Universal’s Express Pass vs. Lightning Lanes & Genie+ at Disney World
Express Pass at Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure offers the ability to skip standby lines for lower wait times, but with different tradeoffs than Genie+ at Walt Disney World. This article covers Lighting Lane vs. Express Pass: benefits & downsides, pros & cons, so you can determine if either or both “paid FastPass” services are worth buying.
Let’s start with the basics. Genie+ is a service at Walt Disney World that you can purchase in the My Disney Experience app that will give you priority access via the Lightning Lane at a variety of attractions, like Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Slinky Dog Dash, Frozen Ever After, Tower of Terror, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and about 3-dozen other rides. In total, Genie+ offers line-skipping access to over 40 attractions.
Genie+ is essentially a digital version of paper FastPass, which was used prior to FastPass+ at Walt Disney World. Except instead of walking around the park to obtain paper slips with day-of return times, you do that via your phone. Using Genie Plus, you can book next-available return times to the physical Lightning Lane entrances at select attractions. There’s a lot more to it than that, as covered in our breakdown of the basics of Disney Genie.
Universal’s Express Pass is a line-skipping option at popular rides in Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure that promises to cut wait times in half. You present the pass at participating attractions and enter a separate ‘fast lane’ (sound familiar?) with a shorter wait time at each attraction.
Logistically, redeeming Express Pass is quite similar to entering the physical Lightning Lanes (or prior FastPass queues) at Walt Disney World. It’s what you do before entering each physical queue that varies considerably between the Universal Orlando and WDW options.
Before we get down to brass tacks of the comparison, here are the eligible Express Pass attractions in each park at Universal Orlando Resort:
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA
- The Bourne Stuntacular
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
- E.T. Adventure
- Fast & Furious – Supercharged
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
- Hogwarts Express (Park-to-Park admission ticket required)
- Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
- Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl
- MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack
- Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
- Revenge of the Mummy
- The Simpsons Ride
- TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D
ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
- Caro-Seuss-el
- The Cat in the Hat
- Doctor Doom’s Fearfall
- Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
- Flight of the Hippogriff
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!
- Hogwarts Express (Park-to-Park admission ticket required)
- The Incredible Hulk Coaster
- Jurassic Park River Adventure
- Jurassic World VelociCoaster
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
- Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong
- Storm Force Accelatron
These are the high profile attractions with the longest wait times on average in each park, with one significant exception: Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not eligible for Express Pass.
Previously, Jurassic World VelociCoaster also did not offer Express Pass, but it has joined the lineup.
Express Pass is available as a ticket add-on or with select hotel stays. You can purchase two varieties of Express Pass, regular or unlimited. The regular version allows you to skip the line once per eligible attraction in either park. Universal Express Unlimited offers line-skipping privileges, as the name suggests, an unlimited number of times per attraction.
Unlimited Express Pass is available at the Premier Hotels, which are Universal’s highest-tier resorts. Guests who stay at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel, and Portofino Bay all receive Unlimited Express Pass included with their stay at no additional charge (including check-in and checkout days).
We hesitate to call Unlimited Express Pass that comes with hotel stays “free” since it’s arguably priced into the nightly rate. However, we’ve had some stays that literally cost less than Express Pass would’ve when paying out of pocket, so perhaps free is apt!
As a general matter, all three of these hotels are nice and on par with Walt Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts. They also generally cost less than they’re Disney counterparts. If your budget allows for it, we’d highly recommend one of Universal’s Premier Hotels if you want the Unlimited Express Pass perk or a good location near the parks or a cool luxury-caliber themed resort. If you’d be staying at a nice hotel anyway, this trio is definitely worthy of your consideration. See our reviews for photos, video, and comprehensive thoughts:
- Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Review
- Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Review
- Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando Review
When included as part of a Premier Hotel stay at Universal Orlando, Unlimited Express Pass absolutely trounces Genie+ at Walt Disney World. There is no comparison. It wins hands down in every category, including cost.
