Hello and welcome to another weekly Disney news roundup — this one’s a good one!

Over the past few days, we’ve seen the debut of Disney Genie in Disney World, some BIG updates about EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts, and much more. So, without further ado, let’s jump into the biggest Disney news from this week!

1 — Disney Genie Has Debuted in Disney World

The time has arrived — Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection have officially arrived in Disney World! Disney Genie is the free planning service that can help you optimize your day. Genie+ is a paid FastPass+ replacement service where you pay $15 per ticket per day to select return times to visit attractions, skip the standby line, and use those rides’ Lightning Lanes (a.k.a. FastPass+ lanes). And finally, Individual Attraction Selection (or pay-per-ride) is a service where you pay to skip the standby line at a single attraction and use that specific attraction’s Lightning Lane.

We experienced the good, the bad, and the confusing about Genie+ on its debut day and we’ve continued to test the system and share ALL of our thoughts with you. There’s a LOT to break down here, so click on the links below to learn more:

• See our step-by-step guide to booking and paying for pay-per-ride selections in Disney World
• See our step-by-step guide to purchasing Genie+ in Disney World
• Check out why Genie+ and pay-per-ride will cost more than expected
• Pay-per-ride selections SOLD OUT for a popular ride on Disney Genie’s debut day (and on some days following Genie’s debut)
• 7AM just got way more hectic in Disney World — see why

• Take a look at the PhotoPass lenses that come with Genie+ (even your dog can use them!)
• Look at our full guide to using the free Disney Genie planning service
• Do you need to stay at a Disney World hotel to get the best pay-per-ride choices? Here’s what we’ve seen
• What’s the new 120 minute rule and why should you care?
• How does rider swap work with pay-per-ride and Genie+?

• Get a look at the wait times with Genie+ and pay-per-ride
• How many rides can we do in a single day with Genie+ and pay-per-ride?
• Can a Genie+ ride “sell out” in Disney World?
• How does park hopping work with Disney Genie?
• Can you cancel a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection in Disney World?
• How to have more than 1 Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation in Disney World

Click here to see our 6 biggest takeaways from the first day of Disney Genie!

2 — Festival of the Arts News

This week we also got some big Festival of the Arts news. DATES have been announced for the 2022 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. Be sure to mark those calendars so you can stop by the Festival from January 14th through February 21st, 2022.

Disney also announced that the Disney on Broadway Concert Series will be coming back to the Festival of the Arts this year.

Disney also confirmed 9 things that will be returning to the Festival this year, including “The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine” and those awesome photo ops! We’ll be keeping an eye out for more Festival of the Arts news, so be sure to check back for more updates.

Click here to learn more about the Festival of the Arts!

3 — Disney Cruise Line News

Ready to start planning your next Disney Cruise Line adventure? Bookings are now open for early 2023 Disney Cruises, so you can pick your dates and destinations and get planning.

This week, we also learned that Disney Cruise Line will be presenting a special float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sounds like there will be quite a few things for Disney fans to check out during that parade, so be sure to tune in.

Disney Cruise Line has also recently updated a policy regarding unvaccinated children, so if you’ll be traveling with little ones you’ll want to check that out.

Click here to learn more about Disney Cruise Line.

4 — 50th Anniversary Updates

Disney World’s 50th Anniversary is underway and we’ve got some updates to share with you!

First, if you’ve been waiting to grab the NEW 50th Anniversary Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket in Disney World, you’ll be thrilled to know that this special item has arrived in the parks!

Need even more reasons to get excited about the 50th Anniversary? Then you’ll want to hop over to EPCOT where you just might get the chance to see sea urchins wearing tiny little Mickey hats!!! It’s seriously a cuteness overload.

If you’ve got a whole bunch of friends and family you wish you could reunite with at Disney World, you might want to look into a special sweepstakes being offered right now. If you win, you and 49(!) friends and family members could be heading to Disney World for FREE!

And finally, you don’t have to be in Disney World to get in on all of the 50th fun. Click here to see a list of ALL of the 50th Anniversary merchandise you can get online right now!

See more about the 50th Anniversary here!

But, of course, more Disney news was also shared this week. Check out some of the other stories by clicking the links below:

• Jellyrolls has reopened in Disney World
• Get a FIRST LOOK at the merchandise you’ll find during EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays
• Disney World FINALLY created a candle that’ll make your house smell like a fan-favorite hotel
• Release dates have been DELAYED for several major Marvel films
• See everything coming to Disney+ in November
• Disneyland has started decorating for the holidays

And that’s our weekly news roundup! Be sure to check back with us for all the latest updates.

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today!

Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose.

When are you planning to visit Disney World next? Tell us in the comments!

The post BIG Genie+ News, Festival of the Arts Dates, and All the Latest Disney Updates You Missed first appeared on the disney food blog.