It should go back to when the parks first opened. NO fast pass at all. It was all free
You just walked up to the attraction, stood in either queue (left or right side)) and continued to the beginning of the attraction to ride it. The cast member took a few people from each side/queue it was wonderful. Yes you waited at times but this made so much more sense. And if you didn’t want to wait in line there was plenty to do and see until that attraction ‘s wait time went down.
Now it seems like you have to plan every thing around these scheduled times. And if a ride shuts down… oh well..back to square one.
I want to go on Vacation and not have to have every minute planned out.
It was a waste of money! The LL reservations are hour long or more and someone who isn’t familiar with the park can waste a lot of time just waiting around. And the article isn’t right, you can reserve another two LL after the first two has been redeemed. It’s not limited to two a day. That’s also a ridiculous restriction for the Genie+ service. I’d rather plan out my entire day using LL as many as possible. When limited to 2 at a time… and hours apart. Forget it. Save your money folks. Better to just wait in line!
The only thing I did like about the Genie+ Was the mobile food ordering app and the photo QR code you have all pictures in one place!
Totally agree, why does it have to be done the morning of. This makes it a daily job. So much easier to plan out your vacation to do it in advance just like dinning reservations. Used to go to WDW every year since I was a kid, now I refuse to take my family until they get back to customer first.
The “magic” of Disney is a thing of the past. The greed, wokeness, and pandering to the LGBTVlmnop+ community has ruined what used to be special about the parks. Opposing sexual talk to K-3rd grade children…what are they thinking! Supporting abortion……wow! Now they lost their right to self govern and will likely lose the copyright to Mickey Mouse due to a new bill that will be voted on if the House and Senate go republican. They need to stay out of politics and go back to the systems they used in the parks in 2019.
The only word in your comment concerning Genie was greed. You need to realize that most of the US citizens and overseas tourists agree with Disney. Perhaps next time, stIck to the subject
*Most* US families, which was Disney’s original primary audience, do NOT agree with Disney. We are FL residents and have been consistently for years, but will not be returning until they return to the family-friendly environment they once were, and until Genie+ and paying extra to ride rides you already paid for with admission, goes away.
Being seniors. We did not mind paying extra $ for the Genie+ to have the opportunity to bypass those extra long lines. But we not like that we could only book a couple rides at a time. Which made the experience less enjoyable. Disney needs to learn how Universal Studios Hollywood handles their lightning lanes with their ZIP Experience. I would pay for that in order to have a similar experience at Disney. Disney ZIP Experience would make the Disney parks experience worth the extra $.
While collectively we can all agree that this is a colossal fail, people are still paying for it. The only thing the board sees is $$$ and that’s what they’re getting. This isn’t going anywhere. If people start wising up and stop paying to go or purchase the app, then maybe this will change but unfortunately it’s not happening. The majority are paying for it. Actions speak louder than words.
Having done days in the park with and without the option, it wasn’t worth the money. You still had to wait 40 minutes or more to be able to get on most rides.
As longtime pass holders, we feel that Genie plus really cheapens the park experience overall (ironic since it costs more).
I can tell you who is happy in all of this, shareholders and those are the top.
What people fail to realize is that they are not paying to “skip the lines”, they are paying to just not stand in the line and reserving a time to ride. But when they return for that time they are then waiting even longer in a line because of how many people did the exact same thing. It’s not worth the added cost.
We were just there two weeks ago. Paid extra for the genie plus and lightning lane. You could ONLY book 1 ride every two hours. You absolutely could not “plan your day”. So you arrive at the lightning lane for your pre scheduled ride, ride the ride, then have to wait two hours before booking another ride which we ended up waiting in line for rides 45 mins-1hr two times before we could even book another lightning lane ride. It was ridiculous and frustrating. We spent more time in line than anything else which was quite the disappointment for my four kids. We won’t be back unless they fix it. It’s not worth the money standing in line 80% of the time at the park. We also didn’t get any character pics because you had to stand in line for a pic with the characters as well. Not the Disney I remember as a kid…
Yeah, Genie+ sucks. I especially hate the fact that you can’t do lightning lane more than once for a ride. It also doesn’t help that we have to book popular rides for later times like 4 pm and it’s only 11:30 but we can’t reserve for another ride until 1:30. I definitely regret buying a magic key.
