Before we get started..... Here is a Fun Fact... Up until June of 1982 you had to have coupon books to see rides and attractions at Disney parks. This is where you get the term E-Ticket attraction. E-Ticktet attractions were normally the biggest or Most popular attractions. When you ran out of Coupons you had to pay for more. So when we get in to Disney Genie and some people saying "Walt is rolling over in his grave right now" well.... Walt already originally had DisneyLand operating with Coupons you had to pay for to ride rides after paying your admission.....
Now on to Disney Genie.....
Yesterday on August 19, 2021 Disney Officially retired Fastpass+ and the Officially Introduced the most information thus far about the Disney Genie that was originally Announced Back in 2019. If you have been following my Facebook page or talking with me in person. I had been connecting the dots from then to now about a paid fastpass coming. Back in May, when more people began to feel more comfortable traveling and people were clamoring about bringing fastpass+ back I even made the post connecting the dots that fastpass+ probably wasn't going to return. You can read thathere In this hidden link. https://www.facebook.com/firehousefamilyvacations/posts/3782774641827011
To this day, people don't understand that Fastpasses or Fastpass+ was never about convenience for you, it was designed to keep you out of lines so you could spend more time in stores and buying food....
Now that Disney Genie is about to burst out of lamp lets get to what we know.
Disney Genie is not bad. On paper right now, this is a HUGE step forward to make vacations much less stressful and no this is not a way to get rid of travel agents to help you plan your trips... Why you might ask?
Here is what we know so far.....
Disney Genie will have 3 Tiers. (initially...tech and feedback could allow this to expand)
1.Free Disney Genie
2.Upcharge Disney Genie+
3.Additional Upcharge Lightning Pass for most popular rides( like Rise of the Resistance and 7 Dwarfs mine coaster)
I will try to explain each tier the best I can based on what I have seen so far.....
Disney Genie- Free. This will act like a Google Assistant or Siri where you will tell it what you are interested in and it will tell you wait times and the "best time" to get in line to ride this ride based on the ride times. I looks like it will run on phones and tablets. Hopefully they will release it on Apple and Android at the same time and not the staggered approach they have done in the past with Apple getting the priority(no this doesn't mean apple is going to buy Disney..yet... this week)
Disney Genie + This is an upcharge per person per day. We currently don't know if you have to purchase it for your whole trip or if you can buy for select days( I assuming you will have both options and an Annual Pass option that includes this). This will act like the old Disneyland retired Maxpass, where you will be able to choose a ride or attraction at a specific time and get a lightning lane pass for that ride. Then when that ride is done, you can choose another one, Doing this all day or until they are no longer available. The cost has been currently advertised at $15 per day per person. With this option at Disneyland only you will get all of your Pictures that you take in the park for that day. Its like the original Fastpass where you had to go to the Ride to get a paper fastpass except it wil be via the app. Here is a hidden advantage to this.... you don't have people that aren't in the parks for that day grabbing fastpasses just for the sake of grabbing fastpasses.( you will still have annual passholders if given the option of adding it to their annual pass that will do this... but it is a small number)
Upcharge per ride that doesn't have a name yet and is a pay per ride Lighting Pass. This will be for the most popular rides and pricing will very by the demand for that ride. This will anger annual passholders more than casual park guest. Annual Passholders may get an option to add this to their annual pass. This pay per ride will benefit casual guest the most.
Like I said, there are a lot of questions that are coming from the announcement and since I believe in transparency I have included the press release Disney has sent us and their post to the general public below.
Questions I have for Disney that hopefully will be answered soon:
When will this start( my guess is October 1)
Can you buy this for just one day or does it have to be for the length of ticket?
If you bough Memory Maker can you return it and just do My Disney Genie+?
The complete list of rides and attractions for Disney Genie+ and Individual ride purchase.
When are the dining plans coming back?
Are there extra perks for On-Site guest and or Value, Moderate, Deluxe resorts.
How far in advance can you purchase a ride?
Are all sales final? (meaning what happens if Rise of the resistance goes down for 6 hours....)
Will virtual lines for restaurants replace advance dining reservations?
Will this run on Cellar service( which can be crappy in the parks) or Disney Wifi( which can be crappy through out the entire resort)
I am sure you have question and I would like to know them.
Right now this Disney Genie+ is much cheaper than an express pass at Universal Orlando or FastLane pass at Cedar Point, Kings Island, Dollywood, Michigan Adventure, SeaWorld, Knotts Berry Farm, Busch Gardens, and Etc.... Like I said right now on paper it is cheaper...
As an Traveler and not an agent, I do see some value in this. As an agent they are pushing that this is commissionable. At $15 a person, that commission would be wait for it... around 15 cents.... So if i recommend this, it would not be for the commission only as a something that could make your trip more enjoyable.
I will defiantly be staying on top of this to give you the best information and guidance I can.
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/08/introducing-disney-genie/
Coming this fall to Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, Disney Genie is a complimentary and convenient new digital service designed to create the best Disney day for our Guests. We’ve been listening to Guest feedback – they want planning to be easier, they want more flexibility and they 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 Guests through our theme parks with tips that can help them 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 for our Guests, so they 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 – Guests just tell Disney Genie what they want to do and it will do the planning for them. It will be a great complement to the incredible guidance and support you provide as a Travel Professional.
Here are a few more features:
Get Itinerary Updates from Morning to Night: Disney Genie will continue to update the Guest’s itinerary throughout your day, so they can be more spontaneous and go with the flow.
Find Favorites at a Glance: Guests can create their very own personal tip board to instantly see their favorites. It will display current AND forecasted future wait times, helping Guests predict when they might experience quicker entry to attractions.
Enjoy More Flexibility and Fun: Disney Genie brings existing planning features together in one place. Guests can 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 Guests 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, Guests can choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. Guests 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. Disney Genie+ will be eligible for commission on select tickets and more information will be available on the Disney Travel Agents website.
Individual attraction selections (available for purchase):Guests can 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 will vary by date, attraction and park.
Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of the Guest’s 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. Guests 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 Guests decide to plan their best Disney day.
As Travel Professionals, you will play an important role in helping Guests experience their best Disney day with Disney Genie – and together we will usher in a new era of Guest service.
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 arrival windows for 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 on DisneyWorld.com and Disneyland.com for more details.
We realize this is a lot of important information, but rest assured that many of you will receive training on all-things Disney Genie over the next several weeks as we prepare for the launch.
Visit Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort for more details on Disney Genie and stay tuned for updates real soon.
Disney Genie is here. Disney Genie is not going anywhere soon. Lets give Disney Genie a chance!
