food IS a theme park
There are some BIG changes coming to Disney World in the future, and they will change how you do your park day!
Magic Kingdom
In Magic Kingdom, the new Villains Land and Cars attractions are coming. We will get the new Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern opening late 2025 and a new nighttime parade in the summer of 2025! Recently, Disney announced new changes for an iconic Tomorrowland ride, and that has guests grabbing a Lightning Lane for it!
We’re about to say something controversial. We know how people feel about Lightning Lanes (Disney’s skip-the-line option for popular attractions). We know the standby lines are long. We know it stinks to pay to skip the lines when the same option was previously free (ah…the good old days). But there is one place where we stand in some LONG lines…and we could really use a Lightning Lane. What if our Lightning Lane Multi Pass came with the ability to jump to the front of SNACK lines? Hear us out.
EPCOT
Listen, we know what you might be thinking. “Is nothing safe from an upcharge in Disney World?!” True. Pretty much all those free perks of the past are, well, not free anymore. But Test Track is currently closed in EPCOT, and that’s one less place we can use our Lightning Lane in EPCOT. And those Multi Passes aren’t cheap! So, what if Disney started adding a skip-the-line option to its popular Festival Food Booths? Let’s talk about what that could look like.
Let’s go to Disney World!
Magic Kingdom
There are so many things to splurge on when you’re in Disney World! From different hotels to table-service dining, there’s no shortage of ways to spend money. One splurge in Disney World is booking a Disney VIP tour! Getting your own guide can feel like the height of Disney spending but it might not be the hack you think it is.
Disney World has changed their skip the line system a few times over the past few years.
Magic Kingdom
We saw it switch from the free services, FastPass and FastPass+, to Genie Plus, a paid version. Then Genie Plus changed to Lightning Lane, which is still a paid skip-the-line system. Universal Orlando has the Express Pass which is their version of this system and actually, some fans say it is better than Disney’s system. So let’s break these down and see which one comes out on top.
Picture this: the Thanksgiving holiday is here, your family has the day off, and you’re spending the day in Disney World. You’ve got a nice, hearty Thanksgiving meal lined up at Liberty Tree Tavern, and you plan to visit some of your favorite Magic Kingdom rides throughout the day. Sounds pretty nice, eh?
Barnstormer
Well, here’s the part we left out: Thanksgiving is notoriously one of the BUSIEST days in Disney World. The parks get pretty crowded, and Disney’s skip-the-line services tend to reach a record-high price. This year is no exception — Disney just revealed the prices for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Single Pass, and Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Spoiler alert: those Thanksgiving day skip-the-line passes are EXPENSIVE!
Hi. I have to confess something, and sharing my truth with a group of Disney fans seems like the best thing to do in this case, so stick with me. I just got back from a short (and rainy — boo!!) trip to Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Paris is a charming park with enough classic Disney similarities to make it feel familiar and enough differences to make it special. I loved it! You give me a dragon (yes, there’s a dragon under the castle), and I give you a 5/5. It’s simple!
©Disneyland Paris
Now, like I said, this was a short trip. I wanted to get through as many rides as possible in a limited amount of time, so I opted to purchase Disney Premier Access. This is Disneyland Paris’s skip-the-line service, and it works a little differently than the skip-the-line service in Disney World. One of the biggest differences? The PRICE. Holy cow. I need to talk about it.
Paying to skip the lines in Disney World isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a great way to save time on your Disney World day.
Goodbye Genie+
We don’t recommend Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Genie+) for all the parks if you’re on a multiple-day trip. Still, we definitely think it’s a must-grab if you’re trying to do all the rides you can in Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios without waiting too long. If you’re in the parks today, we have great news — the prices have dropped!
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