More Walt Disney World Resort Stories

Disney Genie Service to Reimagine the Guest Experience at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort

Avery Maehrer

by , Director, Communications at Walt Disney World Resort

We’re almost ready to let Disney Genie out of the lamp!

Coming this fall to Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, Disney Genie is a complimentary and convenient new digital service designed to create your best Disney day. We’ve been listening to your feedback – you want planning to be easier, you want more flexibility and you want better tools to help you make the most of your visit – and that’s exactly what Disney Genie is here to do. We’ve made significant investments in this cool new technology, which guides you through our theme parks with tips that can help you reduce time in lines, discover magic around every corner and take the guesswork out of “what’s next.”

Built right into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps, Disney Genie service will maximize your park time, so you can have more fun. It includes a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more – just tell Disney Genie what you want to do and it will do the planning for you.


Here are a few more features:

  • Get Itinerary Updates from Morning to Night: Disney Genie will continue to update your itinerary throughout your day, so you can be more spontaneous and go with the flow.
  • Find Your Favorites at a Glance: Create your very own personal tip board to instantly see your favorites. It will display current AND forecasted future wait times, helping you predict when you might experience quicker entry to attractions.
  • Enjoy More Flexibility and Fun: Disney Genie brings existing planning features together in one place. Join a virtual queue at certain attractions, make dining and experience reservations, mobile order food at many locations, get help from a virtual assistant and more.

For even more convenience and flexibility, there are two other options for enjoying our theme parks, through a queue we are introducing called the Lightning Lane entrance that also saves you time in line:

  • Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day – from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ 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 and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.
  • Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.

Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of your visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, great for those who love the Park Hopper option. Attractions continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue at certain attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – to maximize flexibility.

While the FASTPASS, FastPass+ and Disney MaxPass services will be retired, we’re incredibly excited about the flexibility and choices Disney Genie service provides. You can choose from all of our new options, a mix of them or none at all, and continue to have a great experience no matter how you decide to plan your best Disney day.

We are also making some enhancements to our Disability Access Service (DAS) program, including new options to enroll in the program pre-arrival and for DAS participants to select attractions directly in the app. These options will be available in addition to our existing, in-person DAS program. Visit our Services for Guests with Disabilities page DisneyWorld.com and Disneyland.com for more details.

For more details on Disney Genie, visit DisneyWorld.com/DisneyGenie and Disneyland.com/DisneyGenie and check out this video from Gary Daniels, Vice President of Digital Experience. Stay tuned to Disney Parks Blog for updates real soon, including how to purchase Disney Genie+.

Comments

  • Thanks for helping me save money. Your changes have finally convinced me to quit renewing the annual passes for my family.

  • As a Disney lover I am extremely disappointed that after a worldwide pandemic and over 600,000 lives lost and 600,000 families grieving the loss of loved ones and grieving our “normal” life, Disney has seized the opportunity to make our heads turned in a 360 degree motion and more! The list of take always and additional charges is growing exponentially! How much do you think we can accept without frustration and anger? We always paid the more expensive prices for Disney because of the great amenities and “magical “ service. Now the amenities are dwindling; magic express, package delivery, free fast pass, free magic bands, free photo pass on AP’s, luggage service and now an additional charge to get on the best rides, limited access to that even though an extra charge. Increased annual pass charges with more limitations and significant increases in park passes. Other amusement parks actually granted a second year on their annual passes because of covid and REDUCED their prices for 2022! Everyone expects price increases but not many at once coupled with perks taken away! How can you say you listened to your customer? Well I say now you probably should read the comments noted here and in social media and perhaps listen to your customers when they do visit because the people are unhappy and hitting hard during unprecedented times really was a bit much to swallow. I hope the people will speak and act to demonstrate what you need to know.
    One sad DVC owner!

  • I’d like to see WDW exec’s at car dealerships, oh good morning Mr X btw at your request we have raised the price of your already expensive car and we took the liberty to withdraw some amenities…we hope that you understand that this will benefit you….

