Disney Parks Unveiling New Genie Program That Will Replace the FastPass System

Just a few weeks ago, Disneyland announced a new Annual Pass System that is about to become available to guests. Now, the parks have introduced a brand new Genie Program that is just about ready to drop that will replace the current FastPass system in the parks. It sounds like a good program, the only issue is that it just went from free to not so free.

Here’s are some of the perks that will be included with the Genie:

• Get Itinerary Updates from Morning to Night: Disney Genie will continue to update your itinerary throughout your day, so you can be more spontaneous and go with the flow.

• Find Your Favorites at a Glance: Create your very own personal tip board to instantly see your favorites. It will display current AND forecasted future wait times, helping you predict when you might experience quicker entry to attractions.

• Enjoy More Flexibility and Fun: Disney Genie brings existing planning features together in one place. Join a virtual queue at certain attractions, make dining and experience reservations, mobile order food at many locations, get help from a virtual assistant and more.

And here’s a short breakdown video that explains it:

So it sounds pretty good, but the good old free FastPass System will now cost you $15 at Walt Disney World and $20 at Disneyland, per ticket, per day, and that’s just for your basic rides. If you want to ride premium attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Radiator Springs Racers, you’ll have to use an extra option called Lightning Lane, which, as you probably guessed, costs even more.

Here’s how the Disney Parks Blog breaks it down:

• Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day – from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.

• Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.

If you want an even more in-depth rundown of the system, check out the video below. This sounds like a cool program, but it’s just so expensive to even get inside the gates these days. Any extra add-on is just such a hardship on young families who are trying to get the most out of their magical visit. Watch the video below if you’re wanting to get the most out of this new program, and let us know what you think.

via: /Film