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Visitors to Walt Disney World will soon be able to book a seat for rides a week ahead of time — but the change only sparked anger among some of the theme park’s fans.

The House of Mouse announced on Tuesday that it will rename its “Genie+” feature — which allowed guests access to “Lightning Lanes” that bypass lines for shorter wait times — as “Lightning Lane Multi Pass.”

Beginning next month, the paid service will give park goers the option of booking as many as three attractions a week in advance at one of the four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.

Under the Genie+ system that was introduced three years ago, guests are forced to log onto a site each morning to grab spots for rides, with many guests griping about getting up at the crack of 7 a.m. for the irksome ritual.

The change is designed to enable guests to “do more of their planning before theme park day,” Disney said in a statement. During the peak travel season, Disney guests can wait as long as 85 minutes for attractions.

The week-ahead reservations, however, will only be available to guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel. All other guests will be able to book three days in advance.

Disney World visitors paid an extra $15 per ride for “Genie+” while Disneyland guests paid $20. The prices of the revamped tiers vary depend on when guests book their trips to the theme park.

Visitors to the Magic Kingdom can choose from a group of rides and experiences that includes “Peter Pan’s Flight,” “Space Mountain,” “it’s a small world,” “The Magic Carpets of Aladdin,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” and “Mickey’s PhilharMagic” — among others.

EPCOT rides that can be booked in advance through the “Multi Pass” system include “Mission: SPACE” and “The Seas with Nemo & Friends.”

On social media, some Disney fans vented frustrations over the new plan. Some said it was confusing while others resented the fact that the tiered system excluded some of their favorite rides.

Disney visitors who opt for the Lightning Lane Single Pass — formerly known as the individual Lightning Lane entry — can purchase up to two selections per day in advance for in-demand attractions such as “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind” and “TRON Lightcycle.”

“They don’t even let you pick the 3 you want…having ‘different tiers’ to pick from is trash,”” wrote one user on X.

Others noted that reserving rides in advance was once part of the forerunner of the “Genie+” system — the “FastPass,” which Disney once offered for free. Under the old “FastPass+” system, guests who stayed at Disney resorts were able to book rides 30 days in advance.

“Still charging for something that used to be free,” another X user wrote. An X user added: “So is it like how FastPass+ was but now you pay for it?”

Others said the revamped system will put annual pass holders at a disadvantage.

“This is really going to screw over passholders,” wrote one X user, who added that “there won’t be many spots left for APs … This sucks.”

Disney has made numerous tweaks to its parks in recent years in an effort to reduce crowding and goose revenue. Some include restrictions like reservation requirements that came as a result of the pandemic, although Disney lately has been loosening some of those rules.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom resort near Orlando, Florida, was the most visited theme park in the world in 2022, with more than 17 million guests.

A Disney spokesperson referred questions to the company’s blog post on the changes.

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Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ will be unpaid

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Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for 'high-IQ revolutionaries' will be unpaid

“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.

The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.

The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.

“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.

“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.

“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”

Read more:
Who is in Trump’s top team?
Trump’s cabinet signals tough stance on China

Elon Musk speaks after President-elect Donald Trump spoke during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Image:
Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.

“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.

“What a great deal!”

When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.

Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”

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At least 10 dead after fire rips through retirement home in Spain

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At least 10 dead after fire rips through retirement home in Spain

At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.

A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.

Jardines de Villafranca nursing home following the fire.
Pic: AP
Image:
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP

They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.

Residents are moved out of the nursing home following the fire.
Pic: AP
Image:
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP

Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.

The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.

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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.

All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.

Relatives waiting for news outside the nursing home where least 10 people have died in a fire in Zaragoza, Spain.
Pic: AP
Image:
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP

Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.

It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.

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Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ will be unpaid

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Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for 'high-IQ revolutionaries' will be unpaid

“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.

The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.

The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.

“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.

“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.

“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”

Read more:
Who is in Trump’s top team?
Trump’s cabinet signals tough stance on China

Elon Musk speaks after President-elect Donald Trump spoke during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Image:
Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.

“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.

“What a great deal!”

When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.

Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”

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