Genie App Will “Revolutionize” & “Dramatically Improve” Waits & Experience at Disney World

During this afternoon’s quarterly earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek teased the Genie app, which is the planning app coming soon for Walt Disney World. The app/feature is rumored to include paid FastPass and other tools, such as dynamic itineraries. In this post, we’ll share what was said about Disney Genie, plus our commentary about what this means as well as potential timing of an announcement and roll-out.

In case you missed it (or forgot), the Disney Genie app was announced two years ago at the D23 Expo. It was originally set to debut last year, but that didn’t happen for obvious reasons. Walt Disney World leadership has mentioned the Disney Genie app on a couple of occasions in the last year, but basically just to say it’s still coming. Otherwise, the specifics of Disney Genie are almost entirely unknown. Everything that’s been showcased to date has been vague, with the belief among some Walt Disney World fans (including us) that the Disney Genie app was announced before the company had even figured out what it would do and entail.

Previously, the Walt Disney Company has indicated that the Disney Genie app would be a revolutionary new digital offering that would enhance the way you plan for and experience a trip, with optimized itineraries, real-time tips and updates, recommendations for experiences it thinks you’ll love, and help navigating the theme parks with added convenience and comfort.

It didn’t take long on the earnings call for Disney Genie to come up. During his opening remarks, Chapek proactively brought up the new app, teasing that more would be announced soon. Here’s what he said:

“We’ve made significant investments in sophisticated technology and tools, created a revolutionary new multi-tiered service we’re calling Disney Genie. We’re very, very excited about the new service. We’ll be providing additional details soon.

“The goal of the user-friendly [Disney Genie] app is to create a better, more personalized, and customized experience for guests. Putting them in control and providing even greater flexibility and choice. They will be able to spend less time waiting in line and figuring out what attractions and dining options are available and more time having fun.”

During the question and answer portion of the earnings call, the Disney Genie app came up again, with one analyst asking how technology would be used to transform the guest experience at Walt Disney World and the other parks.

Here was Chapek’s response: “Ben, you used the correct word: transformational. MyMagic+ was sticking our toe in the pond of this type of transformational work. Disney Genie is the program on steroids. This is going to revolutionize the experience. Guests are going to spend less time waiting and more time having fun in the parks.

Chapek continued by describing how the Disney Genie app would work: “The dramatically-improved guest experience is going to make their navigation of their day and planning of their day much easier.”

“Essentially it is going to take the preferences that we note from our consumers…and blend that with basically industrial engineering data in terms of how the park is operating that day and meld them together to make suggestions on the fly that not only will lead to the improved guest experience and lead to substantial commercial opportunities for us as the guest navigates their day. It is certainly qualifies in my mind for materiality and transformational impact on our business from the yield stand point.”

In terms of commentary, there is a lot to unpack here.

First, Disney’s desire to better leverage technology should not come as a surprise. Both Chapek and Josh D’Amaro have been saying so for the last year in virtually every interview they’ve done. As for the multi-billion dollar MyMagic+ initiative that was referenced by the questioner, that included My Disney Experience, FastPass+, MagicBands, and interactive queues. It was envisioned years ago as a way for Walt Disney World to operate more efficiently and do the exact things Chapek referenced. There were grandiose plans for how the project would offer Disney the data necessary to streamline operations, deploy on-demand entertainment, manage staffing, and effectively utilize other resources.

Aside from the guest-facing components like FastPass+ and MagicBands, almost none of the big goals that led to the colossal investment were realized. Others, like FastPass+ and MagicBands, are in the process of being phased out in favor of other technology. In large part, this is why My Disney Experience wasn’t ported to other parks around the globe; instead those parks cherry-picked various aspects of the system to build their own, stripped-down incarnations.

So calling Disney Genie that program on steroids may not be the praise that was intended–but may end up being accurate in terms of vision v. reality. (See “The Messy Business of Reinventing Happiness” and “Behind the Scenes at Disney As it Purged a Favorite Son” if you’re interested in more on the trials and tribulations of MyMagic+ and the whole NextGen boondoggle.)

With that said, Disney Genie almost certainly is not as ambitious as MyMagic+ or the NextGen initiative. Disney has learned a lot in the intervening years, and has leveraged technology in leaner and more measured ways. In fact, we’ve praised many utilizations of technology in the parks since reopening. They’ve been smart and restrained, enhancing the guest experience in a multitude of ways with zero drawbacks.

Based on Chapek’s statements about Disney Genie, this app might either sound like a continuation of what we’ve seen in the last year or too good to be true, depending upon your perspective. When assessing his remarks, I’d encourage you to consider the audience. Chapek made these statements on a quarterly earnings call to investors and analysts–so essentially, the audience is Wall Street. It probably goes without saying, but their priorities for Walt Disney World might differ slightly from yours.

In theory, the idea that Disney Genie will improve the guest experience, make navigating and planning easier, and allow guests to spend less time waiting in line is great.

However, the quote that should probably be emphasized here is that the Disney Genie app will “lead to substantial commercial opportunities.” I probably don’t need to over-explain it, but that means increase per guest spending, which is one of Disney’s most important metrics. It’s possible that Disney thinks this will occur indirectly by freeing up guests’ time, improving the experience, and satisfaction scores. In our view, it’s unlikely he meant that.

More likely is that Disney Genie is the conduit for in-app upcharges–effectively paid FastPass.

This is something we’ve been discussing with regularity here in the last couple of months, which has been fueled in part by the roll-out of Premier Access and Standby Pass at Disneyland Paris. The Walt Disney World rumor mill has truly gone into overdrive over the last couple of weeks, with a deluge of possibilities for what the FastPass replacement and the Disney Genie app/feature will entail.

Prior to today’s earnings call, we updated our When Will FastPass+ Return to Walt Disney World? article.

If you’re curious about the leading theories at present, you’ll want to check that out (scroll down to the “Will FastPass+ be replaced by a different system at Walt Disney World?” section above the Runaway Railway photo.)

Ultimately, I don’t know what will happen with Disney Genie and/or the FastPass replacement. I’ve heard a lot in recent weeks with varying degrees of credibility–some rumors contradicting others. This suggests to me that there are still competing proposals, and the plans haven’t quite congealed yet.

I will say that the latest rumors suggest more of a hybrid system that is definitely not the worst case scenario and only borrows partially from Disneyland Paris. Most Walt Disney World fans are going to hate this on principle since it’s not a return of the free system. However, if some credible rumors prove accurate, I’m willing to wager that a lot of people will actually end up liking or even loving one big component of the Disney Genie app/feature.

In terms of timing, given the proliferation of rumors on the topic in the last couple of months (where there’s smoke…) *plus* a mention of Disney Genie in the earning call *plus* Walt Disney World scaling up park capacity *plus* the World’s Most Magical Celebration starting October 1, it’s likely Walt Disney World will make an official announcement before the end of this month.

Expect to hear something within the next couple of weeks, and have the Disney Genie app/feature ready to roll by sometime in late September or early October 2021. It’s going to be a very busy couple of months as things are revealed, prior announcements “evolve,” and more changes throughout Walt Disney World. We’ll keep you posted on everything!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Are you optimistic about the impact the Disney Genie app/feature will have on the guest experience at Walt Disney World? Think it’ll live up to its promise of make navigating and planning easier, and allow guests to spend less time waiting in line, or just “lead to substantial commercial opportunities” for Disney? Thoughts on the possibility of Premier Access, MaxPass, or a mashup of the two coming to Walt Disney World? Do you prefer fast-moving standby lines only, or the FastPass and standby combo? Interested in how Walt Disney World will implement the new system? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!