If you’ve been on social media over the past few weeks, chances are good you’ve seen viral posts showing lengthy lines in Genie+ queues for popular attractions like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Peter Pan’s Flight. These posts kicked off a firestorm of discourse online, with many venting that these videos were evidence that the Genie+ system was broken. And they may have a point.
Though President’s Day weekend just passed and Spring Break season is kicking into high gear, the idea that people who paid to skip the line at these attractions are having to wait longer than ever is a frustrating one. But is the Genie+ system really broken? Let’s take a look at a few factors.
Could low costs lead to Disney overselling Genie+?
When Disney first announced that they were introducing a paid FastPass system, fans expressed frustration that Disney would be charging for what was formerly a free service. In an effort to mitigate these concerns, Genie+ was priced far below what comparable services at other parks (like Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort and Quick Queue at SeaWorld) were, at just $15 per day.
Though that price has risen in recent months, reaching a high of $39 during the recent holiday period, it is still far below other offerings, which leads to guests purchasing the add-on in high levels. Though there’s no way to know, many speculate that Disney does not “sell out” of Genie+, which could lead to it being oversold, thereby negating any advantage that this “express” service could provide.
With everyone piling in to the lightning lanes, it’s no wonder why videos are popping up of long lines, especially during busy holiday periods. And while Genie+ has “sold out” on some days 24 hours or less in advance, its clear that the service is not as restricted as other line-jumping services, which may be leading to the situation at hand.
The issue of advance planning
One of the major criticisms of Genie+ ever since its rollout was the inability for guests to plan when they want to experience an attraction in the same way that they could using the old FastPass+ system. Instead, guests scramble to make day-of reservations for their must-do attractions, constantly refreshing their app for new times, and then heading over to the attraction (along with everyone else) as soon as their time is available.
Unfortunately, this lack of ability to plan not only frustrates guests, but it also makes it harder for Disney to plan in advance. When FastPass+ was still around, park ops could see how busy an attraction would be on any given day weeks in advance, and could plan and adjust their strategies accordingly. However, under the new system, everything happens day-of, and there’s no real way to anticipate how each day’s crowds are going to behave.
Changes are coming
Though we don’t know any specifics at all, Disney has confirmed that big changes will be coming to Disney+ in 2024, confirming that some kind of advanced planning tool will be available sometime this year. Some have speculated that Disney will offer different tiers of Genie+ with different features and prices, to try and appeal to guests on multiple budgets while keeping lines as well-managed as possible.
Though nothing has been confirmed yet, Disney did say last year to look out for an announcement in 2024, and after the chaos of the last few weeks, hopefully they are accelerating their plans for Genie+ 2.0, whatever that may be.
Let us know your thoughts on Genie+ and what you hope from it for the future by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page. We will continue to keep you updated as soon as changes are announced.
