3 Changes Walt Disney World Is Making to Bring More Value & Flexibility to Your Visits

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

Happy New Year from Walt Disney World Resort! 2022 was a big year for us as we continued our 50th Anniversary celebration with cast, guests and the community, debuted our newest groundbreaking attraction with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and reopened beloved experiences from Fantasmic! to the Walt Disney World Railroad.

Josh D’Amaro, chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products (center front right) and Jeff Vahle, president, Walt Disney World Resort (center front left), pose with Disney cast members for a photo in front of Cinderella Castle, July 11, 2020, prior to the phased reopening of Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (David Roark, photographer)

2023 brings even more to look forward to – from the triumphant return of the Happily Ever After nighttime spectacular to the opening of TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom Park, and one I personally can’t wait to experience, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana at EPCOT!

Today, we’re excited to announce a few other updates we’re making to improve the guest experience and to let our fans know we are listening to their feedback, including Annual Passholders, who are some of our most loyal guests:

Enjoy complimentary self-parking when staying at a Disney Resort hotel

Beginning this evening, Jan. 10, overnight self-parking will once again be offered complimentary to guests staying at Disney Resort hotels at Walt Disney World. This is a Disney difference many of you have asked us to bring back, and we’re happy to reintroduce it to make your vacation a little easier and more affordable – whether you’re road tripping across the country, renting a car or vacationing as a local Florida resident. As a reminder, Disney Resort hotel guests also continue to receive complimentary standard parking at Walt Disney World theme parks, daily early theme park entry (with valid admission and a park reservation) and complimentary on-site transportation options such as buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner. 

Walt Disney World Annual Passholders: Park reservation requirements will be relaxed for visits after 2 p.m.*

Beginning in the next few months, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park. Pass blockout dates will continue to apply like they do today. While the theme park reservation system remains important to manage attendance in our parks, especially on busier days, we realize our Passholders enjoy more spontaneous visits – and this change will make that possible. Passholders will also receive access to Disney PhotoPass lenses and one complimentary Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories experience (age restrictions apply). Visit Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories and Disney PhotoPass Lenses for details, restrictions and other information.* 

We’ll share a start date with Passholders soon for when these offerings will become available, as well as information about a new offering that is planned where you can create and share short Disney-themed video slideshows with favorite photos from your theme park visits.

Attraction photo downloads will be included with Disney Genie+ service

Beginning in the next few months, guests purchasing Disney Genie+ service will also receive digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction photos, taken in the park on the day of their purchase, at no additional charge. Attraction photos are taken while in the parks at more than a dozen of our most popular attractions including Space Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, Expedition Everest and more. I always love looking back at family photos at our favorite attractions – it’s a perfect way to remember and celebrate your theme park visit together. An exact launch date will be announced at a later time. Disney PhotoPass terms and conditions and expiration policy apply.

All of these updates are specific to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida – be sure to check out our Disney Travel News post on Disneyland Resort for updates they announced today. 

Please know we will keep listening to you and adapting as we focus on making the guest experience even better for more people who visit us here at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

That includes making planning easier for everyone. For example, we recently added the ability to modify Disney Genie+ attraction selections in the My Disney Experience app, began automatically making theme park reservations with the purchase of 1-day, 1-park specific tickets and made our dining reservation policy more flexible if you need to modify or cancel.

As we’ve shared before, we’re also committed to providing a wide range of options to visit, which is why we roll out special offers from time to time for Florida residents and other guests. Visit DisneyWorld.com/Offers for more details, including a few offers we launched to kick off the new year.

Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more updates and be sure to visit planDisney.com for helpful tips and advice on planning your next visit to Walt Disney World. 

We hope these updates make your next visit more convenient and enjoyable, so you can focus on making memories with your family, friends and loved ones. We’re grateful for fans like you and look forward to seeing you real soon!

*All offerings are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Walt Disney World Annual Pass Terms and Conditions apply.  

