OpEd: Maybe Genie+ will Finally Give Guests What They Pay For

On May 18, Disney Parks announced changes to the Genie+ system, stating, in part, that this time it would be limited availability.

According to Disney Parks Blog, “moving forward, whether you have an Annual Pass, multi- or single-day ticket, you may only purchase Disney Genie+ service on the day of your visit via the app, one day at a time, subject to availability.”

Read More: Genie+ Update: Pre-Purchase Option Removed, Genie+ Now Based on Availability

We have previously covered that Disney was not putting a capacity limit on its Genie+, despite there being a real limit on the Lightning Lane offerings like the FastPass+ System that came before it, and this reporter would argue that this dissonance played into its problems.

One could argue that there is a natural limitation in place by making Disney Genie Plus a paid service, but one can argue a majority of Guests are willing to pay in order to cut the infamously long Disney World and Disneyland standby lines. What is the point of paying for Genie+ if none of the Lightning Lane options are available?

If there are more Guests paying for Genie+ than there are Lightning Lane availabilities, there are going to be upset Guests who are not getting what they paid for. On top of that, Guests have to deal with Genie’s “optimization” that does not give them a choice on Lightning Lane times and arguably has resulted in massive lineups in the separate queue meant to be faster than the standby.

Disney’s decision to limit the number of Genie+ users per day signals that there will be more Lightning Lane options for paying Guests and possibly less congestion at the actual attractions. This matches with the “quality over quantity” attitude taken recently by Disney CEO Bob Chapek and Disney CFO Christine McCarthy in their stride to create a better Disney experience.

Related: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Switches to Genie+

While this reporter remains doubtful that Genie+ Lightning Lane really does improve the overall Disney Park experience, he regains some confidence in the idea that those Guests who will pay for it, will actually receive the benefits they are paying for.

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to monitor this story and will update our readers as more developments come to light.