I planned an amazing vacation. Excited about all of the parks and rides. Watched so many videos to learn how to use Genie + and Lightening Lanes etc. I spent the whole week on my phone. Didn’t get a chance to enjoy anything around me. I was so worried about getting to this ride and that ride. Walking back and forth all over the park just trying to decrease wait time but I think it added time (and steps) to our day. I was just so disappointed because the entire week flew by and I spent it all on my phone trying to gain fast passes everyday 😭
Just returned from third trip this year. Genie+ needs to be converted into a fast pass at a price. The old fast pass option definitely worked better. I see where people find success and ride every ride and are completely satisfied. Most people I have spoken with are like me and disappointed. My last experience as an example. Epcot, start the day a couple hours after part opens, we are not the guys running from ride to ride to get on rides all day, we enjoy every moment in the parks. Genie+ gets us in line at Spaceship Earth so I line up another ride for Soaring later that morning. We get to the door, ride is broke. Stand in line 15-20 minutes, still broke, we decide to move on to get some Starbucks. Now I am already behind the Genie. Nothing to show for my purchase and waiting until next ride. I can see why Chapek got an extension as people are throwing money trying to get a return. I have several other worse stories of Genie+ but will just say Genie+ is a real problem, not the answer.
Last week I was at Hollywood and the two rollercoasters, Rise of the Resistance, and one side of Tower of Terror were closed. It was a clear day so lightning wasn’t an excuse.
Facts and reality remain elusive to so many …
Hey disney, genie – genie+ – and lightning lanes have been terribly disappointing since their inception. Did you really need a survey to tell you that?
Since it is all about the money, how about bringing back the original FastPass system with the same limitations (e.g., 1 major ride and 2 minor rides per day, booked well in advance of arriving) BUT charge for it. All of the other “features” of Genie Plus and Lightning Lanes aren’t actually features at all. They are not as effective as FastPass and certainly not nearly as satisfying. We can all face the reality of it all being about the money. Get rid of all these things that aren’t working and simply bring back the old FastPass system with a set charge per day. We don’t all want to have to get up early every morning in the hope of being able to get a ride and many of us will not spend our day at the parks with our faces buried in our cellphones.
I think the old FastPass was free or maybe it was only available to resort guests. Either way, my experience was that it worked very well. If you are a resort guest, I don’t see why you should have to pay to use FastPass (if they were to bring it back). Resort guests pay enough for additional amenities. I can see charging off-property guests for it; although, a fairer option may be to have them only be able to reserve ride times during certain hours. People pay plenty to enter the parks; they shouldn’t have to mortgage a home to be able to ride the rides.
Agree with the general trend of comments of disappointment and dissatisfaction….
1. What was already a costly trip, doubled what I normally spend overall!
2. Spent a lot of time throughout the day and literally lost sleep trying to manage what was supposed to be a “fun multi-family vacation”
3. Left feeling excruciatingly torn about ever doing another Disney vacation
It almost feels like “they’re” pushing the boundaries to see what lengths people will go and how much people are willing to pay.
If this continues, I’m going to have to bow out. I can spend what I spent and see the world….. TWICE!
Why should only people with more money have the advantage of faster lanes and getting into rides in a place like Disney park where the MAGIC is supposed to be for everyone alike as soon as you get into the park?! It’s an unfair system. Fastpass was already working.
Genie is an OVER PRICED Ripoff!! Please bring back FASTPASS! It worked fine and helped guests to navigate the Parks faster. Disney is making enough Money and does NOT need Genie!!
