The main thing that seems to stay the same in Disney World is that it’s almost always changing. Or, as Heraclitus once said, “The only constant in life is change.” Yeah. We hit you with a philosophy quote there.

Especially in the last couple of years with the global pandemic, many adjustments have been made in Disney World when it comes to things like mask rules, capacity limits, and entertainment options. We see prices change, as well as menu options change pretty often, and there are even brand new restaurants and rides available in the parks now. If you’re planning a Disney World trip soon, you need to know about the BIG changes, and we’re here to help ya out!

Today we’re breaking down 5 of the BIGGEST changes we’ve seen made in Disney World recently. If you haven’t been to the parks for a few months (or even just a few weeks!) you might not be aware of these changes. We want to make sure you’re fully prepared for your upcoming trip, so we’re breaking down the basics here and giving you the details you need to know. Let’s get started!

1 — Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Now Has a Standby Queue

One of the most popular rides in Disney World no longer has a virtual queue, people! When Rise of the Resistance opened back in 2019, a virtual queue system was used that required people to get a boarding group through the My Disney Experience app to go on the ride. Sign-up for these groups previously dropped at 7AM and 1PM each day, but you had to act fast to grab a group because they were usually gone within seconds.

But, in September of 2021, Hollywood Studios switched over to a standby queue for Rise of the Resistance and removed the virtual queue entirely. This means you now just have to stand in a traditional line and wait to get on the ride.

This change has its own set of pros and cons. On one hand, everyone now has the opportunity to ride Rise of the Resistance and won’t be turned away for not being able to snag a boarding pass. But, on the other hand, the standby line can get incredibly long, meaning you’ll now have to stand there and potentially use up a lot of valuable park time to wait in this line.

Now, be warned! Disney could bring back boarding groups in the future, so that’s something you’ll want to keep an eye on. But as of right now, you gotta wait in line to get on Rise. Of course, there are some ways to try and have the shortest wait time possible. If you have access to Early Theme Park Entry (a perk that is available to all guests staying at Disney World hotels and select other qualifying hotels), you can enter the park 30 minutes before opening and get in line before regular park guests are even inside Hollywood Studios.

If you have access to Extended Evening Hours (a perk for guests staying at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas), you could stay in Hollywood Studios for 2 hours AFTER the regular guests leave and hop in the Rise of the Resistance line then to try and get on it with fewer crowds. Note that right now, Extended Evening Hours have only been added for Hollywood Studios for 1 night.

You could also try rope dropping (a.k.a. trying to be one the of the first regular guests in the park by getting there extra early). Another thing you can do is wait until the end of the day to get in line after the crowds have died down. Remember: if you enter a standby line for ANY ride on Disney World property before the park closes and you’re still in it AFTER the park has officially closed, the Cast Members won’t kick you out of line. The queue will just be closed off for anyone that hasn’t already entered the standby line — so you should be in the clear.

You can also now pay to skip the line at Rise of the Resistance using Individual Attraction Selection (pay-per-ride) through Disney Genie+. These passes are typically $15 per person and allow you to enter the Lightning Lane to skip the standby line. But, this ride usually is the first to run out of passes, so grab it right at 7AM if you’re staying on Disney World property, or at park open, if you’re not.

Note that the same situation has taken place with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. While this ride initially opened with a virtual queue system, that virtual queue system is now GONE, and a regular standby line has taken its place.

You can still try to use Early Theme Park Entry, Extended Evening Hours, Individual Attraction Selection (to get a Lightning Lane), or the other tips we discussed above to try and get a shorter wait time here as well.

Click here to learn more about Individual Attraction Selection at Disney World

2 — FastPass+ Is Gone

FastPass+ is no more! Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection (pay-per-ride) have replaced the service and these 2 replacement services will cost ya!

Disney Genie+ is $15 per person, per day in Disney World and gives you access to make reservations for Lightning Lanes at rides around the parks. These lanes are just the old FastPass lanes, so they essentially let you skip the standby line.

There are dozens of attractions you can make reservations for, but you can generally only make one Lightning Lane selection at a time. The typical “simple” process is that you make a selection, use that selection, and then make another selection, and so on. You can make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection at 7AM.

There is, however, a 120 minute rule that kicks in when making selections and that could impact just when you can make your next Lightning Lane selection, so that’s something to be aware of!

Click here to learn more about the 120 minute rule!

Some rides are not included in Genie+, but are instead available as individual purchases through Individual Attraction Selection (pay-per-ride). This includes rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and others. These are the more popular rides in the parks and the prices can change depending on demand. (Yes, you have to worry about SURGE pricing with this one!)

Note, however, that Disney sometimes changes what rides are available with Genie+ vs. Individual Attraction Selection — in fact, they’ve recently made a change that’ll last for quite some time so you’ll want to be aware of that.

Pay-per-ride selections can be made at 7AM for guests in Disney World’s hotels, and at park opening for all other guests. Guests can only make a maximum of 2 pay-per-ride selections per day.

