2025 will be a year full of changes at Disney World.
Cinderella Castle
While many changes have already been announced by Disney, including permanent closures, ride refurbishments, and new offerings, Disney Adults are holding out and hoping that even more changes will be announced for Disney World this year.
We reached out to you, our amazing readers, to see what you hope happens this year at Disney World, and overwhelmingly, people are begging for Disney to bring back offerings that used to be included during a stay at the resort as well as a new idea.
EPCOT
Bring Back Magical Express
Can you believe that there was a time when you could get to and from the Orlando International Airport for free? Magical Express was Disney’s complimentary transportation option for guests staying at a Disney World hotel. Sadly, the service was discounted in 2022.
We miss you, Magical Express!
While there are other options similar to Magical Express, they are not free and not booked through Disney, which can be confusing for those who are not familiar with Disney World. Will 2025 be the year that Disney brings back Magical Express? We would not expect it to be free like it once was, but it would be nice to have a Disney service like Magical Express.
Mears Connect Bus
Bring Back Free MagicBands
Not only was airport transportation free, but guests staying at Disney World hotels would receive free MagicBands ahead of their trip. This free offering ended in 2021. Currently, when ordering MagicBands ahead of your trip, resort guests can take advantage of discounted MagicBands. We think it is unlikely that this perk will return as MagicBand 2 seems to be getting phased out in favor of MagicBand+, which is pricier.
MagicBand+
Bring Back Free FastPass+
FastPass+ used to be Disney’s free skip-the-line service. You could book your experiences ahead of your trip, which can now be done with Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass. Unfortunately, FastPass+ went away in 2020 and was replaced with Genie+, which is now Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass. This service is no longer free.
Lightning Lane at Peter Pan’s Flight
Since Disney is able to make money from this paid-for service, we think it is unlikely that a free skip-the-line service will return.
Bring Back Resort Delivery
One perk of staying at a Disney World hotel is that you could send your merchandise that you bought in the park back to your hotel. This was a great benefit as you would not have to worry about carrying larger purchases in the park with you. Sadly, this perk is no longer. If you do not want to carry your merchandise with you, you can either rent a locker or ship it home. We hope that Disney brings this back, as it would add even more value to staying at a Disney World hotel.
Disney World locker rentals
Later Hours for Animal Kingdom
Typically, Animal Kingdom is the park that closes the earliest. It is a shame that the park tends to close before it is dark out, as Animal Kingdom is beautiful at night, especially in Pandora.
Animal Kingdom at night
While Animal Kingdom has been open for Extended Evening Hours along with After Hours events, these are not available to everyone. Maybe 2025 will be the year Animal Kingdom has longer park operating hours!
Pandora at night
More Places to Sit During EPCOT Festivals
EPCOT is home to an array of rotating festivals. During these festivals, you can stop at different food booths all around the park. While trashcan picnics have become common during the festivals, many of you wished that EPCOT would offer more places to sit, especially when there is a festival going on.
EPCOT Festival of the Arts
We totally understand the struggle of trying to find somewhere to enjoy all your yummy food! While there are standing tables, it would be nice to have a place to rest our feet while we sample the menus at the different booths. And CommuniCore Hall also has additional seating for festivals now, which is a nice addition!
EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
There you have it, the six things that Disney Adults hope happen in Disney World this year. We are right there with our readers, and we hope that Disney hears our plea to bring back some of these offerings once again! To stay up to date on all the latest Disney news, make sure to continue to follow along with DFB!
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More tables at Epcot is a great idea.
‘Trashcan Picknick!’ OMG! How many times have I done this with my family?! Or, how often have we stalked other guests who appear to be finishing their food, then have to out-sprint the other stalkers to get the freshly abandoned high-top!
We would love to see all of these, but package delivery to the resorts is the one thing that there is no way to have at all that we really miss. It stinks to pay for Magicbands and “Fastpasses,” but if you really want them, you can get them. Even the biggest lockers are small, and if you’re going to take the time walk all the way to the front of the park, you might as well just take your purchases to your car for free. We sometimes use the lockers when we’re doing outfit changes for ticketed events, or when we need summer clothes during the day and winter clothes after dark, but we don’t find them to be good alternatives to package delivery. Shipping not only comes at a cost, but you risk never receiving your package, or the items getting damaged in transit. We definitely spend less on souvenirs and make decisions about what we buy (and don’t buy) due to the lack of resort package delivery. I am concerned that if/when it comes back, it will be at a cost, but at least it would be available. Maybe the cost would apply if the purchase was under”x” amount, but purchases over “y” amount would be delivered to the resorts for free. Or maybe it could be like Lightning Lane – you would pay for it by the day and get all your packages delivered to your resort for that one fee. At least it would be available, and could possibly be included back into resort stays for free someday.
Please, don’t give me false hope about things that you and I know will never come back. It’s time we stopped trying to outsmart the truth, and let it have its day
Nailed it
I agree with all of them, but since I know we won’t get the moneymakers, I would love to be able to ship purchases back to my resort. This is a perk that would inspire greater sales and would set us apart from other guests.
We do I sign up for the riot?
I would also love to see airline check in at the resorts. It was really nice to check your luggage and not worry about dragging it to the airport.
The biggest part we miss about Magical Express (other than starting your Disney trip at the airport) is the luggage handling. I would love to see this perk brought back somehow.
As much as I would like to see all of these come back, along with eliminating reservation requirements, Disney won’t change them back. Disney found ways to take away included perks and make you pay to get them back. The truth about Disney is they are NOT an inclusive company. They care about money, not the people. Lighting lanes alone points that out. Inclusiveness does not mean treating people who pay more for services get better service over the guests who just pay the price of admission. From the board to the CEO to other upper management, it’s only about money, and how much they can make. That being said though, the cast members in the parks are the ones who create the magic for the guests.
Like your writer said, I’m not holding my breath for Disney bringing back these little perks we used to get for free. The free “Fast Passes” were great. When we’d get to the parks, we’d have our daughters run to the first “Fast Pass” ticket dispenser and get our first “Fast Passes” for the day. “Magical Express” was great. Getting your packages sent to your Disney resort was great. You could do all your shopping and get your stuff when you got back to your room. All Di$ney is concerned with now is how much ca$h they can shake out of your wallet on each visit. Prices NEVER go down. Former perks never come back. Why?
I will lament Fast Pass just as I lament Cali PeopleMover. A version of both is still available, but they’re completely eclipsed by the awesomeness of their predecessors. Definitely one of those things though that sadly, once it’s gone it’s gone, and I’m just grateful that there’s still something similar I can access.
As someone new to wdw though, I’m okay with no free magic bands, or the magic express, which honestly sounds like a nightmare unless you’re one of the first drop-off hotels.
But I will never say no to more seating, especially with tables! My daughter’s bday in Disneyland was memorable for all the wrong reasons– my husband (who didn’t grow up Disney) refused to pay for a special meal/experience, and I (having grown up with Disneyland but not being there for over a decade) thought I knew everything well enough to not have to plan anything. Long story short, the pre-parade madness caught us by surprise, and we ended up singing the happy birthday song with a load of melting ice cream perched on a wall outside the loos between Adventureland and Frontierland 😀
I’ve also never stayed in a Disney resort before, but I must admit the idea of merch delivery straight to hotel sounds AMAZING. That being said, one of the things I’m most looking forward to with finally staying on property is the ability to break up a day and pop back to the hotel for a chill out and rest, especially for my two crowd-adverse darlings. So for us, who are planning on having a nice long stay, I’m not sure that perk would make much of a difference. I can see how it would be a huge game changer for people on shorter stays though, who will be marathoning their way through the parks.