Disney World has potentially upset a LOT of people recently.
Ever since the parks reopened, they made a lot of changes, with everything from new tech to changed entertainment to health and safety additions. Not everyone was a fan of those changes, and some of them were downright controversial. HOWEVER, some of them have been well-received! We reached out to our readers to see which changes they actually liked, and we got some surprising answers.
Disney Park Passes
The first on the list of changes that our readers actually liked is the addition of the Disney Park Pass Reservation System. This system was introduced to help limit capacity when the parks first opened, but even as capacity has increased, it stuck around. Some of our readers liked the “planning ahead” aspect of the park passes, and they liked knowing that there’s a limit on the number of guests that can enter each park daily.
Individual Lightning Lane Selections
While several people said they actually didn’t mind the new Genie+ system, many of our readers specifically mentioned the Individual Lightning Lane Selections. For these more popular rides (we sometimes call them “Fancy Rides”), you can pay individually to use the Lightning Lane one time. It has been a very popular option for riding Rise of the Resistance since that line can get wait times that last multiple hours.
With the Individual Lightning Lane Selections, you can pay for that one ride that you really want to do, book your time, and then you don’t necessarily have to worry about using Genie+ as well for the day. It can be a great way to assure you get at least one must-do checked off of your list.
Cavalcades
Another popular answer was the cavalcades that were introduced when the parks reopened! They’re a great way to see more Disney characters without having to search out the meet-and-greets around the park, and some of our followers even said that they liked them more than the parade. They make a really great addition to the non-parade parks as well, especially at Animal Kingdom, where they’re easy to spot and pass by frequently.
Mobile Ordering
Even though Mobile Ordering has been around for long before the parks reopened, it really took off back in 2020. Previously, it was an optional bonus for guests who wanted to skip the line, but when the parks reopened, it was mandatory at quick service restaurants in most circumstances. Because of this, Disney began offering it at WAY more restaurants than they did before, and we’re definitely not complaining about that!
Walk-Up Waitlist
Speaking of dining hacks, one option that arrived after the reopening was the introduction of the Walk-Up Waitlist. Now, it’s easy to check last-minute availability for sit-down restaurants by going to the dining reservation section in the My Disney Experience app and selecting “Now” as your time. From there, you can see which restaurants have open spots on their waitlist. It’s a great way to grab a last-minute meal at some of the most popular spots in Disney World!
Easier Security
And finally, we have to mention another big positive change — park security! Pre-COVID, you would have to go through a full bag check when entering the Disney World theme parks, and the lines could get pretty long during the busy times of the day. However, when the parks reopened, they added new scanners so that guests simply have to walk through. If the scanner beeps, you’ll be pulled to the side for a thorough bag check, but otherwise, you’re free to go on about your merry way. So simple and just as safe!
So there you have it — changes that Disney fans have actually LIKED since the parks reopened. Stay tuned to AllEars for more updates on any changes in Disney World coming soon!
Click Here to Learn About Disney World Changes Coming in 2022!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to get the free list of 50 Ways to Celebrate Disney World's 50th Anniversary! Click here to get started!
Which change in Disney World do you appreciate? Tell us in the comments!
There may be a few people who like the reservation system, but it is certainly not the majority. The same for Individual Lightning Lanes (which I abbreviate as ILL).
I know one group who definitely DO NOT like the park reservation system: AP holders. No longer can they choose to visit a park on a whim.
The park reservation system is terrible. Who wants to plan that much. I like to just wake up and go wherever I feel that day not plan months in advance
I just went to Kennywood in Pittsburgh and it had those new scanners. Not impressed that Disney has them now because they should have them years ago. Company is being horribly mismanaged. If the stock drops some more maybe Elon can buy it. LOL!
So I just have to say it is shocking that folks actually like the reservation system needed to get into the parks! Wow! No other theme park make you go through hoops just to get inside other than having a pass or buying a ticket!
What happened to spontaneity and jus going when you wanted to?
We hate them out here for Disneyland and there is absolutely no proof that it lower crowds because Disney does not release crowd or capacity levels. So who knows if it works?
Mobile order is just “ok” but it also creates long lines for walk-ups as there is usually less CMs at the order windows now. And it is very hard to customize your order.
The walk-up (or on the app) waitlist is great for sure.
But paying extra just to go on certain rides? Ah…no! I’d rather ditch Genie+ and LL and do what Universal does, charge $75-$100 and get an unlimited walk-up pass (which we will use on our visit in June).
I guess in general we have different opinions out here at Disneyland where we have (had) many more annual passholders and sort of look at Disneyland as our “local” park.
But we will see on our upcoming trip to Disney World and Universal.
It’s weird that a regular DL goer would complain about paying for Genie+ when it replaced MaxPass, which you also paid for.
You still save more money using Genie + and fancy rides combined than what Universal does (which does not include some of its most popular attractions, unlike Disney’s).
MaxPass was included in out top level SigPlus pass and FP was free.
I am not so much complaining about paying (as we most likely will on our upcoming tip to WDW) as the fact it is poorly implemented and causes massive stand-by lines even worse than the old system did.
Some YouTubers and comments have suggested it is actually too cheap and should be more like Universal, meaning you would pay a lot more but then just walk up to the attractions you want to skip the lines on, no dumb app to schedule a return time (if it is even available!).
And Universal’s Express Unlimited pass allows you to go on those rides multiple times. We will have those as it is included in our resort we will stay at Universal Orlando (after being at WDW for several days).
Agreed. I don’t think people actually like the reservation system (I sure don’t) and according to their other article, those first 2 are what need to change the most. Additionally, I’ve seen absolutely no one support the park reservations or the Paid-for lanes. They like that FPP is at least back in a fashion, but not that it’s paid for and the current implementation is flat out awful.
The rest can be debated on because people like them at varying degrees(except maybe the secruity one, now that it’s no longer slowing things down), but the first 2 — nuh-uh. Even the disney apologists don’t like it, so WHO is saying they do?
So you’re telling me I can be guaranteed entry after buying a ticket (park res) and skip a 4 hour line for 15dol (lightning lane)!? Call me an apologist, but i would buy lightning lanes if they were 40dol. There are millions of people who have the same opinion dude. You think disney is going to see you saying “no one likes that” online and believe that over lightning lanes selling out frequently!? Face it, disney is more popular than the capacity allows so it’s time to level up the pricing more.
My comment above is that very few folks like the park reservation system, in fact I never seen a positive comment on it and because Disney have not ever released what the true park capacity is, no one knows what is correct.
And at least out here at Disneyland over the last 6 months you would see spots available for regular tickets but not Magic Key holders…..then in February it was the exact opposite (after the law suit was files….Hmmmmm). The whole system makes no sense.
As for paying for Genie+ & LL…. I will agree with you that it may be beneficial to some, but often that system as well is a huge fail and many YouTubers (TheTimTracker, etc.) who love Disney have shown that.
I would agree with KenG! It telling that on the same page as this article, it identifies multiple hour wait times on 4 attractions. Wow this teservation really helps.