Disney Experts Say Prices Are Only Going to Rise - Inside the Magic

Walt Disney World Resort is known as the “most magical place on earth” and it’s easy to see why millions of Disney Park Guests make their way to the destination each and every year.

Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT are all uniquely-themed Parks that allow Guests to completely immerse themselves with their favorite characters, movies, and stories.

This past year, Disney introduced a new system in Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, which is an extra $15.00 per day per Guest, and allows Guests the opportunity to reserve times to go through the Lightning Lane instead of the standby queue.

Despite constant complaints about increased prices, many theme park experts say they don’t expect things to change anytime soon in an interview with The Tampa Bay Times.

“Get used to it,” said theme park expert Dennis Speigel, president of Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services. “Our industry is moving towards the upcharge. Magic Mountain is doing it. Six Flags in California and others are experimenting with it. Within three or four years, you will see every park having a surcharge to get ahead of the line.”

Many Disney Park Guests have complained about many flaws within the system, but that doesn’t seem to have changed the volume in which the extra-charged service is being purchased.

“I found two people who liked it, because it just happened to work out for them that day,” Len Testa said. “People don’t like being nickel-and-dimed. The biggest complaint is you are stuck on your smartphone all day.”

Many other theme parks have already initiated extra charges for line-skipping measures including Universal Orlando Resort, which has had Universal Express in place for many years.

More On Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane

Disney Genie was recently added to the My Disney Experience app, which is a new way for Walt Disney World Resort 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 Disney World Guest, you can skip the long standby queue by making a Lightning Lane reservation (new FastPass) and returning at that time.

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

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Avatar Flight of Passage

Until August 7, 2022, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Space Mountain, and Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain will be included via Disney Genie+ service and will not be included as individual Lightning Lane entry selections. However, after that date, they are currently set to return to be individual Lightning Lane selection.

Disneyland Resort has this available as well, but at $20.00 per day and only three attractions in the “a la carte” section of pay per ride at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. Disneyland Paris also has a pay-per-ride system with Premier Access, and now, it seems that the Disney influence is traveling to more local-based theme parks, which can end up driving up the cost of the theme park experience for Guests looking to spend less than they would at Disney.

Do you love Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane? Let us know in the comments!