Fastpass was a disaster. Anyone who didn’t want to plan their lives down to the hour a month in advance was penalized. It was nothing more than a scheme to raise park occupancy beyond actual capacity.
Stay dead, fastpass: LL can join you some day in hell.
Here is an idea Bob. Raise ticket prices $15 (you were going to anyway) and get rid of line cutting entirely. Richie McRich can pay for their tour guide to get a Bezo Ride. Everyone will be happier and you will make more money.
Longtime annual pass holder and Magic Key holder at Disneyland. Tried Genie+ on one trip. Truly pointless. Back to waiting in standby line or doing something else as needed. Usually ride one or two per trip, eat a nice meal at Downtown Disney or in the parks. We’re semi retired and it’s 30 minutes drive to the park at worst. Main grump I have is the reservation system is a pain at times, but I just plan weeks in advance. Too old to March around the park all day anyway…
I was taught, “If it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it.”
Bob Paycheck took something that worked and tried to “fix” it.
Go back to the way things were, but maybe change timelines a bit. Instead of 180 days out, maybe do 90. 60 days for fastpasses. At least people can plan out a more relaxing time, rather than fretting the day of. But complaints about Disney on this site mean absolutely nothing. Changes come from posting directly to Disney.
Comments for Guests Are Dissatisfied With Genie+, New Poll Finds
S1
It’s too cheap, it should be the cost of the park + 24%. That’s what Walt would have wanted.
Alex
When are they going to figure out that bringing back Fast pass is the best option for overall guest satisfaction.
Eva
Completely agree. I hate it, but it would make so much much sense if it were something less people paid a lot for.
Steve
Get rid of all line cutting. No need for it. Wait like everyone else.
jeff
Its a colossal disaster and has ruined WDW to the point we will never return unless they change it. Current mgmt has completely ruined WDW
J
Count me in as another unhappy guest. I wouldn’t bother to pay for it again. Bring back the free fast pass!
Carol
It should go back to when the parks first opened. NO fast pass at all. It was all free
You just walked up to the attraction, stood in either queue (left or right side)) and continued to the beginning of the attraction to ride it. The cast member took a few people from each side/queue it was wonderful. Yes you waited at times but this made so much more sense. And if you didn’t want to wait in line there was plenty to do and see until that attraction ‘s wait time went down.
Now it seems like you have to plan every thing around these scheduled times. And if a ride shuts down… oh well..back to square one.
I want to go on Vacation and not have to have every minute planned out.
Wendy
It was a waste of money! The LL reservations are hour long or more and someone who isn’t familiar with the park can waste a lot of time just waiting around. And the article isn’t right, you can reserve another two LL after the first two has been redeemed. It’s not limited to two a day. That’s also a ridiculous restriction for the Genie+ service. I’d rather plan out my entire day using LL as many as possible. When limited to 2 at a time… and hours apart. Forget it. Save your money folks. Better to just wait in line!
The only thing I did like about the Genie+ Was the mobile food ordering app and the photo QR code you have all pictures in one place!
Brian
Totally agree, why does it have to be done the morning of. This makes it a daily job. So much easier to plan out your vacation to do it in advance just like dinning reservations. Used to go to WDW every year since I was a kid, now I refuse to take my family until they get back to customer first.
Peter
The “magic” of Disney is a thing of the past. The greed, wokeness, and pandering to the LGBTVlmnop+ community has ruined what used to be special about the parks. Opposing sexual talk to K-3rd grade children…what are they thinking! Supporting abortion……wow! Now they lost their right to self govern and will likely lose the copyright to Mickey Mouse due to a new bill that will be voted on if the House and Senate go republican. They need to stay out of politics and go back to the systems they used in the parks in 2019.
Bobbie
The only word in your comment concerning Genie was greed. You need to realize that most of the US citizens and overseas tourists agree with Disney. Perhaps next time, stIck to the subject
Jkeller
*Most* US families, which was Disney’s original primary audience, do NOT agree with Disney. We are FL residents and have been consistently for years, but will not be returning until they return to the family-friendly environment they once were, and until Genie+ and paying extra to ride rides you already paid for with admission, goes away.