Genie+ Price Hike Already In Place

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

In the early morning hours of October 11, 2022, it was discovered that Disneyland Resort had quietly hiked up the price for its Disney Genie+ service from $20 per person per day to $25 overnight. But the Disney news of the price hikes didn’t stop there.

In addition to Disneyland’s price hike of Disney Genie service (the former complementary line skipping service known as MaxPass or FastPass+), Disneyland Resort bumped up its Park ticket prices for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.

Unfortunately, we had a feeling Walt Disney World Resort wasn’t in the clear. Shortly after Disneyland’s news, Walt Disney World Resort quietly update its Disney Genie+ service. Instead of the former sticker price of $15 per person per day, Disney World revealed it would now offer Disney Genie+ pricing that would “vary by date.”

Much faster than Disney has been able to make decisions about the long-lasting construction status of the TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom Park… Disney wasted no time implementing the Disney Genie+ price hike.

As of the morning of October 12, 2022, Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World has jumped from $15 to $20.

@AshleyLCarter1 took to social media to share, “For today (Oct. 12), Disney Genie+ at Disney World is priced at $20 per person plus tax. Disney recently implemented variable pricing for the service.”

The news of the price hikes didn’t stop there. Furthermore, Disney kept the quiet pricing increase unfolding with select Disney experience price increases at Savi’s Workshop and Droid Depot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Food and beverage pricing increase has also been spotted throughout the Disney Parks and Resorts.

Individual Lightning Lane attractions that are not included in Disney Genie+ will also increase and vary in price daily, depending on crowd size for each Disney Park. The individual attraction selection and pricing for Lightning Lane attractions include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (expect $11 per person) at Magic Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (expect $15 per person) at EPCOT, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (expect $20 per person) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Avatar Flight of Passage (expect $14 per person) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.

MORE Disney Genie Changes With How Guests Purchase the Upcharge Service

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

Less than a year after Disney first introduced Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Lightning Lane attractions, we’re seeing more changes unfold specifically for the upcharge service, Disney Genie+.

Just recently, Walt Disney World announced it is making changes at EPCOT to its current individual Lightning Lane and Disney Genie+ attraction set up. Beginning May 31, 2022, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will join EPCOT’s list of Disney Genie+ attractions. This means both Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be individual Lightning Lane attractions from May 27 to May 30. Starting May 31, however, Cosmic Rewind will be the only individual Lightning Lane at EPCOT as Remy’s rolls onto the Disney Genie+ ride options.

Now, we’re learning Disney is also changing how Guests purchase Disney Genie+, the upcharge service (similar to the former Fast Pass system) that allows Guests to select a few attractions a day to skip the standby line at the rate of $15 per person, per day.

Walt Disney World Resort has announced they are making an adjustment to how Disney Guests purchase the Disney Genie+ service by noting:

“Starting June 8, Disney Genie+ will only be offered for purchase through the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit – we will no longer offer the option to purchase this service pre-arrival as a ticket add-on for dates remaining in 2022 and in 2023.”

disney-genie

“This means that, moving forward, whether you have an Annual Pass, multi- or single-day ticket, you may only purchase Disney Genie+ service on the day of your visit via the app, one day at a time, subject to availability. We’re focused on delivering the best possible guest experience, and this adjustment will help manage the incredibly strong demand our guests have shown for Disney Genie+.”

Disney also reminded Guests of a recent change made to its Disney Genie+ policy that Guests shouldn’t expect to get more than 2 or 3 a day individual attraction selection choices when purchasing Disney Genie+. They go on to note, “We expect that, on average, guests who purchase Disney Genie+ service will continue to enter 2-3 attractions or experiences each day using the Lightning Lane entrance when the first selection is made early in the day.“

Track of Slinky Dog Dash

Keep in mind, that if you have already purchased a Disney Park ticket for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom that includes Disney Genie+ service for dates later in 2022, Disney will still allow you to use the service during your visit. It is also noted that this Disney Genie service purchase change does not apply to Disneyland Resort, only to Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney Changes Genie+ Purchasing Process

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

One of the more controversial add-ons to the My Disney Experience app as of late has been the Disney Genie+ addition. Now, a change is coming.

