Paid Lightning Lanes & Genie+ Replacing Free FastPass at Disney World
Walt Disney World officially announced free FastPass+ is permanently retired, to be replaced by paid Genie+ and Lightning Lane line-skipping access soon. This post shares what WDW has revealed is coming to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Plus, our commentary on impact to crowds & standby wait times, winners & losers, and comparisons to MaxPass, Premier Access, and more.
There’s a ton of ground to cover here, so we will very quickly recap what has happened in the last year with FastPass+ at Walt Disney World. Prior to the reopening, Disney temporarily suspended FastPass and a range of other things, many of which have since returned. Officially, the explanation given was to utilize the queue space for physical distancing.
That’s not quite how it worked in practice, but that’s immaterial to this post. For the last several months, physical distancing has been gone, with skyrocketing crowds and wait times over the summer–and similar forecasts for October through December. As such, Walt Disney World has announced a permanent paid replacement for free FastPass+, which will launch around the start of the World’s Most Magical Celebration for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary on October 1, 2021. (As always, see our Guide to Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary for more info!)
Per Walt Disney World, the Genie app is coming in Fall 2021 as a complimentary and convenient new digital service designed to make planning easier, offer more flexibility, and better tools to help you make the most of your visit. Walt Disney World has made significant investments in this new technology, which guides you through the theme parks with tips that can help you reduce time in lines, discover new things, and take the guesswork out of your day.
Built right into the My Disney Experience app, the Disney Genie service will maximize your park time, so you can have more fun. It includes a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more — just tell Disney Genie what you want to do and it will do the planning for you.
Here are a few more features of the Disney Genie app feature in My Disney Experience:
- Get Itinerary Updates from Morning to Night: Disney Genie will continue to update your itinerary throughout your day, so you can be more spontaneous and go with the flow.
- Find Your Favorites at a Glance: Create your very own personal tip board to instantly see your favorites. It will display current AND forecasted future wait times, helping you predict when you might experience quicker entry to attractions.
- Enjoy More Flexibility and Fun: Disney Genie brings existing planning features together in one place. Join a virtual queue at certain attractions, make dining and experience reservations, mobile order food at many locations, get help from a virtual assistant and more.
For even more convenience and flexibility, there are two other options for enjoying the four Walt Disney World theme parks, through the Lightning Lane queue, which will replace FastPass+ queues at Walt Disney World:
- Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort, you can choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day — from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories, such as augmented reality lenses that transform objects at Walt Disney World.
- Individual attraction selections (available for purchase a la carte): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance, like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.
Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of your visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, and will support the Park Hopper option. Guests staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel will be able to purchase and schedule an individual Lightning Lane attraction at 7 am, ahead of off-site guests, who will be able to do so when the park opens.
All guests will be able to make their first Genie+ selection at 7 am on the day of their visit, regardless of whether staying off-site or on-site. Subsequent selections will follow the legacy FastPass “rules.”
Annual Passholders will be able to purchase Lightning Lane or add Genie+ on a per-day basis, just like regular theme park ticket holders. At launch, there will not be a yearly add-on option for Genie+ for Walt Disney World APs. (That seems likely to come at some point in the not-too-distant future, though.)
In addition to the Lightning Lanes, all attractions will continue to offer a traditional standby queue or a virtual queue, available at select attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure once that opens in Epcot on October 1, 2021.
While unclear from the official announcement, it’s our understanding that the 2 most popular attractions in each park will be sold a la carte and not available via Genie+. All other previous FastPass attractions will be exclusively available via Genie+ and not sold individually (so it’s an either/or thing).
With Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, FastPass+ will be retired. You can choose from all new options, a mix of them or none at all, and continue to have a great experience no matter how you decide to plan your day at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World is also making some enhancements to the Disability Access Service (DAS) program, including new options to enroll in the program pre-arrival and for DAS participants to select attractions directly in the app. These options will be available in addition to the existing, in-person DAS program.
This all might sound confusing, and it is. We’re going to distinguish between Genie+ and Lightning Lanes as if they’re two separate products (and disregard the free Genie app feature entirely). In reality, Lightning Lanes are the replacement for physical FastPass queues, and are accessible via the flat-rate Genie+ app feature or a la carte purchases. For now, it’s simply easier and clearer to refer to one as Genie+ and the other as Lightning Lanes. We wouldn’t be surprised if that becomes the common practice among fans and the general public, as well.
