At a press event last week, WDWNT was made aware of several major changes, upgrades, and more coming to Walt Disney World’s mobile app and website, all of which have been long asked for by guests. Walt Disney World executives say the resort has a focus on making trip planning simpler, booking easier, and helping guests feel more confident ahead of their upcoming vacations.

Based on guest feedback, Disney has rolled out a series of updates aimed at simplifying planning and setting clearer expectations. These include more straightforward booking steps, improvements to how plans and details appear in the My Disney Experience app, and changes designed to reduce day of decision pressure, which has reportedly brought higher guest satisfaction and fewer reported planning challenges. Guests will be given “clear choices, simple language, and fewer steps” in their booking process.

The recent update that combined today’s plans and future plans into one single cohesive “My Plans” on the app improved ease of use for guests by 8%. Meanwhile, Disney states that making the dining reservation booking flow easier in terms of search improved satisfaction by 5% and drove record-high website ratings.

Positive guest feedback was also given for the recent revamp of the online check-in process, as well as the expanded resort luggage pilot with two new airlines.

Walt Disney World took the time to tout that the renaming of Lightning Lane and shifting from day-of booking to pre-arrival led to a double-digit gain in both ease of use and overall experience.

Disney executives shared that this is not limited to planning tools. Walt Disney World has also continued to expand options designed to help families visit and get more out of their time, especially throughout Cool KIDS’ SUMMER. Examples include special ticket offers, experiences in the parks created with younger guests in mind, and free water park access on the day of arrival with a resort stay. Disney believes this gives families flexibility in how they visit and helps them feel prepared once they arrive.

Executives are aware that guests plan their vacations in different ways, whether that’s with a travel advisor, through cast members at the Call Center or booking directly via My Disney Experience or the Walt Disney World website. For guests who book directly, new features are coming to the app and web over the coming months that will make planning much easier for them.

To improve the My Disney Experience app, a number of improvements are coming:

• Spanish translations will be available soon.
• Following, a redesigned My Disney Experience app homepage will bring trip details, travel parties, and key planning steps into one place. The interface will feature a softer palette of colors and simplified menu.
• A new checklist feature is intended to help guests see what still needs to be completed before arrival. This will include when to book Lightning Lanes and dining pre-trip, check-in to a Disney resort hotel, add park tickets to a digital wallet, and more. There will also be a vacation countdown feature to build guest excitement.
• Linking family and friends will be a simpler process through a shareable link to contacts on your phone.
• Search discovery will be easier than ever before. Disney is using AI search models to improve this, but wouldn’t say much about what’s behind the process.
• Guests can more easily access when another Lightning Lane selection is available.

As for the Walt Disney World WEBSITE, a new vacation planning experience on DisneyWorld.Com will make booking a Walt Disney World stay easier. Guests will be able to compare vacation options, review rates across multiple dates, better understand when a visit might best align with their needs, and more. Despite being industry standards, this is the first time Disney will offer these functions. The new functionality will allow guests to browse by season as well, seeing what rates are like across a range of months before booking a trip.

Disney stated that it will share more information on these features once they launch. There are no specific timelines for any of these enhancements at this time.

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