We Know What EVERY Disney World Fan Will Be Doing on January 9th

At this point, January 9th should go down as a national holiday.

Why? Well, my friend, this is the day that Disney World fans have been anticipating for MONTHS now, the day that BIG changes will officially take over the parks. You might be thinking, “Well, I don’t really like big changes.” Trust us, you’re more than likely going to LOVE these. Let’s talk about it.

On January 9th, 2023, three BIG changes will take place at Disney World that are absolutely going to impact your trips going forward, whether or not you choose to participate in the changes themselves. Whiteout further ado, here are FIVE things that every Disney World fan will be doing on January 9th.

Break their record for how quickly they can visit all four parks in one day.

Visiting all four Disney World parks in one day is an accomplishment that takes a LOT of patience (and walking) to achieve. To do this, you need a Park Hopper ticket. Before January 9th, you can’t Park Hop until 2PM. This means that in order to visit all four parks, you basically have to rush through the last 3 parks. You can also expect to be out LATE.

However, Disney announced that starting January 9th, visitors with Park Hopper tickets can go to a different park at ANY time throughout the day. This means a lot of folks will be breaking their record for how quickly they do this, since they can now start as soon as the parks open! If you aren’t park hopping, you’ll still be affected as there will likely be an uptick in park and transportation crowds.

Walk around STUFFED with food they PREPAID for.

January 9th marks the FIRST day in YEARS that the Disney Dining Plan will be back. That means that many folks will be strolling around the parks and resorts racking up on snacks that they got with their prepaid dining credits.

If you’re wondering whether or not the Disney Dining Plan is for you, it’s typically best for folks who are seeking a LOT of the delicious Disney food, or for folks who are hoping to budget food in advance. Even if you choose not to enroll in a dining plan, you’ll be affected by this change as dining reservations will skyrocket for select locations.

Show up to the park they decided on when they woke up that morning.

Yep, January 9th also happens to mark the day that park pass reservation requirements will be removed for most Disney World visitors. Passholders will still require some reservations as well as most Magic Kingdom visitors on the weekends.

For those with date-based tickets, you can decide while you’re getting ready which park you wanna visit. No need to plan in advance! Hello, spontaneity. ? At first, we can probably expect some super crowded parks while others are a bit more empty. Just make sure to pack your patience when you’re prepping for your trip!

Ride TRON and Guardians without paying for either.

TRON: Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT are currently THE rides to visit at Disney World. Both require Virtual Queue booking or Lightning Lane booking in order to ride. As of right now, you have to have a park pass reservation to the rides’ park to book either a VQ or LL at 7AM. A VQ opens at 1PM for both rides, but you have to be in that park in order to book it. This is difficult to maneuver as park hopping currently starts at 2PM.

Now that Park Hopping has gone back to normal, there’s a chance that many visitors will be able to ride both of these attractions in ONE day, without paying for either, since they could technically grab a virtual queue for either attraction. Disney could always implement rules on this between now and then, but as of right now, that’s how we’re assuming it will go.

Deal with technical issues on the Disney World app.

The My Disney Experience app has issues of its own on a perfectly calm, normal day at Disney World. We are anxiously waiting to see how the app will perform with an influx of people to the parks as well as all these updates and changes.

We can probably go ahead and expect the unexpected when it comes to technology on January 9th. Once again, don’t forget to pack your patience.

Regardless of the probable chaos and confusion that January 9th will bring, we can all still celebrate in knowing that the old, spontaneous days at Disney World are BACK — even if it takes some getting used to again. We’ll be sure to keep you all updated and in the loop with more details, so follow along so that you’re always prepared.