It's six months to Magic. Each day has been meticulously planned. Practiced hands have crafted perfect days that strike the balance between flurried activity and required rest. As these plans change from scribbles to spreadsheets there are golden linchpins that hold the entire operation together; what are they? What are those mythic threads that hold together the fabric of a perfect vacation? Experienced Disney travelers and neophytes alike know the answer: FastPasses.

With Disney suspending the FastPass program for the foreseeable future, it has left many people worried they won't have a chance at experiencing everything in the park. I decided to grab my girlfriend Kelsey for a trip into the Magic Kingdom and see exactly what we could get done in a day without FastPasses.

We started off getting to the parks ~10:00 AM and I can feel the physical cringe from hardcore Disney runners as they see 2 full hours of prime park time wasted. I could try and make an excuse about trying to simulate the unexpected morning delays of a small family, but the truth is that I was tired and decided to slap snooze on my clock. So with this kind of start, I was not hopeful for a very successful speed run of the Magic Kingdom, but I decided to see what I could manage to squeeze out of a walk down Main Street.

We began our day in full force in Frontierland with a walk by wave to the Country Bears on their little balcony; it's always nice to say hello to Wendel though I always keep an eye out on Liverlips when I have my girlfriend with me. We didn't stop too long before heading straight to Big Thunder Mountain where our expectations for how the day was going to go began to formulate. We didn't stop walking in the queue until we were already halfway through the warning signs and the queue clipped at an incredible pace.

We traded gold dust for pixie dust over at Peter Pan's Flight and though this was the longest line we had all day, we kept happy thoughts in our head and it felt like we floated right through. Pixie dust is only meant to carry you so high, but Tomorrowland has transcended those limits with technology that takes a trip to Space Mountain. It felt like we had rocket jets on our feet compared to some times I've waited for Space Mountain and they sped us through the entire queue until dropping us off right at the end of the space exhibits to get a good look at our fellow explorers as they took off. Afterward, once our ship landed safely back on earth, we felt an obligation to protect our planet from the scourge of Zurg and did our tour as space cadets for Buzz Lightyear. (Kelsey squeaked out the win with 420,000 points!) Space travel inevitably works up an appetite so we refueled at Cosmic Ray's with a classic earth meal of a loaded down hot dog with fries. Using the mobile order feature on the My Disney Experience meant that as we left Space Mountain we could put our order in and more time was spent eating rather than waiting on it to be done. For an efficiency extremist like myself, the Mobile Order system is a gift from above. Feeling slightly closer to a heart attack and an early grave, we made the fitting decision to head over to Haunted Mansion.

The Haunted Mansion was where we really made good time... We didn't stop walking. From the moment we got into the queue to us being seated for our poltergeist packed escapade, it took less than 10 minutes. In the vein of complete honesty here, I am not a die-hard Haunted Mansion fan. (Get it? DIE hard! Too subtle?) However, I can not think of a single trip into the Magic Kingdom where I have not made the time for this ride. Something about it is so magnetic and so charming, that I simply find myself in the queue each and every time. It was a delight to experience it again.

Our hitchhiking ghost may have intended to follow us all the way home, but it only stuck around long enough to watch some of the cavalcades (I got a bit too excited to see Tigger and my girlfriend cheered suspiciously loud as Gaston rode by on his horse), and I think he took off once he heard we were intending to take on the Jungle Cruise. It turns out ghosts can get scared too! We were only waiting fifteen or twenty minutes for our skipper to pull the boat around and it was well worth the wait. I'd never been on the Cruise before and it's not a freakin' savannah, but our guide was fully hilarious. (Anyone else dream about what it would have been like to have Robin Williams as your skipper? I'd never want it to end.) Our travel guide bravely guided us out of the jungle and while we were in the tropics it only seemed right to have the local delicacy: pineapple Dole Whip! (Kelsey's FIRST!)