With that out of the way, here’s how we feel about Lightning Lanes, both via Genie+ and a la carte purchases…
Our Commentary
Before sitting down to write the commentary, we combed through the most controversial Walt Disney World news stories of the last decade-plus that we’ve been writing this blog. Judging by reader reactions, the single biggest “tipping point” was when Walt Disney World first introduced overnight parking fees for its resorts.
While a lot of internet angst is bluster, that decision actually led to plenty of fans staying off-site. We personally know a few people who visit annually and have sworn off on-site hotels ever since. Outrage over the introduction of paid FastPass–and the number of fans for whom this truly is the last straw–will likely surpass the introduction of per-night parking charges.
With that in mind, we’re approaching this commentary delicately, treading as lightly as possible. We know so many loyal and lifelong Walt Disney World fans are going to be devastated by this news. Genie+ and Lightning Lane might be the end of the road–or at least result in lifelong visitors going through the five stages of grief. With that said, one thought has kept running through our minds since hearing the details of Genie+ and Lightning Lane.
This could have been so much worse.
That’s not to minimize any anger or try to spin this in a positive light. Even if I wanted to do that (I don’t), that would overlook one of life’s most fundamental principles: money talks, BS walks.
You know that the Genie+ system, no matter how magical the marketing puffery, will cost money and FastPass+ was free. That’s it–bottom line–period.
It’s only to say that paid FastPass has been an inevitability at Walt Disney World for a while–long before the closure and “temporary” suspension of FastPass+ we’ve been warning readers that this would happen and urging people to prepare for this day. The writing has been on the wall for almost 4 years, with the first trial run being offered to Club Level guests. During that time, Disneyland launching MaxPass to great success, and other parks sold FastPass bundles.
Then came the D23 Expo two summers ago, and the announcement of the Genie app for Walt Disney World. While pitched vaguely, the purpose of Genie was to up-sell guests and assist in crowd management. There was no other reason for Disney to invest in yet another new app unless it will offer direct ROI.
Over the last several months, there have been credible rumors of competing proposals for paid FastPass, including the system now in use at Disneyland Paris. In recent weeks, we’ve heard specifics on several, and all were worse than this, offering fewer benefits and higher price points. In fact, whether you’ve been closely following the paid FastPass rumors or have just assumed free FastPass+ would return probably strongly impacts your initial response to this.
Those in the former camp might be breathing a sigh of relief or thinking paid FastPass is not as bad as you feared. By contrast, Walt Disney World fans who expected free FastPass+ to be reinstated might be heartbroken right now. Different stages of grief and all that.
We have processed this grief before, as Disneyland locals back when MaxPass was first announced. At first, we were vehemently opposed to MaxPass on principle. Among other things, we feared the introductory pricing would increase and MaxPass would put those not paying the upcharge at a distinct disadvantage. It felt like a cash grab.
Then we used MaxPass and were hooked. All of those concerns didn’t magically vanish, but in practice the system worked very well, while offering strategic benefits to tourists with limited time who were willing to make a relatively minor splurge (in the grand scheme of a Disneyland vacation). On balance, MaxPass struck us as a net positive, albeit a “warts and all” one.
While there are obvious similarities between Genie+ and MaxPass, there are also glaring differences. Namely, MaxPass had a free alternative–legacy paper FastPass that anyone could use. It didn’t offer quite the same upsides, but with a bit of hustle, Disneyland guests who didn’t pay extra could still put in the “work” and beat the crowds.
That’s a distinction that absolutely cannot be overlooked. Most Walt Disney World fans could probably stomach some form of paid FastPass if it didn’t come at the expense of the free system. Or if there were legitimate and worthwhile perks for on-site hotel guests. Making FastPass upcharge or nothing means a very different response.
As for how Genie+ and Lightning Lanes will impact standby wait times and the guest experience at Walt Disney World, that depends on how many guests make those purchases. As a reminder, the ballpark FastPass-to-standby ratio was 80:20–meaning that for every 10 parties boarding an attraction, 8 were pulled from the FastPass queue and 2 were pulled from standby. This is why standby lines moved at a snail’s pace with FastPass, and move constantly without it. That 80:20 ratio also meant that a lot of guests were taking advantage of FastPass+, which should be no surprise given that it was free.
