Disney Adds Historic Parade To Growing List Of Paid Genie+ Experiences - Inside the Magic

Today has been an exciting day, as one of Disney’s most beloved parades has returned!

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Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade has not been performed since early 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Guests have been eagerly awaiting its return ever since and finally, the day has come. Unsurprisingly, Disney has also added this parade to its growing list of choices that Guests can pay for using Genie+.

As you can see on the official website for Disney World, the Magic Kingdom Lightning lane selections now include Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade.

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While some may enjoy this addition, others may despise it. The implementation and release of Genie and Genie+ at Walt Disney World and Disneyland has been rocky, to say the least, with many Disney World and Disneyland Guests wondering if Disney Genie+ is even worth the price. Some even deducted that Disney might be artificially inflating wait time so people feel pressured to purchase Genie+ or the Lightning Lane add-ons. One example of this recently popped up on Twitter with a Guest pointing out the discrepancy between what Genie+ says and what the actual posted wait time of the ride was.

Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane were released last year to much criticism and frustration, leaving many Guests feeling confused by the service. In theory, this paid service should enhance Guests’ experience at the Parks, but in practice, it seemed to just be an expensive itinerary planner. These paid services allow Guests to skip lines for a price, meaning Disney now has a financial incentive to have long lines. At Disney World, 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.

What many refer to as the 3 o’clock parade, Festival of Fantasy is a popular parade that strolls down Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom. Disney World describes the parade as:

Magic Marches Down the Street

The unbridled enchantment and vivid pageantry of Fantasyland—and its many inhabitants—winds its way through the park in a thrilling parade spectacular. The dazzling mix of floats, motion and original music will keep you humming along for days to come.

See Disney Characters and Much More

Be a part of this grand gala, with spectacular, state-of-the-art floats starring some of your favorite Disney Characters from Tangled, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid. It’s a festival of fun for everyone!

Have you missed Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade at the Magic Kingdom? 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!

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!