    So disappointed in WDW we are going at XMAS this year and we are seriously reconsidering our trip, there’s a limit and we have reached it.

    Not to mention waking up early to try and maybe booked a ride…..oh what about losing the extra magic hours……yeah you nailed it WDW you really listen to your customers and the list doesn’t stop here….

  • This looks exciting, does anyone know if the lightening lane perk is a one time purchase or buy it every time you go? There’s nothing worse than long ride lines.

  • Dear Disney in relation to Genie being a planning tool that might have been ok if it was just an add on to my Disney experience. I think you lost a-lot of Disney vacationers with making us pay for yet another item. Why do we stay on property? It was Magical express , magic bands , extra magical hours in the morning and at night, free parking and maybe some other benefits. For the majority of us many of those benefits have been taken away. When we first visited 22 years ago it was worth it but those benefits are disappearing. You are pushing us to spend our holiday budget in other ways. Very sad.

    Maureen

  • Sorry, but I find this new Genie+ just another way the magic has disappeared from Disney. I love Disney, as a DVC member and an Annual Passholder I looked forward to visiting Disney whenever I can, but lately with each visit I feel less and less like it’s my “happy place”. I wonder what’s next – will I have to pay a premium to enter the park “I want to But no reservation is available”, will I need to pay extra to get in to a park earlier than other guests, or pay for a last minute dinner reservation I forgot to make. Disney where does it stop? I get that Disney is a business and YES there are things I would have pay extra for like Magical Express, but a fast pass really? Sorry Disney you have reached into my pocket a little to deep on this one. You have not made my Disney experience better – you’ve made it more expensive. You’ve cut back on the magic and if you are not careful you will just become another overpriced theme park with fancy hotels. Will I still go to Disney yes – will I go as often probably not – will I renew my Annual Pass – doubtful – will I purchase more DVC points – doubtful. The days of going to Disney and having an all inclusive magical vacation with family and friends are gone, now I need to know at 9:00am I want a hot dog for lunch, or 30 days out what park I want to visit on the third day of my vacation, what ride I want to be on at 10 am on the second day of my trip … oh and I NEED TO MAKE SURE I am attached and looking at my phone so I don’t miss anything the Genie has suggested. Sorry, that’s not magically that’s called stressful.

  • And what happens when everybody pays for the Lightning Lane? Aint like lightning anymore.

  • It’s not so much the cost that concerns me. Really, after spending thousands of dollars on resort rooms, park tickets, food, merchandise, and transportation getting there is $15 a day really that much of a problem?? What bothers me is that now instead of planning my Fastpasses before time and having everything set, I have to make sure that I’m up by 7:00AM everyday trying to negotiate a complicated app with 50,000 other guest in order to get a spot on a particular ride. Talk about stress every morning!! Plus, being apart of the generation that wasn’t born with a smart phone in my hand, having to deal with this added anxiety is not what a vacation is all about. Please keep the Fastpass for those of us who want to plan and then relax and let those who long for spontaneity use Genie.

  • My concerns are the SAME ISSUES with FP will STILL exist. For example, we would book 3 FP but no guarantee that more slots would be available. Would this be the same with Genie+ ? One ride then potluck after that. Secondly, how long would the wait be between reservations? If I end with only 3 reservations because of busy of the park then I DO NOT appreciate having to pay for something and nothing extra than the previous free service.

  • These are really disappointing changes.

    Disney, please reconsider.

  • Super disappointed that Disney parks are taking away the much loved and used FAST PASS program that we have enjoyed and used for years. Not a magical experience anymore , this is for the guests that don’t mind spending tons of money each visit to get front of the line for certain rides , or the very rich. This is not a nice plan at all.

  • NOOOOOO !!!! So disappointing ! Have been a long time DAP family , but now reconsidering this because we loved knowing we could get to the park and get our FAST PASS rides – for FREE! they way it should be .
    This is not what we asked for , this is just profit , pure and simple.
    No thank you! See ya later !