Feeling properly refreshed, and once again taking advantage of Mobile Order's time saving efficiency, we had a pretty crucial decision to make. Splash Mountain would complete the mountain triangle, but it did have one of the longest wait times (only second to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) or we could take advantage of the newly reinstated add-on: park hopping. We ended up in Hollywood Studios. We tore through Galaxy's Edge, Toy Story Mania, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash AND another round of Toy Story Mania all in the second half of the day with enough time to stop by Starbucks for a nice Strawberry Acai Refresher.

Not only was I surprised at all I was able to accomplish in the day, but the change in my mentality was shocking. It felt great to remove the clock from the equation and feel free to enjoy the parks at our leisure. I'd always approached my time in the parks with militant efficiency, but now I saw everything as a spontaneous opportunity. It was amazing...

But I'm local. I realized my attitude was possible because my only barrier to entry into the park is a ticket. I'm not traveling from across the country or having to take time off work or having to plan around an entire family's schedule! It made me see the security that a FastPass provides to a family who knows that their most precious resource at Disney is time. The parents are working hard to make every minute count because they don't want their children to even notice. FastPasses aren't just a shorter line to the best rides, they are a guarantee. A guarantee for a family traveling from around the world that they will have a minimum foundation of magic to build their vacation upon.

My day without FastPasses was an absolute highlight with time spent on some of my favorite rides, a park hop to Hollywood Studios and even being there for Kelsey's first Dole Whip. We ran around like children. It felt like how a day at Disney should be experienced. No stressing about time or scheduled rides and instead getting to make decisions spontaneously and enjoy the little pieces of magic around the kingdom. However, I know that FastPasses are a necessary form of crowd control born out of Disney's unbridled desire to increase ticket sales. The passes are a slipshod solution to a systemic problem: park capacity. They have used densely packed queues to disguise the fact that there is not enough space or attractions for the amount of people they accept into the parks. Three hour queue times are not a sign of success, they are a sign of greed.

I got a glimpse into the past of how the parks used to thrive and the potential of what they could strive to become. However, I fear that Disney now will never prioritize fixing these problems and instead focus on only mitigating them to the point where people are willing to endure them. They will increase capacity until it becomes unbearable and then bring FastPasses back to "solve the problem" and may even try to incorporate a pay structure with their return. It will give people just enough control over their vacations that Disney will be seen as providing a generous service, rather than fixing a systemic issue with their capacity limits. I hope that Disney uses this time to discover a solution for the long queue times that is guest focused, rather than profit forward. If they don't...the problem of too many people might go away, but it won't be the way Disney wants.

We received a note from one of our listeners this evening who shared that he's got an upcoming vacation to Walt Disney World this August. Today, he was perusing the My Disney Experience app when he noticed that the FastPass+ button reappeared and showed that he could begin making selections on June 30, 2021 for his August vacation.

The button appears one minute, then disappears the next, and then the app crashes completely, indicating that Disney could be testing the feature for its return in August. We've seen this same situation before while stalking for dining reservations to open and more.

As we hear more, we will be sure to keep you updated!

Source: George Thomas - A valued DIS Unplugged listener

We've learned that, similar to the program at Shanghai Disneyland, Disneyland Paris is planning to replace their free FastPasses with a paid option called Premier Access.

A free option – Standby Pass – will also be offered and available during select times of the day in the official Disneyland Paris app. This option will allow guests to join the queue during a 30-minute time slot subject to availability and is said to help reduce wait times at some of the more popular attractions.

Similar to the original FastPass program from back in the day, guests will only be able to hold one Standby Pass at a time. However, once your 30-minute timeslot has begun, you will be able to secure another.

Disneyland Paris will charge €8 to €15 (between $9 and $18) per ride. Yes, you read that right, per ride.

Now that Walt Disney World park-goers have been without FastPass+ for well over a year, we wonder if a paid option might be coming sooner rather than later. The rumor of some type of paid program for Disney World has been swirling around online since Disneyland introduced its MaxPass. With two international Disney theme parks offering the paid service now, we want to know your thoughts.

