Recently we’ve seen some HUGE Disney news announced.
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FastPass+, FASTPASS, and MaxPass will not return to Disney World or Disneyland. A NEW, FREE planning service called Disney Genie is coming soon will help you optimize your time in the parks. But, if you want to skip the standby lines in the parks, you’ll have to purchase one of Disney’s new PAID FastPass-like services — Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selection. It’s a LOT to take in, but the main thing to take away is that if you want to skip the standby lines, you’ll have to pay for it. We asked our readers whether they would do that. Here’s what they said.
Quick Overview
Before we get into our readers’ responses as to whether they’d pay for Genie+ (one of the 2 paid services Disney recently introduced), we wanted to give you a quick breakdown of the new services Disney has announced.
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Since we’re trying to be brief we’re going to make use of another post we did where we explained the core elements of these 3 services in 500 words or less. You can click HERE to check out that post, but the core information is below:
Disney Genie is a FREE planning service built into the My Disney Experience App and Disneyland App. You will tell Disney Genie what you want to ride, what types of things you like, etc. and Disney Genie will create a personalized, flexible itinerary for you. With Genie, you’ll be able to see forecasted wait times, mobile order your food, chat with a virtual assistant, see walk-up waitlist availability, make restaurant reservations, adjust your plans, and more. Plans will continuously update to help you get the most out of your day. Essentially, Genie is designed to help you plan your day and optimize your plans.
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Disney Genie+ is a PAID FastPass-like service. It costs $15 per day, per ticket at Disney World, and $20 per day per ticket at Disneyland. If you pay for this service, you’ll be able to see when the next available time is to use various rides’ Lightning Lanes (i.e. FastPass+ lanes). You will select the next available time to use the Lightning Lane for whatever ride you want, and when your time arrives, you can visit the ride and use the Lightning Lane (skipping the standby line).
Once you’re done with that ride, you can make another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection — 1 ride at a time, throughout the day. Over 40 attractions will be available through Genie+ at Disney World, over 15 attractions will be available through Genie+ at Disneyland. NOT all attractions will be available through Genie+.
While most guests can purchase Genie+ in advance (though the situation seems different for Annual Passholders), you cannot make a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection until the DAY OF your trip. At Disney World, guests can make their first Lightning Lane attraction at 7AM on the day of their visit. At Disneyland, the first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection can be made once you’re in the park.
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Select, highly popular attractions (like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure Park, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT) will NOT be listed on Genie+.
That means that even if you pay for Genie+ you will NOT be able to select a time for/use the Lightning Lane at those attractions. Instead, if you want to use the Lightning Lane for those attractions, you’ll have to pay for the attractions INDIVIDUALLY. (We aren’t really going into that in-depth in this post — you can see more about that here).
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That’s a basic overview of the 3 services, but of course, there’s a lot to break down from there.
If you want more information about Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection — click here!
Would You Pay for Disney Genie+?
Alright, let’s get to the poll! For our poll on Instagram, we asked our readers whether they would pay for Disney Genie+ (that’s the service that is priced at $15 a day at Disney World, $20 a day at Disneyland, and gives you the ability to select the next available return time to use select attractions’ Lightning Lanes, and you can make 1 selection at a time throughout the day). And…the results were pretty split.
Things Are Pretty Split
Overall, 53% of our readers voted “no” (this came out to 7,468 votes), while 47% of our readers voted “yes” (6,569 votes). The “no’s” had it, but just barely!
Yes, I’ll Pay
From the yes category, we received a few comments. One reader told us that they begrudgingly voted “yes.” That reader said that they’re planning their first trip to the parks and it’s a big one. They probably won’t be back for several years, so they said they felt like they’ll have to pay for Genie+ to really make the most out of their trip and not get stuck in lengthy standby lines.
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Another said they also voted “yes” because they felt like they’d have no other choice. Essentially, they noted that it’s either pay for Genie+ or stand in a (potentially) long standby line.
One reader sort-of echoed those statements saying they’ll pay for Genie+, but they “won’t be happy about it.”
There are a lot of things at play that could affect Disney Genie+ and there are a lot of questions we still have about the service. Will Disney be limiting how many can pay for Genie+ per day? What will those return times look like? Presumably, they will vary by day, time, park, ride, etc., so it will be interesting to see just how many rides you could get Lightning Lane passes for in one day. How many people will opt to not pay for this service and how will that impact standard lines? There are a lot of questions that we might not get answered until the system is in place and we get the chance to use it.