  • I come from the UK and cannot believe Disney don’t have a clue what they are doing. We have been more than 20 times mainly staying at Disney hotels but having looked at current pricing which if you add the extra cost of Genie + you are pricing a lot of UK visitors out of visiting Florida. Good luck you’ll need it unless you offer the same value we have had in previous years.

  • I’m so very disappointed to see this. Thank goodness we go as 2 adults & not a family of 5 any more: we wouldn’t be able to afford it. We are passholders & come from out of state. We’ve been passholders for about 20 years. In that time we’ve experienced a consistent rise in pass prices, a consistent decrease in perks for being passholders, a consistent decrease in perks for staying on property (which we always do). We love Disney, but I don’t know how much more I can take. It’s becoming a place for the rich & famous to play, not the average family. Paying for Genie + is like going back to the first days of Disney when we had to pay per ride & buy etickets for the really good ones. Standby lines will be really interesting under the new system. Those paying for the Lightning Lane aren’t going to be pleased about waiting for standby people to go through, & they shouldn’t be: they’re paying for that privilege. Lines have been really long since COVID. We went at the end of March & again a month later, a week the 1st time, 10 days the 2nd. But the lines moved quickly. Maybe they should just go back to that. Then everyone has the equal opportunity to ride.

  • For a family a 5 this seems like an unreasonable additional price especially for any of the individual attractions that have an upcharge for a lightening pass. I agree with the previous commenters that the magic of Disney was planning and paying for everything ahead of time, the park passes, the dinner reservations, the transportation , and then just showing up and enjoying the parks. Having to wake up early and scramble to get day of genie+ passes sounds like an added stress to getting everyone up, fed, and packed up for the day at the park. This in addition to the shortened window for making dining reservations to now 60 days for everyone, no real magic hours, and no magic express, all these recent changes really don’t make it magical to stay in resorts anymore. I would rather have a small increase in daily park ticket pricing versus having to pay for individual rides that I am already paying for with my park passes. Disappointing.

  • The frustration of mandatory fast food ordering by smart phone are the excessive wait times when you suddenly desire a beverage now. A Disneyland Mint Julep has required an hour wait with the digital queue on a hot afternoon. Don’t forget to bring an extra battery for your smart phone.

  • I like what Disney is trying to do here. The free option is a good compromise to maximize time and flexibility (assuming it works as advertised). I think it will hinge on how much capacity Disney allots for standby queue/restaurant walk-ups and how much for lightning lane/restaurant reservations. Those are things they could even adjust in real time. It would be nice to be able to walk-up to a table service restaurant and be able to just…get a table. I honestly can’t remember the last time you could do that. If the genie can direct you to one of your favorite rides when it has a 20 minute wait time, that’s a bonus over burning one of your fastpass options on a ride with a short wait time because you had no way of knowing there wouldn’t be a line. One thing I can’t tell is if the genie+ can be purchased on a one day basis, or if you have to purchase it for every day of your pass. I wouldn’t mind buying it for just one day.

  • I recognize I’m in the minority here… but, personally, I love this. And before you come at me that I’m a rich casual fan, I’m a lower middle class non-Disney hospitality worker, Florida resident and close to 30 year AP. The features of Disney Genie will allow for guests of all budgets to enjoy the parks. Disney super fans are always SO resistant to change, but what they fail to realize is that the offerings of Disney Genie and Genie+ will allow non super fans to enjoy the parks with consuming their lives with weeks of planning. A family traveling to JUST see Rise of Resistance can make it happen guaranteed WITHOUT paying thousands of dollars on a VIP tour. Plus, by not guaranteeing EVERY guest a FP, the standby lines won’t be as horrendously effected. Disney fans, check your planning privilege, or at the very least, wait to see this in action before bringing out the pitchforks.