Walter
Being seniors. We did not mind paying extra $ for the Genie+ to have the opportunity to bypass those extra long lines. But we not like that we could only book a couple rides at a time. Which made the experience less enjoyable. Disney needs to learn how Universal Studios Hollywood handles their lightning lanes with their ZIP Experience. I would pay for that in order to have a similar experience at Disney. Disney ZIP Experience would make the Disney parks experience worth the extra $.
Kelly Connerton
I believe the article said 68% did not like the Genie +. Not sure where you got “most of the US Citizens agree”
Debbie
While collectively we can all agree that this is a colossal fail, people are still paying for it. The only thing the board sees is $$$ and that’s what they’re getting. This isn’t going anywhere. If people start wising up and stop paying to go or purchase the app, then maybe this will change but unfortunately it’s not happening. The majority are paying for it. Actions speak louder than words.
JB
Having done days in the park with and without the option, it wasn’t worth the money. You still had to wait 40 minutes or more to be able to get on most rides.
As longtime pass holders, we feel that Genie plus really cheapens the park experience overall (ironic since it costs more).
I can tell you who is happy in all of this, shareholders and those are the top.
Dawn
What people fail to realize is that they are not paying to “skip the lines”, they are paying to just not stand in the line and reserving a time to ride. But when they return for that time they are then waiting even longer in a line because of how many people did the exact same thing. It’s not worth the added cost.
Candice
We were just there two weeks ago. Paid extra for the genie plus and lightning lane. You could ONLY book 1 ride every two hours. You absolutely could not “plan your day”. So you arrive at the lightning lane for your pre scheduled ride, ride the ride, then have to wait two hours before booking another ride which we ended up waiting in line for rides 45 mins-1hr two times before we could even book another lightning lane ride. It was ridiculous and frustrating. We spent more time in line than anything else which was quite the disappointment for my four kids. We won’t be back unless they fix it. It’s not worth the money standing in line 80% of the time at the park. We also didn’t get any character pics because you had to stand in line for a pic with the characters as well. Not the Disney I remember as a kid…
Dawn
The eyes of a child are rose coloured…. It isn’t much different, but you see things differently.
DisneySucks
Yeah, Genie+ sucks. I especially hate the fact that you can’t do lightning lane more than once for a ride. It also doesn’t help that we have to book popular rides for later times like 4 pm and it’s only 11:30 but we can’t reserve for another ride until 1:30. I definitely regret buying a magic key.
Meg
I planned an amazing vacation. Excited about all of the parks and rides. Watched so many videos to learn how to use Genie + and Lightening Lanes etc. I spent the whole week on my phone. Didn’t get a chance to enjoy anything around me. I was so worried about getting to this ride and that ride. Walking back and forth all over the park just trying to decrease wait time but I think it added time (and steps) to our day. I was just so disappointed because the entire week flew by and I spent it all on my phone trying to gain fast passes everyday 😭
Lawrence Lewis
For those of us of a certain age, we have not had our cell phones surgically attached to our bodies. Genie+ is a pain in the ass to me.
Randy Blankenship
Just returned from third trip this year. Genie+ needs to be converted into a fast pass at a price. The old fast pass option definitely worked better. I see where people find success and ride every ride and are completely satisfied. Most people I have spoken with are like me and disappointed. My last experience as an example. Epcot, start the day a couple hours after part opens, we are not the guys running from ride to ride to get on rides all day, we enjoy every moment in the parks. Genie+ gets us in line at Spaceship Earth so I line up another ride for Soaring later that morning. We get to the door, ride is broke. Stand in line 15-20 minutes, still broke, we decide to move on to get some Starbucks. Now I am already behind the Genie. Nothing to show for my purchase and waiting until next ride. I can see why Chapek got an extension as people are throwing money trying to get a return. I have several other worse stories of Genie+ but will just say Genie+ is a real problem, not the answer.
