Recently, Disney has shaken things up with the announcement that Genie+, their paid skip-the-line system, was going to undergo some pretty big changes in Disney World.

The new system will have two types: Lightning Lane Multi Pass (previously the regular paid Genie+ service) and Lightning Lane Single Pass (previously Individual Lightning Lanes) starting on July 24th. The problem? Many Annual Passholders are feeling like this system completely screws them over.

To give you the brief(ish) version, the new changes will allow guests to:

• Make up to 3 Lightning Lane plans before you get to the parks, choosing your attractions and what times you’ll ride prior to purchasing
• Book Lightning Lane passes for multiple vacation days at one time

Then, on the day of your visit, you can book another Lightning Lane when you’ve used up one of the ones you booked previously. It’s similar to how FastPass+ worked, and getting to know you’ll at least get to skip the lines at 3 attractions per day is fantastic, right?

So how early can you make them? Well, guests staying at Disney World hotel can make these reservations up to 7 days before their vacation starts. All other guests can plan up to 3 days in advance.

That’s still plenty of time, right? Well, here’s where the issues start to come in. We don’t yet know what kind of availability there will be at the 3-day advance mark. Will Disney hold out some reservations so that they’re only available at the 3-day mark? Otherwise, local folks who don’t usually stay in hotels may have a hard time getting a Lightning Lane for some of the most popular rides — like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or Slinky Dog Dash. And, for local Passholders who choose to go to the parks on a whim, this feature will be useless to them.

Now, you will still be able to purchase Lighting Lane Multi Pass or Lighting Lane Single Pass the day of your trip…however some of the times available may be heavily booked up already due to those who have pre-planned. Not to mention that Passholders will (likely) be paying the same amount for Genie+ that other guests will, even though they’re not getting this planning perk.

Disney has also reintroduced the idea of a tiered system for rides. Out of those 3 advance selections, guests will be able to choose one experience from a higher-tiered group and two experiences (or all three) from a lower-tiered group. So for Annual Passholders who head into the parks on a whim, what happens if all those higher tiered attractions are all sold out?

Read more about the attractions in Tier 1 here

In general, these changes are skewing in favor of people who travel in from far away and stay at Disney World hotels rather than those who live close enough who don’t need to use Disney accommodations for the night, and THAT’S the basis of what Annual Passholders aren’t happy about.

We will be testing out all of these possibilities when the new service starts later this month, so stay tuned to DFB!

We have BAD NEWS about the new Genie+ changes

How do you feel about these changes? Tell us in the comments!

The post “Locals Are Being Screwed Over.” Annual Passholders Are Furious About Disney’s NEW Lightning Lane Changes first appeared on the disney food blog.