It’s been a MASSIVE week in the Disney Parks sphere as news of the Disney Genie system dropped!
In case you missed it, Disney Genie will be a FREE service for guests in Disneyland and Disney World. However, Disney Genie+ will be a PAID service that will replace FastPass and MaxPass for $15 in Florida and $20 in California. The parks will also place their most popular attractions in the “Individual Attraction Selection” category, where guests will have to pay to use the Lightning Lane at individual rides that are subject to surge pricing.
This is a BIG change, folks! And, we wanted to know what our readers thought after providing all the details they needed to know about the Disney Genie service. When we reached out in our Instagram stories to ask whether our readers would pay for the Disney Genie+ feature in Disneyland and Disney World, they were pretty torn!
The votes between yes and no were less than 1,000 apart with 56% of voters saying yes and 44% saying no.
But, that’s not the only paid feature that the Disney Parks will be offering! We also asked if readers would pay-per-ride for the “Individual Attraction Selections.”
And, MOST of our voters want to hold out a bit before giving an answer. They would rather wait and see the cost per ride, as the pricing will see changes depending on the date and time of day for popular attractions. However, over 1,300 people voted that they would rather NOT pay for individual attractions over the guests who would.
However, we also reached out on Facebook to ask more readers about their thoughts on paying for Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection. Some of our readers felt that, if they were guaranteed to ride the most popular attractions (like Rise of the Resistance), they would definitely pay the extra fees.
Others feel that price increases have become a normality in Disney Parks over the years. So, they feel like the new features are now just a part of how the parks will be operating moving forward!
Still, there was a bit of an in-between feeling for many readers that feel they will choose to stand in line for some ride or pay for others, depending on how busy the parks are. And, there is the fact that the new paid service could change how often or how long your family may visit the parks too.
But, plenty of guests still felt that the new paid services were frustrating. Loyal Disney Parks visitors and even locals feel that the parks aren’t worth visiting anymore now with the extra costs of Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection.
Lots of people felt that the cost of the services were too much of an upcharge along with tickets, especially for those who may be staying on property or Annual Passholders and Magic Keyholders. The shift towards Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction selection may make the parks less budget friendly for families who save to visit, according to our readers.
There were even quite a few people who thought that FastPass was a fair and inclusive system that would allow guests to at least skip a few lines per day. Now, they feel that the newer systems are less fair, as they depend on how much you’re willing to pay for Lightning Lanes.
There are a LOT of differences in how these new systems will operate. However, we’ll be sure to break down the best ways to use Disney Genie for your specific vacation needs when it rolls out this Fall. And, you can stay tuned with All Ears for the latest Disney entertainment and news coming soon.
Breaking Down Disney Genie as Simply as Possible
What are your thoughts on Disney Genie? Let us know in the comments below!
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We r still debating about using Lightening lane. We would love t I have Access to Rise of the Resistance and Remy with Little to No wait. May b Slinky dog dash as well. Our trip is in December. Just gonna look at Prices and decide then.
Imagine that, Disney released a feature that just over half of a random group of readers would support financially. Almost like they did their homework and found out they weren’t going to alienate their entire fanbase. Now, over 50% will fund it and it’s impossible to say that majority would do so gleefully but also it’s impossible to say that the minority are not funding it because they dislike it or because they just wouldn’t need/want it. Some love to visit without skipping lines or hitting all the attractions in a day. A different angle, if half of the potential visitors do hate this and it drives them away. Guess what, crowd levels will be manageable and not creating 2 hour waits. It’s a win-win for Disney as now they’ll be charging for a service the entire industry charges for.
Where to start? First…no I will not pay. Not worth it with other costs to be there. It is becoming a situation of the haves vs the have nots, some of us scrimp and save for just 5 days flying from NY once a year….doing without so many things just to have those 5 days. Pay for admission ticket…then pay more for the attractions?So what does admission ticket cover? The stores? Then there is the issue of being on your phone all the time…unconscionable. As a teacher the one complaint that is constant? My parents are always on their phones…they don’t care about me! This was supposed to be a family vacation time. And last? As a senior…not tech savvy….this is beyond me. My vacation is supposed to be LESS. Stress not more.
