Are YOU up to date on all the latest Disney news?

Do you know about the important Genie+ change? The ticket price increases? And the Genie+ lawsuit? NO?! Well, it’s time to get caught up then! Join us as we go through the biggest Disney news from this past week.

Ticket Increases and Changes

An important ticket change is now live in Disney World. 1-day, 1-park tickets are now park-specific in Disney World. That means, instead of buying a single ticket at a single price and then making a Park Pass for whatever park you want to visit, you’ll buy a 1-day, 1-park ticket that is SPECIFIC to whatever park you want to go to.

Because of this, a Park Pass reservation for that park will automatically be made for you. Because the 1-day, 1-park tickets are now park-specific, there is also park-specific pricing. So, for example, a ticket to Magic Kingdom on any particular day will likely be MORE expensive than a ticket to, say, Animal Kingdom on that same day.

So, when you look at the calendar now, note that ticket prices have a + next to them as the ticket price displayed is only the starting price for that day. The actual price of the ticket for the park you want to visit might be much more than the starting price.

We’ve seen a number of days in 2023 fall into a higher ticket price bracket as well, making them more expensive. If you haven’t already bought your tickets for your upcoming trip, be sure to review the calendar now and adjust your budget. Just remember the park-specific pricing and arrangement is only for 1-day, 1-park tickets (as of this moment).

Click here for more details about the ticket price increases and changes

In addition to those changes, it’ll cost you more to Park Hop in 2023. The price of a Park Hopper ticket add-on (which used to be standard for each ticket type) now varies depending on the date.

So it could cost you MORE to get that Park Hopper option on a popular day versus a day that is expected to be less popular. Again, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, please review the calendar now to see if you’ll need to adjust how much money you’ve set aside for tickets.

Click here to learn all about this Park Hopper change

An Important Genie+ Change

Speaking of changes, a change has been made when it comes to Genie+ as well. This week, Disney announced that guests will be able to modify their Lightning Lane (Genie+) reservations without having to cancel them. This could make things a LOT more convenient.

You’ll also be able to change specific members of your party that are attached to a Lightning Lane before making changes. Keep in mind that this is for standard Genie+ Lightning Lanes though. It will not apply to Individual Lightning Lanes (for the very popular rides) — those are nonrefundable and cannot be modified.

This modification benefit was announced for Disneyland and Disney World. We later saw this modification option go live within the Disneyland app and it eventually hit the Disney World (My Disney Experience) app too. Just be sure to download the latest update for the Disney app you’re using to make sure you get access to the most up-to-date information.

Click here to see more about this modification change

Genie+ Lawsuit

Speaking of Genie+, Disney was recently sued over the Genie and Genie+ systems. In the lawsuit, the Plaintiff (Agile Journeys LLC) alleges that Disney infringed upon one of their patents in relation to Genie and Genie+.

The Agile Journeys patent was for a method of “creating itineraries for a party of visitors to a facility, the facility having multiple attractions.” The patent described a method where visitors would give answers to questions and the system would create an itinerary that would be portable and dynamic.

The patent even makes multiple references to Disney, their old FastPass system, and the need for certain places (like theme parks) to create a “near optimal experience” even for unfamiliar visitors.

The lawsuit is still pending, so we’ll be on the lookout for more details.

Click here to read more about the lawsuit’s allegations and the patent at issue

Disney+ With Ads Is Here

Have you checked your Disney+ account lately? Disney+ with ads has officially launched and pricing for Disney+ without ads has changed.

Right now, you can grab Disney+ Basic (with ads) for $7.99 per month. Disney+ Premium (without ads) has increased in price to $10.99 per month. You can also get Premium for a year for $109.99. There are some benefits (like unlimited downloads) that only come with Premium. Because of this change, there have also been some changes when it comes to Disney+ bundle prices.

Keep in mind that if you already have Disney+, you’ll automatically be enrolled in the Premium service. If you don’t want that price increase and would rather have ads, you’ll need to physically switch to the Basic plan.

Also, note that the Disney+ ad tier is NOT available on Roku devices at this time.

Click here for more information about Disney+ with ads

Bob Iger News

We also got a bit of news this week about Bob Iger and the Disney Company. First, we took a full look at whether “boomerang” CEO Iger can succeed and what experts are saying.

Some analysts feel that Iger’s track record and experience within the industry will be received well by investors. And others have spoken up about just what changes could come due to Iger’s return. Click here for a full analysis.

In terms of changes we’ve already seen, some executives that served under Chapek have left the Company.

And a Florida politician has said that Chapek “screwed up” but Iger didn’t necessarily have to “own” that screw-up, in terms of Disney’s legal battles with the Florida government. What could this mean for the Reedy Creek Improvement District? Click here to see our full thoughts.

In terms of other CEO-related news, we shared an inside look at how Chapek’s cost-cutting created a rift among leaders at Disney.

And we’ve learned who might be a “top contender” to replace Bob Iger as CEO once his 2-year “boomerang” term is up. It seems Disney’s Chief Financial Officer, Christine McCarthy, is a leading contender for the CEO role. She could become the first female CEO of Disney if selected. But no official decisions have been made yet.

Finally, this week we heard Iger comment on gun violence, saying “I think we have an extra responsibility.” Click here to see his full statement.

Food News

And finally, we’ve got a bit of food news! Disney recently announced that 10 new menu items would becoming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Several of those have arrived so we (of course) went to check them out.

Click here for our FULL review of the new items at The Mara which include a Marinated Sun-dried Tomato and Herbed Ricotta Flatbread, Chermoula-spiced Shrimp Bowl, and Oak-grilled Chicken Bowl.

And click here to see or review of the new items at the Maji Pool Bar which include Shrimp Bakuli, Spiced Pork Nachos, and Short Rib Grilled Cheese.

We also spotted a major kids’ meal change in Animal Kingdom (would you trade an extra side item for a book?)…

…and tried a snack that proves Disney World food is UNPREDICTABLE.

Also, could a fast food spot in Disney World be CLOSED for good? We’ve seen some strange things impacting the BoardWalk To Go kiosk. Click here for full details.

For more news stories, check out the links below:

• 5 rides will temporarily CLOSE in January at Disneyland
• We encountered a strange and unexpected PROBLEM in Disney World
• New rules have been announced for Space Mountain in Disney World
• Why you should get your New Year’s Day (2023) Park Pass immediately
• Disney’s 100th Anniversary collection will be online soon
• 5 laws you need to know before you travel to Florida
• A NEW Drury Hotel has opened near Disney World
• Could Flight of Passage CHANGE in Disney World?

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What news from this week were you most surprised by? Tell us in the comments!