Genie+, Lightning Lane Financial Success Despite Guest Backlash

It appears that Disney’s new paid services Genie+ and Lightning Lane access aren’t going to disappear from the Guest experience any time soon as Disney’s Q1 2022 results reveal them to be a massive success.

According to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, “In the quarter, more than a third of domestic Park Guests purchased either Genie+, Lightning Lane, or both. That number rose to more than 50% during the holiday period.”

Genie+ and Lightning Lane emerged as the new paid replacements for Disney’s Fast Pass system for attractions, shows, and character sightings. Unlike their predecessor, they only offer Guests the chance to skip the Standby line once or twice a day, and they cost Guests extra money. Disney’s FastPass was free and allowed Guests to skip the line multiple times throughout the day.

Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane split FastPass responsibilities. For example, at Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort, Guests need to use an individual Lightning Lane entrance for Space Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. At the same time, Genie+ covers every other opportunity in the Theme Park like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Jungle Cruise.

Meanwhile, at Disneyland Resort in Southern California, Individual Lightning Lane Access is available for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Genie+ Lightning Lane takes care of other options like Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain.

Please be sure to check Disney World or Disneyland Websites, or the Disneyland or My Disney Experience apps for up-to-date lightning lane selection.

Related: Disney Parks Bouncing Back – Posts $7.2 Billion Q1 Revenue

Many Guests have spoken out, calling the new tools a pay-more-for-less situation. That, combined with reportedly long wait times due to service demand and finicky technology, have made Genie+ and Lightning Lane subjects of controversy and debate among Guests and Fanatics.

However, numbers cannot lie, and it is clear that Guests are still willing to take any chance they can get to skip the infamously long lines for Disney attractions, even if it means paying a little extra.

Disney Lightning Lane access is available at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

More on Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Entrance

Disney World describes the experience as the following:

When you take your day to the next level by purchasing Disney Genie+ service, you may choose the next available arrival window for Lightning Lane entrances at select attractions and entertainment. There are more than 40 experiences across all 4 theme parks that are eligible.

You can enjoy a Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrance once per day. If you’d like to re-ride an attraction or see a certain show again within the same day, you are welcome to use our regular standby line.

Disney Genie+ service is available for $15 plus tax (USD) per Guest per day.

It should be noted that Disney Genie itself is complimentary without the Lightning Lane add-on.

More on Individual Lightning Lane Entrance

According to the Disney World website,

For some of our most highly demanded attractions, Lightning Lane entrance access is available to purchase individually. Guests may purchase and select an arrival window one at a time for up to 2 attractions a day. This option is available for all Guests—with or without Disney Genie+ service.

Pricing and availability varies by attraction. Be sure to check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit for current prices and attraction availability.