If you aren’t doing a hotel stay, you’ll have to pay for regular Express Pass or Unlimited Express Pass out-of-pocket. This changes the calculus considerably, as the out-of-pocket cost of regular Express Pass starts at $79.99 per person plus tax. However, that is very much the low-season starting rate. Most dates cost more, especially weekends, holidays, and school breaks.
Currently, peak season dates for regular Express Pass top out at $319.99, with the average being around $129.99. (Yes, prices have actually gone down as compared to the last year–another sign that pent-up demand is exhausting itself.)
Then there’s Unlimited Universal Express Pass. This ranges from $109.99 to $349.99, which is another decrease on the high end (and $10 increase on the low end). With that said, $149.99 appears to be the average and summer dates mostly start above $200 and approach $250 many dates.
In short, a family of 4 can expect to pay anywhere from around $400 for the basic one-time use Express Pass to over $1,000 during peak season for Unlimited Express Pass. To put that into perspective, we’ve routinely booked stays at Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific, or Hard Rock Hotel for under $300 per night. (Granted, most of our stays are in the off-season and with Annual Passholder discounts, but still. You can routinely book one of the 3 for $400 or less!)
Turning back to the Genie+ service at Walt Disney World, which now uses date-based and per-park pricing as opposed to its previous flat-rate fee. Genie+ prices have ranged from $15 to $39 plus tax in the last year, with the lowest prices being off-season dates at Animal Kingdom and the most expensive dates being peak season at Magic Kingdom (or Park Hopping).
In addition to prices maxing out, it’s also worth noting that Genie+ has sold out on several occasions, including between Christmas and New Year’s as well as during Spring Break. This will likely lead to more price increases in the future, or other “tweaks” to the system that are effectively price increases. Our expectation is that’ll arrive with the advance booking of Lightning Lanes later in Summer 2024. If there’s one constant about Walt Disney World, it’s price increases!
While the out-of-pocket cost of Genie+ is significantly cheaper, it’s worth noting that the gap potentially closes when adjusted on a per attraction basis. While I’ve done over a dozen attractions in a single day with each, I’ve done that number effortlessly with Express Pass. If you aren’t savvy and don’t put effort into leveraging Genie Plus, that number might be 2-3 Lightning Lanes (which is the official number that Disney gives).
Unlike Unlimited Express Pass, there is no included option for on-site guests of all or select Walt Disney World resorts. Anyone who wants it must pay for the Genie+ service. Additionally, it doesn’t cover all headliner attractions; Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Avatar Flight of Passage are not included in Genie Plus, but line-skipping for those can be purchased on an a la carte basis via Individual Lightning Lanes.
Next, there’s the issue of time-savings between the two line-skipping services. This is also difficult to compare in an honest and straightforward manner. If we’re just looking at how long it takes from the time you enter the average ‘fast lane’ at each attraction at the respective resorts, it’s a close call.
I’m inclined to say that Lightning Lanes are slightly faster on average, but I also have to admit that I have far more experience with Disney’s system than I do Express Pass. I do have enough experience with both to know that they can be highly variable. If you use one on a busy day or when there’s a lot of ride downtime, these ‘fast lanes’ can back up. If you visit during the off-season when occupancy or attendance is lighter, both can be veritable ‘walk-on’ passes. So it’s hard to say, and I haven’t timed this comprehensively. But it doesn’t matter–all of this is beside the point.
Comparing only wait times upon returning to the lines would be disingenuous. When using Express Pass, I can do all attractions in any order I desire, building my itinerary around what I want to do, my existing plans, and order of convenience. Since I’m always using Unlimited Express Pass (via hotel stays), I can repeat the thrill rides I enjoy most, or just loop E.T. Adventure all dang day, as Spielberg intended. (Hours upon hours of E.T. Adventure…talk about the ultimate director’s cut!)
Moreover, I can do the parks without ever stopping to screw with the Universal Orlando app. That’s a ton of time I’m not wasting, and it’s not easy to quantify all of that. In short, even with the possibility (but not certainty) that wait times are longer upon return with Express Pass (they’re definitely less predictable due to the lack of scheduling), my view is that Universal’s system saves considerably more time overall.
