USA: New “Disney Genie” Digital Service to Enhance Guest Experience and Replace Disney FastPass

Initially introduced in 1999, the “FastPass” virtual queuing system, which enabled visitors to Disney parks to make ride reservations free of charge, is to be retired soon (this also includes the “FastPass+” and “Disney MaxPass” services). Instead, starting this fall, the new digital service platform “Disney Genie Service” will provide guests to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando/Florida and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim/California with a complimentary and convenient tool to help make the most of their visit – by planning, creating and adding their stay at the park. The launch of this new service is Disney’s response to the feedback from its guests who asked for an easier and more flexible way to plan their stay to get the most out of their time on site.

Directly available through the “My Disney Experience” and “Disneyland” apps, the Disney Genie service will guide visitors through the parks and provide them with helpful tips and hints to help reduce wait times, select attractions and even plan their entire stay in the park with a personalized itinerary. For an additional charge (Walt Disney World: 15 US dollars per ticket per day, Disneyland Resort: 20 US dollars per ticket per day), guests can also book the “Disney Genie+” service, which can be used to specify specific preferences for attraction selection using the so-called “Lightning Lane” entrance, among other things. This can be particularly useful in conjunction with the use of a “Park Hopper” ticket.

With this new service, Disney is once again taking on a pioneering role in terms of guest services, just like already some years ago with the introduction of a dynamic pricing system. If you’re interested in this topic, don’t miss our special feature on “Dynamic Pricing” in our upcoming Sept/Oct issue, which will be published on 1 September. (eap)