Wow, we’re learning a LOT about Disney’s upcoming trip planning service, Disney Genie.
Cinderella Castle
Last week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek talked about the upcoming service and now we’re learning a LOT more about it. Not only will it change the way you plan your day in Disney World and Disneyland, but it will also have a feature (Genie+) that will act as a PAID replacement to Fastpass+ and MaxPass. But how will the new service work for Disney World Annual Passholders and Disneyland Magic Key holders?
The free Disney Genie service will be available to all Disney World and Disneyland guests, including Annual Passholders and Magic Key holders. So, you’ll be able to access personalized itineraries, a virtual assistant, forecasted future wait times, and more — no matter what your ticket type is!
Disney World Annual Pass
The paid replacement for Fastpass+ and MaxPass, Disney Genie+, is a $15 addition for Disney World guests and a $20 addition for Disneyland guests. In Disneyland, it will give guests Lightning Lane (like a Fastpass or MaxPass lane) access to more than 15 rides and in Disney World, it will give Lightning Lane access to more than 40 rides.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Beyond that, guests can add on (for an additional fee that has not been announced) Lightning Lane for HIGH demand attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Rise of the Resistance.
Kylo-Ren
At the launch, Disney World Annual Passholders and Disneyland Magic Key holders will be able to add Disney Genie+ and/or individual Lightning Lane selections on the day of their visit. So, yes! Passholders and Key holders will have full access to the service.
©Disney
And, bonus! Disney will be looking into other enhancements for Passholders and Key holders using Disney Genie in the future. No discount information has been shared at this time.
As a reminder, Annual Passes are still NOT on sale in Disney World. Disney has announced that Annual Pass sales will resume in time for the 50th Anniversary on October 1st. When Annual Passes do return, new Passholders will be able to add Disney Genie+ to their park day as they’d like!
Walt Disney World Annual Pass
We’re fully breaking down the new service so keep an eye on DFB for updates and more information!
Learn all about Disney Genie and Genie+ here.
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I’m not happy with DW changing things and charging more $$.
The fast pass has now become Disney Genie for an additional
$15. at DW. Also added is “Very Merriest After Hours” for an additional
charge! Seems to me DW makes a huge profit from each one attending!
No I am not happy with this change. It’s getting to the point where it is entirely too complicated to enjoy a trip there. I have been a dvc member for years and generally visit WDW 5-6 times annually. I have coped with all the changes that have slowly squeezed us out of buying an annual pass and just enjoying the rides with fast passes. When will this stop?If it continues the tried and true Disney fans that can afford increases will move on to less complicated vacations and Disney will once again go through tough times like they did years ago.
i foresee a lot of confusion in my Disney future. Is the $15 Genie+ fee charged per day, per ticket? If so, my family of 6 (all Annual Pass holders) will need to pay $90 PER DAY or wait in stand by lines? Please tell me I have it all wrong…..
Sounds lilke MaxPass with Genie branding. Am I missing something?
I’m totally OK with this. MaxPass was way better then FastPass.
But they better include it in the top 1 or 2 APs like MaxPass was.
Bob Chapek’s next great idea is..Ticket Books. They will be $150 additional on top of paid admission, and perhaps will even have 2 E-Tickets. Oh, and you’ll get one coupon to use the pay restrooms. This guy is good…
Confusing to me. All I want is a simple annual pass that gets me thru the gate. I don’t need anything else…I wonder if they will offer that.
I wonder if there will be a cap on how many they sell and Passholders will again get screwed with the bottom barrel leftovers.
I’m done with Bob Chapek and WDW. Not going, done with it. I’ve been there every year since 1996, but no more. He has shown a total lack of respect for Annual Passholders and DVC members.
DISNEY IS RAPIDLY PRICING OUT ALL BUT THE WEALTHY. Covid created pent up demand they can leverage for recouping profits. Higher food, ticket and resort fees. Fewer perks like Magic Express, Magic Hours, Fast Passes. No, not really excited about WDW on a fixed income anymore. Happy place? Not so much. Disney has made it clear who the new Disney is for.
but its not free, its $15 bucks per visit plus the add on ride fees…this whole thing sounds like a mess.