To that point and as intimated above, Genie+ is a system within the My Disney Experience app that requires making ride reservations throughout the day. You can make one ride reservation at a time–with the ability to make a subsequent reservation immediately upon tapping into a Lightning Lane at an attraction or pursuant to the 120 minute rule.
This might sound simple enough, but it’s complicated in practice. You need to balance attraction popularity with your previously-made plans with your desire or ability to backtrack to walk a lot, and more. You also need to navigate a My Disney Experience app that is glitchy, unintuitive, and feels like it’s still being beta tested about a decade after it was released.
By contrast, there is no tech component to Express Pass. While it’s significantly more expensive out-of-pocket, it’s also totally frictionless.
You simply go up to the attraction, scan your pass, and use your Express Pass entitlement. There’s nothing to reserve or hassle with in an app. It’s a totally “dumb” system–and I mean that in the best way possible. Express Pass involves zero technology and screen time. It’s completely hassle-free.
For first-timers, this might come as a surprise given that we’ve dedicated substantially more text explaining the basics of Express Pass than we have the Genie+ service at Walt Disney World. That’s because this is a Disney blog, and one that has dedicated (literally) dozens of blog posts in the last year-plus to addressing confusion, complaints, and questions about all things Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
By contrast, this is our first post dedicated to Express Pass. That isn’t due to a lack of Universal coverage or interest. To the contrary, we’ve used Express Pass many times (albeit never paying for it out of pocket). However, we’ve always just mentioned it in passing in other posts and planning guides for one reason. It is simple.
Frankly, there has been no need to over-explain Express Pass because it’s intuitive and works exactly how you’d expect. When it comes to itineraries, we’ve repeatedly conceded that they aren’t really necessary with Express Pass (especially when coupled with Early Park Admission for on-site hotels).
In short, if it seems like the explanations are disproportionate for the respective line-skipping services at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, that’s because the starting points differ. This is built atop voluminous resources about Genie+, whereas it’s foundational info about Express Pass plus the comparison.
The bottom line is that Universal’s Express Pass is easier and more efficient than Genie+ at Walt Disney World. Frankly, we think Express Pass is substantially better than Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
This is especially true if you remove price from the equation by getting Express Pass for ‘free’ by virtue of an on-site Premier Hotel stay. Then it’s truly no contest. Univeral’s top tier hotels are typically cheaper than Walt Disney World’s and they include the valuable line-skipping service, which is not given out to Deluxe Resort guests at Walt Disney World.
To that last point, let’s switch gears and offer some commentary. Previously, we’ve mentioned that Walt Disney World could not or would not replicate everything people love about Express Pass since the inputs differ between Universal and Disney.
Assuming, arguendo, that Walt Disney World did switch to a ‘dumb’ line-skipping service like Express Pass, it is guaranteed that changes would be made out of necessity or economics. From what we understand, such a system could be on the horizon, and Walt Disney World’s crackdown of unauthorized tour guides last year and other changes in 2024 were laying the groundwork for that. If such a system does launch, we’d expect it after pre-arrival Lightning Lanes. Perhaps in Late 2024, or possibly 2025.
When it comes to Walt Disney World’s twist on Express Pass, we say to fans: be careful what you wish for.
Some Walt Disney World fans say that they’d happily pay $80 to $120 for line-skipping like Express Pass. However, there is no guarantee that Disney’s equivalent would be priced at this level. As should be clear by now from the endless parade of price increases, Walt Disney World has pricing power. Its demographics are also different.
While fans frequently blame one another for tolerating paying more and getting less at Walt Disney World, this is much more likely attributable to first-timers and those taking rite-of-passage trips. These free-spending guests pull out all of the stops for fear of missing out, and almost certainly visit Walt Disney World at disproportionate levels as compared to Universal. I would be willing to bet that per guest spending is considerably higher at Disney than Universal.
In short, neither of these businesses set their price points as a courtesy to guests. They both charge what the market will bear. With that in mind, Universal’s pricing for Express Pass is what you see for various dates. That does not mean Walt Disney World’s pricing would be identical. (Side note: enjoy this while it lasts, Universal diehards–your on-site hotels likely won’t be this cheap for much longer!)