Sad Disney Fan….
I forgot to mention in my own comment all the CONSTRUCTION and YES… the rides that were CONSTANTLY closed!!!!! ugh… so annoying!
Steve
Last week I was at Hollywood and the two rollercoasters, Rise of the Resistance, and one side of Tower of Terror were closed. It was a clear day so lightning wasn’t an excuse.
Jack English
Facts and reality remain elusive to so many …
Hey disney, genie – genie+ – and lightning lanes have been terribly disappointing since their inception. Did you really need a survey to tell you that?
Since it is all about the money, how about bringing back the original FastPass system with the same limitations (e.g., 1 major ride and 2 minor rides per day, booked well in advance of arriving) BUT charge for it. All of the other “features” of Genie Plus and Lightning Lanes aren’t actually features at all. They are not as effective as FastPass and certainly not nearly as satisfying. We can all face the reality of it all being about the money. Get rid of all these things that aren’t working and simply bring back the old FastPass system with a set charge per day. We don’t all want to have to get up early every morning in the hope of being able to get a ride and many of us will not spend our day at the parks with our faces buried in our cellphones.
Anna A
I think the old FastPass was free or maybe it was only available to resort guests. Either way, my experience was that it worked very well. If you are a resort guest, I don’t see why you should have to pay to use FastPass (if they were to bring it back). Resort guests pay enough for additional amenities. I can see charging off-property guests for it; although, a fairer option may be to have them only be able to reserve ride times during certain hours. People pay plenty to enter the parks; they shouldn’t have to mortgage a home to be able to ride the rides.
Sad Disney fan
Agree with the general trend of comments of disappointment and dissatisfaction….
1. What was already a costly trip, doubled what I normally spend overall!
2. Spent a lot of time throughout the day and literally lost sleep trying to manage what was supposed to be a “fun multi-family vacation”
3. Left feeling excruciatingly torn about ever doing another Disney vacation
It almost feels like “they’re” pushing the boundaries to see what lengths people will go and how much people are willing to pay.
If this continues, I’m going to have to bow out. I can spend what I spent and see the world….. TWICE!
Roxy
Why should only people with more money have the advantage of faster lanes and getting into rides in a place like Disney park where the MAGIC is supposed to be for everyone alike as soon as you get into the park?! It’s an unfair system. Fastpass was already working.
Dan McCoole
Genie is an OVER PRICED Ripoff!! Please bring back FASTPASS! It worked fine and helped guests to navigate the Parks faster. Disney is making enough Money and does NOT need Genie!!
Steve
Fastpass was a disaster. Anyone who didn’t want to plan their lives down to the hour a month in advance was penalized. It was nothing more than a scheme to raise park occupancy beyond actual capacity.
Stay dead, fastpass: LL can join you some day in hell.
Mason
Well at least it was free.
Steve
Here is an idea Bob. Raise ticket prices $15 (you were going to anyway) and get rid of line cutting entirely. Richie McRich can pay for their tour guide to get a Bezo Ride. Everyone will be happier and you will make more money.
Richard
Longtime annual pass holder and Magic Key holder at Disneyland. Tried Genie+ on one trip. Truly pointless. Back to waiting in standby line or doing something else as needed. Usually ride one or two per trip, eat a nice meal at Downtown Disney or in the parks. We’re semi retired and it’s 30 minutes drive to the park at worst. Main grump I have is the reservation system is a pain at times, but I just plan weeks in advance. Too old to March around the park all day anyway…
Mickeymouse3
I was taught, “If it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it.”
Bob Paycheck took something that worked and tried to “fix” it.
Go back to the way things were, but maybe change timelines a bit. Instead of 180 days out, maybe do 90. 60 days for fastpasses. At least people can plan out a more relaxing time, rather than fretting the day of. But complaints about Disney on this site mean absolutely nothing. Changes come from posting directly to Disney.
Comments are closed.