Changes We Are Thankful Walt Disney World Made

Walt Disney World is constantly changing and updating to give Guests a fantastic vacation.  From adjusting menus in restaurants to changing how we order food, the Walt Disney World Resort is working hard to make our experiences as magical as possible.

When we look at some of the changes that Walt Disney World has made, there are some that we are extremely thankful that they did as they help our vacations to be even better than before.

Take a look at some of the changes we are thankful for in Walt Disney World and why we are thankful for these changes.

Park Pass Reservations

We know that this change took a lot of people by surprise and even frustrated some, but we overall are thankful for the change.

If you aren’t aware, Guests are now required to make a Disney Park Pass Reservation for each day they have a Park ticket.  Through the My Disney Experience app, they can select their days and then choose which one of Disney’s four Theme Parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios) they want to enter on that specific day.

So why are we thankful for this new system?  When it was first implemented when the Theme Parks opened back up, we appreciated that Disney was monitoring capacity in each Park.

We felt by monitoring the crowds, Disney was working hard to keep us and the Cast Members safe during a difficult time.

We are also thankful for the system because it allows us the certainty that we will be able to get into our Theme Park of choice when on vacation.

Most days this isn’t an issue, but if traveling during extremely busy times of year such as the holiday season, it gives us the peace of mind that we will be able to get into the Disney Theme Park of choice, and for that we are thankful.

Current Wait Times in the App

A frustration we used to have while on a Disney vacation was that we would walk all the way to a ride just to find that it was down or that the Wait Times were extremely long.

When the My Disney Experience app was brought to the Parks and wait times were added as a feature, we were thankful.

It is fantastic that we can pull up the app to quickly see current Wait Times for rides or the next show time wherever we are in the Parks (or really anywhere- yes we check attraction Wait Times when we aren’t even on vacation).

Having this ability saves us time and frustration in the Parks, which we are thankful for!

Mobile Ordering

Mobile Ordering is something that we are forever thankful for as it makes our Disney vacation go much smoother.

Mobile Ordering, located in My Disney Experience, allows Guests to order their food and beverages through the app.

Guests choose a dining location, select a return window for what works best for them, and then they place their order.  Once they are within their return window, they can click the “prepare my order” option and Disney will get busy doing just that for them.

We are really grateful for this option because we can spend less time waiting in lines to order food, and we can also make decisions as a family as to what we want to order. It’s much easier through the app.

This is a fantastic addition that Disney brought along to help the Guest experience.

Lightning Lanes

We know that not every Disney fan is excited or thankful for Disney Genie+ or the Individual Lightning Lanes; however, we are thankful that we have an option to bypass the Standby Lines.

As the crowds returned to Walt Disney World, it became more and more obvious that something needed to be adjusted for Guests when it came to lines.

Guests were having to stand in rather lengthy lines, limiting their ability to experience a variety of rides and attractions in the Theme Parks.

Although many were hoping that Fastpass+ (the free option that allowed Guests to choose three rides per day where they could bypass the Standby Line) would return, Disney instead introduced Disney Genie+.

This is a brand new feature and one that everyone is still getting a feel for in the Theme Parks.

Even though we prefer not to have to pay for this feature, we are thankful that there is a way to bypass the Standby Lines once again.

Bus Information in the App

We remember being thrilled when Disney started to have screens at the Resort bus stops that showed the predicted arrival time of the buses.

We became even more excited when Disney added that information into the My Disney Experience app.

Being able to see the predicted arrival time of buses is nice when you are trying to get ready for the Theme Parks.  We like knowing if we need to rush or if we have some time.

We are thankful for this information that Disney provides us.

Early Theme Park Entry

Extra Magic Hours used to be one of the perks given to Disney Resort Guests, but that has changed now to Early Theme Park Entry and we are thankful for this change.

With Early Theme Park Entry, Disney Resort Guests are able to get into any of the four Theme Parks 30 minutes prior to the scheduled Park opening.

We love this change as it seems to spread out Resort Guests slightly while still giving those staying at a Disney Resort a head start on the rides.

We think this is a great change and one we think is a great advantage for Disney Resort hotel Guests.

What changes has Walt Disney World made that you are a fan of?  Let us know!