Then there are the calls for Walt Disney World to include unlimited Lightning Lane access with on-site stays. Again, the circumstances differ dramatically. In total, there are just under 7,000 hotel rooms at Universal Orlando Resort.
By contrast, there are approximately 40,000 rooms at Walt Disney World, which includes all of the Disney-owned and operated properties plus the Disney Springs Resort Area, Bonnet Creek, Swan & Dolphin, Shades of Green. These third party hotels are included because they’re technically on-site and, more importantly, have contractual deals with Disney to offer certain guest perks and amenities.
However, for the sake of the included Unlimited Express Pass or theoretical included Lightning Lane, we can narrow that down to just the Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World or Premier Hotels at Universal Orlando. In that case, Universal Orlando has under 2,500 eligible rooms. To put that into perspective, that’s fewer rooms than Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts alone.
In total, Walt Disney World has approximately 13,000 rooms that are typically eligible for Deluxe Resort-caliber perks. However, Walt Disney World also has 4 theme parks as compared to Universal Orlando’s two parks, so we should probably cut that number in half for a more accurate comparison. In which case, we end up with 6,500 v. 2,500. (I’m going to purposefully exclude Volcano Bay as I doubt it adds meaningfully to capacity or crowd-absorption and would just muddy the comparison.)
That’s still not apples to apples because we’re not comparing the theoretical or actual capacity. Unfortunately, this is not something I’m capable of doing. Simply counting eligible attractions isn’t enough here–you have to know the capacity of each, the degree to which they’re utilizing line-skipping, and more.
There’s too much that’s simply unknowable or would require guessing. For example, I know the theoretical hourly ride capacity of Jungle Cruise, but I don’t know its average Lightning Lane to standby ratio, nor do I know its actual operational hourly ride capacity right now. (I’ve heard it’s not good!) I also don’t know what percentage of guests are actually using “filler” Lightning Lanes like those for Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage.
Finally, I don’t know the nuances of Universal Orlando’s hotel business as compared to Walt Disney World. What’s the occupancy rate of the top tier hotels at each? What about the average number of guests per occupied room? My guess is that Disney has higher numbers on both fronts but I have no clue to what degree. (Disney Vacation Club skews the former while family demographics skew the latter.)
Beyond these “known unknowns,” there are probably variables I don’t even know…that I don’t know. I can’t tell you what those are, since I don’t know what they are. [Insert drunk face emoji]
All of this is to say that it’s probable that Walt Disney World couldn’t simply “lift” the idea of Express Pass from Universal Orlando. The variables are different and the unintended consequences would likely cause the system to break in new and different ways. (And Genie+ has already broken plenty in the last year!)
Perhaps you don’t find the comparison and breakdown above to be persuasive. Maybe you’re convinced that Walt Disney World could do free Express Pass for Deluxe Resort guests with a few tweaks. In that case, consider this: Genie+ is essentially Walt Disney World’s attempt to port the beloved MaxPass from Disneyland with minor tweaks.
Suffice to say, a lot broke in the process. Not only that, but there were myriad unintended consequences and results that were not forecast by Walt Disney World’s internal teams working on Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. (It’s almost unbelievable in light of how Disney has attempted to throttle demand since launch, but the original plan called for a Genie+ Annual Pass add-on to debut only a few months after launch.)
I’m not pretending to know how all of this would shake out, and I’m cognizant of the fact that some of these variables are at odds with one another. The salient point of all this rambling, I guess, is that there is no “simple” solution in which Disney can or will copy and paste Express Pass to Walt Disney World.
All of this theoretical analysis is entirely academic, anyway. It presupposes that Walt Disney World has an appetite to include Lightning Lane access in Deluxe Resort stays and, let me assure you, that is absolutely not the case. You probably didn’t need any such assurances, as it’s patently obvious from the way Walt Disney World has been cutting on-site perks rather than adding them.