In our most recent analysis of Premier Access at Disneyland Paris, we discussed utilization rate of that, predicting that only a small percentage of guests (5% for some attractions) would purchase the a la carte upcharge as compared to those who utilized the free FastPass system.
Walt Disney World charging individually for only a couple of headliners in each park changes the equation a bit. It’s a smart move on Disney’s part to make those the only a la carte upcharges and bundle everything else. Those attractions are the ones first-time and infrequent guests are more likely to splurge to experience. The more competitive (as compared to Paris) price range also suggests to me that Walt Disney World will have a greater degree of success in upselling the a la carte Lightning Lane.
However, I’d still expect fewer than 20% of all guests to buy individual Lightning Lane access. Of course, it’ll vary based on posted wait times, season, etc. If the ratio is 20:80 (essentially flipping FastPass numbers), that’ll mean shorter standby waits in constantly moving lines. I don’t want to rehash that entire analysis since this is already going to be long, but buying individual line skipping access is going to be a non-starter for the vast majority of guests for a variety of reasons.
Genie+ is a different ballgame entirely and will undoubtedly be purchased by a significantly higher percentage of guests. As discussed in that same prior analysis, we predicted that Walt Disney World would use some form of bundle because it obfuscates per attraction costs and since all-inclusive packages are incredibly popular with Walt Disney World’s guest demographics. Genie+ is that bundle, and it’s a savvy one.
Again, the comparison to the former MaxPass system makes sense. Prior to the price increase on MaxPass early last year, I had heard MaxPass was viewed as an incredible success by the company due to its high adoption rate, which was still under half of all guests. This was with every attraction included in the system, and Disneyland having far greater ‘ride density’ than three parks at Walt Disney World.
Moreover, Disneyland’s demographics are incredibly different from Walt Disney World’s. In addition to significantly more Annual Passholders, the average length of visit is significantly shorter, and per guest spending is lower because the overwhelming majority of visitors stay off-site, tourists included.
It’s thus much more palatable for a family to splurge on efficiency if the total cost is an extra $160 for the duration of a shorter trip–especially when that family only spent $150 per night on a hotel within walking distance of the parks and can easily eat 2 meals per day off-property.
At Walt Disney World, guests are generally visiting for significantly longer periods of time and spending more on accommodations and food. The surcharge for duration-of-trip efficiency via Genie+ would be $300 for the average family, and could be $420 or more for those doing longer vacations. Again, that’s on top of higher base vacation costs, meaning many families will already be nearer their budget limit and either need to reallocate spending or splurge even more.
It’s easy to say the total trip cost for Genie+ is still less expensive for a family than a single After Hours event, and those have been selling out. That’s definitely a valid (and selling!) point. However, that’s still a comparatively niche offering with significantly smaller potential market than a service like Genie+. It’s very difficult to predict how many guests will initially purchase and use Genie+, but my ballpark guess would be about 33% on any given day with variances based on crowds, etc. Probably generally higher for Magic Kingdom and lower for the other parks.
This is an initial adoption rate, with my prediction being that Genie+ use and “favorability” will increase over time. The initial response will be overwhelmingly negative, just as it was at Disneyland when MaxPass was announced. In addition to being upset by something previously being free now costing money, many will lament the loss of pre-planning their FastPass+ selections and having the peace of mind in knowing they have certain popular attractions “locked-in” prior to their trips.
To be sure, there are FastPass+ power users and diehard planners who will remain entrenched in that belief. Those Walt Disney World fans likely are disproportionate readers of blogs like this one. However, that’s a vocal minority of all guests–far from a majority. Most average guests plan days in advance–or even upon arrival–not 6 months ahead of time.
For first-timers, Walt Disney World vacations are a morass of convoluted policies and things to know. These guests will likely favor Genie+ as it levels the playing field to a degree. To them, a paid system will be better than a free one where they’re shut out of most popular attractions because they’re not seasoned on the ins and outs of FastPass booking.
Nevertheless, we’d expect many ride or die FastPass+ fans to eventually give Genie+ a try and come around on it. No matter how staunchly anyone might oppose Genie+ now, history bears this out. At Walt Disney World, the original FastPass was controversial among fans in 1999, before becoming beloved. FastPass+ was likewise a reviled replacement among fans who had mastered the paper FastPass system.
