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We are getting close to a full year since the launch of Disney Genie and Genie+ at the Walt Disney World Resort, and despite mixed reviews from fans, Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently touched on his thoughts on the service in a much more positive light.
For years, Disney fans debated the possibility of a paid replacement for FastPass+, as many competitor theme parks offer similar programs to save time waiting in lines for attractions for an added fee. Since the introduction of FastPass in 1999, however, one of the major perks of the program was that it was complimentary to all Guests visiting the Parks.
When Disney Genie launched, Guests understandably had to undergo a learning curve to discover how they would make the most of the new system and whether it would be of value to them. While the value of purchasing Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections is something fans continue to debate nearly one year later, Chapek just reaffirmed his position that the system offers added personalization to Guests’ trips, thereby making it a success from the company’s standpoint.
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During the Walt Disney Company’s 2022 Q3 Earnings Call on August 10, 2022, Bob Chapek along with Disney CFO Christine McCarthy both shared comments on earnings and visitation of Guests visiting Disney’s domestic theme parks.
In the Q&A portion of the call while discussing how expected earnings looked for Disney Parks coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and looking beyond pent-up demand, the two discussed the current theme park reservation system. Both executives noted the added flexibility that the reservation system gives the company in being able to spread out crowds, and the topic of flexibility in Disney Parks vacations continued as Chapek commented on the usage of Genie+.
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“Guests are willing to spend when they get there in order to personalize their experience,” Chapek said in reference to Disney Genie+’s ability to offer Guests shorter or no wait times in line for the attractions of their choice.
Later, while sharing additional details on the company’s quarterly earnings, Chapek again referenced the success of Genie+ in Disney Parks noting that “about 50% of people buy Genie.”
Of course, for fans, real-life usage of Genie+ has been hit or miss. Most fans who have used the service agree that the free Disney Genie is useful, especially for its tip board feature that provides suggestions for how to plan their day in the Parks.
With Genie+, fans have regularly shared that they were only able to experience a couple of attractions with the service despite buying into the $15/person per day ticket add-on as many of the available times can often be booked up. And Individual Lightning Lane purchases come with mixed reviews from fans, too, as they come with the added $8-18 cost, often on top of Genie+, and sometimes with limited or no times available depending on the time of year and the attraction.
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Moreover, it is no secret that any Walt Disney World vacation can require extensive planning, but many fans have expressed concern that the planning aspect has become too much thanks to Disney Genie. One particularly challenging aspect of this is the fact that Genie+ has already undergone a number of changes since its debut last October. In contrast, FastPass largely remained consistent once Guests initially learned how to use it.
On the positive side, Disney Genie is actually intended to alleviate some of this advanced planning by providing Guests with ways to bypass time waiting in line on the go. At the same time, if the system is too confusing for Guests to the point where they need to essentially pre-plan how to use the service, it seems safe to consider the fact that it might not be working the way Disney intended.
With Chapek viewing Disney Genie+ as a success (along with theme park reservations), the two systems are likely not going anywhere. It is surely possible that we will see more changes to Genie+ in the future, especially given all of the ways that the system has already been altered, and we will be sure to share any updates on it here on DisneyTips.