Disney Genie+, the paid aspect of the system, allows Guests to use the Lightning Lane when their return time strikes — which has replaced the previously free FastPass lane. Then both theme park resorts have a la carte options where Guests must pay varying costs per ride, per person to ride the attraction. Disney Genie+ costs $15.00 per person per day for Disney World Guests and $20.00 per person per day at Disneyland. The cost for Disney Genie+ is slightly more expensive at Disneyland, and so are the a la carte options. Rise of the Resistance has hit costs of $20.00 per person per ride, which would essentially double the daily cost of Disney Genie+ if Guests wanted to Lightning Lane the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction, as well as use the paid system for other attractions.

disney genie in disneyland resort starts soon

At each Park, however, there are two attractions that Guests would need to purchase a separate Lightning Lane ticket for if they wanted to skip those lines. Those attractions are: 

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Space Mountain
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Avatar Flight of Passage
  • Expedition Everest
Disney Genie_ Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane

Previously, Guests could pre-purchase Disney Genie+ prior to their theme park day, now some Guests will not be able to. It seems Disney has changed their policy which will affect Guests buying a one-day ticket. Disney Genie+ must be purchased on the My Disney Experience app on the day of their visit. Multi-day tickets can still have Disney Genie+ added on in advance.

Disney genie

It seems that this change is not a major one, but it does mean that Guests looking to utilize the system to its fullest potential will have to be ready to go. We recently also announced the Walt Disney World app had been updated to now include a linking code feature. This means that Guests who travel with a party, whether that be family or friends, can now easily link their accounts to book Disney Genie+, lightning lane, and dining reservations using a simple QR code.

Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane Passes Sell Out in Just Hours

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

On December 8, Disney’s newest planning tool, Disney Genie, launched at Disneyland Resort, along with the new paid-for Lightning Lane service, Disney Genie+. Unfortunately, due to a massive cloud server outage, the launch was anything but smooth, and Guests who purchased Disney Genie+ found themselves unable to do things like book ride passes, access their already booked passes, and mobile order. The outage caused app issues for a couple of days, but now it looks like things have settled down and things are running relatively smoothly at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Disney Genie Plus

When Disney announced Disney Genie+, they also shared that some of the most popular rides at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World would not be a part of Genie+. These rides would be called individual attraction selections, and Guests would have to pay an additional fee to access the Lightning Lane.  At Disneyland Resort, those rides are Rise of the Resistance, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, and Radiator Springs Racers, and the fees that Guests would pay would depend on the time of year and even the day of the week.

Web Slingers

A lot of Guests voiced their discontent at having to pay not only for Disney Genie+ but then also having to pay even more if they wanted to get to the front of some of the most popular rides. Rise of the Resistance could cost upwards of $20 per Guest for front-of-the-line access on busy days, and some were shocked to see that high price tag. However, it seems that the shock wore off quickly and a lot of Guests decided that the price tag was worth skipping the line.

According to Instagrammer Gothic Rosie, individual attraction selection passes for Rise of the Resistance sold out in a matter of hours on Saturday, December 11.

STATUS UPDATE: INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE HAS SOLD OUT TODAY

Standby is still available. Check the app for wait times, currently at 120 minutes at the time of this posting.

Web Slingers and Radiator Springs Racers still have times available through ILL.

Thanks to @mramtrak457 for the heads up🥰🙏🏼!

ROTR Disneyland Tickets Sell out

It is important for Disneyland Guests to remember that individual attraction selection prices will vary, so it is important to check the Disneyland app for the most up-to-date information on the rides, as well as Disney Genie and Genie+.