Before 2020, Disney World used to have what was basically a FREE way to skip the lines, something that is now called Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass. Named FastPass+, this service would allow you to choose several rides BEFORE your trip to ride via a FastPass, thereby allowing you to skip the ride’s standby line.
You could also get FastPasses when visiting each park by obtaining physical FastPass tickets from machines near the rides that offered it: you’d get a ticket with a ride return time on it. Eventually, you could even book FastPasses on the My Disney Experience app. That system was later replaced with a paid system. However, even if Disney brought the free FastPass system back, it wouldn’t solve all our problems.
Okay, so a little background. FastPass went away after the parks closed and then reopened in 2020. When the parks reopened, a lot of rules were in place due to the ongoing pandemic, including limited capacity in the parks and a six-foot social distancing policy in lines.
However, as these policies were relaxed and things returned to “normal,” Disney introduced Genie+, a new FastPass-like system that would allow Disney World visitors to skip standby lines and access those rides’ Lightning Lanes. The biggest difference is that the new system wasn’t free; you had to pay for it. The other difference is that you were no longer able to make any of your Lightning Lane selections in advance.
So Genie+, which cost an additional fee, replaced a FREE system that offered more features. Eventually, Disney also introduced surge pricing for Genie+, meaning that the price of the service changed depending on the demand of the day. The price also depended on which park you visited on a given day, with a popular park like Magic Kingdom costing more than a less popular park like Disney’s Animal Kingdom. A multi-park option was also available.
On top of that, the more popular rides offered something Disney called the Individual Lightning Lane option, which meant you had to pay an additional fee to bypass the standby lines for those rides. These are generally Disney World’s newer rides that tend to have hours-long standby lines.
Well, recently, Disney World changed Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Individual Lightning Lane to Lightning Lane Single Pass. This was more than just a change in name, though. Disney also began to offer the option to pre-book three Lightning Lane selections again, similar to what FastPass+ offered. Those staying at Disney World hotels can book up to seven days in advance, while everyone else can book three days in advance. Disney even brought back the ride tier system it used with FastPass+.
So here’s the thing: it’s highly unlikely that Disney’s free skip-the-line system will ever return. Why? Well, part of the reason has everything to do with money. Disney is simply making too much money from Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass. Instead of, say, raising ticket prices, Disney has this additional income coming in from visitors who don’t want to wait in long lines for rides.
So the good news is that this system has helped keep ticket prices down, although you might end up spending more in the long run. If Disney brought the free system back, it would more than likely need to raise prices, which would probably deter people from visiting the parks, which could hurt Disney’s bottom line. Disney is already dealing with low attendance at Disney World, so taking away a revenue source wouldn’t be a great idea right now.
Another reason is that Disney limits how many people can purchase both Lightning Lane Multi Passes and Lightning Lane Single Passes. Granted, FastPass+ was also limited, but it may be easier for Disney to manage the numbers since you now do everything through the My Disney Experience app. With the old system, Disney had to manage the numbers that came through the machines, as well as the pre-booked selections plus selections made on the app. Granted, if Disney brought back the free FastPasses, it would probably be completely digital on the app, but that could cause problems with the app (even more people would be trying to use it at once if it were free).
Finally, Disney introduced the new paid system so that it could better improve the guest experience and manage theme park attendance as well as lines at attractions. A paid system is going to help the company do that more than a free system.
So in the end, if Disney did bring back the free FastPass service, it might seem like a good thing to Disney World visitors, but it would probably not be so great for the company.
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One other aspect of this : When we first started going to WDW and joined DVC, Disney was theme parks and movies. Now they have expanded into other ventures like buying other enterprises like Marvel and other entertainment platforms like ESPN, ABC, and many others. They also opened parks in many other countries.
So what? Well if those other ventures don’t make enough money or lose it, Disney HAS to keep its profit margin high for investors. And the way to do that? Get the money from loyal theme park patrons by raising prices and charging for things that used to be free. And then when those customers start to wonder why or get upset, you come up with all sorts of excuses for why you are raising prices. And you blame the guests for what is causing attendance to drop rather than admit you have milked guests to the max and you went too far.
I am a DVC member. I could sell, I guess. But I will use my points in ways that limit my expenses ( fewer days in the parks, go to non theme park properties, exchange my points for other timeshares, etc). And in 2042 when the membership is up for renewal, I won’t.
The problem with Disney…they have continued to raise prices across the board on EVERYTHING while lowering/eliminating perks. And they wonder why attendance is declining? Disney used to be a place where the customer service and experiences were exceptional. Now, it’s very similar to any other theme park. The current management is destroying the company, and lots of Disney fans won’t be won back easily. No one in management seems smart enough to realize this.
Replacing FastPass was a bridge too far for me. I’ve always been a Disney fan and as long as my teenagers I’ve been alive. I had annual Florida passes for the entire family. After the pandemic when they reopened and said they were charging for Genie Plus, I never renewed my passes and I won’t. Disney is already too expensive And with the equality of the service and appearance of the parks cratering, It is finally become just not worth it and I won’t waste my money on Disney.
Id rather have stupidly high ticket prices and let my kids have the same magical experience of low lines rushing for fast passes and able to walk around the parks without feeling like a water molecule. Disney used to be a once in a life time trip that would stay with you. Now it’s marketed as a yearly trip that people fall for. Then they claim they make no money from parks while they squeeze every penny out of you.
They have low attendance rates!?are you kidding me?
I would rather they brought back the Magical Express. We used to check our bags at the airport, fly down, then ask for the Express to take us to a resort close to our first park (like take us to the Contemporary and we would go right to MK) and see our bags at the end of the day in our hotel.
Check your bags at the resort at 7 AM or so and head to the park, next see your bags when you land
So you are saying Disney didn’t make enough profit when FastPass was used? I mean they were making money then. And remember they also had free luggage service and the Disney’s Magical Express was also free then as well. And they were making profit despite that, correct? But then they said ” Wait, demand is very high and we can make a ton of money charging for stuff that used to be free” (Was it all really free back then ? Or rolled into the ticket prices and room rates?). And so they’re started charging for stuff. And they raised ticket prices and room rates as well. I don’t think trying to get more money out of customers is surprising, especially if they are willing to pay. But what I find most disturbing is in addition to charging more, they made a Disney vacation less “Disney like”, took away the convenience, ability to relax and have fun and made you do they work Disney used to do. And now they say attendance is down because the richest guests are taking time off from Disney to go to Europe. Talk about a total lack of insight.
There’s a drop in attendance at Disney World? With the lines I see, even supposedly “off-season,” it sure doesn’t seem like much of a drop!
Unfortunately surge pricing and the raising of ticket prices go hand in hand..Another Disney money grabber is the raising of the meal package prices for Fantasmic where as a premium price of 25% more is added to check that guarantees seating for show…hope it doesn’t rain.