  • Disney – we have become huge Disney fans over the last several years. We have fallen in love with the Magic our family feels as we get a respite out of all of the fear and chaos of this uncertain world and transport ourselves with laughs, fun, and sense of love and family. Watch your own show on Disney Plus about the Imagineers. As I listened to your creative director he said, “it’s really easy to put detail in when you haven’t focused – so you don’t know where details belongs or where it should be eliminated – so you come up with something that is scattered all over the place – if it is not emotionally rich and filled with heart and feeling – then it’s not going to work.” He was talking about developing a ride but I believe he was talking about why you do things in the first place. If you aren’t careful you have put your focus in the wrong place. All the details of your Genie plus has missed the heart of Disney. You must have missed the feedback where families sit and design their Fast Passes and reservations months prior to heading to the park. A great sense of relief knowing that rides we love will be available when we arrive at the park. The shouts, “We got it! We got Pandora. We talk about it and show it on our My Disney Experience App. We plan our day around those key Fast Passes and check off the proverbial box after riding the ride. I ask you again – Watch your own show on Disney Plus about the Imagineers. These are their words- do the right thing the first time. Ask the question were we wrong to start with – Bob Igor as he challenged the Imagineers to Reimagine – California Adventure Land and Disney Paris. You have made plenty of course corrections throughout the years – and my hope is you reimagine Fast Passes as Magic not money. Again from your show – It’s hit or miss you can do all the work put in all the effort and then it’s up to the people to decide- do they like it or do they not like it – that’s completely out of our control. Read the comments – we do not like losing Magic at the continued expense of our limited discretionary income. Consider – what is your driving purpose? The happiest place on earth. We create happiness. I loved what your Creative Director said, We love stories it’s part of our DNA. Can you please turn this part of the story around and create a happy ending. Yours truly, Pete – father of a family of six.

  • As a regular guest to California’s Disneyland, this is such a slap. Genie+ will now charge us double, for less value. MAX pass gave us the ability to fastpass through any ride throughout the day when available to re-book a ride. That’s it. It was easy, $10/ticket was SUPER worth it.

    Now it’s $20, and now premiere rides are excluded from it AND you have to pay even MORE if you want to fast pass those. And you can’t even pay more for ALL of those, since you only are allowed to pay for two of those, which is ridiculous to start with. So there are now good rides that used to be fastpassed that you just have to wait in line for now. No if’s and’s or but’s.

    This move doesnt even make sense, because at DL/CA, the fastpass lines never felt stacked, it’s never felt like something needed to be done to mitigate the fastpass lanes.

    Now when I go to visit the Happiest Place on Earth, I pay more for less. It just hurts, and I doubt Walt ever wanted his parks to charge guests for “Pay-Per-Ride” services.

    This doesn’t feel like a classy move, Disney. This feels like a crass cash grab. My wife and I are planning a trip for next spring, but it’ll be our last for a long time.

  • This is terrible. We “were”loyal Disney fans and go to Disney every other year but it looks it time to get rid of my Disney Visa card and find a new vacation place after this years trip. Taking advantage of people isn’t Disney magic. Paying $6200 for a room and tickets for four people not including spending money and now they want us to pay to get on rides? Disney should be ashamed.

  • really changes the meaning of “you ain’t never had a friend like me” :\

  • The rug gets pulled out under you when you realize the valuable features with Genie+ is $20 ($15 for FL) per person. A group of 4 people pays $80 ($60 for FL) just to use something that was free. Each person won’t be using PhotoPass either. It’s just a cowardly way of trying to add value, when in reality – you’re not adding value at all. The audio experiences don’t add anything worth of value either. There are so many books and videos with tips, facts, and stories that render that “benefit” useless.

  • The rug gets pulled out under you when you realize the valuable features with Genie+ is $20 ($15 for FL) per person. A group of 4 people pays $80 ($60 for FL) just to use something that was free. Each person won’t be using PhotoPass either. It’s just a cowardly way of trying to add value, when in reality – you’re not adding value at all. The audio experiences don’t add anything worth of value either. There are so many books and videos with tips, facts, and stories that render that “benefit” useless. We know you won’t listen to our feedback.

