A lot changed in Disney Parks around the world thanks to the global pandemic. Not only were Disney parks closed, but when they eventually reopened, a lot was missing. One of the biggest changes was the end of FastPass and FastPass+, the systems that allowed guests to skip the line on key attractions. When a new system was finally unveiled, we got the pay-to-play Genie+ at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Tokyo Disney Resort has now announced its own new system as part of the resort’s 40th anniversary, which isn’t called FastPass, but it’s just FastPass.
The Tokyo Disney Resort 40th Anniversary Priority Pass cover 14 total attractions between Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, seven at each park, and it is a completely free option. Guests simply select the next available time for their chosen attraction and then enter through a priority lane during their window. They may then select another priority pass after using their first, or after two hours, whichever comes first.
Not all attractions at Tokyo Disney Resort are part of the 40th Anniversary Priority Pass, five of the newest and most popular attractions were previously made Premiere Access Experiences, a system identical to the Individual Lightning Lane options at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, which each require a separate fee to get priority lane access, and they will all remain part of that system.
Needless to say, it would be wonderful to see the Priority Pass system domestically, because it’s really just the FastPass system, which is preferable to what we have now. Actually, it’s better, because since it’s mobile-based; it’s actually Disneyland’s old MaxPass system, but without the $20 price tag that option had even pre-pandemic. While not everybody loved FastPass, and a lot of people had issues with FastPass+ at Disney World, a lot of people would probably welcome it back with open arms compared to what Genie+ has become.
Genie+ put all of the old FastPass system behind a paywall that hadn’t been there previously. That was frustrating enough for fans who had gotten used to the limited, but free system. But that price has continued to go up over time, and Genie+ has even been known to sell out, meaning it hasn’t always been available, even when people are willing to pay. The system has also seen numerous changes over the last couple of years, making it difficult to keep track of how it works so that guests can use it properly.
Why Tokyo Disney Resort Doesn’t Follow The Same Rules As Other Disney Parks
This is just another example of how nice it is to be Tokyo Disney Resort. The two parks of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are generally regarded to be some of the best theme parks in the world. And in addition to having a variety of unique and impressive attractions you won’t find in the other Disney parks, tends to do everything just a little bit differently. Tokyo Disneyland is getting a new Space Mountain that the other parks are not seeing, at least not yet.
This is because Tokyo Disney Resort isn’t owned by Disney. Instead, it’s owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company. OLC licenses the Disney name and characters from The Walt Disney Company and has a contract with Walt Disney Imagineering to design and install attractions. This results in a park that is everything that you expect from Disney, but often also a lot more. There’s also a feeling that money is no object when it comes to TDR as OLC seems willing to spend a bit more freely than Disney often is.
It will be interesting to see how the Priority system works. It’s all but impossible that Disneyland or Disney World would ever go back to a free system now that they have seen the revenue that can be generated by Genie+, but it’s nice that there’s at least one park in the world that still has a free option.
It's specified that the 40th Anniversary Priority Pass does not have an end date, which would seem to indicate that despite the fact that its name ties it to the park's 40th anniversary, it may continue after the official event is over.
