5 Reasons to Book Your 2024 Trip to WDW!!

As summer approaches, Disney traditionally releases prices and information for 2024 — and now we know that on May 31, 2023, we can get YOUR trip booked for the next year!

Along with the great news that 2024 pricing is around the corner, Disney had a few more surprises up their magical sleeve!

If you love a Mickey Waffle, you’ll be able to get it on the Disney Dining Plan!!

Here are five reasons to book your 2024 trip on May 31!

ONE… THE DISNEY DINING PLAN IS RETURNING IN 2024!

You’ve been asking for it and Disney has listened… the iconic and hugely popular dining plan is returning as a feature to add to 2024 Walt Disney World vacation packages! You’ll have your choice between the counter service plan and the traditional Disney Dining Plan, and can be added to any package that starts on January 9th, 2024, or beyond. Pricing and detail information coming soon.

TWO… SIMPLIFIED GENIE+ COMING IN 2024

Genie+ is a great service to help shorten lines at popular attractions in the parks, but admittedly, it can be a hassle to learn and sometimes navigate. Good news! While we have no specific information, Disney has announced they are working on ways to work with Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections BEFORE your park visit! Expect those details soon.

THREE… CONTINUED EXTENDED PARK HOURS THROUGH 2024

For on property guests, Disney World will continue early park entry each day, which will definitely help you get a jumpstart on the most popular attractions (and avoid those early lines!) Staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas, you’ll continue to get extended evening hours on select dates at select parks through 2024. (Early theme park entry and extended evening hours require valid theme park admission and a Resort ID.)  

Wonder Twins, Activate… form of… MAGICAL AWESOME UPON A STAR AGENTS!!

FOUR… PARK PASS RESERVATIONS NO LONGER REQUIRED IN 2024!

Beginning with park days scheduled on January 9th, 2024, Disney will no longer require Park Pass Reservations! Meaning… you won’t have to decide 9 months in advance if you want to go to Epcot or Magic Kingdom on a random Tuesday! When using a “date-based” ticket, you just simply… go! For reference, date-based tickets are the standard ticket option we offer to guests. For other admission types, including non-dated tickets, theme park reservations may be required.

FIVE… GOOD-TO-GO DATES OFFERED IN 2024!

If you are an Annual Passholder or hold other specific types of WDW tickets, you may still be required to reserve park pass reservations to visit the WDW parks… but Disney World will offer select days on which our Annual Passholders (and Disney cast members!) may visit the parks with with no park reservation needed! These “Good-to-Go Days” will premiere and then roll out on an ongoing basis.

All of these reasons, plus Happily Ever After’s return, Disney resort free parking re-introduced, Tron Lightcycle/Run, the opening of Moana’s Journey of Water in Epcot (scheduled fall 2023), and so much more gives you plenty of reasons to get your trip booked to Walt Disney World for 2024. But it’s only May, and there are still almost 8 full months to fill with Disney magic.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT!!

While we cannot book 2024 packages until May 31st, 2023, you can ABSOLUTELY get your 2023 trip for late spring, summer, fall, or winter booked ASAP! Enjoy the Epcot festivals, the opening of Moana’s Journey of Water, all in Epcot, and both the Halloween and Christmas parties (both extra ticket events) in Magic Kingdom — and of course, everything that Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom (celebrating it’s 25th anniversary!) has to magically offer!

Contact your favorite Upon a Star Travel Agent for your quotes for 2023 and to get on the 2024 waiting list!

New Disney Offer for Disney+ Subscribers!

New Offer!

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New Offer! 〰️

Disney+ subscribers can save up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights July 8 through September 30, 2022. Contact us today—and get ready for a great getaway!


Discover the Boardwalk Hotel Aruba!

The Aruba Tourism Board recently hosted me for an exclusive visit around their “Happy Island”. It truly lived up to their tagline! During this opportunity, I was able to visit 15 hotels. While all were fabulous to tour, several really caught my eye as wonderful gems for our clients. One of these gems is Boardwalk Hotel Aruba. This boutique hotel features one and two bedroom casitas. 

