
On October 19, Disney launched its newest planning tool called Disney Genie at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney Genie will take things like ride preferences, meal choices, and entertainment likes into account and help each Guest plan their ultimate, customized day in the Parks. While most of the planning tools on Disney Genie are free, there is one service that is not, and that is Disney Genie+, and it costs Disney World Guests $15 per day per person.
Here is some more information on Disney Genie+ from the Walt Disney World website:
This new service, offered at more than 40 attractions and experiences throughout Walt Disney World theme parks, lets you select the next available arrival window for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane experiences all day long! You can make one selection at a time, starting at 7:00 AM on the day of your visit (experiences are subject to limited availability). If your theme park ticket includes the Park Hopper option, you can select Lightning Lane arrival windows across multiple theme parks.
When Disney Genie+ was first announced, it was not exactly embraced by Walt Disney World Guests who were used to the old FastPass system, which was completely free. Many said that they would not pay for a service that was once free, and they felt that Disney was beginning to nickel and dime Guests while providing them with less. The less for more approach has been a constant thorn in Guests’ sides since the theme parks reopened last summer after the pandemic forced the entire Resort — as well as Disney Parks across the globe — to shut down
Disney Genie+ has been available for purchase for almost a month, and the real question is how many Guests are actually paying for it?
During the Walt Disney Company’s Fourth Quarter Financials call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that approximately one-third of Guests visiting the theme parks had purchased Disney Genie+. Apart from that generic estimate, not much else is known about Disney Genie’s success at Walt Disney World Resort. Chapek did not say what the one-third amounted to in actual numbers. He also did not say whether those purchasing were Annual Passholders or how long the average visit was for those who decided to purchase the service.
Genie+ is scheduled to launch at Disneyland Resort this fall, but Chapek did not give a specific date, merely saying that a launch was coming soon. Disney Genie+ will cost Guests at Disneyland Resort $20 per day per person. Adding Disney Genie+ for a flat rate to an Annual Pass is not yet available.