Disney Imagineering team, thousands of employees, to Florida, even though it's been based in Burbank since Walt's time. By the end of 2022, even Disney's board was calling for his head on a stake.
So they called Bob 1 and apparently made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Bob 2 was unceremoniously asked to leave and Bob 1 came back to save the day.
Bob 1 has already reversed quite a few unpopular decisions blamed on Bob 2 - some of which you can see above. He also dropped the Imagineering move to Florida.
Expect more announcements in the coming months as Bob 1 works to right the ship. Bob 1 has agreed to only stick around through 2024, so keep an eye on Josh D'Amaro, current head of Disney Parks, who may take the corporate reins next.