Disney World has revamped their annual pass program and just released the details of the 4 new tiers. If you’re interested, they’re going on sale Sept 8, 2021.
They are apparently limiting the number of passholders, so they can sell out. If you’re definitely set on getting them, you may want to do so sooner rather than later.
If you currently have an active annual pass, you won’t switch to one of the new ones until your next renewal, which will still have the renewal discount against the new prices, but you will get the increased park reservation count starting Sept 8th.
From what I’m reading so far, Florida residents can choose between any of the 4, DVC members can choose between 2, and non-residents who aren’t DVC members can only buy 1. Each of the 4 vary with the number of park reservations and block out dates.
The key differences between these and the old annual passes are that you can make up to 5 park reservations now (currently, it’s 3) if you’re not staying at a Disney resort (resort guests still get length of stay), but PhotoPass photo downloads are not included anymore. That is now an add-on that you can buy for the year if you want to get all of your PhotoPass/ride photos. That’s a bummer, but you only need to buy one for your group if you’re all linked in the MDE app. Water parks is another add-on too. But, passes still includes park hopping and various discounts and other perks.
I know the price of annual passes may seem daunting, but if you tend to go to Disney World more than once a year or if your one trip is more than a week, you may want to do the math to see if it’s more cost effective to get an annual pass instead of buying individual tickets. It includes discounts on shopping and dining at certain Disney locations, along with a few other perks that may add up to be enough savings for you to get a pass. You may also consider getting a pass for one member of your group just to get the discounts. If you’ve already bought park tickets for an upcoming trip, you can upgrade them to a pass before the last day of your tickets and apply the cost you already paid towards them.
The chart below summarizes the key points of the four different passes, courtesy of Disney.
I’m not sure if Disney will release more information than this, if there is anymore, but I’ll keep you posted if anything significant comes out. Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about this.
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.
UPDATE 10/8/2021: Disney just announced that the start date of these services will be Oct 19th. Check out my more recent blog post for the list of rides included in each park and pricing info.
Disney just announced the new Genie service that will appear in the Disney World MyDisneyExperience app and the Disneyland app. This will include some new features, plus the new paid replacement for FastPass+/MaxPass that has been rumored for awhile now.
Here’s my summary of everything as I understand it right now. There are tons of articles out there about this, so I’ll try to boil it down a little here.
From what I have read/seen so far, it sounds like an “assistant” type feature within the app that’ll give you recommendations on which rides to do next based on ride times and your defined interests. You can specify if you like princesses, Star Wars, and a few other things (they haven’t shown all the things you can specify yet, but it’ll probably be things like thrill rides vs tamer rides, etc) and the Genie will form a suggested itinerary of rides you might like, along with their current wait times. It’ll work together with all the features in the app now, like booking dining and such, so everything will be all in one place. This part of the app enhancement will be free. Everyone can just use this Genie “assistant” by using the Disney apps for each park. It’ll be there by default.
Then, there will be two additional premium features that you can add on.
Genie+: For a given fee per person per day, you can turn it into a Genie+ (note the plus sign) service. This is basically a paid version of FastPass+ and MaxPass that used to exist in both parks and works very similarly. This enables you to pick the ride time window for your next ride and not have to go to the ride until that time, rather than standing in a long line in that queue.
When it’s time to go to that ride, you will go through the “Lightning Lane” instead of the usual Standby line, so you’re not waiting in a line. They’ve basically just renamed the old FassPass/MaxPass lines to now be called “Lightning Lanes”, so don’t let this info confuse you. Just equate Lightning Lanes to FastPass/MaxPass entrances and Genie+ to the old FastPass+/MaxPass system.
Like before, you can only hold one time selection at a time, so you have to wait until you ride that one before you can pick your next one. The exception is that if the return time is more than 2 hours away from your selection time (or 2 hours after park opening time), you can pick the next ride after 2 hours so it’s not like you’re stuck with a huge block of time where you can’t pick anything. There’s no limit, so you can select rides all day as long as times are available, but you can only pick each ride one time throughout your day.
If you intend to park hop that day and want to use the Genie+ service at the other park too, make sure you buy the one that let’s you use it at multiple parks instead of the specific park one.
When you buy the Genie+ service, it also includes some additional features, like photo downloads at Disneyland and VR Snapchat filters at Disney World. Unfortunately, it does not include the actual photo downloads at Disney World, so you will still have to buy the Memory Maker package separately if you want the photo downloads.