CC, the flat Disney Genie service is free, but you’re correct that Disney Genie+ is a for-purchase service.
It’s a Bob Chapek fiasco. He’s only about the dollar. It’s all he’s ever been about. I get it, it’s a business to him and a vacation to us. As a Passholder I’ll give it a try. The Genie+. But for the most part living only a short ride away from Disney probably won’t do it other than the one time. I sure feel for all those families that now have even more additional costs added to their vacation.
If Bob Chapek has his way soon all guests will have to pay for the air we breathe once crossing through the Disney World welcome gate.
The price we pay. Oh well. At least for me the Fastpass issue won’t really affect me. Sorry to all you others.
How is full access to Genie+ for Magic Key holders different than full access to Genie+ for non-Magic Key holders?
Just for clarity – Those of us with an AP won’t have Genie+ available to us as an INCLUDED perk, we’d need to pay to add it on just like day ticket guests, correct?
Season, I don’t believe Disney has clarified this yet. We are on the lookout for that info from Disney and will update when it’s released.
Kelly, that is accurate.
This should be part of a season pass holders options especially for “platinum “ pass holders !!!!
If I hadn’t already bought our annual passes and our first trip scheduled in 3 weeks, I’d be doing Universal instead.
They charge for fast passes too, but the overall costs of the entire trip are lower.
I just bought Annual Passes and hope I can get a refund. This is ridiculous. Trying to spin this into a positive is laughable. Di$$$$ney
I am so angry at Disney. Magic is gone. Everyone needs to boycott the genie+ and let Disney know they are through with the money grubbing accountant who is currently pushing all of this. Adding $300 for a 5 day vacation for a family of 4, if they drive and stay on property that’s another $75 for something they have no business charging for. It’s not like the land the lots are on is at a premium and they had to run out and purchase more. The genie+ doesn’t even get you full access to the rides, there is a surcharge on some of the more popular rides and then there’s the tickets that go up twice a year, food going up during a festival. Walt and Roy are spinning in their graves over what is being done with their dreams and to their guests. Disney should be ashamed.
Using DVC points at Partner Sites around the country. Not going back to the Parks until perks return.
I was a passholder for sixteen years. It was great that I didn’t have to pay to park my car at the hotel (I had to stay when I came) it often meant extra time there. In the beginning years there were a lot of perks and special events for passholders…they became less and less. Prices continued to rise (I get that, it’s a business). However in the last three or four years I saw more construction walls with more coming every visit. More and more is available only if you have smart phones or other technology. Many people, contrary to popular opinion don’t have all of that. For many visitors fast pass was a great perk. By the time a family pays for basic tickets, food, parking, and any other events they might like to go to it is becoming out of reach for many. As a passholder I missed out on some special perks because by the time I go a notice about it it was filled up. I loved the parks (in my lifetime I have made over 100 visits) but I’m afraid it’s way out of reach. It’s a shame my mom and Dad were among those first day visitors. She’s 91 and wanted to come for the anniversary. Can’t happen now. I wish all who can go a wonderful time. Just a suggestion…don’t overplan or you’ll likely miss a lot of the “magic” that’s in the small moments.
I’m curious to know which 40 rides are included in the WDW Genie+ For AP’s & which rides I would have to pay more for on top of that? All this price gouging is making me rethink being an AP especially since I’m a retiree on a fixed income,
I don’t think this is what Walt Disney intended DW to be. Should be a magical place where all are welcome…not just the wealthy.
Makes me sad
I am hoping that Disney will allow passholders to purchase the Genie+ for a fixed fee. We only go to the parks for a few hours at a time, so $15 per visit is not worth it to us. We will simply shift our loyalties to the other theme parks in the Orlando area.
Gayle, Disney hasn’t released the list of over 40 that are included at Walt Disney World in Disney Genie yet, but the following have been announced in WDW and DLR for Individual Attraction Selections:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Radiator Springs Racers
WEBSLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Barbara, I believe we’re still waiting on specifics for Annual Passholders, but it could be that you also have to pay the $15/day/ticket if you want Genie+.
M, just a note that Disney Genie is free; Disney Genie+ is the feature that costs $15/day/ticket.
Not happy about this at all. We are AP’s and j after spending all of that money to renew our annual pass, I think we deserve some perks!