Disneyland’s launch of MaxPass is an even better example given the similarities between Genie+ and that. The initial announcement was met with outrage and complaints, but its use and popularity quickly increased as Disneyland diehards used it in the parks. We know because that was us! After hating it, we actually used MaxPass, were hooked on it, and became MaxPass cheerleaders.
The lazy commentary here would be that “Disney fans are resistant to change.” While true, there’s (again) the critical distinction that something free is being lost and replaced by a paid-only option. (Even with MaxPass, there was still a very viable free alternative.) Nevertheless, the best and easiest way for Walt Disney World to dispel a lot of complaints would be to bundle “free” Genie+ into hotel discounts this fall and winter. There’s no better way to win skeptics over and get fans “hooked” on Genie+.
Finally, there’s how this impacts on-site guests. We’ve been discussing Walt Disney World’s Disappearing On-Site Advantage for years now. Several changes have been announced in the last several months–end of Disney’s Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours transforming into early entry and extended evening hours, no free MagicBands–that will push more guests off-site.
It’s too early to say how the ~2 hour advance booking window for individual Lightning Lane attractions will change that equation. This is obviously a much shorter timeframe than in the past under FastPass+ and will essentially offer a one ride head-start…assuming there’s so much demand that Lightning Lane attractions sell out, which I doubt will happen.
I’m inclined to predict the totality of the aforementioned changes will negatively impact on-site occupancy in 2022, but not immediately. Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary will buoy bookings for at least October through December.
Personally, if it came down to splurging on a Disney hotel or staying off-site and using the money saved on lodging for things like Genie+, nicer meals, special events, etc., that’s what I’d do. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify the prices Walt Disney World is charging for its resorts. (Then again, Disney could quickly “correct” this by rolling out Free Dining or other deals if occupancy numbers slip in 2022.)
Regardless, if you’ve never even considered venturing outside the “Disney Bubble,” we would strongly encourage you to rethink that and check out our Off-Site v. On-Site Walt Disney World Hotel Comparison for a balanced assessment of the pros & cons. We are in the process of doing stays at every Universal Orlando resort, and will have those reviews starting in the coming weeks.
Ultimately, that’s a lot of analysis for something that hasn’t even launched yet and is still a developing story. We’ll have more follow-up commentary based on new details that will inevitably emerge, reader questions & concerns, and more. In the meantime, our past articles about the return or replacement of FastPass+ and Premier Access announcement contain a lot of relevant commentary.
Personally, I don’t think Genie+ or Lightning Lanes will be cataclysmic or have as negative of consequences for those who don’t buy the “paid FastPasses” as many fans anticipate. To the contrary, I think this will result in a better standby line experience with constantly-moving lines and (generally) shorter wait times for most guests. Similarly, Genie+ will be a superior system for those who were not FastPass+ power users–so again, most guests.
My biggest disappointment is that Genie+ and Lightning Lanes are entirely paid, replacing something that was entirely free. That’s impossible to overlook. Moreover, this seems like a continuation of upcharge and nickel & diming practices that I hate. There’s also the reality that Walt Disney World is selling solutions to problems it has created. Over the years, fans have bought into the lie that Walt Disney World is raising prices to reduce crowds; as with ticket price increases, that’ll likely be one “positive” narrative that emerges from this.
However, Walt Disney World has also slashed park hours while attendance has increased by several millions of guests per year, cut entertainment and other crowd-absorbing offerings. If Walt Disney World really were concerned with controlling crowds (they aren’t), increasing operating hours, improving ride capacity, bringing back entertainment & shows, or opening more attractions would be the best solutions. Genie+ and Lightning Lane will offer a better experience for some guests, but it’s hard to muster much praise when the more obvious solutions that would improve things for everyone are not being undertaken.
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
What do you think of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes? Better, worse, or about the same as you expected? Will you purchase the bundled access, a la carte line-skipping, neither, or both? 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!
Another reason why Disney might be making this change, in addition to the extra revenue, is to better utilize the ride queues space in the parks. Some of the E ticket rides have had long empty standby queues because 80% of the riders came via Fastpass. Those queues are thematically well designed to entertain you while waiting, and as long as the line has continual movement it is a satisfying experience. And making use of those queues should help ease the congestion on the main paths in the parks. I’m guessing that Disney’s original intent of people spending more money in the park if they weren’t waiting in line for the rides did not work out — a family’s budget for the day remained the same.
