02/07/2024 - The Latest Disney World News - Genie+, Tiana's & Disney Treasure

I’m recording this on Monday 1st July 2024.  Today, massive changes are coming to Lightning Lane, Tiana’s opens and Disney Treasure Cruise Ship Preview.

Let’s start with the big news from Orlando.  Genie plus is no more.  From 24th July, say Hello to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass.

Single Pass rides are the most popular attractions such as TRON, Guardians and Rise of the Resistance.  These are separate to the multi pass.  It’s pretty simple. you buy a return time for one of these rides, go at your return time, do the ride and that’s it.

Multi pass is a bit more complex.  This includes most of the rides that aren’t on Single Pass.  You can make 3 reservations in advance in one park.  If you’re staying at a Disney or selected hotel, you can do this 7 days in advance.  For anyone else, it’s 3 days.

For 3 of the 4 parks, there’s a tier system.  You can book 1 from tier 1 and 2 from tier 2.  It’s only Animal Kingdom that’ll have no tiers so you can book 3 of whatever you like.  

For example, in Magic Kingdom, the tier 1 rides are: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain & Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.  So for example you could pick Tiana’s as your tier 1 pick and then Haunted Mansion and Pirates as your tier 2 rides.

Your first 3 reservations need to be all in the same park.  Once you use one on the day, you can then start making return times for rides in another park, as long as you have a park hopper ticket.  If you’re coming from the UK and booked with us, you already have park hopping included.  

My top picks for each park are the ones that will save you the most time, not necessarily the best rides over, but the ones that will save you waiting for ages in the standby queue.

At Magic Kingdom, my top tier picks are Jungle Cruise, Tiana’s and Peter Pan in tier 1  And Haunted Mansion, Winnie and Pirates tier 2.  In Epcot, I’d go for either Remy or Frozen tier 1.  In the studios, I’ll be booking Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway or Rock n roller coaster in tier 1.  Then Tower of Terror, Toy Story mania and Alien Swirling Saucers from tier 2.

Over at Animal Kingdom, there are no tiers and I’d be going for Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest and the River Journey in Pandora.  

If that all sounds a bit fiddly, if you’ve booked your Orlando holiday with us, don’t worry.  Your Orlando Guru will help you sort everything.  Just use the link in the show notes to get in touch.

Get excited, because Disney Cruise Line just dropped some major details about their upcoming ship, the Disney Treasure! This ship will be packed with all your favorite characters from Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel, as well as attractions from Walt Disney World and Disneyland. We've got all the insider info on important dates, concept art, and more to give you a sneak peek at what this new addition will bring to the DCL fleet. Stay tuned for our commentary on all the exciting features the Disney Treasure has in store!

Just like the magical Disney Wish, the incredible Disney Treasure is currently being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany and will run on environmentally friendly liquefied natural gas. With a weight of around 144,000 gross tons, the Disney Treasure will be slightly bigger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Exciting news for all adventure seekers! The Disney Treasure will set sail on its very first journey, a thrilling seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral on December 21, 2024. Following this, the Treasure will offer an amazing inaugural season of seven-night trips to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean departing from Port Canaveral

And we have more news to share with you too with the thrilling new addition to the Worlds of Marvel on the Disney Treasure - the "Guardians of the Galaxy" dinner show called "Marvel Celebration of Heroes: Groot Remix."
Join Groot on an epic quest to throw the ultimate surprise party for Rocket, all while enjoying a delicious meal to the rhythm of popular songs. Test your Marvel knowledge with fun trivia that the whole family can participate in.
This incredible new show will be available on select nights at Worlds of Marvel, alongside the popular "Avengers: Quantum Encounter" show that premiered on the Disney Wish. 

I am incredibly excited for Plaza de Coco, the first-ever theatrical dining experience inspired by the beloved Disney and Pixar film, "Coco." Miguel and his family will come to life in Mariachi Plaza, treating guests to two unforgettable nights of vibrant music and storytelling that honours the importance of family and traditions. The modern twist on traditional Mexican cuisine and live entertainment will truly make this a magical experience.
Plaza de Coco is set to be the must-see attraction on the Disney Treasure, offering unique dining a bit like Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure on the Disney Wish. From the sneak peeks we've seen, the design and atmosphere of Plaza de Coco promise to be just as amazing.

Tiana opened the doors to her Frontierland adventure this week.  So far the reviews have been mainly positive.  However, the ride does seem to be going down a lot more than Disney probably thought might happen.  I discussed the problems the ride was having during previews on a previous podcast.  It seems to be mainly to do with the animatronics not working.  Hopefully the problems are solved pretty quickly.  Orlando is in full summer mode with the parks packed out most days.  Not sure when the best time to visit is?  Check out our video on YouTube.  The links in the show notes.