Click here to see our answers to some of your Genie+ questions!
NO WAY
We also received quite a few comments from those who voted “no.” One reader said they wouldn’t be paying for “something that’s always been free.” And they indicated that they would spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere.
Note that FastPass has been included in the price of your ticket at Disney World and Disneyland for years, though Disneyland did have a PAID MaxPass option that Disney Genie+ is somewhat similar to. Click here to see what’s different about these services.
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Another told us “This is ridiculous!! It’s expensive enough!!” We totally get it — a trip to Disney World can be incredibly expensive. We’re constantly trying to find and share tips with you that could help you save money on future trips, but unless you win a free trip to Disney World you’ll have to pay something to be and Genie+ will be a cost you’d have to add on top of that.
Just keep in mind that you are not required to pay for Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selection. Rides at Disney World will continue to offer standby and/or Virtual Queues depending on the ride.
Curious to know how expensive Disney might be in 10 years? See our post here!
On the Fence
Other readers were on the fence. One said they need that list of the over 40 rides that will be included with Genie+ (in Disney World, note that over 15 rides will be included with Genie+ in Disneyland) before they could make a decision. And yeah, we totally get that! Disney hasn’t shared the full list of rides that will be included in Genie+ vs. Individual Attraction Selection, but here’s what we know so far.
Disney has indicated that over 40 rides at Disney World and over 15 rides at Disneyland will be available through Genie+. Rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Haunted Mansion will be included in Disney Genie+.
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But, some of those highly popular rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure Park, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT will NOT be available through Genie+. Instead, you’ll have to pay individually per ride for these to use their Lightning Lanes (maximum of 2 of these Individual Attraction Selections per day).
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Another reader said that all of the extras Disney is charging for is giving them “a very negative feel for Disney,” despite their family’s love for Disney. They shared that because of the already high costs, their trips to the parks are “few and far between.” They said they said they actually don’t mind paying for the service, but also said that Disney already charges high prices. The reader shared, “Why add to the expense by nickel and dining everything? This makes it harder for families who already struggle to pay for the trips. How are hard pressed parents going to give their children the best experience possible if they can’t afford to pay for these extras??”
One said they were “torn” and would be leaning on us more than ever with all this news. Truly, we’re thankful that many of you have turned to us with your concerns and questions about the service. Keep the questions coming, let us know what confuses you or what you’re not sure about — we truly want to hear that and want to see how we can help you decide what’ll be best for your trip.
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Want to know more about Disney Genie? Check out some of our other posts, linked below:
- Click here to learn about Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection, including what attractions have been listed for each and more details
- Click here to see what Annual Passholders need to know about Disney Genie
- Click here to see how and why you’ll pay for individual rides in Disney Genie+ with Individual Attraction Selection
- Click here to see more about the features of the FREE Disney Genie planning service (different than Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection)
- Click here to see 5 MIND BLOWING features of the Disney Genie planning service
- Click here to see how Disney Genie+ is different from MaxPass
- Click here to see how being a hotel guest will benefit you with the Individual Attraction Selection service
- See answers to some of your Disney Genie questions
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates about Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection. Be sure to check back with us for more information.
Click here to see more about Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection.
All About Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection
BIG Genie+ Changes Being Planned For Disney World
FULL List of Rides Included With Genie+ in Disney World
3 Tips to OUTSMART Genie+ in Disney World Right Now
Please Stop Skipping These Genie+ Hacks in Disney World (They Really Work!)
Genie+ Tips for the Most Crowded Days in Disney World and Disneyland
Click HERE to See More About Disney Genie
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Will you pay for Genie+? Tell us in the comments!
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Counting myself as one who will no longer pony up the money to go to Disney and visit all four parks. The cost is just too much for a family of four. Now we need to stay at a deluxe resort to get evening magic hours, add Genie+ X 4people each day…Its just too much of a money grab before one even gets into the park. At least with the fastpass at WDW you could close to guarantee you get on some of your favorite rides without a 2 hour wait. that is no more.
On the plus side I am very glad I went with my kids as I feel it was much more affordable, even three years ago pre covid I managed to get a 1 park each day for 4 days for $79 dollars a day…
Another issue is this an app that like all app’s will crash from time to time, especially when it is overloaded. So what happens when the Genie+ system crashes? Disney is notorious for their systems crashing when everybody logs on and use it at once. Remember when it took people 6 hours (if not longer) to get Disneyland tickets when they went on sale in April)? It was because it was overloaded and it crashed a few times during the day.