The only problem I have is my youngest is 5…..otherwise a universal vacation would be so so easy as the older ones want to go badly. I don’t know how to couch it but I may try to sell it somehow to wife and her. Problem is she saw older ones doing seven dwarf, big thunder and esp splash.
OMG I JUST WROTE AN HOUR LONG DISSERTATION ABOUT THIS AND MY PHONE REFRESHED SOMEHOW AND NOW ITS GONE.
Long story short, it sucks but I figured it was coming. Could be worse but I’m more worried about resorts losing extras. Paul you’re hilarious and I’m actually hoping RoR is paid for because our last trip my 10 year old autistic son (who is not a crybaby or temper tantrum type of child) was in tears after 2 days at HS with no ROR for either day with all 4 queues. (Even had a CM help me just in case). When we only planned for HS for 1 day. But we’re HUGE HUGE Star Wars fans so went back to try again. NOPE! So we just left after that. It was an awful experience! Especially because we live in VA and we can’t go all the time. Not to mention I know so many people that live in FL. family and friends withAP’s who get into queue immediately without fail EVERY! SINGLE! TIME!
I hate the thought of the rat race to scramble for LL or G+ (not sure which is which) at 7 am then a full day at the parks. Don’t need the added stress. I mean we’re up for rope drop anyway but who wants to be tied to their phone first thing and all day when we’re supposed to be making memories and doing actual stuff?! It’s stressful and I feel like it sets the tone for the day. Did we get what we wanted or not… no… okay bummed. Did it cost us an arm or are leg this time? If we miss our time do we get our arm back? Enough is enough WDW we get it. You’re a business trying to take our money for all we’re worth at the expense of our children’s happiness. That’s what really sucks too. They make you feel like it’s either make your children happy with this $35 bubble maker that will break before you get to the car or be the jerk of a parent that says no. Either pay for ROR or watch your autistic son who LOVES Star Wars cry his eyes out. Again… ugh! Damn Disney! Well one things for sure… it’s A WHOLE NEW WORLD! For sure!
@Paul: the special event ticket $200 for “the Rest of the Day at Magic Kingdom” had me rofling–so hilarious, and scarily not too far from the truth right now.
For a while we were having the ‘when do we want to go back to Disney?’ conversation regarding our family of five. The more changes we read about the more it’s becoming ‘do we want to go back to Disney at all?’ (or, more realistically, ‘can we afford to go back to Disney’). The nickel and diming while taking away more and more free things is ridiculous and off-putting. I don’t mind paid ‘fast passes’–other parks have been doing it for years now so clearly it was only a matter of time, but taking away EMH, charging for overnight parking at already overpriced hotels and the other various bs is just annoying.
After seeing the cost of the Star Wars experience (that somehow doesn’t include Leia in the prisoner outfit) it’s becoming clear that Disney is no longer a place for everyone–only the extremely wealthy. Or the people willing to forego sending their kids to college, buying a bigger house, etc…We took the kids to Cedar Point this year and they had an absolute blast, and it didn’t cost a fifth of what a Disney vacation would cost us now. I just can’t see a way to keep justifying the expense of it all…
I will be putting in some feedback thru DVC but who else specifically can we contact? Tom. Is there a generic email or someone in customer service, if they even have that anymore, we can start hammering? Started with their Twitter pages. Lots of great posts in.there.
Paul,
I have tears of laughter running down my face. Thank you for putting our vacation in perspective! Tom, we thank you for your diligence trying to help us older folks get a handle on what is coming and how to navigate this new technology. We have been coming to wdw since the opening and yes we are disappointed with the changes that make it confusing and too expensive for most. This is our 50th anniversary as well and we were hoping for one last magical experience. I only hope we can still make dinner reservations in advance and not have the Genie wish it away!
Paying to park your car after paying $275 or more for a room, really?
Now paying for free fast passes, that should be included with your room, while staying at WDW. This is after being on hold for an hour and half to speak with a Disney rep.
Just to clarify:
Pay $15 per day per ticket for Lightening Lane passes, BUT there is no guarantee the passes won’t sell out.