We have a trip planned for Thanksgiving week. This will be the last trip my mom will take because of her age & my disabled brothers first time to go to WDW in 30 years. The entire point of the trip was to see & DO the Galaxy’s Edge attractions. I was really worried that we wouldn’t get boarding passes for Rise even though we are on site & have two days planned for DHS. Im so glad we have the option to guarantee a place line for those attractions. We can buy Genie+ for the days we want or not at all. I dont think it’s anymore expensive that what they do at Universal. And as far as fair – what’s fair about spending hundreds more to stay at a Disney hotel while everyone off property gets the same benefits as me?
Walt Disney World, sprawling as it is, can no longer accommodate all the people who want to visit the parks each day and still give a quality experience. It’s long lines everywhere, crowded buses, limited access to restaurant reservations, monorails shut down owing to construction, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if the new charges were a way to deliberately keep the visiting population down. Which is unfortunate, but I get it. They can’t build new areas fast enough to keep up.
I agree with the majority of the comments. I love Disney and go several times a year. The first thing that went through my mind was : Should I keep DVC? My Annual pass?
How can a family afford multiples of the extra charge? I was waiting for fast passes to restart and Genie and especially Genie Plus is a big disappointment.
Entry prices are sky high. Why add to that?
It is like they are punishing patrons for their covid losses. Besides Genie they are taking away the Magical express.😦 and free hotel
Parking?
I won’t be using Genie.
I My wife snd I have been going to the Magic Kingdom since it opened in 1971. Think we missed 2 years in that time. We retired to the Orlando area 10 years ago and got annual passes. Even worked as a cast member my first year in Florida. Naturally our 3 kids came with us until grown and they have passes now! I’m done! They have become money oriented only! Walt wanted a family park that was affordable! In the early days no alcohol there. I’m not opposed totally but it has become an issue. Drinking around the world at EPCOT seems to be a thing. Wine flights at all the food booths at the Food snd Wine Festival. All things to bring in additional revenue. Now payed parking for hotel guest and finally the Genie thing! Walt must be turning over in his grave. My pass ends December. I won’t be renewing!
This is complicated for me. I didn’t get to experience free fast pass due to the pandemic so I’m unsure how well it worked originally. Paying definitely seems like a money grab and nothing else. That being said, it doesn’t seem like the worst thing ever. However, that’s only for the Genie+ option. The additional single attractions that cost extra on top of it is where everyone should absolutely draw the line. No matter how much they cost. The dislike ratio on the Disney Parks YouTube video is a clear indication they’ve made a HUGE mistake. I really hope they reconsider
The Disney empire has gotten to big for their britches. It has become all about the money and not the product. Disney needs to breakup the businesses and return at least the Disney parks back to what Walt and Roy intended it to be. An affordable family friendly experience. If Disney wants to continue to be a money grubbing corporate empire let them do it with ABC, ESPN, Disney Studios, Disney Cruise Lines so on and so on. NO I WILL NOT USE GENIE PLUS. I regret renewing my annual and then finding out there will be no more Fast Pass plus.
I’m shocked there was such a divide, though I suppose the poll is likely skewed heavily in “will pay” on a Disney fan site like AllEars as we are all probably a little more Disneyfied than the average guest if we are here. Between the added hours for resort guests every day of the week and now this it truly feels like the parks are getting more and more class driven. It’s either pay hundreds if not thousands more for your trip or some how end up a second or third class citizen in the parks even though you’re already shelling out hundreds per day just to get in. I get that it’s a business, I just don’t think this is even a long term good investment from a business plan. If Disney turns off even one family of four (we will say one 10+ and one 3-9) for 4-day passes thats $4,944; with this change they need to have 330 guests sign up for Genie+ to make up for that one lost family. That’s really poor business on Disney’s part- there’s a global pandemic, people have been hurting financially and for those that save up they’re going to try and fleece another $60/day out of that family just to have access to FP? Please…
Disney magic is becoming Disney $$$. It will be a park for the rich only. I always look forward to my Disney vacations but am sick and tired of being charged for every little thing. I’ll see how I feed after my next visit. Such a shame!