You can buy this Genie+ add-on starting at midnight of the day you intend to use it, and then pick your first ride starting at 7am of that day.
Individual Lightning Lane Selections: The second add-on feature is the ability to select ride times for up to 2 rides per day that belong in this category. These are the really, reeeally popular rides, like Mine Train and Radiator Racers, that aren’t included in the above Genie+ category. The cost of these will vary by availability. Their prices are listed in the MDE app where you go to buy them.
You do not have to buy the Genie+ service in order to buy these Individual Lightning Lanes, so you can pick and choose if you just buy one or the other or both, depending on which rides you think you need them for.
As a benefit to guests staying at a Disney resort, if you’re buying the Individual Lightning Lanes, you can make that first selection at 7am each morning, without needing to be in the park. The 7am head start is especially helpful since these will be the really popular rides that may run out of times quickly. If you are not staying at a Disney resort, you can make your first selection at park opening time for the park whose ride you’re buying it for.
They will continue using the current Virtual Queue system for some reeeally, reeeeeally popular rides that come along. Check the MDE app to see which ones currently have Virtual Queues. If they have a Virtual Queue, most likely, that means you cannot just walk up to it and wait in a Standby line. Virtual queues are still free. It sounds like these rides will be included in the Individual Lightning Lane category as well. So, if you aren’t able to get a virtual group or choose not to go through the stress of even trying, you would be able to just pay for an Individual Lightning Lane pass for it.
So, essentially, the rides will be divided into 4 categories – ones that are usually pretty low waits that they don’t even include any passes for, ones with moderate waits that you can buy Genie+ to get passes for, ones with high waits that you have to buy specific Individual Lightning Lane passes for, and ones with super high waits that you have to join a Virtual Queue to ride.
Of course, you can just use the free Standby queue to ride any of the rides still, besides the ones with only Virtual Queues. It just depends on your wait tolerance level and which rides you want to ride. You have the flexibility to decide how you want to make use of this depending on ride times for that day. It comes down to a time vs cost decision – so whether it’s worth it will differ for each person.
All of these features are supposed to roll out this Fall, though they didn’t give a specific date, so I guess we’ll see if they reveal more details before then. There are still some unanswered questions too. Who knows? Even some of what they’ve revealed so far may change between now and then. Once it rolls out, we’ll see for sure how it works and what other features are included. I’ll keep you posted if there are any major changes. It’s not that far away.
In the meantime, if you want to read the full article and watch a video from Disney revealing this new enhancement, go to the sites here:
UPDATE 10/7/2021: Bookings will open Oct 28, 2021 with sailings starting Mar 1, 2022. More details here.
Disney just announced tons of details about the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, the Halcyon. This will be a 2 night immersive experience on board the “ship”, where you will be a part of a first of its kind Star Wars adventure that includes a stop at Batuu Galaxy’s Edge. Think land and sea cruise experience, but in the Star Wars realm.
It’s hard to describe exactly what it’ll be like since this is brand new, but the theming looks impressive so far. Disney has released some concept photos, and just today, a short teaser video.
The experience will include a 2 night stay in a ship cabin (aka hotel room), meals, a visit to Batuu (in Hollywood Studios, but only that section of the park), and a bunch of activities like lightsaber training and secret missions.
They’re listing starting prices of $4800 for 2 people per cabin to $6000 for 4. These are just starting prices, listed for the Fall months, so chances are, they’ll only go up from there for the peak months and for higher level cabins. Yikes!
They haven’t announced when booking will start yet, but I suspect it’ll be in the next few months if it’s supposed to launch next Spring. If it works like regular cruises, prices will always be lowest when they’re first released and only go up as room inventory goes down, so you’ll probably want to book asap if you’re seriously considering this. Let me know if you would like me to help.
Note: Just based on the sample itinerary, it sounds like this experience will only include the two night stay on the Halcyon ship/hotel and the brief visit to Batuu in Hollywood Studios. You won’t leave it otherwise. So, if you want to go to the rest of the Disney World parks, you will need to book that as a separate experience before or after. Basically, get park tickets and hotel/resort stay like you would a normal Disney World trip.
Disney just announced a new program called Magic Key that will be replacing the annual pass program at Disneyland and California Adventure.
