Disney Genie, the oft-maligned app designed by Disney to be a virtual guide for guests at Disney World and Disneyland, is not perfect, but is constantly evolving, a Disney Parks Exec confirmed in an interview with All Ears today.
“Genie is still learning as we speak,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, during a Q&A with media.
Disney Genie launched in late 2021 at Disney World and Disneyland Resort, in response to guest feedback that many new visitors did not know what to do first in Disney’s large theme parks. “The first thing I want to do is make sure a newer guest knows where to go,” D’Amaro said. “Genie creates an experience that is digestible to the guest.”
On the other side of the spectrum, if you are a “Disney Pro” who knows every inch of the parks, you probably don’t need Disney Genie, he said. “It’s probably not intuitive for pros,” he said. But those expert visitors already know how to customize their day the way they want it.
D’Amaro confirmed that he has used Genie and Genie+ himself in the parks, and that they are interactive tools that are evolving and learning with every guest that uses them. “Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Will it give you a different itinerary than what you would have chosen yourself? It will,” he said.
D’Amaro said Disney is getting good feedback on the tool from new and infrequent visitors. “The guests that are using genie are getting the things that they want. [Genie] knows that the west side of the park is more crowded than the east side,” he said. “Based on where this guest is and what they want, genie will coordinate the best path so that they get what they said they wanted (e.g. thrill rides, princesses, etc). ”
All Ears readers who have reviewed Disney Genie make frequent comments about it requiring “too much work” and “too much staring at your phone.” D’Amaro acknowledged that less phone time is part of the Genie evolution Disney is working on. “There have been trillions (with a “t”) of iterations for genie and each one informs it to get better,” he said.
“Every day I’m working to make sure that your vacation is effortless. That you have a way to take it all in that is right for you. That feels easy,” he said.
Click here to read more about how Genie controls what you do in Disney Parks
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My biggest takeaway from his comments are that the seasoned, loyal returning park customer (I still refuse to refer to us as guest because guests are treated better than this) is no longer important to WDW. He admits they are catering to NEW guests with G+. As for making it effortless, he has a lot farther to go before it reaches that point. Maybe Disney needs to consider NO priority ride system at all and let the customer do their homework before visiting the parks. I feel like I’ve “paid” my lightning lane fees many times over thru the dozens of previous vacations where I learned how to maximize my day in the parks and learned what worked for MY family, not the current system of following the suggestions of the computerized leader called Genie. We learned decades ago that one of the best fireworks viewing sites at MK was the seating at Plaza Pavilion, but now you have to pay big bucks to sit in the reserved area not to mention countless other ways to make the most of your day.
But until they fix it they will gladly take your 15 bucks! Save your money it’s basically useless
Those using Genie will find themselves directed to parts of the park that are empty often times because there are nothing more than minor attractions and diversions located there, i.e., rope dropping Tom Sawyer Island (as reported Genie has suggested) is not an optimal strategy for getting one’s money’s worth. Genie is for Disney’s benefit, not the park guests.