I don’t know why Universal first opted to offer Unlimited Express Pass to its Premier Hotels. (My shot-in-the-dark guess is a deal with Loews to get that hotelier on board.) Regardless, the only reason to start offering ‘free’ line-skipping now would be to entice people to stay on-site and increase hotel occupancy rates.
Walt Disney World does not have this problem. Even several years ago when occupancy numbers weren’t as strong, Disney didn’t offer an unlimited “golden” FastPass. Instead, they tried to entice people to book Club Level stays by selling additional FastPass+ reservations.
Ultimately, I could see Walt Disney World offering “free” Genie+ down the road to guests of certain resorts if there’s an economic downturn and bookings slump, but as the service currently exists and not an unlimited version of it. Even then, it would probably be a replacement for Free Dining or some superior past promotion. I could also see Disney continuing to tweak Genie+ to make the system more intuitive while trying to minimize (but not totally obviate) complaints about screen time. I could also see Disney’s twist on Express Pass at a price point somewhere between peak Genie+ rates and VIP tours.
Anything is possible at Walt Disney World in the long-term, especially if guest satisfaction–and more importantly, behavior and visitation trends–takes enough of a hit and management is forced to do something. For now, these are the line-skipping systems in place at Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World…and we expect minor to major changes at both before Summer 2025.
If you have questions about the basics of using–or not using–the paid FastPass service, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all of the foundational need-to-know info. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
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
Do you prefer Universal’s Express Pass or Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World? Wish WDW included Lightning Lane access with Deluxe Resort stays? Do you prefer paying for these line-skipping services or simply sticking to standby? Other thoughts to share? Do you agree or disagree with my comparison? 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!
I’ve been around many theme parks for over 50 years. While this is probably anecdotal, my experience is lines “move” if there is not a type of line cutting system. I much prefer moving in line than standing. When Disney introduced the first fast pass it was a hectic mad dash to the rides you wanted. Send the kids off with our tickets to grab as many fast passes as possible. Disney since has tweaked the line cutting gimmick many times since. Every generation of this system has always made “waiting” and “standing” in line longer for someone or group/line. I believe people are more happy and accepting if everyone is treated fairly and equally. I’m sure everyone has experienced moving slowly in a line to be stopped many times so 15,20, or more fast pass people go ahead of you. Not a great feeling. Definitely not a happy one. Simply put. Go to a ride you want and wait in a moving line like everyone else.
Thank you again for bringing this up, I have said so many times why can’t Disney just simply charge a fee like Sea world, Busch Gardens, and Universal….for an all day fast pass It’s so simple and Disney just won’t do it, they make it so complicated. Copy the other parks, period and all the fast pass problems are solved.
Love all your articles by the way but maybe shorten them up a little please they get a little long. Lol.
What are your thoughts about the Disneyland Paris system where they are basically offering both options to guests and letting them pick? I feel like that’s a viable option! Keep Genie+ but only as an ala carte ILL where people can pay and schedule individual rides and offer an unlimited pass for some super high ungodly amount of money and let people pick. Maybe for Deluxe resorts we get unlimited line skipping at a discounted rate. Or make it a a room category like club level. I feel like there are options that Disney doesn’t seem to be pursuing.
I agree that it isn’t a simple comparison, and all that stuff you mention does make it seem nearly impossible for Disney to implement an Express Pass system even if they wanted to.
That being said, when I’m in the parks, Express Pass is just straight up incredible and a clear “winner” in this comparison. If you don’t think about all the behind the scenes scenarios, and just look at it from a pure use/enjoyment perspective, there is no contest.
“Express Pass is just straight up incredible and a clear “winner” in this comparison.”
Oh for sure! I hope that’s clear from the comparison, especially for people disillusioned with all of the screen time required by Genie.
I’d also add that there’s immense satisfaction in booking a hotel deal at Universal and then getting ‘free’ Express Pass on top of that…worth more than the cost of the hotel, in the first place. That’s been true for us on several occasions as a party of 2, and I can only imagine how awesome it feels as a family of 3-4!
