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Walt Disney World Resort inadvertently created a new problem for guests visiting “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” and it’s not going away anytime soon.
Since the pandemic, Walt Disney World Resort has required Disney Park Pass Reservations to visit a specific theme park. This has meant that guests had to take the step of going to the My Disney Experience app– or the official Disney website— and booking a reservation for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Credit: Disney
However, as we stepped into 2024, so did most guests leave behind the world of having to book a park pass reservation. While the increased flexibility has been nice for those Disney World guests visiting their favorite theme park, it has also caused some trouble. The removal of park pass reservations, and park hopping restrictions has inadvertently created a problem with the dynamics of virtual queues and ride access.
Previously, guests needed a park pass reservation for a specific park to access certain attractions. This meant that those without a reservation for a particular park couldn’t join its virtual queue or purchase an Individual Lightning Lane pass for rides within that park. Additionally, with park hopping restrictions in place, accessing virtual queues or purchasing ILL passes for certain attractions was even more challenging.
Credit: Disney
Here’s a look at the attractions that are not a part of Disney Genie+, but rather require an Individual Lightning Lane purchase if you want to skip the standby line queue:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom)
- TRON Lightcycle / Run (Magic Kingdom)
- Rise of the Resistance (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT)
- Flight of Passage (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
Credit: Disney
This hasn’t just affected the number of ILLs being purchased, but it has also put a damper on Virtual Queue access for many who are attempting to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or TRON Lightcycle / Run. With the removal of park pass reservations and park hopping restrictions, any Walt Disney World ticket holder can now join virtual queues or purchase ILL passes for attractions regardless of their park reservations or hopping plans. This has significantly increased the number of potential participants, including those who were previously restricted by reservation limitations.
For those who don’t know, the Virtual Queue for TRON Lightcycle / Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind both drop at 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. daily. This means that guests who aren’t even heading to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT in the morning can go ahead and snag their reservations at 7:00 a.m., despite the fact that they may not even be heading to the Disney World park first.
Credit: Disney
The availability of Individual Lightning Lane passes for attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Rise of the Resistance, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Flight of Passage has become a contentious issue, and this is a problem that simply isn’t going to go away anytime in the near future.
What do you think of this potential Disney World problem?Â
This post Disney World Introduces New Guest Policy Effective 2024, Creating Widespread Concern appeared first on Inside the Magic.
I absolutely despise the genie plus system! I miss the fast pass system and I don’t feel that the genie plus system is fair at all. If we are going to have to pay to ride our favorite rides then they should sell a premium ticket extension like Universal does. Then we can ride our favorite rides more than once.
Bring back Fast Pass! It worked! The Genie Plus System is yet another left-over failure of Bob Chapek’s. EVERYONE hates it, causing loyal Disney guests to stop coming. Even those who belong to DVC have started avoiding the parks, preferring to hang by the pools or travel to Universal, where they can have a day o fun instead of a day on their phones making reservations.