How much would you be willing to fork out for a similar service at Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments section below.

Photo by Mathis Jrdl on Unsplash

The long-rumored paid FastPass has appeared in Disney’s recent announcement around Disney Genie, Genie+ and Lightning Lane. Disney Genie is software that will, with the assistance of AI, attempt to offer a more personalized experience to the Walt Disney World guest, offering suggestions for touring plans, dining reservations, etc. Lighting Lane is set to replace the previous FastPass+ system, offering either full day use of the “Lightning Lane,” or individual purchases on a per ride basis, both in order to skip the standby line on standard attractions. “Premium” attractions will require an additional fee. The reaction from WDW fans seems to be exactly as expected: some praising Disney World as if they have just offered us the greatest innovation in theme park history, others decrying this as the worst thing Disney has ever done and vowing to never return. These reactions have played out time and time again, and neither seems to be very accurate. 

Rumors of this change have been circulating for years, with recent changes at Disneyland Paris being the harbinger of this change at Disney World. Of the many comments that I have read in social media over the last few hours, a few clearly stick out to me. 

Those who are embracing this are often doing so by noting that this is less expensive than they were expecting; that other parks like Universal or Six Flags already charge for front of the line access. Another common thread seems to be that they will enjoy this because it will allow them to skip the lines, and they don’t seem to think many others will take advantage of this option. The other major supportive comment on Genie+ this is that it is “optional,” that standby will still exist, and no one is making anyone spend more. 

On the flip side, of course, are those decrying this as yet another cash grab from Disney World, after the cancellation of Magical Express, the addition of resort parking fees, and increased prices on food, merch, and ticket costs. Many in this camp seem to suggest this will stop them, or others, from being able to afford to go to Disney, with some painting this as the “last straw” regarding their Disney World vacations. The response generally seems more negative than positive, though there are quite a few forcefully defending this or expressing the approval of this change. 

So, what is this really? Let’s call it what it really is: another money grab. There is nothing new really being offered here. With the old FastPass+ system everyone started with 3 FastPasses, and you could book more throughout the day. These allowed you to use the FastPass line (now Lightning Lane). But these were included in your ticket price. The new system actually restricts which rides are included, separating them into regular and premium attractions, and reduces the number of “passes” you start the day with. You are paying more for something that used to be included in your ticket price. The same way parking used to be included in your resort room price, and is now an extra fee, and Magical Express was included in your resort package price, and has been discontinued. Some of the ways this new system will work (ie: same day bookings only, starting at 7am) may be appealing to some, but that could have been done with the FastPass system. This really offers nothing new, other than a price increase, and an inherent unequalling of the Disney guest. 

For me, that’s where the rub really is. I don’t get much annoyed by the private tours and hard ticket events (that don’t impact park hours) because they don’t really detract from the value of day guests’ tickets. FastPass was available, included in the tickets, of all guests. Genie+ and Lightning Lane aren’t, and as a result create an unequal playing field; one with a truly disheartening impact on many Disney guests. You see, there are quite a few folks out there defending this change by arguing that it is a choice, if you don’t want it, you don’t have to buy it. It’s just an exchange between the guest and Disney. But the reality is more complicated, and darker in some ways. This is not only between the purchaser of Genie+ and Disney; there are other people involved in the exchange: those folks in the standby lines. What you are really doing when you purchase/use the Lightning Lane is you are pushing back every person who is in the standby lane. If I am in position 100 in the standby line, and then 100 Lightning Lane users show up, I am now in position 200. You are giving Disney money to make your experience better, and make my experience worse. That’s really what is happening in this exchange. The attraction capacity doesn’t change. So you pay money to free up your time, but in doing so, you pass those wait times you are skipping on to everyone else. 

