Remember What Genie+ Took From Us - Inside the Magic

Recent reports from the Disney Parks have shared that the Genie+ service has officially sold out for the first time. That might sound like a big breakthrough for Disney, but it’s a crack of doom for us fans. Because if Genie+ is selling, that means there’s a slimmer and slimmer chance of it going away.

One of the many grievances against Bob Chapek was the implication of the Genie+ feature, which essentially put up a $15-$25 paywall for access to some of Disney’s more popular rides and attractions. Alone, that might not seem like such a big deal, but removing the once complementary FastPass+ came with it. It’s still the same blatant cash-grab it was just a year or so ago.

Related: Is It Possible to Navigate the Parks Without Genie+? Yes – Here’s How

It might come in a pretty package, but Genie+ essentially makes Guests pay for something they would normally get for free. Before the Chapek era, guests would receive complementary passes for booking their vacations through a Disney resort. Whether it was one of their Deluxe Villas or Value Resorts, visitors would be treated to the same delightful and magical opportunities.

Nowadays, it’s nearly the only option for Disney Park Guests unless they want to get up with the sun to get into the virtual queue in a page-refresh war. The fact that the service is selling out in any respect does not bode well for regular Park-goers. In fact, we might even face a bigger pay wall in the future.

While Disney will always be known as the magical name that has brought millions upon millions of people joy in the last century, they’re still a corporation looking to make money. This definitely isn’t the first time the company has engaged in something shady, but it could also hurt more fans than getting them on rides. The return to normalcy at the Parks might have just taken a huge step back.

Related: Genie+ Meet and Greet a Good Sign for Guests

Even though Guests caused the controversial service to crash, the continuation of Genie+ should really ruffle some fan feathers, or get them growing concerned at the absolute minimum. It might not be just a one-time thing, and that could spell out trouble for many future plans. How long will it be before we have to pay $25 just to get in the standby line?

Are you upset with Genie+? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!