UPDATE 07/24/2024: The Genie+ service has now been retired at Disney World in Orlando. View my Lightning Lane page to learn all about the new service. The Genie+ functionality at Disneyland California remains the same, just renamed to Lightning Lane.

Starting Jan 26, 2022, you will be able to get a Genie+ for certain character greetings at Disney World. There will probably be more added in the future there and at Disneyland. Keep an eye out in the app when you go to pick your ride selections. The Genie+ service is ever changing.

For now, these are the ones coming soon:

• Mickey – Town Square Theater, Magic Kingdom
• Cinderella & visiting princess – Princess Fairytale Hall, Magic Kingdom
• Tiana & visiting princess – Princess Fairytale Hall, Magic Kingdom
• Olaf – Celebrity Spotlight, Hollywood Studios

For more details on Genie+, check out my previous blog post:

• Disney World Genie Service is Live

Feel free to comment below or email me if you have any questions. It all sounds very confusing, but not too bad when you go to use it. We had a chance to try it out on our last trip. I’ll write about it in our Dec 2021 trip recap.

At EPCOT in Disney World, the Festival of the Arts has started. It will run from Jan 14 – Feb 21, 2022 this year.

The EPCOT festivals are great because it gives you a chance to try different activities and foods that aren’t normally there. We love them! The food portions are small, so it’s fun to “eat around the world“. The food booths are spread out around the park, but mostly around the countries. Here’s a list of festival food booths.

Since this particular festival is themed to the arts, there are also many artsy activities. Many artists will be there to display their work, with some having showcases of them working on them. You might be able to catch an art lesson. If you can catch them doing sidewalk chalk art, those are amazing! There will also be lots of artwork available for purchase, of course.

You can also contribute to a “paint by numbers” type giant mural, and there are several photo ops where you can be “in” a famous painting scene. Those are always fun.

One of the highlights of the festival is the Disney in Broadway Concert Series. On select nights, performers from the Disney Broadway shows will hold concerts. There are usually 3 showtimes a night, but they’re very popular, so line up early. If you want to guarantee a seat for a specific time, you may want to consider doing a dining package for that day. You have to book the specific meal package that coincides with the showtime that you want, at participating restaurants, which will include the meal and tickets to return for that showtime for those attending the meal. Here are more details on the concert series lineup and dining packages.

You don’t need an additional ticket or fee to attend the festival. You just need the usual park ticket and park reservation to enter EPCOT. The festival activities and food booths will usually open when the World Showcase opens. Here’s the full description of the festival from Disney’s Festival of the Arts page. Have fun!

Disney World just announced that several beloved restaurants are finally reopening or returning as buffets.

• Flying Fish (Boardwalk area) – Jan 27, 2022
• Ale & Compass (Yacht Club resort) – Jan 30, 2022 (serving lunch also)
• Turf Club (Saratoga Springs resort) – Feb 3, 2022
• Cape May Cafe (Beach Club resort) – Feb 15, 2022 (serving breakfast & dinner buffets)
• Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge) – Feb 17, 2022

You can make reservations for these restaurants starting Jan 20, 2022, if you’re within your 60 day reservation window, or whenever your 60 day window opens after that.

As with all things with restrictions nowadays, make sure to Know Before You Go.

On Jan 1, 2022, the free Disney Magical Express bus retired, so you will need to consider other modes of transportation to/from the Orlando International Airport and the Disney World resorts now.

The above picture was from our last ride on Dec 29th when we took it from Pop Century to the airport after our epic December park and cruise trip. Sad. Trip reports are coming soon. I just started the photo posts on my Instagram today so follow there first.

So what options do you have?

1. Rent a car from the airport and drive yourself. However, prices will vary based on the type of car you rent and what deals you get. Don’t forget that you will have to factor in tolls and parking fees at the resorts per night as well.

2. Hire a private car/limo type service. This will usually be the priciest option, though it depends on what deals you get on the other options and how big your group is.

3. Book an Uber/Lyft. I always check both apps but most times, Lyft is cheaper there. Just keep in mind that they’re not allowing people to sit in the front with the driver nowadays, so if you have more than 3 people in your group, you will need to book an XL or larger instead of a regular sized car so it’ll cost more. Note the little number next to the car type to see how many people it can fit. If you need a car seat, make sure to book one that says it has one. Price it out in the apps for the day/time you’d be needing them to get an idea of pricing before your trip. It fluctuates depending on time/day.

4. Mears bus. This is the bus company that ran the Disney Magical Express before, except you have to pay them directly now. In fact, it’s using the same area at the airport and some buses are still the same, and it pretty much works exactly the same. Go to the Mears website to read more specifics and make reservations. They charge per person so it will depend on the size of your group if this is more or less than the other options. They also have a private car/small shuttle service if you don’t want to take the shared large bus with others and deal with other resort stops, but of course, that will cost more.

5. Sunshine Flyer bus. This is an upcoming new bus service themed like an old fashioned rail train. It seems very similar to Mears but you get some cute theming. Go to the Sunshine Flyer website to read more specifics and make reservations. They charge per person also and are taking reservations now for trips beginning Feb 1, 2022.

Note: most of the options will take you to/from Universal and other locations in the area as well.

Safe travels and feel free to contact me if you need help planning your trip.

Update: On Jan 28, 2022, Disney announced a new private car service option. More details here.

If you can’t be at Disney World for New Year’s Eve, you can at least watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks via livestream. LIVE broadcast of the New Year’s Eve “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks beginning Friday, Dec. 31 at 11:48 p.m., ET. Tune in on the Disney Parks Blog site.

Disney World just announced two big changes for the next few weeks.

• Extra Park Time for Resort Guests: To celebrate the holiday season, from Dec. 19, 2021 – Jan. 3, 2022, the early theme park entry benefit for Disney Resort hotel Guests and Guests of other select hotels will be extended from 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
• More Disney Genie+ Attractions: From Dec. 19, 2021 – Jan. 3, 2022, the following attractions will be included in Disney Genie+ service* and will not be included as an individual Lightning Lane entrance purchase option:
  • Magic Kingdom Park: Space Mountain
  • EPCOT: Frozen Ever After
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Note: Park reservations are already all taken for the days surrounding Christmas and New Years. Always check for park reservation availability before buying your park tickets. They’re two different things and both are required to get into a parks nowadays. Most resorts and dining are full too. That means it’s going to be super crowded. If you don’t already have everything booked, I don’t suggest going now.