    Guests are noticing the understaffed parks and the lottery chance of getting into the newest rides too. Terrible. Disney parks are heading in the wrong direction.

  • Overall, this is really a bad plan for those of us who like to visit WDW from the west coast. You do realize that 730 am feels like 430 am to us when we visit. To get the best value from these features, you need to be up and going by 730. Not very magical…

    Also, please keep in mind that one of the most magical parts of WDW is seeing and playing alongside of young families and watching the little ones smile! The recent price increases/elimination of services will likely result in fewer young families being able to attend. Make no mistake, this will impact the magic!

    Please reconsider the many recent cost increases and the elimination of magical express. Just because you can increase prices, doesn’t mean you should!

  • I am very disappointed and I believe in my heart that Walt would be disappointed as well. Not only am I having to pay extra for everything but now I have to enter all this data for an app to tell me what to do and where to go. I enjoy unplugging and just experiencing and living in the moment, however; I do enjoy being able to see the ride wait times…..when accurate.

  • I wasn’t happy about losing The Magical Express and I’m not happy about losing Fast Pass. These perks drew us to stay on property. It was so nice knowing that I had put in the hard work of planning and once I boarded The Magical Express my vacation could begin. Now I’m going to have to wake up on each vacation day by 7 AM and try to book something on Genie+, while also trying to get my kids dressed for the day! This doesn’t sound relaxing to a mom of two! What are the perks for staying on property? It feels like you are nickel and diming us loyal Disney fans! First, The Magical Express! Now, Fast Pass! Next – The Magic!

  • Paying for each additional Lightning Lane seems a bit outrageous don’t you think? That’s just putting it lightly. I would be okay if this service was similar to MaxPass where you’d pay one decent fee and have unlimited fast passes anytime and all day (subject to availability of course) from your mobile device.

    Please reconsider, your loyal consumers have spoken.

  • Very disappointed. What’s going to happen when everyone buys this and then everyone is waiting the same amount of time waiting as before, but now paying more money to do it.

  • I have been a huge Disney World fan ever since it opened in ’71(just ask my wife and kids) and we all have always looked forward to our next trip. It has always been an escape from reality that most people could enjoy despite their economic situation. As a matter of fact, Disney even used to advertise as much. Look, we all know that Disney is in business to make money, and although prices have kept increasing over years, it always still seemed worth it to us. It seemed worth it because we were still being given “free” things like Fastpass, Fastpass+, Magical Express, “Streetmosphere”, onsite parking for WDW hotel guests, Extra Magic Hours, etc, etc. These things are no more. This change to “paid fastpasses” and many of the service reductions and uncharges that have been implemented recently, have made the thought of a future trip less “magical”. These changes have made me feel less like a “guest” and more like just a customer who will add to the bottom-line and make the stockholders happy. This is not the Disney I’ve known and love. It’s pretty disappointing. Things need to change pretty quickly. You may see short-term increases in revenue with these changes/up-charges, but they will be short-lived increases. If you lose the faithful base you have enjoyed over the years, the bottom-line might not look great for very long. Here’s to hoping for magical days yet to come.

  • While I am still hurting from losing Magic Express in 2021 I am a bit cautious on this.

    I really love how we could plan a trip before for Disney and know what we were getting into. I miss getting fast passes even though I complain it gave me something to look forward to.

    The Genie free level sounds good but I’m not sure how Genie+ will work for a person on their trip and if it will do a better experience than now. It sounds more stressful during the trip and causes a lot of problems with going out especially late because of the early morning to jump on making the trip just one ball of stress. I am not a big morning person and having one (or two mornings) ruined by Rise of Resistance this just seems like it now makes every morning ruined.

    But it might be a bit better in some places and if it keeps lines reasonable like < 1 hour for the big rides for everyone then I think it might be a positive the Genie+.

    But yeah making trips more expensive isn't my idea of getting me to come back…. But again I will have to wait and see how this really changes a trip.