I think this is going to make it very expensive for a family like mine who visits every 3 years for a 10 day trip. My wife is ready to explore other vacation options because dropping $10,000 on a vacation might not be a smart investment.
Or at least make that 10k go to since in a lifetime trip like Europe! I feel this on a deep level, only it’s my husband looking for other options.
We only have flip phones. how are we going to navigate Disney now. We are DVC members for 25yrs. We pay taxes at our home resort each year,buy tickets,gifts,food, art and crafts at hotel(Grandkids), airfare pet care,car rental.right there is about 8,000 dollars for four people. How much money do they need to charge. We Love Disney, but everything cost so much these days.
The only way I’d ever visit again 8s with a single day ticket for Animal Kingdom and a VIP pass. Our last visit left me feeling absolutely robbed. We spent hideous amounts of money to stand in the hot sun forever for maybe a 90 second attraction and access to what is more or less a shopping mall at the other 3 parks. Such a disappointing trip. Never again. Never ever again. Disney is the Marketing Master at getting you there but it won’t work a second time.
The unfortunate thing about the Genie+ system is the reality that Disney is charging more and giving less….especially to their loyal DVC members and annual passholders. Go back to the orginal fastpass system and let us get off of our phones.
Yes I would pay. Consider a Disney guest who lives far far away. Only visits once a year. Or less. That guest is me. Imagine the pain of walking by Rise Of The Resistance, unable to ride. Unable to secure a coveted boarding group at 7 am. Then again failing at one pm. What the heck am I doing wrong??? Would I shell out a $20 bill to experience this amazing Star Wars attraction after hearing about it for almost two years? You know my answer. Everyone has a different story. So don’t judge . I feel the same about Ratatouille
This new system is so hostile to the average guest. In addition to being an upcharge on an already exorbitant ticket price, it’s ridiculously and needlessly complicated. I shouldn’t need a darn flowchart just to get through a day at an amusement park. I guess they figure they’ll sell more of the most expensive product if people are confused about what their other options are.
If they really feel like they’re not making enough money per guest, they should just raise the price of an all-inclusive ticket. Or go back to the original system of a lower entrance fee and separate paid coupons for each attraction.
And this is going to send the number of people trying to get DAS through the roof.
I think that this is just another price increase on top of ticket price increases on top of the seasonal price system that the instituted a while back. Add that to the end of the complimentary airport shuttle, and they are raising their costs at an alarming rate.
Disney has pretty much put the parks out of my families price range. We love Disney, but it now seems to be becoming a resort for an seclusive class of people.
Thanks for the memories, but sadly, we will not be able to afford visiting in the future.
The original fast pass worked fine for me back when I was going with my younger kids. it did mean that I had to run all over the park, but I got us all on the rides with minimal waits! And sometimes we would get to a ride and the standby line was short. No fast pass needed.
And I did like previous fast pass system because I’d like to plan ahead and you could always change it on the app when you were in the park. It wasn’t perfect but it worked fine. Less running around.
The new genie system sounds like nothing but a money making opportunity. I certainly don’t want to wake up at 7 AM and get on my phone to pay for and schedule fast pass rides. The entire plan for the day could change based on what you get. And then to pay extra for the popular rides seems excessive. And the surcharge during busy times…. Please! Let’s see how it goes over. I’m sure there will be some kinks to work out.
Not a chance will I pay any more! I am ready to sell my DVC. DISNEY has priced out the magic
Let’s not forget you have to pay for the fast lanes at universal. We normally are Disney people but my kids wanted to see Harry Potter. Both parks, one day, paid for the use of their “fast pass”. 3 kids, one adult. Over a 1000 dollars for the day.
I am a little frustrated with the new system. I prefer to have my day planned in advance as not knowing where I will need to be at various times can cause additional stress and may result in meltdowns for me. The idea of needing to be awake at 7 AM to access 1 lightning lane actually made me cry yesterday. I get tired easily and need lots of sleep. This has the potential to actually ruin my upcoming trip. Did anyone discuss this change with representatives from the disability community?
I’m done with the nickel and dining which has become Disney’s way to operate. I visit several times a year with a longer vacation every year in November. I’ve already started inquiring into options for next years vacations, not in WDW.