So even if the Genie+ plus goes down just for an half hour, it is going to screw up things for everyone for the rest of the day. I can imagine thousands of people standing around doing nothing because they can’t reserve a ride or food. Yeah they can just get in the regular standby lines, but can you imagine how long those lines will be?
Sorry Karen, I don’t agree. The Disney are parks in other parts of the world are not as busy as Orlando. We have been to dial and Paris on several occasions, including 3 times at Christmas and it was very quiet in comparison to the twice we have been to Orlando at the same time.
We have never used the fast pass system in Paris, there was never any need. So we could still enjoy the park rides and save ourselves some money.
But Disney is creating at two tier system. They are all about the money. As a DVC member and someone who first visited Disney in 1991 I have seen a lot of changes. Most have been magical. But I don’t see the benefit of being a DVC member. There are no perks anymore. These changes just seem to be about making money. In Scotland we can’t even get to Disney at the moment.
Genie+ is a perfect addition for those guests who micromanage every minute of their stay. As a AP, I won’t buy it because honestly, I don’t worry about what rides and attractions I can do on any given day. And my other concern is that Disney has not released a price structure for those rides which must be purchased separately. That could add a significant amount of money to a family’s daily expenses. Sadly, all this will do is cause guests to spend more time looking at their phones instead of enjoying the surroundings and unexpected magical moments. I agree with Ronjon, an Express Pass similar to Universal’s would be much simpler. Just jump on the Express Line. No time constraints, no limits. Yes, its more money up front. However, Express Pass is included with deluxe hotel stays, and top tier Passholders can use it every day after 4pm.
Welcome to the “Magic”of NO’s. No this. No that. No, no, no more!! While I’m in the land of the no’s, will we ever see Disney bring back the days of dining reservations 180 days in advance of your trip? It’s hard to get reservations with only 60 days before your trip! By then, most places are booked solid and almost impossible to find a reservation at. Another big Disney NO???
Barbara, Disney hasn’t said anything recently about that 60-day window. I recall when it was changed that it sounded like a permanent change (my interpretation based on their language), but since Disney changes things frequently, we can’t say for certain that they won’t bring it back at some point.
Long time Disney freak here, Over 200 park days in WDW. DVC member, annual passholder but may not renew. We have 2 sets of twins 3 years apart and we have visited the parks for 10 day vacations 5 times staying in the 2 BR villas and the trips have been magical. We also did the Disney dining plan for all but our last trip when all the kids hit the adult category and the price increase made it too much.
Thank god my boys are now grown! As a family of 6 Genie+ would be adding $900 in costs for our 10 day trips! and the additional cost for the premium rides. Homey don’t play that game.
I just don’t see the “magical” value any more. for DVC or annual pass holders.
My wife and I are taking a trip in late September this year (first time without our kids whoo hoo). We have been looking forward to it for 2 years. Now, after seeing the new Genie creating a class system for riding , I fear this is my farewell tour to Mickey and it breaks my heart. I’m a proud 57 year old kid but also a planner type. I have enjoyed the previous benefits of being a DVC member and having most things planned in detail before our trip. This trip there are no benefits other than the 10% discounted meals at some restaurants. I did also get a Remy’s special invite for the ride preview. -(my wife is not nearly excited as she should be for this ride, she needs to grow down and channel her inner 8 year old self more)
So….
Now I have “choices” for our trip.
1) Pay for the greedy Gennie + to be filled with anxiety as my 6:58 alarm goes off every morning for a digital scramble, wondering if I can even get what I want to do at the park I have a reservation for that day.
2) Go to parks on “genie light” and hope the line are short enough to get to do what I hope to. Yes im the old dude who wants to scream along with Aerosmith songs as I ride rocken coaster.
This seems more like the Jafar version of the genie at best!
Ill go with the standard Genie for this trip. My hope is the lines will be as short as they have been lately and we will not need Genie + or additional ride costs to enjoy this trip.
I suspect the genie will truly be out of the bottle by then so I will post back and let you know how it all goes. Might even get my tech savvy kids to show an old guy how to post on U-tube.
Wish us luck!
Good luck, Bob. Hopefully it’ll all go smoothly for you.
We are an English family and we try to come out to Disney as often as we can afford it – although last year and this year we’re cancelled due to covid. With paying the cost of flights, accommodation and park tickets it is already very expensive and Genie+ will make it just too much to pay. Really feel that this money grab by Disney is pricing overseas visitors out as we come for several weeks to make the trip worthwhile, not just for 2 or 3 days. Genie+ on a fourteen day ticket!!!! My grandchildren say it will just be Universal if we ever make it to Orlando again.