There will be 4 levels of the program with different amounts of allowable park reservation days, discounts, and other benefits, so you can see if one of them makes sense for your group. Read all of the details carefully on the Disneyland site’s Magic Key page.
I know the initial cost of an annual pass, or now a “key” (is that what we’ll call them now?), seems daunting at first, but do the math on how many days you’ll be going in a year, along with the discounts that may apply to you. With the increasing cost of individual day tickets, you may be surprised. If you do long trips or several short trips a year, it actually may be more cost effective to get one. Or see if it makes sense for at least one member of your group to get one just for the discounts. Again, do the math on that. It still could work out if you spend alot on dining and shopping.
On the other coast, Disney World has also confirmed that the Passholder program will be available for sale again before the 50th Anniversary on Oct 1st. More details are supposed to come out by the end of the month, so stay tuned.
Well, it looks like the recent spike in Covid cases caused by the unvaccinated folks has ruined things for everyone. Disney World and Disneyland California just announced that masks will be required again, starting July 30th, at all indoor settings and attractions. Here’s the text snippet from the Disney site:
Beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas.
This was just announced for the Disney World and Disneyland California locations, but I’m sure the same will be applied to other Disney locations and other theme parks soon, unfortunately. Hopefully, this won’t lead to further restrictions or even another shutdown.
Let’s hope that everyone gets vaccinated soon and stops the spread!
Update: As of Thursday, August 19, 2021, masks are now optional, not required, on outdoor parts of ride queues and outdoor rides, like Dumbo. I have a feeling this will be a constantly changing situation, so always check for the latest information on the official Disney sites listed above.
I’ve finally finished all of the daily recaps for our June Disney World Trip! Come see what it was like!
We had a great time soaking in the magic, doing all the rides, and eating all the foods! It was just good to be back!
We managed to visit all 4 theme parks (some multiple times), Blizzard Beach water park, Disney Springs, and several resorts. We tried several new restaurants too! Yum!
We did a ton of stuff, but it was also pretty chill since we had so many days on this trip. However, there are still many more things that we could do. Next trip!
Despite some short bouts of fierce afternoon storms, we got lucky with the weather in general. It was Florida summer, hot n humid, but wasn’t crazy hot until our last day.
The crowds weren’t too bad either all week. Most rides were less than a half hour wait, but if you know the strategies, like when is the best time to do which ride, you can get alot of them in for less than 15 minutes. We skipped some of the bigger rides that always had long waits, but that was mostly because we didn’t feel like waiting more than half an hour. We’ve done them before. Hopefully, FastPasses will return soon. We would usually get FastPasses for those rides.
Now, if you’re concerned about crowds, know that social distancing is out the window and hardly anyone is wearing masks anymore. You’ll be walking right next to people in stores and walkways, etc, so assess your own comfort level with that. They’re increasing capacity so crowds are getting higher by the week. Of course, if you’re going during holidays or school breaks, expect even higher than normal crowds then too.
We made some minor changes to our plans, but that’s to be expected on any trip. Treat your plans like a rough draft, know your alternate options, and revise as you create your magical story.
A Disney trip is not about racing through rides. Soak in the atmosphere, see the shows, try the restaurants, and explore all of the other features. All of it together form the unique experience of going to these theme parks vs your neighborhood amusement park. That’s what makes these parks so much more magical. Make sure to get the full experience of them.
I hope you get a sense of what a Disney trip could be like from our recaps, and get some ideas for your future trips. Of course, all trips are different. Your trip should be customized to your group’s desires. If you have any questions about the stuff we did, feel free to ask me.
These places are huge, and you can easily miss lots of fun things, and waste a lot of time (thus, money) by not knowing key tips n tricks. I definitely recommend doing your research and talking to a friend who is very familiar with all of these parks. Better yet, talk to a friend who is a travel agent! Hint, hint!
Here in the United States, July 4th is Independence Day. Here’s the history behind it. Colloquially, we may just think of it as a good long weekend off from work, bbq time, or a good trip weekend, but we should remember how we’re able to do these things in the first place.
Of course, fireworks are a big part of the July 4th celebrations usually. Just in time, Disney World restarted the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Epcot parks the other day, after being shuttered for a tough many months!
Too bad we weren’t still down there to see them, but here are some good YouTube videos that I found that give a good sense of what it was like down there. We can pretend we’re there and celebrate with them. I can feel their excitement. In a way, it’s a very symbolic and emotional sign of things improving and finally getting back to some sense of normal. Is someone peeling onions?
