Disney Announces Huge Change to FastPass+

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

We’ve been waiting to hear when FastPass+ would be returning and today we finally have an answer regarding its future. FastPass+ will be retired and replaced by a new paid offering this fall as part of a new digital service called Disney Genie. 

From a Disney Cast Member;

We’re almost ready to let Disney Genie out of the lamp!

Coming this fall to Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, Disney Genie is a complimentary and convenient new digital service designed to create your best Disney day. We’ve been listening to your feedback – you want planning to be easier, you want more flexibility and you want better tools to help you make the most of your visit – and that’s exactly what Disney Genie is here to do. We’ve made significant investments in this cool new technology, which guides you through our theme parks with tips that can help you reduce time in lines, discover magic around every corner and take the guesswork out of “what’s next.”

Built right into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps, Disney Genie service will maximize your park time, so you can have more fun. It includes a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more – just tell Disney Genie what you want to do and it will do the planning for you.

Here are a few more features:

    • Get Itinerary Updates from Morning to Night: Disney Genie will continue to update your itinerary throughout your day, so you can be more spontaneous and go with the flow.
    • Find Your Favorites at a Glance: Create your very own personal tip board to instantly see your favorites. It will display current AND forecasted future wait times, helping you predict when you might experience quicker entry to attractions.
    • Enjoy More Flexibility and Fun: Disney Genie brings existing planning features together in one place. Join a virtual queue at certain attractions, make dining and experience reservations, mobile order food at many locations, get help from a virtual assistant and more.

For even more convenience and flexibility, there are two other options for enjoying our theme parks, through a queue we are introducing called the Lightning Lane entrance that also saves you time in line:

    • Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day – from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.
    • Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.

Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of your visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, great for those who love the Park Hopper option. Attractions continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue at certain attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – to maximize flexibility.

While the FASTPASS, FastPass+ and Disney MaxPass services will be retired, we’re incredibly excited about the flexibility and choices Disney Genie service provides. You can choose from all of our new options, a mix of them or none at all, and continue to have a great experience no matter how you decide to plan your best Disney day.

We are also making some enhancements to our Disability Access Service (DAS) program, including new options to enroll in the program pre-arrival and for DAS participants to select attractions directly in the app. These options will be available in addition to our existing, in-person DAS program. Visit our Services for Guests with Disabilities page DisneyWorld.com and Disneyland.comfor more details.

Disney Makes Another Change to Face Cover Policy

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

On May 15, Disney announced they were no longer requiring Guests to wear masks outdoors. On June 15 face coverings became optional both indoors and outdoors for fully vaccinated Guests in most areas except on Disney transportation. Disney did not require proof of vaccination but did expect unvaccinated Guests to keep their masks on particularly while indoors. Unfortunately, with the rise of COVID cases, Orange County (which encompasses much of Walt Disney World) is in a state of emergency. Disney responded on July 30 by once again requiring masks to be worn at all indoor locations as well as outdoor queues, attractions, and theaters. Today, we’re learning that beginning August 19, face masks will now be optional for Guests when riding outdoor attractions, standing in outdoor queues, and while seated in outdoor theaters.

As reported by InsideTheMagic: “Per Disney: Since May, face coverings have been optional for Guests in outdoor common areas, and beginning Thursday, August 19, face coverings will also be optional for Guests in outdoor attractions, outdoor queues, and outdoor theaters at Walt Disney World Resort. As a reminder, face coverings remain required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail, and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status.”

Disney Adds More Dates for Extended Evening Park Hours For Resort Guests

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

With Walt Disney World’s Extra Magic Hours gone, Disney is preparing to release two new early entry and extended hours options that differ from Extra Magic Hours. First up, beginning October 1, ALL Walt Disney World Resorts will have a chance to experience the new “Early Theme Park Entry”. This new perk will allow all Disney Resorts Guests a jump-start their day inside the Park with a 30-minute early entry to ANY theme Park, EVERY day. If you’re staying as a Disney Deluxe Resort Guests you’re eligible to spend TWO extra hours in select Parks on select days! This new perk is called “Extended Evening Theme Park Hours“ and is only available to Disney Resort Guests staying at select Deluxe Resorts. While we previously shared that Disney released some October dates for extended evening hours, we’re now seeing even more October dates have been added to the calendar.

When visiting the Walt Disney World website, you’ll see in the screenshot below, Disney’s October Extended Evening Theme Park Hours include:

  • October 4 at EPCOT (10pm – midnight)
  • October 6 at Magic Kingdom (9pm – 11pm)
  • October 11 at EPCOT (10pm – midnight)
  • October 13 at Magic Kingdom (9pm to 11pm)
  • October 18 at EPCOT (10pm – midnight)
  • October 20 at Magic Kingdom (9pm – 11pm)
  • October 25 at EPCOT (10pm – midnight)
  • October 27 at Magic Kingdom (9pm to 11pm)

Unsure if you’re staying at one of the participating resorts? Extended evening theme Park hours is a benefit for registered Guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts and Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, which include the 24 Resort selections below:

Disney Deluxe Resorts

  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
  • Disney’s Beach Club Resort
  • Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
  • Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts

  • Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
  • Disney’s Beach Club Villas
  • Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
  • Disney’s Old Key West Resort
  • Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
  • Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Other Select Hotels

  • Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
  • Shades of Green® on Walt Disney World®

Guests staying at these resorts will still need a valid theme park ticket to gain access to the park, as well as a theme park reservation. If you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom for example but still want to enjoy staying up until midnight at EPCOT and have a valid park hopper ticket or annual pass, you can hop to EPCOT as long as you entered your first park where you made your reservation earlier in the day. For all the details about Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, visit Disney’s website.

Disney Parks and Resorts Revenue Up $1 Billion Over Last Quarter

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

The third quarter of the fiscal year has closed, and Disney has released their Q3 2021 results. In the earnings call this afternoon, the company announced a $17.02 billion revenue, higher than the expected revenue of $16.76 billion.

Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products reported revenue of $4.3 billion, an increase of 100% versus Q3 2020 and $1 billion more than last quarter.

Domestic parks posted a profit of $2 million, marking the first quarter with a profit since the pandemic began in March 2020. Meanwhile, international parks had a loss of $210 million.

Disney Parks worldwide were all open during Q3, and domestic parks increased capacity, leading to higher attendance and guest spending.

Cast Member Unions Negotiating with Disney Over Vaccination Requirement

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Last week, news broke that Disney would be requiring all of their salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any Disney site be fully vaccinated. The company cannot require union employees to be vaccinated without first consulting the unions, who can negotiate it into their contract for the members under a collective bargaining agreement. According to a statement made to Orlando news station Spectrum News 13, talks have been ongoing between Disney and the Services Trade Council, a collection of six unions representing Cast Members at Walt Disney World.

Jeremy Haicken, president of UNITE HERE Local 737, one of the six unions of the STC, told Spectrum News that despite not having reached an agreement yet, the negotiations will continue until one is reached.

“We continue to negotiate with Disney. We are especially concerned that unionized workers with medical or religious concerns will be accommodated fairly,” Haicken told Spectrum News. “The vaccines are safe and effective in preventing serious illness and death. We hope that all hospitality workers in Central Florida will get the vaccine as soon as possible.”