As soon as you enter the lobby, you will be surrounded by lush, tranquil gardens. The quiet, laid back atmosphere is perfect for adults only or families looking for relaxation amongst their adventures in paradise. The best part is that this oasis is just yards away from the white sands of Palm Beach as well as the shopping and dining/nightlife experiences. In your casita, you will find a fully equipped kitchen, dining and living spaces in addition to the bedroom and bathroom. Step out onto your private patio where you can lounge in your hammock or enjoy a meal made on your BBQ grill. Around the grounds of this former coconut plantation you will find two pools, a yoga deck, a fitness studio as well as a smoothie/ acai bowl bar by famed Eduardo’s. My favorite is the special Palapa Lodge sitting atop the fitness studio featuring a 360° wrap around thatched roof terrace with gorgeous beach views. This is the serenity you deserve!

If Aruba is on your “to visit” list, let Upon A Star Travel help you to get there! I know you’ll love it as much as I did!

More Entertainment Returns to the Walt Disney World® Resort!

It’s always an exciting… dare we say MAGICAL time when we get more news of more things we love opening again! Walt Disney World has announced a list of favorites soon to be returning and entertaining guests once again!

First to return – “Wonderful World of Animation” lights up the night above Hollywood Studios once again, using incredible projection technology to transform the Chinese Theater into a showcase to display more than 90 years of Disney animation. We can enjoy this show again beginning August 1st!

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A week later, on August 8th, you have another chance to be “THAT GUY” and buy the audience some churros (just kidding… unless you want to – because everyone needs free churros!) as “Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor” brings back the Monster of Ceremonies Mike Wazowski begins gathering your laughter again.

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Just two weeks later, on August 15th , the tale as old as time retakes the stage in Hollywood Studios, as the legendary “Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage” will invite you to once again be our guest, and dare you to not sing along!

Also on August 15th, And then, head to Epcot, get some fin, and surf some waves with our favorite turtle when “Turtle Talk with Crush” begins answering questions! Say it with me… “TOTALLLLLY SWEEET”

Finally, a reminder that TWO new fireworks spectacular shows are coming soon … Both “Harmonious” in Epcot and “Disney Enchantment” in Magic Kingdom will premiere Friday, October 1st, on the day of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary (and Epcot’s 39th anniversary!). With two new shows premiering, we do have to say goodbye to the current shows – “EPCOT Forever” will conclude it’s limited run on September 28th, and “Happily Ever After” will having its final showing on September 29th.

Stay tuned for more re-opening news and more announcements regarding the 50th Anniversary celebration!

Disney After Hours BOO Bash

Many Disney fans were keeping an eye on the fall, as news of more and more re-openings tend to be released. Yesterday, we were treated to the awesome announcement that Disneyland's Paradise Pier Hotel would be open in June, and Storytellers Cafe and Napa Rose will also open again soon, and this morning, we finally know something about Halloween!


The Disney After Hours BOO Bash will begin on August 10th, and run on select nights through October 31, from 9pm to Midnight. With your BOO Bash ticket, you'll be able to enter Magic Kingdom as early as 7pm, and you won't even need a park ticket or a Park Pass reservation!


Children 14 and under are invited to dress for the occasion, and all guests are required to follow current safety protocols, including face coverings.


This specially ticket event will have much of the magic of the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party with new magical touches, including:

  • Candy stations with sweet surprises

  • The Cadaver Dans return

  • Attractions with low wait times

  • Halloween Themed character cavalcades

  • Themed food, beverages, and merchandise

  • Halloween decor and theming all around the park

  • Your favorite characters, both heroes and villains, in the parks

And much more surprises and delights in the night!

Tickets go on sale next month, and many more details to come!

Email us for details!

info@uponastartravel.com


The Disney Wish -- Details Announced!

"A dream is a wish your heart makes" is a familiar tune to any Disney fan... well, after today, my heart's dream is to be on the WISH!"

Today in an incredible presentation, Disney Cruise Line revealed some major details on the forthcoming fifth ship in Disney's magical line of ocean liners. The Disney Wish will have it's maiden voyage on June 9th, 2022, and will be a five night sailing, then followed by a full slate of 3 and 4 night sailings in the Bahamas, most with stops in Nassau, all with stops on Disney's own private island, Castaway Cay.

