food IS a theme park
Well, August was a BIG month when it comes to Disney news.
Cinderella Castle
We’re back with a check-in on the most unexpected/vacation-altering news that happened in Disney World last month and, well, this one’s a doozy. Are you sitting down? Comfy? HYDRATED? We ask because this list of unexpected news is pretty much dissertation length. Don’t worry though, we’re here to guide ya through it.
Recently we’ve seen some HUGE Disney news announced.
©Disney
FastPass+, FASTPASS, and MaxPass will not return to Disney World or Disneyland. A NEW, FREE planning service called Disney Genie is coming soon will help you optimize your time in the parks. But, if you want to skip the standby lines in the parks, you’ll have to purchase one of Disney’s new PAID FastPass-like services — Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selection. It’s a LOT to take in, but the main thing to take away is that if you want to skip the standby lines, you’ll have to pay for it. We asked our readers whether they would do that. Here’s what they said.
We’ve had some time to master the Disney Genie service.
©Disney
If you don’t already know, the service is available on the Disneyland App and My Disney Experience, and is a tool for Disney guests to use when planning their vacations. We’ve used Genie+, the personalized itinerary, and more, but here are the FIVE most MIND-BLOWING features.
We are learning a LOT about Disney Genie today and we’re EXTRA interested in Genie+, the PAID Fastpass+ and MaxPass replacement.
Disneyland
Genie+ will be the new offering in Disney World and Disneyland that lets guests skip the standby line and go straight into a Lightning Lane (AKA former FASTPASS queue) to access attractions. It’s the next generation of MaxPass as it is a paid offering, but how is it different from MaxPass? Let’s take a look.
By now, many Disney World and Disneyland guests are pretty familiar with Genie+.
Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane
The paid service has replaced both FastPass+ and MaxPass in Disney World and Disneyland. And while Genie+ allows you to bypass the standby queue on most attractions, you’ll still need to pay a separate fee to do so on more popular rides, via Individual Attraction Selection AKA Individual Lightning Lanes. But, why might you want to do this, and how would you do it? We’re breaking down the information you need to know here!
Wow, we’re learning a LOT about Disney’s upcoming trip planning service, Disney Genie.
Cinderella Castle
Last week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek talked about the upcoming service and now we’re learning a LOT more about it. Not only will it change the way you plan your day in Disney World and Disneyland, but it will also have a feature (Genie+) that will act as a PAID replacement to Fastpass+ and MaxPass. But how will the new service work for Disney World Annual Passholders and Disneyland Magic Key holders?
FastPass+ was temporarily suspended when the Disney World theme parks reopened last year, and FastPass and MaxPass have not been available at Disneyland since its reopening.
The FastPass kiosks have been out of use for a while!
For months now, we’ve shared all kinds of updates and thoughts on FastPass, including a look at whether our readers thought FastPass would return to Disney World in 2021, a look at the new paid FastPass system being used in Disneyland Paris, and more. Now, we’ve got a MAJOR update on the future of FastPass at Disneyland and Disney World.
Last year, FastPass+ was temporarily suspended when Disney World reopened. At Disneyland, FastPass and MaxPass were also temporarily suspended and are still not available.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Earlier today Disney announced that FastPass, FastPass+, and MaxPass will be retired, and some NEW, PAID services will take their places at Disneyland and Disney World. Just how much will these pay-to-ride programs cost and what do you need to know about them? We’re breaking it all down here.
If you’re planning a 2021 trip to Disney World right now, you might be running into a few bumps that you weren’t expecting!
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Trip planning is stranger than ever because of limited capacity in parks and all the reopenings going on around Disney World! Hotels and restaurants alike are reopening through the summer and later in the year. Oh yeah, and there’s that little 50th Anniversary thing going on in October (and all the crowds and craziness it will bring) to look forward to. 😉 Here’s what you need to know about the BIGGEST problems you’ll run into when planning a 2021 Disney World trip.Â
It may be hard to believe, but it has been a FULL year since the Disney World theme parks reopened following its four-month-long closure in 2020 [when this post was originally published]. It’s a unique anniversary many of us wouldn’t have predicted being faced with just a few years ago, but here we are!
Cinderella Castle
Since then, a lot has changed — health and safety policies have been updated drastically to make face masks optional for most guests and Cast Members in many locations, and most social distancing measurements have also been lifted. For all of the things that HAVE returned to Disney World since the parks reopened, there are also a number of things that have STILL not come back.
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