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Credit: Inside the MagicEver since its debut in October 2021, Disney Genie+ at Disney World has been a contentious and stressful part of many Guest’s vacation experiences. Now, The Walt Disney Company has all but confirmed the return of a popular FastPass+ service at the Resort.
Walt Disney World Resort (Orlando, Central Florida) has just wrapped up its 50th anniversary celebrations and has entered a new era of stewardship under CEO Bob Iger, who replaced Bob Chapek in a stunning transition last November. While it is still Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairperson Josh D’Amaro and Disney World President Jeff Vahle at the helm of operations, many Disney fans saw Iger’s return as a hopeful one after Chapek established some of the most controversial changes to the theme park faction in years.
During his tenure, Chapek was lauded for ushering The Walt Disney Company through the unprecedented pandemic, even charting increases across the board for Parks revenue. Still, introducing systems like Park Passes and Park Hopper left many fans frustrated.
Then, as no word on FastPass+ returning to the Disney Resort was made (and FASTPASS/Disney MaxPass at Disneyland Resort), fans eagerly awaited the arrival of a new service or the resurrection of the beloved offering. In the fall of 2021, Disney World changed forever when it debuted the paid-for FastPass-style service, Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane Selections.
Disney Genie+ at Disney World is a service that Guests can purchase in order to book return times to access attractions through the Lightning Lane — the former FastPass+ entrance. There are a number of attractions per theme park (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios), and then a handful across the Resort that cannot be accessed with Disney Genie+ but with the a la carte Individual Lightning Lane Selections.
Related: Disgruntled Guests Cause Disney to Make a Bold Statement
Note, Guests do not need to pay for Disney Genie+ to purchase their chosen Individual Lightning Lane Selection; that is, if all a Guest wants to ride is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, then they can purchase that the day-of through the My Disney Experience app without needing to buy Disney Genie+ first. Genie+ also differs from Disney World’s virtual queue offerings for rides like the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction.
When Disney Genie+ at Disney World first debuted, it set Guests back $15 per Guest per day to access the full range of attractions. After a few weeks, Disney rectified their language on expectations, with the website now stating that Guests can realistically ride two to three rides per day via the Lightning Lane entrance. Then, more recently, Disney World began a variable pricing system, with its highest recorded price being $35. While many have become frustrated at the increasing costs of a Disney World vacation, the $35 Disney Genie+ offering has sold out multiple times.
Now, Disney seems to be listening to Guests’ complaints. One of the big issues with Disney Genie+ at Disney World is the need for Guests to wake up before 7 a.m. to make their first attraction selection for the Parks. Then, after utilizing that selection or after a period of two hours, they then need to return to their app to book the next, and so on and so forth. That means that the best chance to ride things like Space Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, or Test Track without a horrendous wait time is by waking up early on vacation.
Before, FastPass+ allowed Disney hotel Resort Guests to book up to three attractions per day of their stay, 60 days out from arrival. This meant Guests were able to rest easy knowing that they had up to three rides or experiences to look forward to each day prior to arrival.
And Disney has all but confirmed the return of this beloved service that FastPass+ offered. In a new announcement that also revealed the return of the popular Disney Dining Plan and the end of Park Pass reservations (mostly), Disney stated that changes were coming to Disney Genie+ at Disney World. Via Disney Parks Blog, the House of Mouse wrote:
We have heard from guests that they would like ways to plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit, and we want you to know we are working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024.
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Disney added that “[their] goal is to give [Guests] the opportunity to spend less time planning in the Park and more time enjoying [their] visit with friends and family.”
This announcement is sure to excite many Disney World parkgoers, but the company did clarify it could not confirm or reveal any specifics just yet. More information is expected to come in the near future. The ability to plan Lightning Lane attractions in advance would go a long way to ease the stress and tight planning needed on a day-to-day basis to fully enjoy a Disney Park.
The wave of announcements comes as Disney World is locked in a political culture war with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. More on that here.
Would you like to be able to plan your Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane attractions in advance of your stay? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!