If you’ve visited the Walt Disney World website recently and thought, “Wait…this looks different,” you’re not imagining things.
Disney World has rolled out a new look for its website, with a cleaner design, simplified navigation, and some changes to how guests find information while planning their vacations.
And considering how much of the Disney vacation-planning process happens online these days, this is actually a pretty significant change.
The Walt Disney World Website Has a New Look
The redesigned website began rolling out August 20, bringing a refreshed homepage and a slimmer navigation bar.
The top navigation has been simplified into four main categories, making it easier to get to the information guests are looking for.
Hotels, tickets, parks, dining, and other planning information are still there. They just aren’t arranged exactly the way longtime Disney World website users are accustomed to seeing them.
Because apparently even the Disney website needs a refurbishment every once in a while.
Finding the Parks Is a Little Different
The new navigation gives each of the four theme parks its own section, along with access to park hours and schedules.
The Things to Do section has also been reorganized.
Guests can find attractions and entertainment, character experiences, events and tours, and shops through the updated menus.
There’s also a More to Explore section that includes Disney Springs and the latest park merchandise.
Tickets and Vacation Planning Got Their Own Sections
The updated Tickets & Passes section brings together information about theme park tickets, Annual Passes, Lightning Lane, photo packages, and other extras.
The Places to Stay section focuses on Disney Resort hotels, while dining information has its own dedicated section.
In other words, Disney is trying to make the website a little more intuitive for someone who doesn’t already know where everything lives.
The Homepage Is More Focused on Planning
The redesigned homepage now puts more emphasis on helping guests figure out what they actually need to do next.
Sections include Explore Walt Disney World Resort, Make Plans, and Get Ready for Your Visit.
There is also a Special Offers section, which can display different offers depending on factors such as where you live or whether you’re an Annual Passholder.
So if the website looks a little different for you than it does for someone else, that may not necessarily be your imagination either.
Is This Just a Website Redesign?
That’s the interesting part.
The changes appear to be more than Disney simply giving the website a fresh coat of digital paint.
Disney has been working toward broader changes to its digital vacation-planning experience, and this new website design appears to be an early visible piece of that larger effort.
For guests, the goal is pretty obvious: make it easier to find information and make plans without clicking through approximately 47 menus to figure out when Magic Kingdom closes.
What About the My Disney Experience App?
The website redesign doesn’t mean the My Disney Experience app has suddenly disappeared.
Guests will still use the app for many of the things they already rely on during their vacations, including park planning, reservations, Lightning Lane and other in-park features.
The website remains an important part of the vacation-planning process, particularly for guests who prefer to research their trip on a larger screen.
Disney World Is Giving Its Digital Experience a Refurbishment
We’ve gotten pretty used to seeing Disney refurbish attractions, restaurants, resorts and entire areas of the theme parks.
Now the website is getting its turn.
And honestly, it was probably overdue.
Walt Disney World has become an increasingly complicated vacation to plan, with tickets, resorts, dining reservations, Lightning Lane, special events, transportation and dozens of other decisions competing for your attention.
If Disney can make that process easier to navigate, I’m all for it.
So Don’t Panic If Disney.com Looks Different
If you head over to the Walt Disney World website and everything looks slightly unfamiliar, don’t worry.
You didn’t accidentally end up on the wrong website.
Disney just gave its digital front door a makeover.
And if you’ve been using the site for years, there may be a tiny learning curve while you figure out where everything moved.
Because apparently the first step in planning a Disney vacation is now learning how to navigate the Disney website again.
Welcome to the refurbishment, folks.
