Disney Genie+ and ILL$ Details & FAQ - Launches 10/19 at WDW, Paid "FastPass" at WDW and Disneyland (date TBD)

[k5thbeatle]

Family at WDW...
Dad: "Ok kids, time to get up. What would you rather do today, go on rides and attractions or eat?"

 

[DL1WDW2]

This is going to be fun. I still see many guests entering a park and grabbing a map to open and figure out where to go first. I guess Disney could eliminate this problem by not offering the free map guides anymore.

 

[Liquidice]

So far, the only WDW rides I’m seeing as confirmed as not being included in Genie+ are Remy, RotR, and seven dwarfs. Even a ride like Smugger’s run is included. the other thing I think people need to keep in mind is how much these optimized itineraries could reduce your wait time on their own by showing you when the best time is to ride something.

Flight of Passage will almost definitely be excluded from Genie+ too.

I'm still wary of how optimized these itineraries can be - if they're telling thousands of people to go to a ride at a certain time, how short is the line going to be?

 

[mercuryvenus]

Will it though? Touring Plans helped because not everyone was using it - if Genie is telling everyone the best time to ride Space Mountain is at 3pm - won't the line be really long at 3pm when everyone rushes there? I'm sure there is some logic to tell different people different things - but I'm just not sure how it works when a ton of people are being given similar advice.

I don’t think all that many people will actually use it, TBH.

 

[myotheracc]

I mean, if it had been like Universal, I would’ve been pretty upset. It’s hugely expensive there. Universal is charging $90/person per day for unlimited express pass. Compare that to WDW, where you pay $15/person per day for access to nearly all the rides.

I was thinking along the lines of how some hotels include unlimited express pass. Their premier hotels seem like Disney's moderate pricing so it doesn't seem that bad to me.

You act like Disney IT is capable of actually doing this...

I agree, it's too optimistic to think that anything will be "optimized". I feel like it's just going to suggest the rides with the lowest wait times.

 

[StuckInKS]

Knew this was coming, and I am sure there will continue to be many, many folks happy to pay this, but for a 10+ year Disney fan - this is going to make me feel VERY, VERY negatively about the company for a LONG time. I hate the increase in added fees they have been doing the past few years.

If popular rides are not include in the $15 pp option and you can only pay for 2 of those, then I can see many people being unhappy with it, not just those who don't want to pay at all.

 

[Ensusieasm]

And remember...,“Based on availability” means that just because you spent $15 doesn’t mean you will get the rides you want.
I remember the old paper fast pass method, and for a few years after Toy Story Midway Mania opened, the fast passes were gone for the day by mid morning.

 

[Liquidice]

I don’t think all that many people will actually use it, TBH.

Could be, I guess we'll see. It will be interesting to see what Touring Plans does since this was one of their big features to pay their service. I wonder how the 2 will compare too.

 

[Liquidice]

If popular rides are not include in the $15 pp option and you can only pay for 2 of those, then I can see many people being unhappy with it, not just those who don't want to pay at all.

The limit of 2 "premium" paid Fastpasses per day is totally to ensure VIP Tours don't lose their value, but also to entice guests to stay longer and visit parks multiple days in a row. It will be interesting to see if that works.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I mean, if it had been like Universal, I would’ve been pretty upset. It’s hugely expensive there. Universal is charging $90/person per day for unlimited express pass. Compare that to WDW, where you pay $15/person per day for access to nearly all the rides.

Thats the minimum, it's never actually that low. Closer to at least $200 and over $350/day per person at times.

 

[bvfbb]

Well, I have to thank Pete because my loins were girded! And while I am not exactly a fan of this, I think deep down I’m OK with it.

It is more expensive for what I would have gotten for “free” before. It's a paid perk. As an example, for me to add Genie+ to my last trip in May 2021 I would have paid $525 more for the week. And you know what? If it weren’t for COVID think I would have done that. Because 1) I can, and 2) I want my family to ride everything they want. I won't be overjoyed to pay extra and I’ll probably mumble under my breath each time I touch my magic band to a FP kiosk, but I will probably use it.

One thing I've been worried about is keeping Disney financially accessible to as many people as possible--and this approach does not raise ticket prices to generate more revenue. So, some will make the decision to add Genie+ a day or two. And some can decide to wait in line from rope drop until closing and so they can stay within their budget. By doing that they can save ($525 in my example) a lot of money during their time at Disney. And people like me will help to offset their COVID losses for the past year. It’s probably as close to a “win-win” that Disney could have come up with.

