Disneyland and Disney World will experience quite the change. Who doesn’t love the Fast Pass system? It allows you to cut long Disney lines, as long as you know what you’re doing. Well, it’s time to say goodbye: Disney will replace the Fast Pass system with a new, paid program, Genie+.
The New FastPass System
There’s no question: Disney Parks has used the downtime during the pandemic to do some serious overhauling. For instance, the company canned the old annual pass program and replaced it with more expensive, reservation-based annual passes. So, what’s next? Well, it’s time to say goodbye to the FastPass, FastPass+, and MaxPass systems at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. That’s right! Instead, the company will replace them with a new app and system, the Disney Genie service, that will charge parkgoers for what were previously free FastPasses.
For those who don’t know, Disney Genie is a free planning tool that helps visitors plan their perfect day at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Its included in both theme parks’ apps for free. The base version of the service, which recommends low-wait time attractions, as well as dining and entertainment options, will remain free. True to its name, the free version of Disney Genie can even help book reservations or answer questions about the park – it’s a true theme park assistant! However, if you want to cut the lines next time you’re at a Disney park, you’ll need to pay a little extra…
Genie+
Just like the MaxPass, Genie+ will let help guests skip lines. For $20 a day at Disneyland and $15 a day at Walt Disney World, parkgoers can choose specific times to enter through the “new” Lightning Lanes (simply renamed FastPass lanes). It’s essentially a virtual FastPass assistant for a price. However, the prices are not the only differences between Genie+ at the parks. At Disneyland, the service will also include unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads. However, at Walt Disney World, the photos will not be included in the service; but you can still book photograph reservations with your favorite characters.
If you’re an annual pass holder, expect to pay: while Genie+ can be purchased in advance, there will be no year-long version available to add to annual passes. Instead, even annual pass holders will need to pay for the Genie+ each time they visit. Meanwhile, if you don’t want to fork up for the Genie+ service, you can also pick up Lightning Lane tickets à la carte. While pricing for the individual Lighting Lane Passes have not been announced, Disney has said that parkgoers will only be able to purchase two à la carte Lighting Lane tickets on each date they visit. So, if you want to make the most of your day, Genie+ will almost certainly be the way to go.
You can see why locals and annual pass holders don’t love the idea of Genie+. After all, since they visit frequently, they are accustomed to free FastPasses, not having to cough up $15 or $20 each time they go. However, infrequent visitors are unlikely to mind. After all, what’s a 20 dollar bill when you only hit Disneyland or Disney World once a decade?
Sources: Disney, The Motley Fool, MSN