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Recently, a fan jumped in to ask whether the rumor that Disney increases posted wait times to encourage Genie+ purchases was true. Naturally, we jumped in to investigate.
Both the Walt Disney World Resort (with its amazing theme parks like Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park) and the Disneyland Resort (with Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park) are known to be some of the best places on the planet to enjoy a Disney vacation. From the incredible rides like Haunted Mansion to Space Mountain, there’s a lot to enjoy.
However, there are aspects of a Disney vacation that are less than desirable, and there’s one service that fans and guests alike usually agree is completely frustrating.
“Partners” statue in front of Cinderella Castle, Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney
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Fan Brings Up Shocking Rumor About Disney
One fan recently posted online to check in if a rumor they heard about Disney was, in fact, true. The fan, u/CourtK1212, shared on Reddit and asked “Can anyone confirm if this rumor I heard is true?”
The fan elaborated, “Does Disney purposely increase the posted wait times to encourage people to buy genie plus? My friend has timed the wait times the last few times we went and none of them were accurate. Thunder was posted for 50, it was 15 Guardians was posted 85, it was 60. Those are just a few examples but it’ll be really disheartening if it’s true.”
Tusker House, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park / Credit: Disney
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Many fellow Disney fans immediately jumped into the conversation.
One fan explained their theory, “Long before Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, it was often observed that Disney tended to “underpromise and overdeliver” on wait times (meaning the estimated wait times were longer than actually they were). I speculate they use the same sort of calculations today, but now people are attributing to selling these extra services.”
Another fan shared a tip from their family member who was a cast member at the Disney Parks, “The [wait] times are estimates usually they’re longer on the posting then they actually are when my grandfather worked it disney the rule was post a longer [wait] time so the guests are happier because they feel like they’ve moved through the line faster It’s all about the magic if you think you’re waiting in line shorter amounts of time you generally have a happier experience.”
Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park / Credit: Disney
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The reality is it’s improbable that Disney would lie about wait times in order to encourage guests to purchase their Disney Genie product. Despite the number of complaints about the service, Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro has mentioned multiple times that the product is one guests appreciate at the parks.
While many have complained about the cost of the Disney Genie service, i.e., Disney Genie, Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane, it still makes life easier when visiting a Disney Park, enough that many will still actively choose to purchase it.
With the information available at the time of publishing this article, we can say with a fair amount of certainty that this rumor is simply that, a rumor.
They use to hand out a large card on a lanyard every so often which you handed to the person at the loading area after you made it through the que. That person scanned it and it gave a realistic time to traverse the line. Since the Genie+ stuff came down, every trip I’ve had I haven’t seen any cards at the entrance to the que or at the other end. The posted wait times have all been suspect.
I understand that wait times were always inflated. Nobody ever complains that they haven’t waited long enough but if the posted wait is 30mins and they have been standing in line for 35, expect unhappy guests.
However, since Genie+ was introduced the posted wait times have been far longer than the actual wait, not just a few minutes as it used to be but an hour posted can be as little as 15 mins.
Castmembers used to monitor actual wait times with lanyards that were given to guests in line and handed in at boarding. This showed the exact wait time for those guests. I have not seen these handed out recently.
The only real conclusion is that Disney no longer care about accurate wait times or that they are deliberately inflating them.
Disney has a financial gain if waits are long because people will look at the posted waits and decide to purchase Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes.
If there is a wait time scam by Disney, it is quite easy to hide. The people who waste money on Genie+ will not realise the regular lines are shorter than stated because they are using the Lightning Lanes.
The fact that wait times are far more inaccurate than they were when Fastpasses were free points to a cash grab by Disney.