When Disney World offered the FastPass+ system, people who stayed at the company’s hotels had an advantage over those who didn’t.
They could book FastPass+ experiences 60 days in advance instead of the 30 other ticket holders get. That was a huge plus and overall allowed people staying on the property to have access to the best attractions at a time of their choosing.
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When Walt Disney (DES) – Get a free report dropped FastPass+ in favor of its Genie+ and Lightning Lane payment system, people staying at Disney World resorts lost that advantage. Under the new system, any ticket holder can purchase Genie+ on the day of their visit.
Disney sells Genie+ using dynamic pricing, so exactly what people pay for it changes every day. Once a person purchases Genie+, they can make a reservation for an eligible trip. They can also purchase Lightning Lane passes for specific rides that are not part of the Genie+ offerings.
For Genie+ selections, guests can make a second reservation once they have used the first one. Overall, it’s a paid system that arguably offers visitors less than the old FastPass+ system, which offered three reservations in advance (and one more at a time once you used them).
Genie+ has a cost and gives you less than Disney used to give you for free. However, it operates democratically, as everyone who owns a ticket to one of Disney World’s four theme parks has equal access to attraction reservations.
Disney also makes it difficult for people to plan their day because Genie+ reservations can only be made on the day of your park visit. This applies to Lightning Lane passes. That means, in theory, people could plan a visit to Disney World because they want to ride “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” at Hollywood Studios or “Tron: Lightcycle Run” at Magic Kingdom and not actually have quick access to its attraction. of choice.
That’s something Disney seems willing to change, although details are very scarce.
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Image source: Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images
Disney plans Genie+ changes
Under the old system, people visiting Disney World for multiple days could use FastPass+ to guarantee three park experiences each day. Typically, that would mean one premium and two lesser experiences.
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As people planned their trip, they scheduled which park to visit (or at least start) each day based on the FastPass+ reservations they could receive. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave Disney World guests some certainty about their trip.
If, for example, someone could only get a FastPass+ for a favorite ride early in the morning or later in the evening, then they would plan their day accordingly. Now, a top Disney executive has said that it is possible to book pre-trip travel and theme park experience reservations.
Disney Destinations Sales Solutions Senior Vice President Javier Moreno spoke at an event for travel agency owners on October 24 and shared that the company was exploring its options. Travel weekly reported.
Vahle talked about how Disney World “is such a big property” and that comes with “complexity of the product.”
The company, he added, was aware of this and has been working to improve Disney’s consumer-facing apps and recover pre-travel reservations.
Vahle noted that pre-planning attraction visits can help “take the stress out of the day,” the website reported.
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The executive, however, did not share any details about what the new system would look like or whether it would be available to all ticket holders or only those staying on Disney properties.