We also ust returned from four days in Disney World and it was a mess. Instead of Disney buses they are sometimes using Academy buses. The drivers on the Academy buses are clueless and it’s a very dull ride. You get none of the great music or happy recordings and pleasantness of the Disney buses. These drivers are just doing a job now and it shows! We miss the Disney bus drivers so much!
The gondola also broke down twice when we were there. So that’s no bargain either. We were simply told to get off the gondola at the Riviera and make our way through the hotel to find buses to POP century. It around 9:30 PM at night, with no one around to really help us. It was horrible! The gondola also stopped working going to Hollywood studios as well and we had to hoof it back to the resort to find a bus and wait for it in the blistering 95° temperature.
Now this is really the straw that is breaking the camels back. Starting January 2022, no magical express, and now no more fast pass, No dining plan, and what used to be MVMCP is costing way more and giving you less time in the parks! This all feels like quite a rip off. Disney is not the place that it used to be and I, like so many others will be looking for a different vacation destinations in the future.
What a shame! Disney has the potential to be as great as they were but they don’t seem to want to. Instead, they keep taking things away, charging you more, and giving you less. It’s not about what works for us, it’s all about what works for them even though we end up paying for it.
So all confusing, my daughter has a disability and we do the disability pass for rides, do we need to purchase the Genie + ?? For her to be able to get onto rides ?? we have her birthday trip in October, would like to know before we go….
Bonnie, you will NOT need to purchase Genie+. When Disney Genie launches in the fall, Disney says they’ll also add some DAS enhancements to My Disney Experience. (Remember that Disney Genie is included for everyone and will be accessed right in My Disney Experience, so you won’t need to download anything special.) The DAS features are supposed to include pre-enrollment in the program (you will be able to enroll from home in the app by video chatting with a Cast Member who will set it all up). You can also choose to pre-select up to two DAS attractions during that video chat if you wish. Then, when you’re in the Parks, you’ll be able to use the app to get a return time for your DAS right in the app rather than needing to go to the attraction to check with a Cast Member for a return time. My understanding is that you’ll be able to get your DAS one at a time, just like the old system. And speaking of the old system: if you don’t want to use the DAS features in the app, Disney says they’re keeping the current system in place, so you can still do it the “old” way if you want. I hope this helps, Bonnie. Let me know if I can help with anything else.
I’ve been an annual passholder for years and I am disappointed that there is no more free fast pass. Also no more Mickey’s Very Merry Halloween and Christmas parties! I looked forward to those parties each year. It almost seems to me that Disney is trying to gain back all the money they lost during Covid shutdown. All that cost of the holiday events for Halloween and Christmas for just 4 hours? Yikes!! I refuse to add Genie on my phone. I know it’s free, Genie+ is not I believe, but I am happy with just accessing My Disney Experience through my cell phone. That works for me. Please don’t get rid of that too like so many other things you have gotten rid of! Seems Disney just cares about the dollars not the happiness of those who visit their parks and who have for years! The “Magic” seems to be waning!! SO many people save for years to come to your parks and some can’t ever because they can’t afford it. Now it almost seems like hardly anyone will be able to afford it. For Pete’s sake Disney has even added a parking fee to the resort you chose to stay at! That never used to be. Yep! It’s all about the $$$. Shame on Di$ney!!
I have been a pass holder for years and I don’t like having to plan my whole vacation from morning till night you need a vacation after the vacation it’s not fun anymore. I don’t know where I want to eat and what time for each day I am there. Prices are crazy, now parking, fast passes are all more money .There are no more perks for paying a fortune and staying at a nice hotel on property. Thats a plus for Universal theme park you stay at Deluxe hotels there and you get front of line entry I can just imagine what the annual pass prices are going to be when they go on sale soon.
I would like to know if the Genie will be an add on to the Magic Key passes like Maxpass was added to my Flex Pass .
I really loved the Max pass add on and it included unlimited Photo Pass.
I’m sure for WDW goers this is a bigger change since Max Pass was only Disneyland . It’s 20 for DL and 15 for WDW which I can only assume it’s less because more people go to DisneyWorld so they can spread the cost out more .