In short, the free FastPasses+ system is no longer available. If you want to skip the standby line, you’ll want to look into paying for and utilizing Disney Genie+. The service could be beneficial to you by helping you spend less time in lines, but the cost might not be worth it depending on what park you’re going to, what you want to accomplish, and the size of your group. You’ll need to weigh the pros and cons to see what will work best for you! If you do decide to use Genie+, be sure to watch our videos and check out ALL of our posts so you can learn the ins and outs of the systems.

Learn more about Disney Genie+ here!

3 — Park Passes Are Still Here

Park Pass Reservations were introduced after the parks reopened in 2020. You need a Park Pass Reservation in addition to a valid ticket to go to the parks on any particular day. To make your reservation, you’ll choose what day and which park you want to visit and essentially reserve your spot in the park.

This was an important system back when Disney World was more strictly limiting capacity, but even now with capacity levels significantly increased from what they were before, Park Pass Reservations still remain a requirement. We recently saw the calendar show availability for Park Passes all the way through some of 2024, so it doesn’t seem like they’re going anywhere any time soon!

In fact, the President of Disneyland in California (where Park Passes are also required) recently noted that he doesn’t think Park Passes will be going away soon. Disneyland President Ken Potrock shared that Park Passes are “a really important opportunity for [Disney] to be able to manage the demand more effectively than we ever could.”

So, remember that even if you have purchased tickets for your days in the parks, you won’t be allowed into the parks unless everyone in your party has a Park Pass reservation for the parks you want to visit throughout your trip.

To guarantee your spot in the parks, especially during busy times of the year, make sure to make your Park Pass Reservations immediately after you buy your tickets. Reservations can and do fill up!

If you have a Park Hopper ticket, you will still need to make a Park Pass Reservation for the first park you plan on visiting that day. Then, you must go to that park before you hop to another. And remember, you can’t park hop until after 2PM right now in Disney World!

Click here to see if you should park hop with Genie+ in Disney World

4 — Masks Are Still Required in Some Spots

Mask rules have changed a LOT in Disney World over the past years. As of the time of this writing, masks are no longer required in most areas of Disney World for fully vaccinated guests, but they are required for ALL guests in certain areas. Let’s break it down.

Masks are optional for fully vaccinated guests in indoor locations. Guests ages 2 and up who are not fully vaccinated, however, are expected to continue to wear a face mask in all indoor locations (including restaurants, except when actively drinking or eating while stationary).

Masks are still required for ALL guests regardless of vaccination status on enclosed transportation, including Disney buses, monorails and the Disney Skyliner.

We’ve also seen that masks are required for ALL guests while in First Aid locations.

While outdoors (including while walking outdoors, waiting in an outdoor queue, or riding an outdoor ride), masks are optional for all guests. The Centers for Disease Control has also issued some updated mask guidance that you may want to review ahead of your trip.

Just keep in mind that these rules can change. If you ever have any doubt or are confused about what rules apply where, look at the signs around you and ask a Cast Member. And make sure you check back with us for the most recent news on mask rules in the parks.

Click here to see photos of Disney World’s updated face mask policy in effect

5 — Extra Magic Hours Have Been Replaced

If you saw us mention Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours above and were a bit confused, we’re going to explain it all now!

Extra Magic Hours was a perk that used to be available to guests at Disney World hotels. This perk allowed hotel guests to enter select parks early (before their official opening time) or to stay in them late (after their official closing time) on select days. The way this perk used to work is now gone, but now there is a sort-of modified version of it in Disney World!

Instead of Extra Magic Hours, Disney has created 2 new offerings — Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours. Early Theme Park Entry allows all Disney World hotel guests and guests of select other hotels to go into all 4 parks 30 minutes before they officially open each day. See if you qualify for this perk here.

Extended Evening Hours are a bit different. These are only available on select days at select parks (which you can see the schedule of right here) and they are also only available to guests staying at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villa hotels. See if your hotel qualifies for this perk here. Again, note that this is NOT offered on all nights — so if it isn’t offered during the nights that you’ll be there, you won’t be able to take advantage of it.

Extended Evening Hours allow you to stay in the park 2 hours after it closes (at specified parks on select nights), usually with significantly lower crowds. This is a great time to knock out some big rides! But, this perk comes at the price of staying at a more expensive Disney hotel, so you will need to weigh the pros and cons for yourself and determine whether you’d actually take full advantage of the perk.

Also, keep in mind that not all rides, restaurants, shops, etc. stay open during Extended Evening Hours. Similarly, not all options are available during Early Theme Park Entry. You’ll want to carefully check the lists of available rides and make sure that the ones you’re hoping to get on will be available during these special times.

Click here to see if Extended Evening Hours are worth $1000 extra in Disney World

Those are just some of the changes you need to beware of in Disney World right now. For more changes you should know about, you can check out our video below! Do note that some of the changes mentioned have received updates since the video was uploaded.

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates!

Click here to see the changes that Disney fans kinda sorta…like?

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When is your next Disney World vacation? Let us know in the comments!

The post Beware of These 5 Disney World Changes first appeared on the disney food blog.