Five Changes That Made Disney Parks Planning Easier (and Five That Didn't)

Walt Disney World has made a LOT of changes over the past few years, from complete reimaginings and construction to an entirely new Annual Pass program.

Even if you don’t necessarily like the changes Disney World has made, there might also be a good side to each big change when planning your Disney World vacation.

We’re here to break down some of the pros and cons of Disney’s biggest recent changes.

Boarding Groups

Although Disney World has paused Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance, the Star Wars ride had been using a virtual queue system since it opened in late 2019. Now, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT’s France pavilion is using a virtual queue. This sometimes stressful process allows guests to reserve Boarding Groups for everyone in their party in the My Disney Experience app, and if successful, guests receive a return time to ride the attraction.

A major pro for Boarding Groups is that they pretty much guarantee that you will be able to ride without waiting in line for hours and hours, and they even give you an idea of when you could be getting on the ride so you can plan your day accordingly. And while you wait for your Boarding Group to be called, you can ride other rides, have a meal, or do whatever you want.

But for people who like to plan in advance, Boarding Groups are not ideal. They can not be reserved in advance, and guests have to wait till THE day of their visit to attempt for one. Boarding Passes (especially for Rise of the Resistance, when the attraction used a virtual queue) can be gone in seconds, so if you aren’t fast enough, you miss out.

My Disney Experience

The My Disney Experience app is an important tool for Disney planning, with almost everything you need to plan your trip at your fingertips. You can check ride waits, reserve dining, place a Mobile Order, enter virtual queues, complete your shopping in store, and more.

Of course, as with all technology, My Disney Experience occasionally glitches. And when that happens during your trip, it can affect your whole day. It could prevent you from being able to join a virtual queue or from placing a Mobile Order for food.

Mobile Order

Mobile Order allows guests to select a window of time to pick up food at a Quick Service food location in Disney World. There’s usually very little waiting in lines, and you can even order your meal in advance. You pay for your food within the app, and once you indicate within the app that you’re there to pick up your order, it should be promptly available at the mobile pickup window.

Sometimes, however, you can’t get the arrival window you want, and you have to wait much longer to get your food or have to wait in a long pick-up line. And because this feature is within the My Disney Experience app, there are also times when the app glitches, and you can’t order. Still, this is generally a convenient way to get food in Disney World!

You can even place a Mobile Order for coffee in Disney World!

Early Theme Park Entry

Early Theme Park Entry is a new Disney World program that debuted on September 26th, and it allows guests of select Disney World Resort Hotels access to Disney Parks 30 minutes before opening. This lets guests get a head start on beginning their day and getting in ride lines.

It sounds like a great idea, but as a con it’s only an extra 30 minutes, and only select hotels qualify. Could 30 minutes make THAT much of a difference? Depending on what you want to do in Disney World, it might help you get in a shorter line for a popular ride, but it might not make a huge impact on your visit.

60 Day Advance Dining Reservations

A popular Disney World feature is Advance Dining Reservations, which lets guests schedule dining reservations up to 60 days in advance of their visit. This is convenient and ideal for people who don’t like to plan WAY in advance.

But considering some people plan Disney World vacations years in advance, 60 days for reservations might seem like a really short window of time. If they’ve already planned a trip around certain restaurant plans, they still have to wait until 2 months before their trip to actually make the reservations, which can be stressful to planners. Still, limiting to 60 days keeps restaurants from booking up half a year in advance, which may allow more guests the chance to visit popular restaurants.

Learn more about Advance Dining Reservations here!

Park Reservations

The Park Pass Reservation system was introduced after Disney World reopened following the closure in March 2020. This system requires guests to reserve Disney Parks they plan to visit for the day. For people who really like plans, it might be nice to know where you’re going each day based on reservations, plus you’re basically guaranteed to get into the park.

But a lot of people don’t like this system and find it restrictive and limiting. It’s hard to be spontaneous and park passes also “sell out” sometimes. Park Hopping isn’t allowed until 2PM, so you might feel stuck with one park for the majority of the day.

Park Passes are probably not going anywhere for the time being, so you might have to do some extra advance planning to secure the reservations you want, and plan your Park Hopping around parks with later closing times.

Read about the 5 biggest Park Pass problems here!

Fast Passes Discontinued

Since Disney World reopened in July 2020, the FastPass+ system was paused. We’ve since learned alllllll about Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections, but (don’t hate us) it was kind of nice to have no FastPasses. There was no stress about getting the best FastPasses and no need to plan rides in advance since you pretty much just got in line. While brief, it was nice to have the option to just do Standby so everyone is on even grounds.

FastPass+ is being replaced with new Lightning Lanes

But no FastPasses meant… you had to wait in Standby Lines, which could be long. Those waits could impact whatever other plans you had that day. You may even have had to skip rides with super long lines, which could be disappointing. Still, the Genie+ service allows people to pay for Lightning Lane access, so if you’re a FastPass+ fan, you might be willing to pay for the Genie+.

What’s the difference between Genie+ and pay-to-ride?

Change is hard but also necessary, and sometimes it can be BOTH good and bad. Still, there are certainly some Disney World changes we prefer more than others! Keep reading All Ears for more Disney World news and tips.