Genie+ is Disney’s most controversial service.
From record-high prices to selling out to changing rules since the service started, Genie+ continues to be a hot topic of conversation in the Disney community. This leads a lot of people to wonder, why did Genie+ happen in the first place? Let’s break it down!
Today we’re going to discuss the history of this Disney service, what the service is, and the future of Genie+! To fully understand why Genie+ happened though, let’s start by quickly explaining the history of Disney’s skip-the-line services.
Disney Genie+ History
Before Genie+, there was Disney’s Fast Pass. Introduced in 1999, Disney introduced FastPass which was the first-ever reservation and skip-the-line service. Guests used to rope drop at Disney parks, run to their favorite rides, and put their park tickets into a kiosk by the attraction.
The kiosk would give guests paper tickets with a return time on it for guests to come back and ride their favorite ride. Initially, guests could only hold one ticket at a time until Disney updated the system to let guests get a new fast pass every two hours. This was a free system and lasted until 2014.
In 2014, Disney rolled out an updated version of FastPass called FastPass+! FastPass + was only available at Disney World (Disneyland still had Fastpass and later MaxPass), and it significantly changed the original system.
Guests could now make 3 advanced FastPass reservations up to 30 days in advance (or 60 days if staying on Disney property) using their phones, rather than making reservations the day of. On the day of their visit, when guests went to the park, they could get more Fastpasses once the original reservations were used.
The most important part? It was still free! The advanced reservations system also allowed guests to plan their overall day more in advance — meaning there was less stress on the day of their visit. This system lasted until 2020 when the Disney Parks closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
After FastPass+ ended, that takes us into the era of Genie+! But what exactly is this new system?
What Is Genie+
Genie+ is Disney’s current skip-the-line system that debuted in October 2021. This service has three tiers starting with Genie. The Genie tier is free and features a tip board with customizable interests and suggestions for your day.
The second tier (and most popular) is Genie+. This is like a paid version of Fastpass+ and gives access to lightning lanes at most attractions around Walt Disney World. Genie+ pricing is now date-based ranging from $15 per person per day on less busy dates and increasing up to $35 per person on busier dates.
Finally, the last tier is comprised of Individual Lightning Lanes which are select rides not included with Genie+ for an additional date-based fee. Pricing for individual lightning lanes vary, as well, based on the demand for the ride. We have seen Individual Lightning Lane prices range from $6 to $20 per person, per ride.
Prices are subject to change, and you won’t know the exact price until the day of (although you can assume busier times of the year will be more expensive). In Disneyland, your Genie+ purchase also comes with Disney Photopass downloads and in Walt Disney World, guests receive their on-ride photos!
Now that we understand the system and its history, that leads us to why this system happened at all!
Why Genie+ Happened
Way back in the day when FastPass+ rumors were swirling before the service officially launched, the main rumor was that it would be a paid service. We can tell you that didn’t happen initially but that old rumor could imply that Disney considered a paid service even way back then.
FastPass+ and its demand over time grew to the point where guests who knew how to use the system loved it but people who didn’t would often get left out of opportunities for the most in-demand rides. A lot of times, big rides like Flight of Passage, Navi River Journey, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train would have their FastPass+ availability gone 60 days before trips even began.
This issue led to families who didn’t know you had to plan 60 days in advance missing out on their opportunity to skip the lines for big attractions, and they wouldn’t always realize it until the day of. When COVID-19 hit and the pandemic caused the park to close, Disney took this as an opportunity to reinvent FastPass+.
The closure gave Disney the time to work on a new system and focus on the issues without guests seeing the replacement immediately. When FastPass and FastPass+ first launched, guests found several loopholes that allowed them to maximize their FastPasses each day.
Disney’s solution to the issue of families not having equal access to their skip-the-line options was to make the selections on the day of your trip. Genie+ (just like FastPass) also serves as a way to move people through the parks and crowd control.
So essentially, Genie+ happened because the FastPass system no longer worked for a majority of the guests, and it was naturally time for a change. However, now that we understand the basics of why this system came to be, that makes me wonder about the future of Genie.
The Future of Genie
There is no true way to know the future of Genie+. There are some more changes in store for Genie that just recently began with the opening of Tron Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom.
Before April 4th, there was only one Individual Lightning Lane per Disney park but with the opening of Tron, Magic Kingdom now offers two individual lightning lanes. Both Tron and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train offer individual lightning lanes, which adds quite a change to the pricing of Genie+.
That means it could now cost one guest over $100 per day to have the opportunity to skip all of the lines in Magic Kingdom. (Reminder that purchasing Genie+ only guarantees a guest 2-3 skipped lines per day.)
So how long will Genie be around? There’s no way to tell! FastPass was around for over 20 years, so we might want to start getting used to Genie, it might be around for a while.
However, there are no worries! AllEars will be right here to make sure you’re making the right decisions and getting your money’s worth no matter how long we have this service. Be sure to keep following AllEars for all of the best Genie+ tips and tricks.
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I miss the paper fast passes. You could go to a park. Once you got to a ride with a long stand-by line, you could get a paper fast pass to come back later (usually within an hour). You could go do something else, and then come back and use the fast pass. Once My Disney Experience allowed you to book fast passes before you got to the park, the stand-by lines returned to the same long lines as before my Disney Experience. Having to use My Disney Experience also eliminated the spontaneity of a relaxing vacation. Plus, you had to either have a smart phone or take a computer on your vacation. Spending time on my computer on a vacation was not my idea of a vacation.
It’s all about GREED! I liked the old “fast pass” system where it was fair & equitable to everyone the day of. The idea of constantly being on the phone and charging it all day is NOT my idea of relaxation!
Based on my discussions with cast members, Genie+ has greatly increased the standby wait times. We’ve never bought into the Genie+ and prefer most of the standby lines. One reason, we like the interactions in the standby lines. Also, we refuse to give more money to Disney. Several years ago, Disney offered the paper fastpasses available at each headliner ride. You had to be in the park to get them so you didn’t have to get stuck as it is now, “this day this park.” It didn’t generate any money, so Disney came up with Genie+. Disney can modify the paper fastpasses. People can use the Disney app to get fastpasses once they enter the park. You walk up to Space Mountain and see a long wait. Get on your app and request a fastpass. Disney can even modify the function where you have to actually be near the ride to make the request. No pre-planning your park. Disney can even charge for this feature based on usage which would make them happy. This was actually suggested by a cast member who made the request to the uppers. Of course, that fell on Disney’s deaf ears.
I think you have to mention that every other park has been charging for their version of FastPass for years now. It was only a matter of time before Disney started charging for theirs.
If the problem with Fast Pass was it wasn’t fair, that could have been addressed. Limiting the number of fast passes prior to the day in question is one way. But did it cost Disney to change that? Not really. And ,if so, Disney has certainly recouped that cost by now. Leaving that aside….Why the need to force guests to wait until 7AM on the day of the reservation? I’m sure the overwhelming majority of people have their tickets and reservations in place long before then? In this day and age, I think Disney could devise A system that is fair and more guest friendly that Genie+.
It’s about money.
Just like Fastpass and Fastpass+, those who go to the park often or diligently research the best way to utilize Genie+ will get the fullest use out of the service while those who don’t research it will be left wasting their money.
I expect the next iteration of Disney line skipping will be simply what most other parks already do (including Universal): pay a price that essentially double the cost of a daily admission ticket to skip the lines all day or to give that perk only to those who stay in a deluxe resort (much like how staying at the highest priced Universal resort has).