Few people like paying for something that was once free.
That's a harsh lesson Walt Disney (DIS) has learned as it took the once-free FastPass+ and turned it into Genie+ and Lighting Lanes. Both of those services, which are arguably inferior to the former offering, costs money.
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With the old FastPass+ offering, Disney World visitors could reserve three experiences at whatever park they were visiting 30 days before their visit (60 if they were staying on property). Once they used those three reservations, they could add another one.
It wasn't a perfect system, but it was a popular one that allowed people to visit the company's Florida theme parks with some level of certainty. You knew that you had faster, "cut the line" access to three things you wanted to do before you set foot in one of Disney World's four parks.
That was a strong offering that offset the fact that aside from your FastPass+ choices, you will likely wait in long lines for pretty much everything else. The old system wasn't perfect, but it was fairly democratic as everyone got access to it along with the price of admission.
Genie+ offers a version of the same thing, but at an added charge and it's sort of an inferior version of FastPass+. Guests pay $15-35 each (the price varies daily based on demand) to get faster access to rides, but they can only make a reservation for one ride at a time.
And, to make matters worse, some of the newest and most-popular rides are not included. For those, Disney World guests have the option of paying for Lightning Lane, a second cut-the-line service that has its own charge per ride.
Disney fans are buying Genie+ pretty much because they have to. The company has ignored calls to revert to the old FastPass+ system, but Disney is making a change that will make Genie+ at least slightly more palatable.
Image source: Qilai Shen/In Pictures via Getty Images Images
Disney Changes Its Genie+ Pricing
Currently, Disney World sells Genie+ at a demand-based price no matter which of the company's four parks you plan to visit that day. Even if you're visiting a less popular park, you pay the same price as someone visiting a more-popular choice.
That's something that's going to change, according to a memo from the company first reported on by BlogMickey.com.
"Beginning June 27, Guests at Walt Disney World will now purchase Disney Genie+ service based on how they want to visit. Guests will be able to select either a single-park option or a multiple-parks option, subject to availability. With this update, prices may now be lower at some Walt Disney World theme parks compared to others. Guests will continue to be able to purchase Disney Genie+ service through the My Disney Experience app on the day of their visit," the company shared.
That's a small change, but a meaningful one as it's possible that if you're visiting a less-crowded park, and only that park, you will be able to buy Genie+ at a lower price. In theory, that will save people some money and slightly lessen the financial burden of visiting the parks.
Disney has kept the maximum attendance at Disney World slightly below the capacity limits it used before the pandemic. The company has been struggling with finding the right mix of pricing and attendance limits to maximize revenue while delivering a positive experience for park visitors.
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