Over the past few months, Disney World has been undergoing a significant revamp after it recently announced a series of closures and new attractions.
While Disney World fans can kiss goodbye attractions such as DinoLand and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, they can expect to see a new nighttime parade, Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern, adult-only lounge GEO-82, and much more debut this year.
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The revamp is part of Disney’s plan to spend $60 billion over the next decade to expand its theme parks around the world.
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It also comes during a time when Disney’s U.S. theme parks recently faced a slump in visitors, which contributed to the locations facing a 5% year-over-year decline in operating income during the fourth quarter of 2024.
A very crowded scene at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
Image source: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Disney Dreamers Academy
Disney World is slowly bringing back a beloved service
Despite the decrease in foot traffic, Disney (DIS) appears to be hopeful that it will soon face a spike in visitors as it is piloting the return of a convenient service that made Disney trips more seamless for travelers.
Disney World has quietly brought back Resort Airline Check-In service, which allows guests to check in their luggage at a Disney resort for it to be loaded onto their flight home, according to a recent report from Blog Mickey.
Resort Airline Check-In was previously discontinued in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the complimentary service is currently only available at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and guests can learn about it only through word-of-mouth. The service is solely exclusive to guests who are flying Southwest Airlines to return home from the resort.
Resort Airline Check-In is being operated by the third-party company Bag Check. Guests at the resort who want to take advantage of the service will be required to drop off their bags with a cast member at the Luggage Assistance desk the night before their flight if it is scheduled to take off before 1 p.m.
Related: Disney World shares shutdown plans for a full theme park land
Guests who have flights scheduled after 1 p.m. will have to leave their bags at the desk at least four hours before the flight time.
Resort Airline Check-In could expand to other airlines in the future if it becomes popular. It will also reportedly expand to Value Resorts in April.
Many consumers took to Reddit to applaud the change and express their desire for Disney to fully bring back the service to multiple airlines and resorts.
“Man, I miss when Delta used to do this. It was so nice jumping on the bus with just your carry on and going straight to security. Fingers crossed they bring this back for other carriers,” wrote one redditor.
“I would love to be able to drop off my bags, go to the park, and leave straight from there to the airport!” wrote another.
Disney CEO recently addressed theme park demand concerns
The move from Disney World comes after Disney CEO Bob Iger claimed during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on March 21 that demand at Disney’s theme parks and resorts is “extremely high,” despite a recent dip in foot traffic.
“I was just at Walt Disney World on actually a weekday in March, and the place was really busy, really across the whole property,” said Iger. “In Pandora, our Avatar Land Galaxy’s Edge, which is our Star Wars land, riding Guardians of the Galaxy of Epcot and Tron and Toy Story Land and at Disney Springs, which is our great retail dining and entertainment destination.”
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He also said that Disney is always looking for ways to make its theme parks and resorts more accessible and affordable for travelers.
“We’re constantly considering and developing and implementing new ways to make the experiences that we offer both more enjoyable, but of equal importance more accessible,” said Iger. “We provide several options for families looking to spend less, including our lowest price ticket to Disneyland, which we’ve kept at the same level since before the COVID pandemic. And two years ago when I returned, we tripled the number of days that low-price ticket was available.”
His comments come after a recent report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that Disney executives are allegedly worried that its theme parks and resorts have become too expensive for middle-class families.
In October, Disney World and Disneyland faced backlash from consumers for announcing price increases for tickets and passes. It also quietly hiked food and beverage prices at multiple dining locations.
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