The days of Fast Passes are long over and with it’s departure Genie and Genie Plus have taken it’s place. The service has been out a little over a month now, and is serving as the paid replacement for our beloved free fast passes. Every one took a hit in 2020 and this feature will hopefully help Disney, in fact it’s already proving to, in the little over 30 days that it’s been active.
What is Genie?
Genie is a complementary app that helps you make the most of your Walt Disney World experience. It’s like having a digital tour guide in the palm of your hand (you know the place where our phones live) Before you head to the park, you can tell Genie what you’d like to see and do that day and it will make you a dream daily itinerary. The app will tell you where characters are located throughout the park, and even the spots to grab those afternoon snacks before your dinner reservations! The Genie App will even create you your own map that you can follow to unleash even more of that Disney child like magic. Sounds great, right?
So, what’s Genie Plus?
We are in full swing Holiday mode and there’s enough sugar coating going around, so we will call this what you are already thinking- paid fast passes. Which essentially they are. With Genie Plus you get all of the features of Genie and then some. For $15 per person a day plus tax, you can save time on 40 of your favorite attractions by using the Lightening Round Lane. To secure your spot in line- log on to the app at 7am the day of your park visit and pick your time slot for each attraction you want to experience that day. This even works with Hopper passes! (Of course it does, it’s Disney) The app also includes Audio Tales on your device throughout the day filled with Disney Fun Facts, and comes with a Disney PhotoPass lens to take those magical memories- right on your phone.
Are people using it?
Yes! Disney’s wishes have been granted and even Disney’s Bob Chapek have been impressed with the numbers. So far 1 in every 3 Disney Guests have upgraded from the complimentary Genie service to the Genie Plus Service, which is around 30-32% of all guests. Not too bad for the first month of sales. Genie Plus is doing better in Disneyland than Disney World currently where 45-50% of October-November’s guests are using the MaxPass.
There’s real revenue potential here for Disney. Using the average attendance from 2015-2019 ( leaving out 2020) if just 25% of Disney’s Magic Kingdom guests upgrade to Genie Plus-that’s $75 million dollars a year- which would make everyone even happier, at the Happiest Place on Earth.