This is just a bar none no competition question. Universal Unlimited Express Pass is FAR better than any disney fast pass system. I’ve done them all old/new and I’ve been a passholder at both! We’ve stayed at the Royal Pacific which is excellent. I absolutely HATE being on my phone on vacation and having to keep it charged at Disney. It’s awful. We arw a huge Disney family too. We travel 10-15 hours each way or fly with two autistic children 3-4 times a year to go to WDW. We go to USO once a year without annual passes and twice when we do. I hope Disney listens to people. I really do. They have specials to become USO passholders in package with hotel stay. We compared packages and we saved $800 by doing so. Disney is really failing their stans.
I wish I liked Universal because definitely their system is better. But I’m not into their thrill rides and the fact that so many of their rides are the same 3D system turns me off. And I don’t feel any magic there in spite of them having Harry Potter.
Hopefully Epic Universe changes the equation and gives Universal more appeal for families. We just did Super Nintendo World (review & more coming soon) and it’s definitely a game changer. I only hope EU gets a significantly larger version of that.
Agree there are too many deluxe hotel guests for it to be included—evening extended hours proves that. I could see Disney making Genie+ a club level perk, though (along with raising the price of club level by $100 a day).
I just got back from Orlando. Did 4 days of Genie + and 2 days unlimited fast passes, my Disney days were busy, productive and Genie + got me 3-4 good rides a day. I was already rope dropping so 7am was not an issue. Not much phone time. Felt good all the time.
My universal days were just as busy and did more rides. However I felt like I needed to get every ride in. Too many thrill roller coasters and 3-D rides. I got a migraine and threw up. Had a much better day on my third day at universal with no fast past.
The Express Pass at Universal, especially if you stay in one of the special hotels is by FAR the better system. We tried it this past summer for 2 days, and then went to Disney for a week. Disney was MISERABLE after dealing with the experience at Universal when it came to the passes. It was so much easier and we got on FAR more rides at Universal then we did at Disney. We’ve always been far more into Disney then going to Universal in the past, but with the difference we are debating on going on vacation and only doing Universal. It was seriously that much better!
Hi Tom:
I didn’t see that another advantage Universal has over DISNEY is that they include Express Pass (Unl’d) after 4pm on their Premier AP vs Disney doesn’t include Genie+ on NONE of their APs. I won’t get into all the pros / cons of APs when it comes to Universal vs Disney but I’ve been both and quit frankly I prefer Universal AP since they treat us better than Disney currently treats their APs.
I’m sure a lot of people would be satisfied if they just brought back Fast pass+, with the 3 per day you could schedule 6 months in advance with an onsite stay. Seemed like it worked pretty good back then!
Noooo! Did you ever use the legacy FastPass before they +ed it? I can do so many more rides and not have my vacation so planned out with Genie+ as compared to FastPass+. I often opined on how I missed original FastPass during the years of FastPass+. Genie+ is so much better than FastPass+ for first time and seasoned visitors alike. I have found that most people that preferred FastPass+ don’t remember legacy FastPass. Curious if that’s true for you too.
One thing not touched upon in the article, is that the express passes are limited, that is they only sell a limited quantity (outside of the hotels).
I think Genie + would work better, if it was capped at a certain amount, available for purchase only prior to the day of use.
They could has a limited amount of day tickets available at ticket booth with Genie included if still have capacity.
I love the “dumb” aspect; puts you in control of your day. If the Express line look long, skip and come back later, or wait – your choice. Maybe a limited Genie ++ pass for sale, in limited quantities, only as an addon at purchase, you get a card to scan(or code in app) at Lightening lanes for one time non scheduled use per ride?
HEy Tom….Thanks for the great article. I think you missed 3 MAJOR differences (and the ones that matter most to a lot of people)
1) You have to wake up every morning early to purchase and book Genie+
2) Express Pass lets you go anytime so if you sleep in on vacation and go to the parks in the afternoon you are not at a disadvantage
3) you have to be on your phone A LOT more with Genie+
Those are deal breakers for us
I would be willing to pay an extra $20.00 or $30.00 in admission price in each park if they would just have 2 lightening lanes to make it affordable for everyone and cut the long lines. I just got back from a Disney trip and some of the wait was ridiculous. Disney is only offering certain rides for Genie+. This trip from my last trips it felt like we spent more time on our phones during the day looking up everything then spending time with family. Even in the shops now if there is no price on something you have to look it up on your phone in the app.