I absolutely will NOT pay for Genie+! I’m a Florida resident and have been a loyal APH for years. I find it interesting that some individuals say that we’ve been paying for Fast Pass all along! Well, if that’s true, then why are the new renewals more expensive and now we have to pay for Genie+???? As much as a fan we are of Disney, these new changes sound like greed ion Disney’s part and we will have to think very hard if we want to be a part of being a pass holder any further!!! Sad but true……….
Talked to a few cast members and they said the wait lines are going to be much longer than peek times of the past with this new system.
Evil Genie. For me, this is the “final straw.” First it was $ for hotel parking, then $ for magic bands then no more Magic Express. My “happy place” is trying to nickel and dime me to death. Sooooo annoying. We will be back but definitely NOT the once-twice a year like we have been. We’ll visit more like 3-5 yr intervals and spend our vacation dollars elsewhere. The latest money grabs have left me disgusted.
Last week I said I absolutely would not pay for genie+ out of principal, but after cooling off and realizing I don’t really have a choice, I will most likely pay the price….. HOWEVER, I will also elect to skip the $500.00 dinner at California Grill to compensate….. might even not pay $400.00 at Narccoossees…. Or $300.00 at O’Hanna….mmmmm🤔 wonder who is coming out ahead in this deal???
The ONLY reason I would pay for it is because I get in free (family works there) so that might be the only way I’ll ever get to ride the newer rides. I still have not been able to ride the Mine train because I refuse to wait more than an hour in line.
I understand why disney is doing this. I think what many dont realize is that DIsneyland closed for a year longer than Disney World. While they are separate parks, they are one company. This is a way for them to try and earn back some of those lost dollars.
That being said IDK if I am going to pay for it or not. I havent been to WDW for about 10 years, and I had to cancel my 50 th Birthday trip for April 21 to April 22 because of vacation times and not wanting to wear a mask the entire time. I’m very claustrophobic. We are actually going in June and Im super excited but a little worried about these changes.
We have always been more of a just do what seems right at the time kind of visitors and I really feel like with all the changes it’s very hard to be spontaneous.
Since there are 10 of us going IDK if I want to pay 150 a day extra for rides. I think we may just take our chances and try and be strategic on what rides we ride when. We will see.
Just spoke to my friend, also a DVC member. She has a family of 5. She says her husband thinks this is the tipping point for him and he may sell the points.
Here in Scotland we can’t even get to go to Disney at the moment.
As a lover of Disney World and very frequent visitor I think it’s a shame that Disney World has now created a Scenario where everyone is not treated equally. Yes you could stay in different class resorts and dine at better restaurants, but once you paid your admission to the park Everyone had the same equal chance to get a fast pass for the attractions. Now you have to have more money than the next person in order to get the old fast pass advantage. Didn’t Walt once say “all he wanted was a place where parents and their children could have fun together, come one and all to this happy place”. I don’t recall a quote that says “a place where people with better means can do more than those with less”. Once inside the park everyone was equal. No longer. Now we have different Classes. Strange for this new time of Inclusion. I guess guests at Disney Parks with a little less money aren’t Included with the equal advantage of getting on certain attractions as those with more money.
Fastpass has existed since 1999, Fastpass+ was a mobile app iteration of that system added years later. It has always been free. For those playing the semantic game that it was never free and was included in the cost then that is the point, costs have gone up and now fastpass is extra plus the costs have increased x percent. So the bottom line is the same experience costs exponentially more per guest. So stop distracting with a useless semantic debate.
Disney said 33% of guests are paying for the service. That is hardly a success.
Everyone is sick of this new guard of disney leadership.
I am a dvc owner and I am not selling or renting my points. I am going to use my points and not go to disney parks. I will enjoy the hotel and that is it. My spending will not be zero but it will be significantly less than what disney wants me to spend. Lower the average spend per guest. That will get Disney’s attention
1971 and 1982 were my 2 childhood magical trips to WDW. I enjoyed taking my own 2 children 11 times. We’re an easy day of driving from Orlando and revel in the magic. Maybe someday I’ll spring for Genie plus, but not today. We’re going to Universal for spring break and planning trips to London and Seoul in 2022. My college kids would rather go to WDW, but I just don’t think it’s fun to be treated like crap.