Cast Member Speaks Out, Defends Disney Genie Amid Suspicions

At Walt Disney World Resort, we have seen a few changes come into place, one of the biggest being Disney Genie.

Disney Genie was recently added to the My Disney Experience app, which is a new way for Guests to plan their day. Disney Genie is meant for those who are unsure on what they should do while at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and gives them a variety of specifically catered options. On top of that, Disney Genie also has a Disney Genie+ feature. For $15.00 per day per Guest, you can skip the long standby queue by making a Lightning Lane reservation (new FastPass) and returning at that time.

At each Park, however, there are two attractions that Guests would need to purchase a separate Lightning Lane ticket for if they wanted to skip those lines. Those attractions are:

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Frozen Ever After
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Avatar Flight of Passage
Expedition Everest

disney genie plus — Credit: Screenshot via Disney Parks Blog

Disney Genie has received a large amount of backlash by many for various reasons, but one of which speculates Disney is inflating their wait times to get Guests to purchase Disney Genie+. Some Guests have timed their wait vs. the shown wait times and have realized that their actual wait was always shorter than projected. Of course, it is impossible to determine exactly how long someone would wait for an attraction, but many were suspicious about these findings.

Now, a Cast Member has taken to Reddit to defend the system. Aiden981 works at Disney and noted that nothing has changed when it comes to adjusting wait times for any attraction.

Ive been a cast member in Attractions at Magic Kingdom for 3 years now. I know how the old FP+ system works and I know how Genie+ and LL works. I can tell you right now with 100% certainty that literally nothing with wait times has changed. They didn’t suddenly make every CM become a salesperson to sell Genie+. We are still using the same methods we used to use to gauge wait times and the main thing we do is inflate the wait times? Why? Because 1) Its hard to get an actual accurate wait time and 2) It makes guests happy when they walk in a 45 minute line for them to only wait 20 minutes instead. Trust me if Disney was actually messing with the wait times you would hear it from thousands of CMs, not some random guy on the internet. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Personally, I do not think Disney would ever intentionally inflate wait times for profit, as there are many ways to do that, and the lines are already long enough that Guests who do not like waiting will be easily swayed without any added inflation.

What do you think? Is Disney inflating their wait times? Are you a fan of Disney Genie?

Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!

At Magic Kingdom, there is so much to see and do! Cinderella Castle is decked out for the 50th anniversary and soon Festival of Fantasy and Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire will return. You can ride the three big mountains: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain, or calm things down on Peter Pan’s Flight. Rope drop the Park to get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then enjoy a mid-day snack with some Dole Whip. Be sure to meet Mickey Mouse and enjoy the firework show, Disney Enchantment!

Cast Member Speaks Out, Defends Disney Genie Amid Suspicions - Inside the Magic