Great article, Tom:
As a long-time DVC member and annual passholder, I’d very much welcome a Genie+ add-on for deluxe rsorts. On the flip side, many families are being priced out of using any of the line-skipping services, especially if they have a large family. My family is benefitting from a reasonably priced purchase made 20 years ago. Sadly, ‘reasonably priced’ is a thing of the past.
“Side note: enjoy this while it lasts, Universal diehards–your on-site hotels likely won’t be this cheap for much longer!”
While not a Universal diehard, we are doing our second Universal stay the week after Thanksgiving. Staying at the Hard Rock for substantially less than a moderate at Disney would have been.
I also find it interesting how Disney chooses to put its most popular attractions behind an additional paywall, while Universal elects to not allocate any capacity for it’s most popular attractions to line skipping.
The greatest issue I see in Universal’s Express passes vs. Disney’s Genie or ILL passes is just the sheer number of people. Tom, you touched on this regarding hotel capacities. Only in the Harry Potter areas have I felt the crush of people that is EVERYWHERE in WDW. Universal Express passes got me through most of what I wanted to see in one or two days. If WDW had something like Express passes, everyone would buy them and we’d all be back to no advantage, plus out even more money. Numbers are numbers and tens of thousands of people in one place can only be sorted so far.
One point of comparison that I don’t see here (and apologies if I missed it) is the impact of Express Lanes vs Genie+ on the normal standby lines. My impression from experiencing standby at Universal and Disney is that Genie+ if far more disruptive to the “normal” non-upgraded line. Disney’s ratio of LL-to-Standby flow seems a lot more favorable to LL.
If Disney decided to charge $350 for a daily Express Lane (either as a standalone or as a Deluxe upcharge), I would not be able to afford it and would be stuck with standby… But if the usage and ratio of Express-to-Standby flow to the attraction is similar to Universal, I don’t know how bad that would be.
We’ve done Portofino and Hard Rock club level twice for one night apiece on two separate WDW/DVC trips and LOVED Express Pass and the early park entry for Hagrid’s and Velocicoaster. We were total newbs at all things Universal and found it brainless and wayyyyyyyy more enjoyable to just wander around and hop into lines as we came across attractions that interested us. Plus, Club Level is good from like 11 a.m. check-in to 11 a.m. on check out or something, and we got breakfast out of it and dinner and snacks and happy hour, which was nice and easy.
We haven’t bothered with Genie+ or Lightning Lanes yet, haven’t had a need to do it, but we’re not that coveted Denver family doing their rite-of-passage trip with littles. We’re DVC and are on our 5th trip and APs (renewed in that golden window in 2021!). I hardly think we’re what Chapek wants in the park. He’s got our money.
I think Disney’s Mobile Ordering is much better (with better food options) than Universal, however, but that’s not pertaining to the topic at hand.
Side note, you mentioned the flood of DVC contracts on the resale market as the canary in the coal mine. Care to do a separate post about the state of DVC and the future of sales? VGF just started a new holiday promotion that is very good since their sales are lagging behind Riviera. Curious if and when there’s going to be anything after Poly 2.0. I’m thinking we may have a very long dry spell between new construction/flips from Poly onwards, but hey, what do I know!
This article was excellent. My wife and I are Disney World people at heart (Shades of Green). We tried Universal recently because of Harry Potter. We probably will not return to Universal. But Universal’s Express Pass is hands down superior to Genie Plus. With Express Pass, there is no advance planning necessary. We walked up to a line that offers Express Pass, and within 5 minutes, we were on the attraction. We stayed at a hotel that included Express Pass in the rates. I wish Genie Plus was like this- purchase Genie Plus, and just walk to an attraction without having to reserve in advance. I know that WDW is more popular than Universal so adjustments would need to be made, but they should definitely move to a system more similar to Universal Express. It would be worth the additional cost just for the reduced stress level.