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The Wish is a ship of fantasy, a dream, a wonder, and completely full of magic, offering both familiar and reimagined experiences as well as new attractions, dining, entertainment, and much more - let's take a look at some of the incredible things you can expect on this new ship!

Perhaps the most exciting new feature is the first theme park attraction on a ship -- the AquaMOUSE! With special effects, lighting, Mickey cartoon short animation, and more, you'll be thrilled as you zoom through 760 feet of slide all across the upper deck of The Wish.

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The whole family will love the Toy Story family area (with the kid appropriate Slidasauras Rex slide and a smoothie counter... called Wheezy's Freezys, of course) and adults will enjoy the Quiet Cove, created to give them a chance to relax.

Dining will be unlike any other Disney ship, offering several new restaurants, experiences, and even shows! Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure is a theatrical dinner show featuring Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and many other surprises with world class Nordic infused cuisine, while Worlds of Marvel takes you on an Avengers Adventure as you enjoy the superhero inspired menu.

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1923 is a throwback to old Hollywood and the year that Walt Disney Company began. You'll enjoy a golden age of animation with a nod to classic California in both decor and dishes.

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The Disney classic "Beauty & the Beast" inspires two new dining areas and a reimagined favorite. First, Palo Steakhouse, the legendary restaurant seen on other Disney ships, will feature the cuisine we all know and love, with an atmosphere inspired by the beloved character Cogsworth. Right next door, you'll find Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement, described as Luxury Dining, cultivated by three Michelin-starred chefs, and inspired by Lumiere. Located in between Palo and Enchanté, at the entrances of both, will be The Rose, a lounge reminiscent of the flower at the heart of Beauty's story.

And you'll see it's okay to nerd out even as an adult when you visit Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, an adult centric bar styled as a high class spaceship, with a drink and taste menu inspired by Batuu, Tatooine, Mustafar, and other worlds in the galaxy far far away.

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And after all of that, take a little time to indulge yourself in Senses Spa, while keeping fit in the redesigned Senses Fitness.

The entertainment will combine incredible new technology with Disney's traditional storytelling, beginning with the large theater area called Grand Hall, then continuing with Luna, an entertainment hub that will treat families in the day and become an adults-only spot in the evening. The Hero Zone is a futuristic sports style arena, but if you'd rather take in a flick, enjoy the Wonderland and Never Land Cinemas.

And of course, Disney Cruise Line is known for their incredible Broadway-style stage performances, and Disney Wish will be no exception, with an updated version of their cruise line favorite "Aladdin" musical, as well as new, original productions to be announced soon!

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For the teens, Edge is a place were tweens and teens ages 11 to 14 can go, while Vibe is ready for the older set (ages 14 to 17), while parents can take a breather while their youngest are happy and kept busy in the It's a Small World Nursery (6mo to 3 years, with a nominal fee).

For the kids ages 3 to 12, Disney's Oceaneer Club features the incredible Marvel Super Hero Academy, where the kids... er, recruits... can become the heroes... Fairytale Hall will feature Rapunzel's Art Studio, Belle's Library... and Anna & Elsa's Sommerhus.

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But where will you sleep? Oh, you ask... and Disney Wish answers. The ship features 1,254 staterooms, with over 900 of them adjoining to help with accommodating larger families. You'll find a verandah on 877 of the rooms as well!

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Plus, Disney will feature rooms located above the ship's bridge for the first time, there will be an exclusive sun deck for concierge level guests, and there will be FOUR Royal Suites, each that can sleep up to six guests in a rich and beautiful stateroom -- and two of these suites will be two stories, with a spiral staircase and floor to ceiling stained glass frieze.

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Excited yet? We can barely hold in our joy for this amazing new addition to the Disney fleet, and your favorite Upon a Star Travel Agents are ready to get you booked on Disney Wish's maiden voyage and beyond. The Disney Wish will be located out of Port Canaveral..

Booking opens up on May 27th, 2021, for the June 9th, 2022 launch date and the following slate of sailings. Platinum, Gold, and Silver Castaway Members will have advanced booking opportunities.

Contact us at uponastartravel@gmail.com for more information... or just to tell us how excited you are!