Or pay an up charge for the more popular rides at a time that may conflict with park hopping and the dinner reservations I’ve made (assuming park hopping restrictions are removed).
And both onsite and offsite guests access everything at 7am.
Seems that 1) I could pay for something that I don’t get to use; and 2) there is no benefit to staying onsite with the wonderful new system.
I’m not opposed to paying for something that benefits me, but I’m sure would hate to prepay for Lightening Lane passes and not get any. Or make a dining reservation/park hopping and not really be able to use.
Hmmmmm….
@Paul
Thank you for your post. I was experiencing a combination of grief and anger at the reveal of the new Genie App system. Reading your post provided much needed comic relief. Thanks for a good laugh. I foresee a large number of DVC contracts flooding the market at bargain prices, as members are finally fed up with Disney’s greed overtaking any regard for quality guest experience.
And as always Tom, thanks for your level-headed, clear reporting.
Increasingly sucking the joy out of our planned trip. 1. Magical Express going away 2. Xmas party gone and replaced by a watered down $200+ event 3. FastPass+ gone, replaced by a service giving more prority to the wealthy. –I am sure some people are celebrating because now they can buy their way pass the masses. All of this while their stock prices are at a all-time high. No sir. COVID losses are not to blame here. SImple greed. Populations increase faster than capacity. They can fill the parks with families earning over $150K. They don’t need us, and they don’t care.
Paul your post was hilarious! Thank you.
Thank you also Tom for your excellent coverage of this development. I really appreciate the Disney video links you included on this post and your recent one on the Halcyon pricing and itinerary. I have found them useful to watch after reading your articles.
@ grumpy brother. I did exactly this 10 years ago to vote down almost everything they propose each year.
Everyone who visits should buy a minimum of 1 Disney share per family member on market dips. Then as a block vote in a manner expressing their discontent.
Brilliant post, Paul. Had to read the whole thing. Enjoyable.
Hello all unhappy DWD lovers,
Like Diane I have been to disneyworld but only since 1995 and mainly we saved to visit every two years sometimes every year and once twice in the same year this when I worked continuously to achieve our obsession.We noticed slowly how it became a money machine but our love of Disney and the joy on the faces of our children and all the children was worth it I notice many of the complaints are for the new fast pass system what about wristbands,Disney mugs,paying to travel from the airport or why not get a car and pay exorbitant fees to park perhaps we are being herded towards getting a car so we can be charged these parking fees.
When we stayed A/K Lodge in 2018 we just missed the new fees to park but I question the manager and he said all the others including universal were charging parking fees so I suggested that if the didn’t and advertised that fact it would be a great selling point, I also emailed this to DWD when I got home.
I’m sorry to be an old grouch but the disappointment we feel at being priced out of our dream holiday is upsetting.
Con and Family. England.
I liked the previous system – it was “free” and it advantaged those with Disney travel experience & those who liked to plan. If I’m being fair, I can understand why Disney would want to improve the experience for the masses and new-to-Disney crowd, and not cater to the “power users” of FP+. I don’t like it, but I understand, and can see the fairness. What I absolutely don’t like, however, is the cost. Go with Genie and Genie+ (for all attractions), but include it in the ticket price. That’s what they should be doing. And I wouldn’t love this, but include LL for a couple of attractions as an ADDITIONAL way of gaining paid access to the headliners. Obviously that’s not what they wanted to do from a revenue generation perspective, but now they’ve made a complicated system AND are charging for it. Very disappointed. I’m not one for hyperbole, but this absolutely makes me think I will stay at Universal for our next Orlando trip, and goto Disney 3-4 days max rather than the normal 7.
This would’ve cost us an extra $315 for our family for the trip we just got back from, an extra $360-405 for most of our trips, and, oh, joy, having to get up at 7:00 a.m. to compete with others for ride times for the top non-extra paying attractions?
All Hail the Bean Counters, Master of the Universe, until they slam into the wall they couldn’t see in front of them as they were too busy counting beans.
This strikes me: As what else can we get people to pay for what’s free?
Now, I’ve always joked that somewhere in the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom is a statue honoring the person(s) who came up with the Bibbiddibobbity Boutique concept, because if you do not get this for your 8-year old daughter, clearly you do not love her, and she will let you know that. LOUDLY. It’s a brilliant concept, and I salute that money-making idea (unlike my brother who has 2 daughters, I don’t have a daughter, heh).