Disney could have (and still could) mitigate this by still giving all guests 2 or 3 Lightning passes a day, and unlimited to those who purchase Genie+. While not equal, at least all guests would have some access to Lightning Lane lines; at least this would be closer to the value we already have in our tickets, and as people walk past you as you wait in standby, you’d know you got to “skip” some lines, too. As this system exists now, they want us to pay for something already included in our ticket price, and for those unwilling to do so, don’t worry, you get to pay more, too: you just pay with your time by standing in line longer for those who skipped the line. 

On October 19th, 2021 Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ launched and changed the way guests can plan their vacations. Many Disney fans were concerned that the new Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane system would affect wait times for the standby lines. I have been watching the wait times since the launch to see if I notice any changes. Obviously, there has been a jump in wait times since the 50th anniversary started here at Walt Disney World. 

I have been in the parks a few times since the 50th anniversary began and I could see a difference in the crowd levels especially at Epcot and Magic Kingdom. I didn’t notice much of a difference in wait times or crowd levels since the 50th anniversary started at Animal Kingdom. I was able to walk onto every attraction except Flight of Passage, which I only waited about 20 minutes for even though the posted wait time was 30 minutes. In this article, I will be looking into the wait times at Animal Kingdom to see if there has been a significant change since the addition of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane. For reference, when I was last in Animal Kingdom, each attraction had a wait time between 5 to 20 minutes and the highest wait time was Flight of Passage. I am curious to see if these attractions have been affected. I have heard from some cast members that the stand-by queue did not seem to be affected during non-peak hours but that during peak hours, the stand-by lines have gotten busier. The lines have also appeared to look longer due to moments of stopping the standby line to let the Lightning Lane guests through. It seems as the merge section of the queue is the most hectic and the area that causes the standby queue to seem longer. Another note I want to touch on before comparing wait times is that during these peak hours the Lightning Lane has reached wait times of 20 minutes, which could affect those that use the DAS system. 

As for Animal Kingdom, I have seen the wait times fluctuate. As I am writing this, Flight of Passage is an 85-minute wait and it’s a weekday. That type of wait time is something I’d normally see on a weekend, not a weekday. All the other attractions seem to be at a normal wait time. For example, it seems that all other attractions are ranging from a 10-minute wait to a 30-minute wait, which is what I witnessed last time in the park. The only difference that I have seen is with Flight of Passage. On social media, I have been seeing Disney goers talking about how the bigger and newer attractions have been having the highest wait times since Disney Genie+ started. I feel like this jump in wait times has to do with the Genie+, Lightning Lane, and the 50th anniversary. We can’t blame it all on just one thing, even though I think it has more to do with the new systems in place. 

All in all, Disney Genie+ and the Lightning Lane have just started and we have to give it a fair trial time to see if it is truly affecting wait times or not. Even though I don’t want to use the system, I will use it at least once just to see if it is worth it. It’s important to think of how these new systems will be affecting the wait times for your favorite attractions so you can plan accordingly and see if Disney Genie+ is worth it for you. It’s also important to remember that Disney Genie, the free option, is here to be your guide and assist in planning your theme park day. 

Have you used Disney Genie+ and Lighting Lane? If so, was it worth it? 

Today, we will tackle the flip-side of the controversial new jump-the-queue system from Disney, referred to as Genie+. If you have been living under a rock, let me explain. In 2021, the Disney powers that be decided to shake things up, even more than the pandemic, by kicking the much-loved FastPass+ system to the curb, replacing it with a new, paid option that left many feeling confused and betrayed. Sorry Genie+, but they’re just not that into you. From there, we have seen post after post debating the merit of this switch, with support for Disney dwindling in this particular battle. If you need a catch-up on the state of Disney PR at the moment, check out my take on it last week here. Spoiler alert: I’m not impressed with how they are handling it.

But this time, I wanted to take the debate out of it, looking solely at maximizing the value of Genie+ if you have chosen to or are planning on using it. Let’s pocket some of that Disney Apologist drama for another day; this is just about making the most of your investment — if you have made it — and avoiding common mistakes, not about whether or not it is worth it.

