food IS a theme park
Hey, DFB friends! We’re here with a quick update from Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Tree of Life
The Disney Genie service debuted this week and let’s just say we had a very different experience at Animal Kingdom than we did at other Disney Parks! Let’s discuss.
UPDATE: This technique no longer works to its full extent. To learn about the recent changes to Disney Genie, check out this article.
Whew, Disney Genie has certainly brought us a LOT of news this week.
EPCOT
We’ve been breaking down the free offerings of Genie, the Genie+ Fastpass replacement system, and the not-included Individually Selected Attractions. Add in a bunch of nuanced rules about how the system works and things have gotten pretty complex. You might’ve heard that you can only select one Genie+ Lightning Lane at a time…but that’s not totally true.
Hello from EPCOT!
Spaceship Earth is looking good!
We like to regularly check out what’s going on around all of the Disney World parks so we can keep you updated, so let’s take a look at what’s new in EPCOT!
It might be fall, but the hot weather in Disney World makes it perfectly acceptable to keep snacking on those summer flavors!
Gotta be prepared for those really sunny days!
POG juice DOLE Whips, strawberry slushies, spicy margaritas, and more have all been new additions to Disney World lately, mostly for the 50th anniversary. And, we’re grateful for these refreshing flavors, because it still gets pretty toasty walking around Disney World right now! Luckily, we just found another drink to help you cool off over in Disney Springs.
Both Disney World and Disneyland release awesome holiday merchandise all year, and you can find Christmas merchandise all year in Magic Kingdom at the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. But what about Disneyland?
©Disney
Disneyland is adding a brand new holiday shop to Main Street, U.S.A. and it officially opens today! This new store is not just a Christmas shop either, so let’s take a look at what Disney has shared about this shop and everything it has to offer, including a special behind-the-scenes video.
UPDATED July 24, 2024
We’ve spent a lot of time in Disney World playing around with the Genie, Genie+, and pay-per-ride systems.
Lightning Lane
We know how to buy Genie+, how to purchase Individual Attraction Selection (pay-per-ride) reservations, how many rides we can get on using both, and a whole lot more. We’ve already mentioned that you CANNOT cancel or modify a pay-per-ride Lightning Lane reservation. But what about the normal Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations? [Read more…]
Disney World’s upcoming Star Wars-themed hotel is going to be an immersive experience in a galaxy far, far away.
Crown of Corellia Dining Room Concept Art – Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser ©Disney
This hotel — called the Galactic Starcruiser — is basically a Star Wars lover’s dream come true. Guests can not only stay in the Star Wars-themed rooms, they can also dress up like their favorite characters, take part in an immersive storyline, dine on some strange-looking space food, and enjoy activities like lightsaber training or learning to steer the ship. Bookings aren’t open for most guests until October 28th, but starting today, some people can make reservations immediately.
For a while now, we’ve been able to say “hello” to Mickey, Minnie, and more Disney pals through distanced photo ops and character cavalcades.
Hey There Mickey!
But, soon character meet-and-greets will be returning to Disney World in a modified way. In October 2021, Disney announced that character meet-and-greets would be coming back with changes. Just what characters will you be able to see in the parks with these modified meet-and-greets? We’ve got a list right here!
We’ve been sharing all kinds of exciting news about Disney Cruise Line lately.
Disney Dream
There are some new Star Wars and Marvel experiences coming to the Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line will have a special float in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and there iis more Disney Cruise Line fun on the way. Hoping to go on a Disney Cruise in the early part of 2023? Then we’ve got some good news!
Let’s face it. Disney World can get BUSY. One way to skip the lines and ensure that you enjoy all that you want throughout your Disney vacation is to purchase Genie+, the service that replaced FastPass+ in 2021.
©Disney
The Disney Genie service is still unfamiliar to many and can be tricky to use (to say the least). We’ve used the service a LOT over the past two years, and have shared all of our findings with our readers — from our biggest takeaways, to the free aspects of Genie, to how the service affects wait times — even tips on booking for all the members of your party. Now, let’s take a look at how Disney Genie interacts with Park Hopping in Disney World.
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