The biggest disturbing feature though it that some rides will cost even more and it will be a fluctuating cost according to season .
Disliking it doesn’t mean I would boycott but probably find other ways to compensate for the cost . I’m as disappointed at Disney as the next person . ..
Tracy, it sounds like you’ll have to pay for Genie+ separately from your Magic Key pass, but at Disneyland, Genie+ does include unlimited PhotoPass just as it was with MaxPass.
So will we have to wake up at 7am every day of our vacation to try to set up what rides we want like for Rise? That’s ludicrous
So what I’m hearing is Disney passholders can have access to the FastPass Plus and the other fast lane Plus or whatever you call it for another fee however you’re going to still have less attractions available less entertainments available but my ticket is still going to be high and higher if I add those fast options? Need it cleared up because my last name is not Disney I come to visit, to be entertained, and to distress. I can give robbed in my neighborhood I don’t have to pay to get robbed
M. Morgan, Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections will be optional paid ways to access attractions via the Lightning Lane. They are going to be fees on top of the standard Park ticket. Genie+ will be $15 per person per day. Individual Attraction Selection prices haven’t been announced yet, but they’ll differ by attraction/Park/date. These services will be available to anyone who wants to purchase them (while supplies last, if they’re limited by Disney).
Bob Chapek is a joke and needs to be fired. I am a Disney shareholder, DVC member and an Annual Passholder and I have not been happy with Disney lately. Seriously thinking of severing all ties with Disney.
Guess it’s time to cash in my Disney stock. 😥 2022 will probably be my last trip to WDW. The first time I visited the Happiest Place on Earth the total price at the gate was listed in large print and below it in smaller print was the break down of admission and taxes. I was so impressed with the
honesty. That whole day was so magical I walked out with my boyfriend, “When you wish upon a star” was playing and we were both crying. Yes, there have been lots of rides added and three additional parks. But you still get the same numbers of hours of entertainment in one day. So what does it matter if there are ten times the number of rides? You can still ride only so many in that hour. You can be only in one park at a time. Cast members were just that. Each cast member has a comedy routine right down to the guy making announcements on the tram back through the parking lot. ” please take small children by the hand…Any children left on the tram will be kept in It’s a small world until they learn all the lyrics and will sing them to you endlessly.” I still remember each stop was Announced as the “one and only stop for (name of parking lot). The last words on how to get help finding your car “Or you you can wait until 3 in the morning when your car will be the one and only car in the parking lot” Oh well, I still have my memories. It is sad to see what big business is doing to Walt’s dream. Hw was one in a million. Someone is bound to see the big vacancy WDW will leave behind and create the magic somewhere else. PS: you can catch someone’s attention with the shock value of danger. But real entertainment is in telling a really gripping story that can tug at your heartstrings. And Walt knew that instinctively.
Disney is no longer affordable for the average person. The genie plus and other add-ons are going to keep people from thinking again about going to Walt Disney World. It has never been in expensive, but it was doable. Yes you had to pay for the park hooper and photpass. But imagine spending $400 for a family of 4 and nonly getting on one or two if your lucky major rides. It is just not what it used to be. Greed is not good at Disneyworld. These add-ons need to go. Or if they keep them, drop admission prices by 20 to 25 percent.
If I have a reservation at AK in the AM; can I buy a seperate LL Pass to Frozen at Epcot for that night? If so, at what time can I make that purchase?
Peter, if you’re staying at a DIsney Resort (or Swan/Swan Reserve/Dolphin, Shades of Green), you can buy an Individual Attraction Selection Lightning Lane pass at 7AM. Yes, you can buy one in EPCOT even though your Park Pass reservation is at Animal Kingdom.
The signs when entering Disney World read, “Welcome to the Most Magical Place on Earth”. Instead, they should be changed to, “Welcome to the most EXPENSIVE Place on Earth.”
The price hikes and the complicated Genie, Geanie+, Lighting Lanes, Pay per Ride, etc have made a vacation there more like work and too expensive now for the average family.
There are other theme parks in Orlando that are more interested in treating their customers with respect and not over charging or making a vacation too much work.
We have had annual passes at Disney World for years but not anymore. The entire family agrees that Disney is out of control and we will no longer be part of it.