Disney Makes Surprisingly Big Change to Costly Disney Genie Service

Walt Disney World has seen lots of changes recently with the pandemic slowly going away and entertainment offerings returning.

From character meet and greets and Fantasmic! coming back to the grand return of the Festival of Fantasy parade, there are so many amazing things to look forward to on your next Disney vacation.

Disney has also introduced the new “Beacons of Magic” in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration and Disney Enchantment at Cinderella Castle.

But alongside these exciting changes have come some new digital changes that have left Guests divided about the new Park experience. Now, it seems Disney has made a big – but surprising – change to its Disney Genie service. 

We recently commented on how the amount of screen time we now have to have at Disney’s theme parks is perhaps hindering Walt’s vision to have Guests leave reality and enter a world of fantasy.

With all the digital services at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort, including MagicMobile, My Disney Experience, maps, mobile orders, wait times, virtual queues and now Disney Genie, Guests have to use their cellphones a lot while trying to enjoy the magic.

Back on October 19, 2021, Disney Genie officially launched on the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World, along with Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane access, the new paid iteration of what was previously the FastPass service.

Featuring technology to help Guests plan their day, the digital tool has been suffering issues following its launch last year. From sold-out attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Galaxy’s Edge to app failures on their phones, Guests have been quick to share their opinions on Disney Genie on social media.

Individual Lightning Lane attractions that have to be paid for separately often sell out. At each of the four Walt Disney World Parks there are two attractions that Disney Guests need to purchase a separate Lightning Lane ticket for if they want to skip those lines:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest

That is, until now.

Walt Disney World has hit capacity lately with Park Pass Reservations sold out way in advance. It appears that in an attempt to help with the crowds, Disney is making some big changes to how its Genie+ service works starting today, February 25. Scott Gustin (@Scott Gustin) revealed the changes on Twitter:

NEW: Effective Feb. 25 – Aug. 7 at WDW, Frozen Ever After, Space Mountain, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will move to Genie+ Lightning Lane and no longer be offered as Individual LL. No changes to resort guest early theme park entry for resort guests.

https://twitter.com/ScottGustin/status/1496968123018358787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1496968123018358787%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finsidethemagic.net%2F2022%2F02%2Fdisney-changes-genie-lightning-lane-service-ld1%2F

Gustin went on to explain that because Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is closed for its extended refurb, we’re not sure what the status of this attraction will be when it reopens:

Note: Expedition Everest is closed for refurbishment through at least April 30. Whenever it reopens, Disney will make an update to its status as Individual LL or Genie+ LL.

Note: Expedition Everest is closed for refurbishment through at least April 30. Whenever it reopens, Disney will make an update to its status as Individual LL or Genie+ LL.

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) February 24, 2022

So, from today three popular attractions are coming to Disney Genie+ and will no longer be offered as an Individual Lightning Lane experience.

Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disney’s Hollywood Studios will all now be a part of the standard $15 a day per Guest Disney Genie+ service.

It seems an odd and unexpected change from Disney, particularly when Guests believe that new Disney CEO Bob Chapek is continuously after ways to get more money from theme park Guests.

But in reality, the change helps combat crowds while also encouraging Guests who were uncertain about Genie+ to purchase the service.