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Credit: DisneyTo put it mildly, Walt Disney World Resort’s new Theme Park planning assistant called Genie+ has been unpopular since its debut. We examine if The Walt Disney Company should ditch Genie+ and replace it with FastPass+ to help improve the overall Guest experience.
Related: Former Imagineers Criticize Disneyland’s Genie+ and Make Suggestions For Changes
For those who aren’t aware, before Walt Disney World Resort was shut down due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March of 2020, Disney Parks offered a free service for all Park Guests called FastPass+. The system was far from ideal, but it allowed Guests visiting the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to select three fast passes to ensure that visitors could get onto at least three attractions without having to wait on ridiculously long lines.
Unfortunately, for many avid Disney World Guests, that system was scrapped by former Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek for Genie+. Since its release, the new FastPass system has been highly controversial, costing Guests and a family of four as much as $150.00 to purchase for the day.
According to a recent opinion piece published by Daniel Kline, he has argued that Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Parks, in general, should bring back FastPass+ and have it included as a price hike to included with a purchase of Theme Park tickets. He would suggest that “FastPass+ worked and Disney World should bring it back but also work the price into your ticket price. That might be unfair to people (like my wife) who don’t ride most rides, but it’s the best way to ensure the most people have a decent experience.”
Related: Disney World Keeps Genie Service at Record High Price
There are several pain points that Disney’s Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro need to work on to make the experience better for the average Disney Guest. Klien would say, “Not having Genie+ dooms people to visit mostly high-capacity shows or wait in hour-plus lines for rides. At 1:37 p.m. on April 4, the third-party ride-wait tracker, Magic Guide, showed nearly an hour wait time (and sometimes more) for a busy ride at Magic Kingdom.”
He’s not wrong. If you have been to Disney World lately, you know that it is almost impossible to get to a decent amount of attractions without paying a significant amount of money.
There are ways that Disney could meet in the middle. For instance, they could offer some included FastPasses with tickets and make some more premium and popular attractions a Genie+ addition only.
Related: Genie+ Remains at Record High, New Elevated Prices Imminent
Disney must make as much money as it can for its shareholders, but it can’t come at the expense of damaging the experience with its most loyal Theme Park Guests. It will be critical for the leadership at the Walt Disney Company to improve the Disney Park experience in the future.
Do you think Disney should ditch Genie Plus and bring back FastPass Plus?