New things are being announced and existing things are changing literally every day at the Disney parks. It’s hard to keep up. Here’s a quick summary for you, at least of some of the big things as of mid June. There are too many to list every single thing.
Disneyland Paris has finally reopened, so all Disney Parks around the world are now open.
Disneyland California has reopened to out of state guests too.
Most important: Park reservations are still needed in all parks, in addition to your park ticket, and they do run out fast! Check for availability before you buy your park tickets or lock in hotel or flights incase you need to adjust your dates based on availability.
PhotoPass photographers are now allowed to use your phone/camera to take pictures for you again. Though, there is also a relatively new 1 day PhotoPass plan if you want a limited, cheaper plan.
They are no longer providing free MagicBands for resort guests. You can still buy them for $10+, or use a previous one though.
For Disney World FL, you can set up Mobile Pass on your phone now, like a digital version of your MagicBand, if you don’t want to wear a MagicBand. It can be stored in your digital wallet and tied to an Apple watch so you can scan that instead of your phone everywhere where you’d scan your magic band.
Disney World FL advanced dining reservations now start booking at 60 days before your check-in date.
Disney World FL nighttime shows are returning on July 1st at Magic Kingdom, “Happily Ever After”, and Epcot, “Epcot Forever”.
Disney World FL announced the Boo Bash after party event, which replaces the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year. Tix on sale now.
Disney World FL has announced events opening Oct 1st for the Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary – Magic Kingdom “Disney Enchantment” nighttime show, Epcot “Harmonious” nighttime show and new Remy ride, Animal Kingdom “Kite Tails” daytime show.
Many favorite restaurants and resorts are finally re-opening again.
All previously buffet style restaurants are serving food platters to your table family style instead but still all-you-can-eat.
Menu items at all restaurants may still be reduced, though starting to expand again, so check the posted menu on the actual Disney site or app for the latest n greatest to make sure your favorites are there.
Masks are optional for guests and cast members in all park areas besides the Disney monorail, buses, and Skyliners.
Social distancing restrictions and plexiglass dividers have been removed in most stores, queues, and ride cars.
Ride pre-shows are returning.
Disney rides and transportation are loading at full capacity, including multiple parties together.
Single rider lines are returning on most rides also.
Mobile ordering is strongly encouraged in most quick service restaurants. It’s great actually, cuts your wait time tremendously.
FastPasses and dining plans are still not back, so plan your ride and food strategy accordingly.
Rope drop is available at most parks again, where they are likely to let you in the parks almost an hour before park opening.
Parking lots may not let you in as early if you’re not using Disney transportation though, so use Disney transportation if you’re rope dropping.
Learn the strategies for getting boarding groups for rides with virtual queues beforehand – Rise of the Resistance in FL and CA and the new Spiderman ride in CA.
The new Marvel land, Avengers Campus, has opened in CA.
Disney World’s Magical Express will no longer mail you a confirmation letter for check-in. As long as you’ve added your flight info to your resort reservation, you can just use your magic band to scan into the Magical Express check-in at the airport. If you don’t have your magic band yet, they can look up your reservation there. If you have a magic band from a previous trip that you haven’t deactivated, then you can still use that.
Magical Express is ending at the end of 2021, but there will likely be another transportation option to the resorts.
Disney Cruise Lines has revealed more details about their newest ship, the Disney Wish. Inaugural sailings will start in June 2022 and sailings through Dec 2022 are open for booking now.
OK, this list got pretty long and there are more. See, there are just so many recent changes. Feel free to contact me if you want more info about any of these points, or anything else.
Oh what fun flying can be! Travel day didn’t go quite as planned, but alas, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re finally back at Disney World!
Come follow along as we embark on our first trip back after a tough year and a half – June Disney World Trip. We have tons of grand plans – lots of parks and restaurants and other fun stuff. Let’s hope those plans go better than our flight down.
After a long year and a half, we’re finally all vaccinated and able to go now! We can’t wait! It’s been a tough year, so we need to be immersed in some Disney magic.
This is also my first actual trip since becoming a travel advisor, so I’ll be looking at things from that angle as well. I’ll capture things that would be helpful to you in planning your trip.
I’ll try to post pics and trip recaps each day or soon afterwards, so follow along here!
Adventures By Anne 