Sadly, the part that isn’t a “win” for anyone is the fact that it essentially sets up a class system in the parks. When I glide through the FP+ line, everyone in the standby line knows that I paid more. Perhaps money they couldn’t afford. And it will tarnish some of the Disney magic for them. And honestly, that makes me sad. Unfortunately, I do not have a better idea since this gives people the choice to either pay the same, or pay more if they want and can afford it.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

And remember...,“Based on availability” means that just because you spent $15 doesn’t mean you will get the rides you want.
I remember the old paper fast pass method, and for a few years after Buzz Lightyears Midway Mania opened, the fast passes were gone for the day by mid morning.

This is what bothers me. I don't want to buy a fast express lane thing to find out any rides I wanted to ride aren't available when I want to ride them.

 

[StuckInKS]

The limit of 2 "premium" paid Fastpasses per day is totally to ensure VIP Tours don't lose their value, but also to entice guests to stay longer and visit parks multiple days in a row. It will be interesting to see if that works.

If we were to utilize this, it would shorten our trip to absorb the cost, so the opposite of Disney's plan. It would either be 10 days without this or 5-7 days with it, although that will lead to quicker "guest turnover" without losing profit, so I'm sure they're good with it lol.

 

[StuckInKS]

Never mind, I need to learn to read better.

 

[Liquidice]

Well, I have to thank Pete because my loins were girded! And while I am not exactly a fan of this, I think deep down I’m OK with it.

It is more expensive for what I would have gotten for “free” before. It's a paid perk. As an example, for me to add Genie+ to my last trip in May 2021 I would have paid $525 more for the week. And you know what? If it weren’t for COVID think I would have done that. Because 1) I can, and 2) I want my family to ride everything they want. I won't be overjoyed to pay extra and I’ll probably mumble under my breath each time I touch my magic band to a FP kiosk, but I will probably use it.

One thing I've been worried about is keeping Disney financially accessible to as many people as possible--and this approach does not raise ticket prices to generate more revenue. So, some will make the decision to add Genie+ a day or two. And some can decide to wait in line from rope drop until closing and so they can stay within their budget. By doing that they can save ($525 in my example) a lot of money during their time at Disney. And people like me will help to offset their COVID losses for the past year. It’s probably as close to a “win-win” that Disney could have come up with.

Sadly, the part that isn’t a “win” for anyone is the fact that it essentially sets up a class system in the parks. When I glide through the FP+ line, everyone in the standby line knows that I paid more. Perhaps money they couldn’t afford. And it will tarnish some of the Disney magic for them. And honestly, that makes me sad. Unfortunately, I do not have a better idea since this gives people the choice to either pay the same, or pay more if they want and can afford it.

I would have been fine with the price if it included the possibility of getting a Fastpass (or Lightning Pass) for every ride. However, it excludes the most popular rides and you have to pay separately for those. I guess you could argue that I could pay and ride most rides w/o a long wait and then spend the time I gained in the standby line for those E-Ticket attractions, but it just feels wrong that I have to pay for Genie+ and I don't get Lightning Lane access to all the rides, just the less popular ones.

 

[Jennasis]

So is the Genie thing free...the part about making itineraries and what not, and only the Genie+ part an add-on?

 

[luv2cheer92]

So is the Genie thing free...the part about making itineraries and what not, and only the Genie+ part an add-on?

Correct

 

[mercuryvenus]

So is the Genie thing free...the part about making itineraries and what not, and only the Genie+ part an add-on?

Yes. The add on is $15/day for access to one same day FP at a time. Or you can pay per ride for a couple of the most popular ones. No word on price for that.

 

[Liquidice]

Carlye Wisel posted some details on Genie and Genie+ on her Instagram -

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Interestingly she says no annual pass option will be given for Genie+ like MaxPass had (which was $100 per person per year for MaxPass). I would have been willing to buy Genie+ for the year at around $100 per person. Not sure if I'd buy it all the time at $60 (4x$15) for my family each day, that is an extra $420 for a 7 day trip which we usually do at least 2 of those per year - and then a few shorter trips here and there. More than worth it to spend $400 per year, but not sure about spending an extra $1000 per year on Genie+.

 

[GrtDisGuy]

Loved max pass in Disneyland - this seems to be very similar. I know this costs more, but looking forward to not getting up at the crack of dawn however many days before the trip to book fast passes. Still need to plan dining in advance . . . .