Walt Disney World has quietly rolled out seven policy updates so far in 2026, touching everything from how guests catch a ride at Disney Springs to how they pay for a quick-service meal on their phone. Some changes have been welcomed; others have stirred debate among frequent visitors.
On the transportation front, buses and boats serving Disney Springs are now reserved for resort hotel guests and those with dining reservations at their destination — a rule that became permanent in June 2026 after an April test run. Around the same time, Disney Springs parking garages began closing overnight on merchandise release days to stop guests from camping out for new pin drops, which had become a recurring safety concern.
Resort guests also saw one perk quietly trimmed: the complimentary water park admission offered on check-in day, which was available year-round in 2025, is now limited to a summer window running from late May through early September. On a more welcome note, the My Disney Experience app now lets users save Disney Gift Card information as a stored payment method, eliminating the need to retype a 16-digit card number for every transaction.
Other updates addressed commercial activity on Disney property. In January 2026, Disney sent cease-and-desist notices to unauthorized third-party vendors operating on its grounds, and in March it sharpened its Disney Vacation Club point-selling policy by spelling out specific consequences — including reservation cancellations — for members who repeatedly rent out their points like a business. Meanwhile, Disney continues to experiment with crowd-flow adjustments in the pre-show area of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, where queue bottlenecks have been an ongoing challenge since the ride opened in 2022.
Details on all seven changes were reported by Mickey Visit.