Let’s start with the biggest mistake I see guests making when it comes to Genie+. Before you leave for your vacation, get your tech house in order. Everything about Genie+ relies on your phone working to its best ability. One person will need to take the lead on this in terms of bookings, so I would suggest choosing the newest phone. Make sure that everything on it, including the phone’s OS and the My Disney Experience App, is updated to the most recent versions to avoid any glitchy headaches.

Another aspect of Genie+ that is often overlooked is the toll it takes on your phone’s battery life. It can be nearly impossible to make the most out of your pass on only one battery cycle if used frequently. Be sure to choose the device with the best battery life, and strongly consider bringing a recharging device as well. The last thing you want is to come up to 3 pm, and your passes are useless without access. This also means that you want to be sure you have a solid connection. The WiFi in the parks can be touchy and uncooperative at times, so if you are traveling from overseas, be sure to look into your data options before you leave.

Early starts and being in vacation mode don’t exactly go hand-in-hand, but you won’t want to make the mistake of missing out on those early hours of the day when attraction lines are at their shortest, and Genie+ options are at their best. If you aren’t sure how the whole thing works, let’s do a quick recap on what you need to do on the day you plan to use Genie+.

You probably know the basics: $15 per day, per ticket allows you faster access to select attractions using the Lightning Lanes, subject to availability. Your first selection can be made from 7 am on the day you plan to use the pass, which means that if you aren’t up and running in time to be online and ready to pounce, you could potentially miss out on your best lineup for the day. Every minute counts when it comes to this system, so being prepared is the key to its success. This leads me to the following advice.

That casual, see-what-happens attitude that we enjoyed the parks with many years ago has no place in this new world of Disney. Don’t make the mistake of going into your Genie+ day without a plan. Review the list of available attractions in each park in advance and discuss with the rest of your party the highest priority for your group. You can find a list of them on The DIS here. This is a great thing to do over dinner one night or even on the plane while trying to pass the time on the lead-up to your arrival. I like to make a list in my phone’s notes app, so I know exactly what we are looking for and in what order. Your best chance of getting those more significant attractions earlier in the day is to be online and ready to rumble when everything comes online.

If you go in without a plan, it can be easy to get swept up in something that becomes available sooner and, in hindsight, might not have been worth the selection if the standby line is reasonably short to begin with. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing the bigger attractions for the smaller ones you can wait for. The beauty of Genie+ is that it can help you actually get to enjoy some of the attractions that you could otherwise not have any chance of riding, like Kilimanjaro Safaris in Animal Kingdom or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios. Stay focused on the bigger goals, and you will have a better chance of locking in those major rides.

A common complaint I hear about Genie+ is that it keeps you glued to your phone for the entire day, always looking to see what is available and where your next move may be. The better prepared you are going into it, with a plan of what your ideal day would look like, the easier it will be to make good decisions and then put your device away in between.

I hope some of those tips help you get the most out of your Genie+ investment, and your group can experience as many attractions as possible.

Disney is rolling out a new update to Disney Genie+ within the next week for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Many fans have been waiting to see if any positive changes would make their way to the new system. These technological modifications are meant to simplify the process and create some flexibility.

Disney Genie+ will allow guests to modify Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations without having to cancel or rebook. This change will appear when the My Disney Experience app is updated (both Android and IOS), which should take place within the next week. You will only be able to change Genie+ Lightning Lanes to another at the same park as the original booking. If you want to change the park, you must cancel and rebook Genie+ Lightning Lane.

According to an article that Spectrum News published, Disney said the decision behind the change was based on feedback from guests. I think that’s true. Many guests have complained that Disney Genie+ doesn’t allow flexibility or wiggle room. Hopefully, this adjustment helps travel parties have seamless trips when visiting the parks.