  • I have been going to WDW since 1989. There was no such thing as a fastpass. Everyone had to use standby. I have seen the addition of paper fastpasses that had everyone running through the parks to kiosks at opening to get a time for return that was the next available. Then they changed to the planning way ahead to decide where you wanted to go each day and what you wanted to do. Goodbye spontaneity! I am personally glad the lightning pass will be the same day. I think the Genie activity planner will be of great help to people who aren’t park experts. I like the choice and flexibility of Genie+ and lightning lanes. If I’m on a short trip, I will probably use it to make the best use of time. If I have a longer stay, I might use it if I’ve been missing something I really want to do. Choices. I’m not going to be giving up Disney just because 33 years later everything is changing (again) from when I was there first.

  • As a good faith gesture to frequent guests who already pay a premium to visit WDW, you should consider offering discounts for APs and DVC, and/or providing complimentary Genie+ for those staying at deluxe resorts.

  • I think it is a great idea!! Genie+ would help the current people unable to get previous perks. It would have help us get through the four parks. Better. We had park Hopper Option plus w resort. Weather and long lines we departed back home earlier. We went July 2021 ! It was our 1st time too!! Magic Kingdom was their fav. Hop their twice!! We were not able to buy the annual or fast passes because it is not available right now. I hope the ones who pay for it get to use it!! Genie+ would help the ones without. Is it a replacement for now? Getting to the parks in the early am via disney resort bus and out van was the only options for us to minimize waitd!! And stopping for the foodie at the tavern for weather!!

  • This caters to the more wealthy, excluding groups of people that can barely afford the experience as it is. It doubles down on a class system and I can’t believe its something a company like Disney is promoting. I realize Disney has shareholders and investors that need to see revenue increase, but it is getting out of hand. Every year there is something new to add to the cost of your experience. Last round is was hotel resort parking that discourages you from bringing a car in, thus keeping you in the Disney bubble spending all your dollars on site. Its just becoming too much of an obvious money grab. Build the cost into the entry fees and focus on providing a great, inclusive and equitable experience for all guests.

  • Will there be Cast Member discounts for Genie+?

  • 50 likes, 127 negative comments…are you listening to THIS feedback?

    We are one month away from our 5 day Disneyland vacation and I want to pull the plug on the whole thing. I thought I would be treated as a guest, not a piggy bank.

  • Mr Maeher, You are obviously NOT listening to us, your paying public. This Genie is a scam and it will bring in millions as it will slowly increases the price over time. Instead of using up all our “E tickets”, we now have to buy Genie LL, Loser Loser tickets or wait 60+ minutes for most rides. Gone are the days of our beloved Fast Pass. Disney is now Universal, nickel and dimeing you at every turn. I’d say we need to Boycott Genie’s pay for play, but the wealthy will find this as no big deal and will drown the majority of us out. This in addition to having to pay for Magic Bands which is so much more convenient than using your phone for park entrance, merchandise payments and even opening your resort door. I’m sorry we renewed our APs passes. We usually enjoy walking and taking an occasional ride. Now we won’t be able to take that ride without the 60+ minute wait, we were so hoping for Fast Pass return. What a letdown!

  • This is absolutely ridiculous, Bob Chapek is out of his mind. If investors were smart they would force him out now. If you want to make more money, increase capacity, add an additional gate don’t over charge to force people not to come. This may look good on the books at present but mark my words this will be the start of the decline. Your forcing more and more people to find a vacation and destination elsewhere and making them forget about Disney as a vacation option, this will last beyond them changing there minds and offering the perks again. Maybe try the Costco business plan it will benefit you much more. Chapek is the problem the stock will crash very soon.

  • This is so sad. Next they are going to introduce the new “Disney Transportation Package!” and you will have to pay to ride the busses, ferries, skyliner and monorails. The magic is dying quickly and being replaced with MONEY. The perks of staying on property….what are they again? We have taken our family to Disney 15+ times and it’s so sad to see what’s it has become now. Yes, you have to pay for “rapid lines” at other theme parks but you see, Disney WASN’T other parks. THAT was the magic of it! Maybe it’s time we go visit Harry Potter at Universal instead.

