Visit Disney: Here’s What’s New at Disney World in 2017

People are always asking us if we get tired of Disney.

If our kids are too old. If we get sick of the parks. If we wouldn’t rather vacation somewhere else.

The answer is always, unequivocally no!

Okay, mostly no.

Based on our time constraints, location, and budget requirements, Disney is a great fit for us since a trip to Greece every year is just out of the question.

Disney is pretty close, flights are usually affordable (no joke, Southwest $52 one way!), and we honestly enjoy the magic of the Disney experience and we love sharing it with our family.

Even as our kids have aged, we continue to enjoy family vacations to the parks. In fact, we may even enjoy them more now that we don’t have to lug strollers and baby gear and babies around, or leave the park for nap times, or go to bed at 9pm, or deal with hungry-tired-baby-kid-tantrums.

We don’t care about princesses (ok, so they never have cared about those), or characters, or waiting in line for the Peter Pan ride.

*Pause for rant* What is up with that ride? I even Googled it and, no joke, Peter Pan’s Flight has legit, the most consistently long line at Magic Kingdom. Longer than Space Mountain, even longer than the newest coaster, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! But why? It’s not even that fun! *End rant*

Anyway, now that our kids are older and independently mobile, we can sleep late in the mornings and go into the parks later in the day, after a swim, maybe not until evening, when the blazing hot sun and the babies are gone for the day. We can enjoy shows and Disney Springs and dinner at sit down restaurants with longer waits.

It’s sort of the sweet spot of kid travel and it is truly a destination with entertainment for family members of all ages.

Plus, Disney is always bringing something new and exciting to the table to keep guests coming back to experience the magic time and time again.

2017 is no different.

Our most recent visit for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration revealed so many upcoming things to be excited about in the world of Disney.

Some of them, we can’t even tell you about yet!

Here’s what we saw during our quick two day visit to Orlando…

And, here’s what’s going to be new at Disney World in 2017.

New at Disney World in 2017

New Magic Bands

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of using the Magic Bands at Disney yet, let me tell you that they are one of the highlights of an on-site adventure. You can customize the bands in the colors you like and even add your own name for personalization. They are used to open your resort room doors, to charge your purchases while in the park, to collect your images for Photo Pass, and to also proceed through the Fast Pass line on the rides. Disney has decided to kick things up a notch by releasing a new and improved Magic Band this year. They will allow for even more customization and wearing flexibility with the introduction of Magic Keepers.

Rivers of Light

We were given the opportunity to preview this much anticipated live show at Animal Kingdom during our most recent visit and are super excited to share it with you. Set to open February 17, 2017, this night time attraction features a 15 minute show that includes water, light, and beautiful music. It’s visually and audibly powerful, emotional, and fun for all ages. The massive light animals were a hit with the 9-year-old for sure.

Night Time at Animal Kingdom Park

With the intro of Rivers of Light, the Animal Kingdom will adopt later, night-time hours for guests. The park will come to life after dark allowing visitors to enjoy some of the park’s best attractions at nighttime for the first time. You will be able to enjoy the Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and more. They are also adding a new dining experience, Tiffins, and new after dark parties and performances.

Pandora

You. Guys. This is next level exciting for our family. We are huge Disney fans anyway and are always super excited when new things are announced. A whole new land, that has been in the works for years, based on a film we immensely enjoyed, is finally set to open mid 2017! There are so many exciting, innovative elements to this development and yes, we are planning a trip out there this fall to experience it. You can read more here: Disney’s Pandora: World of Avatar Coming Soon!

New Pricing

Sadly, this is rarely a good thing, but the fact of the matter is, Disney is not a chnizy trip. It is an investment, especially if you are a larger family. That said, hope is not lost. You can enjoy lower prices if you have trip flexibility to take advantage of their tiered pricing system. If you can avoid peak travel times (summer months, holiday periods, and warmer weekends), you can at least pay the value price for tickets.

Express Transportation

Technically the express transportation option was born late last year, but if you’re not a frequent Disney-er you may not have realized it was an option. Designed to help guests with Park Hopper tickets get fro park to park more efficiently, the express transportation options allows you to catch a bus INSIDE of a Disney park and it drops you off INSIDE of another park! Anyone who has used the free bus service knows the time walking to the park exit, waiting on the bus, and then going through the security and entry systems at a second park can take. This option, available for $15 per person, per day, was created to cut that time down. We didn’t use it on this trip, but we would definitely consider it on a future, short turn around, Disney adventure.

Disney Movies

Although these movies aren’t exclusively new at Disney World in 2017, they will allow you to enjoy the Disney magic from your home town. I am next level excited about Beauty and the Beast. So, so excited. But there are a ton of great Disney movies coming out in 2017 that The Dudes and I are excited about. Beauty and the Beast comes out March 17, 2017. Then Pirates of the Caribbean in May -thank you thank you, Johnny Depp. Dude 3 is super excited about Cars 3 (Cars 1 was his FAVORITE movie of all time) in June. Then our entire, super hero loving family, is looking forward to Thor: Ragnarock in November. And last but totally not least, December will bring us Star Wars: The Last Jedi.