I’m not opposed to WDW making money in creative NEW ways. What ticks me is that WDW is now making money on formerly free things. Universal? You get their paid express pass with many of their resort rooms.
Paying to park at your resort hotel. Utter BS.
Getting rid of the Magic Express. Yes, teach your captive audience how to get around by themselves, it’s not like there are any other theme parks in Orlando, right?
Eliminating extra night time hours except for Deluxe/DVC resorts. Enraging utter BS.
Not only paying a hidden ticket charge, but having to get up each vacay day to compete in the rat race for your first ride of the day? Supercharged enraging utter BS.
And, of course, there’s the next shoe to drop? What else that is free are they going to charge us for? That free cup of ice water from any of Disney’s counter service restaurants? The free length of stay parking at all of Disney’s theme parks for resort guests? All the free transportation at the resort?
And the “other shoes” don’t stop there: What else are they going to cut to save expenses?
It’s 2040, and our son has dragged us to go with his family for our grandkids’ first trip to WDW. He got a great deal and we’re staying at the All-Star resorts for only $500 a night per room. We all drove, so we have to pay $50 a night for each vehicle. The food news is that you admittance to the pool is now only $10 a day (they cleared up the mess of charging $10 each time you went in and out the pool gate; wasn’t that nice of them?). We go the MK on our first day, paying the $100 parking fee (nobody’s complained about that since all of the roads at WDW became toll roads 10 years ago) that is the discount price for resort guests, because we need to make rope drop; the Genie++$$$$$+++We’ll get it right this time+++$$$+++ system has us slotted in for Pirates of the Caribbean for 9:05 a.m. We walk from our parking spot (WDW never did have trams come back after COVID, discovering that people would walk without them). We decide to take the monorail (cuz the grandkids, of course), It’s $10 for the monorail, $5 for the ferryboat. I laugh remembering that I’d once complained about the Mark VI monorails being way past their lifespan when they’d been in service for 28 years. But, hey, 51 years without replacements and they say they’re doing great…though why they now need a technician in every car now….
We were smart to get there early, as it took us 45 minutes to get from the TTC to the MK, due having to stop at the Contemporary so they could back on the 3 doors that fell off our monorail (Hey, the one in front of us had 5 fall off, so, not too bad). The good news is that we had a great view of the rescue operations evacuating the ferry that we’d planed to take, reminding us, yet again, that the lagoon is shallow so that when the ferryboats sink, the upper deck is perfectly safe…which explains why they no longer let people on the bottom decks anymore. But we’re ready for rope drop, after paying the extra $25 charge per person to get ahead of those who won’t pay for that privilege. We made our ride in time! After which I stop by Aloha Isle and pay $5 for a cup of ice water. I mean, sure I could’ve used a water fountain, which are only $1 (you can charge it to your room or pay on a credit/debit card). We catch the Country Bear Jamboree before the park closes at 10:00 a.m. at which point we leave, and enter the queue for the day’s Special Event: “The Rest of Today at the Magical Kingdom”. Sure, it’s extra, but I laugh at what people thought about paying $200 for the COVID Halloween replacement event. We have a wonderful rest of the day, leaving the park at closing time at 6:00 p.m. for tonight’s Special Event: “Evening at the Magical Kingdom”. Since the grandkids are still young, we’ll only becoming back for the Special Event: “Tonight at the Magic Kingdom” from 8-10; we’ll be skipping “Late Night at the Magic Kingdom” from 10-12, and “Really Late Night at the Magic Kingdom” from 12-2.
Unfortunately none of the monorails are working right now, and all the ferryboats are in drydock at the moment, so we take the long walk back past the GF and Poly, paying the toll to cross the swing bridge. Finally, the cars! The wife and get in ours, head back to the hotel, use our credit cards to pay for the toilet and shower, and plop on our bed thinking back on our magical day!
Within 30 Days, Disney charges a $200 cancellation/change fee.
I know Disney went back to charging a cancellation fee if you cancel reservations under 30 days. Are they still charging that fee ?
Lynn, you mentioned park benches, When I was at The Magic Kingdom in June there were very few park benches. Nothing relaxing about Disney now.