Now that we know what is changing, here’s what isn’t being modified. There will be no changes to the Individual Lightning Lane, meaning guests can’t modify those bookings. You never know if changes could eventually come for this offering, but not yet.

Disney Genie+ has only been out for a year, and they have already made several changes, mainly regarding pricing and not the actual system.

Since its release, Disney has made a number of changes to the system. In October, Genie+ switched to a variable pricing system, with prices being higher during holidays and peak periods. Previously, the service was a flat fee of $15 per person per day at Disney World and $20 per person per day at Disneyland.

Spectrum News, My News 13

Seeing these modifications that are being made makes me wonder what will be next for the new technology. What would you like to see changed regarding Disney Genie+?

Source: Spectrum News

The post New Updates are Coming to Disney Genie Plus Next Week! first appeared on DIS.

Disney Genie is a complimentary service that can be found inside the My Disney Experience app and can help you plan your Walt Disney World vacation. Disney Genie offers guests a personalized itinerary to help them plan their day with a real-time tip board, including forecasted attraction wait times, show times, restaurant wait times, and more. Disney Genie will also provide recommendations based on your answers to the questions about what you and your family are most interested in seeing and doing at the parks, whether it be princesses or villains, etc. Disney Genie will allow guests to select up to ten experiences.

Disney Genie+ is a paid add-on ($15 per person per day, but it can vary depending on your visit date) that will give you access to Lightning Lanes (formerly FastPass and FastPass+) on select attractions throughout the theme parks. Lightning Lanes allow guests to skip the standby lines reducing their wait time standing in line. Guests who purchase Genie+ receive unlimited access to attractions that offer Lightning Lanes for the entire day, but you can only use Lightning Lane once per day, per attraction.

Think of Disney Genie+ like this; it’s essentially a GPS to help guide you through your Disney day. Its objective is to assist you in experiencing everything you and your party would like to see and do in the most efficient way possible. You might end up doing things in a somewhat different order than you’d originally thought or preferred, but it’s important that you’re flexible with it. Genie+ might offer suggestions throughout the day for alternate experiences because they might be less busy. Genie+ doesn’t work exactly as FastPass or FastPass+ used to, but it is similar as you can have several attractions booked at a time, provided there is availability.

As with most things, you are going to get more bang for your buck if you are diligent in booking your Lightning Lanes as early as possible and as close as you can to when your booking window opens. Genie+ may not work the way you want or expect it to, but it’s important to remember that the goal of the service is to try to help guests maximize their park time and to let Disney take over the planning.

Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) is for guests who wish to purchase Individual Lightning Lane access to specific attractions that are not offered through Disney Genie+. There is currently only one attraction per theme park with ILL available, but that is subject to change at any time. Guests can only purchase ILL entry for up to 2 experiences per day, one at a time. Guests may purchase this option with or without purchasing Disney Genie+.

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of Disney World’s system to plan for and ride attractions, there is one more planning piece we need to discuss – virtual queues.

Over the last couple of years, whenever a new attraction has opened at Walt Disney World, guests have been required to utilize a virtual queue in order to ride the attraction. Typically when a virtual queue is in use, the regular standby line is unavailable, which can make experiencing certain attractions difficult for folks who aren’t in the know about what’s currently going on in the Disney parks or who don’t want to be awake before 7:00 am during their Disney vacation.

Like Disney Genie and Genie+, the virtual queue is accessed through the My Disney Experience app and has daily distribution times, typically at 7:00 am and 1:00 pm – on the dot – so don’t delay. All guests have access to any available virtual queues provided they’ve got a Disney Park Pass reservation (with valid park tickets) for the park in which the attraction with the virtual queue is located.

If you still have questions on how the whole process works, head over to our DISboards discussion forums, specifically the thread entitled “Everything Genie, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane” where you’ll find tons of helpful information from hundreds of Disney fans around the world, and it’s all organized in an easy-to-read format.

The post What is Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World? first appeared on DIS.