Disney Introduces Genie+… RIP FastPass+

For almost two decades Disney World offered FastPass® for no additional cost to its visitors. FastPass® allowed visitor to select up to three rides per day in advance where they would has a one hour window, chosen by them, to skip the lines and access a ride in a fraction of the time they would […]

For almost two decades Disney World offered FastPass® for no additional cost to its visitors. FastPass® allowed visitor to select up to three rides per day in advance where they would has a one hour window, chosen by them, to skip the lines and access a ride in a fraction of the time they would wait standing in the “Stand-by” line.  You actually had the opportunity to select your “FastPasses” up to 30 days before your visit to the parks (60 days if you were staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel).

FastPass Night, as we called it in my family, was similar to a Fantasy Football League draft night at my home.  Sixty days before we would visit the parks (we always stayed on property) we would figure out which days each park had its “Extra Magic Hours¹” and then myself, my wife and my two daughters would barter and reason with each other on which FastPasses we should select for each given park.  If we can do Thunder Mountain at 9am on Tuesday, I will give up the Pirates of Caribbean on Thursday at 2pm was often heard around our dinner table on FastPass Night.

But, just like everything else that was free at Disney World, FastPass+ is dead.   Replacing FastPass+ is another money grab by Disney Executives.  It is called Genie+.  Genie+ had actually been brought up at D23 in 2019, here is our post on what the plan was then.

Here is the quick breakdown on what we know about Genie and Genie+ apps.

The Genie app is supposed to be designed to help you navigate the park through a variety of pre-entered answers that you provide the app and, sort of like a concierge, the app will create a itinerary tailored to your party’s likes.

The Genie+ app is a PAID addon that will allow you to pick two rides on the day of your visit in which you can skip the line on MOST rides.  It will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort.  This “Addon” will cost an additional $15 per ticket each day in Florida and $20 per ticket each day in California.  This means a family of 4 that is visiting for 6 days in Disney World will have to shell out an additional $360 above the over $2,000 that they will spend just to get into the parks!!!  But wait, it gets better!!!

Individual Passes, rumored to be called Lightning Passes will be sold for individual rides…  This means that the rides that are in highest demand (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tron, Ratatouille, Flight of Passage, etc) you will need to fork out MORE money to skip the lines for these rides.  Disney has not released what this service would cost, but if it is anything like the service that they have in Disneyland Paris, you can expect to pay around $20 per ride!!!

Disney is just grabbing for money right now because they know that people will pay it.  That is all this system is, a money grab!!!  The only way that us, as consumers and Disney Fans, can stop this pillaging of our wallets by Disney Executives is not to buy it!!!  It is quite simple…  Do not go to the parks, do not buy the merchandise!  This is the only way that Disney Executives will realize that Disney fans have had enough!

¹  Extra Magic Hours were when each park was either open an hour early or up to 3 hours later for those that were staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel