Guest Compares Disney Genie to Gambling in the Parks - Inside the Magic

There is no larger discussion right now within the Disney Park community than the one revolving around the Disney Parks’ newest system: Disney Genie.

Related: Guest’s Car Broken Into, Left Smashed After Robbery at Disney

Disney released Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane last year to much positivity as well as a lot of criticism. Disney Genie+, the paid aspect of the new system, allows Guests to use individual Lightning Lanes when their return time strikes — which has replaced the previously free FastPass+ lane. Both theme park resorts have options where Guests can choose to pay with the cost varying per ride, per person based on the specific ride or attraction.

Disney Genie+ costs $15.00 per person per day for Disney World Guests and $20.00 per person per day at the Disneyland Resort. The cost for Disney Genie+ is very slightly more expensive at Disneyland, and so are the “a la carte” options. The incredibly-popular Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has hit costs of $20.00 per person per ride, which would essentially double the daily cost of buying Disney Genie+ if Guests wanted to use a Lightning Lane for the attraction which is located in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

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: 

Magic Kingdom

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain

EPCOT

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After

Hollywood Studios

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Animal Kingdom

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest (Closed Until May 2022)

Recently, one Guest went to social media to discuss how they felt about the controversial new system. See the post from u/Woody1150 below:

Is Genie+ gambling?

To me it seems like you are paying a fee for the “chance” to be able to get on a attraction. You might not get lucky though. Are they saying you are paying for a service just to be able to get away with running a gambling app?

Is Genie+ gambling? from WaltDisneyWorld

Those in the comments discussed this claim, offering their take on the new system. User u/AfterTheNightIWakeUp said:

It’s not gambling. They say up front you may not be able to get any specific attraction. That’s always been the case, it’s never guaranteed. You are paying to access LL, and that’s what they deliver. How many or how often is going to be very variable.

User u/Jimbruno55 commented:

Time is the variable. If you buy it you’ll save time. How much time will be varied based on crowds and the park you are visiting. Is it gambling? A little. But you’re not playing against the house so much as the economics of people management.

User u/thePlanets14 discussed how the system has affected one of the Disney Parks specifically:

That’s one way to look at it.

To be honest I hate it at DHS because you can get just about everything done between early entry and the first hour the park is open without Genie+ other than slinky dog. And Genie + IS a gamble for slinky dog. We only used it for ToT and that saved us 30-40 minutes

It’s great at MK and can and will save you hours in line. It’s pretty easy to use at Epcot and AK and you will get the rides you want but a lot of guests assess that it’s not worthwhile for those two parks because of the limited big attractions to use it for.

We covered how Disney recently changed how you go about using Disney Genie, making the process slightly different. many Guests have reported that the system works, but is inconsistent. Some are left frustrated and confused after using it. To simplify it, the system does work for those willing to pay, but for some Guests, the days of fastPass+ or even paper FastPasses are sorely missed.

More on Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane

Disney Park’s official description of Genie+ is as follows:

 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.

Have you used Disney Genie+ or Lightning Lane yet? How do you feel about it? Let us know in the comments below. 

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

While you are at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can enjoy Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith on Sunset Boulevard. By the Chinese Theater, Guests prepare to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. In Toy Story Land, Slinky Dog Dash always boasts a long line with others shooting their shot on Midway Mania or spinning their brains out on Alien Swirling Saucers. Of course, you have to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for some blue milk, or green milk, and ride Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler’s Run!