  • Disney is clearly alienating those of us who LIKE TO PLAN in advance. Forget the money for a moment; I have no desire be be anxious every day at 7am about getting my first pass… or doing it throughout the day. For me, it completely defeats the purpose of vacation. One of the great things about vacationing at Disney was that I could set up my dining reservations and fast passes in advance and then have free time during the day to fill in as I pleased. I was able to book my week and make certain I hit all of the things I really wanted. That was very relaxing for me. There was no “rush here” or “rush there” to worry about.

    And let’s not forget how frequently the current app doesn’t work when the parks are super busy. We started taking pics of our fastpasses or writing them down be cause we couldn’t count on technology.

    You’ve completely cut out people who like to plan, need to plan. Previously you had complaints from people who didn’t plan; now you’ll lose some of the regular visitors who did. I cannot vacation this way.

  • Next we will have to purchase a “transportation package” in order to ride the busses, ferries, skyliner and monorails. The magic is dying and the perks for staying on property have mostly perished as well. It’s so sad to see the most important thing has switched for Magic to MONEY. Disney’s perks kept it separate from other theme parks and was why we always chose Disney instead of Universal. I guess it’s time to go see Harry Potter.

  • I was concerned this was going to cost more. Honestly the photo pass was already $10 .. so an extra $10 isn’t terrible .. other parks cost similar amounts of money for tickets AND you have to pay for fast passes .. so it’s not any different.. I will say for people complaining… so many people will be purchasing this maybe the regular lines will be shorter now 🙂

  • To me, Disney World / Disneyland has always be that place where peoples dreams can com true. They realIy have been magical for my family. And to be honest, I have been very fortunate in my life and I can afford a lot. But it does seem as though Disney World / Disneyland is becoming a place where the quality of your dream and the amount of pixie dust distributed to each guest is now being determined by the size of your pocketbook. I find this disappointing and kind of sad.

  • This sounds confusing and expensive… If we need to pay extra for fast passes why not just give us that price and include every ride?
    What would really be magical is to return to FASTPASS as it was before!

  • I think this is smart. For 1) they need to make up money from quarantine. And 2) this is nice for people who wanna go on rides. The fp+ never made sense to me, there was basically no fast lane when it came down to it.
    Idk if this is something you get to do months before your there or day of.
    I miss the old passes where you got them day of and got an hour to get there.

  • Greatly disappointed in Disney’s decision. But Disney does not care. Its gotten to a point where all of the magic is gone from Disney parks, never renewed our annual passes right before covid hit, because the cost was getting to much. Now it looks like a trip to Disneyland will be as much as our AP cost for the year, if we ever go again. I am not sure why I am even writing this, Disney will not take these comments into consideration. Its to a point if a person is not spending $1000+ per day per person, Disney does not really want you there. Walt would be so disappointed.

  • My favorite part of this article is when they say “We’ve been listening to your feedback”…think they’re going to listen to all this feedback and realize guests are getting sick of watching free perks vanish so the parks can milk even more money out of guests?

  • Ouch. I am having a hard time seeing how this could possibly improve guest experience. Except maybe just pricing out guests and families who aren’t uber-rich? Then crowds will naturally go down? WDW has long been my family’s annual vacation, and I have seen all the magical perks of going to the parks and staying in a park resort dwindle: Parking has gone from free to paid at the resorts, transportation went from a perk to purgatory (the waits and being stuffed on busses like sardines–sooo not magical), free magic bands are now gone (now just use your phone for everything! Hello, we are at Disney for family/friends and fun time–not having our noses in our phones all day. We can do THAT at home!), free plan-ahead FastPasses for resort guests are now a completely paid option? Again, HOW can this possibly improve Disney guest experience? It sounds more like improved Disney investor experience. So disappointing.

  • If you want to purchase The two LL rides do you also have to pay the $15 for Genie +. ?

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