Confirmed: Disney Genie+ Has Made Lines WORSE

In 2021, Disney made a very controversial announcement — they would be getting rid of the very popular free FastPass system and replacing it with a paid-for system called Disney Genie+. Genie+ would work a lot like the MaxPass system that had been in place at Disneyland Resort before the Parks were forced to shut down because of COVID. Genie+ made its Disney World debut in October 2021 and then came to Disneyland Resort a couple of months later, in December 2021.

Since its inception, Guests at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have been less-than-thrilled with Disney Genie+ and everything that comes with using it. For one, Genie+ bookings open daily at 7 a.m., so Guests using the system don’t really have a chance to sleep in and relax if they want to book some of the more popular rides.

Second, are the lines — the massive lines that seem to grow every day. When Genie+ was announced, now-fired CEO Bob Chapek said that Genie+ would make things easier, but it seems that that is very far from the truth. In the year that Disney Genie+ has been active, Guests have shared pictures and videos of lines stretching through entire lands, and others have complained that the waits for Lightning Lane and standby queue are worse than ever.

While it’s acknowledged that some Guests will complain about almost anything, it seems that they are correct in their belief that lines are worse than ever since the introduction of Genie+. According to a new report from The Orange County Register, wait times have increased more than 20% since Genie+ began.

Average wait times increased 20% from 2019 to 2022 at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, according to data collected by WDW Stats.

Attraction wait times rose at the Disneyland Resort from a monthly average of 25 minutes in 2019 to 30 minutes in 2022, according to average monthly data collected by WDW Stats.

Average wait times at Disneyland tend to be a bit lower than Disney California Adventure — which has fewer rides.

Crunching the numbers for 2022 shows that Disneyland wait times have increased to an average of 28 minutes for a 22% increase since 2019, according to an analysis of WDW Stats data.

Disney California Adventure wait times increased at a lower rate from 2019 to 2022 — but longer lines at DCA contributed to an overall higher average wait time across the Disneyland resort, the WDW Stats data shows.

It should be noted that these statistics are only for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. We do not know how wait times at Walt Disney World Resort have been affected by Disney Genie+. However, Disneyland Guests are not the only ones complaining. Walt Disney World Resort Guests have also complained about massive crowds and huge lines.

Since he stepped back in as CEO in November 2021, Bob Iger has said that he is examining all systems in place, like Genie+ and the theme park reservation system, but has not said if he will change them.