By Richard Seib
Walt Disney had always prided himself in making sure that the average American family could all enjoy his parks. From the wild and treacherous Mt. Everest to the goofy ghosts of the Haunted Mansion, Walt wanted to make sure that everyone could step into the world of their favorite franchises. But now the Disney Parks have gone in a bit of a different direction. In early December 2021 Disney rolled out their new solution to the fastpass problem. Disney Genie is a brand new system that allows the average customer to enjoy the parks by giving helpful tips to get the most out of your stay. Plus, with an extra charge, you have access to a paid express lane service known as lightning lane that can help you get to as many rides as possible. On my most recent trip I decided to try this new system to see if this was a real solution or just another way Disney tries to drain you of your hard earned savings. Some positives about the free version of the service is that for more inexperienced Disney-goers, this could improve your trip. The ability to see wait times no matter where you were in the park was something that I constantly took advantage of, and helped me get on rides with long wait times like the Tower of Terror and Test Track. However that is where the positives end for me. The virtual assistant and mobile order features barely ever worked and would constantly give us the wrong times for waits or would crash in the middle of placing an order. These bugs are somewhat improved by the paid version of the app but still were present. The paid version of Disney Genie adds the ability to schedule lightning lane rides. With Disney Genie Plus, we were given access to multiple lightning lane times at no extra for charge on certain rides. The best part about this was how fluid our schedule would be able to change. If we were waiting on a reservation or ride, we could just go on the app and see what was available. Besides that though it doesn’t do much, rides such as Rise of the Resistance, The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Expedition Everest along with other rides with large waits were still at an extra charge. Although the Disney Genie is an interesting new addition to the Disney vacation it has too many bugs and problems to ignore. The app would change our times for reservations for rides or dining without notifying us and the constant crashes added stress to our trip. As time goes on I can see this service becoming something great. But as of right now, I would save the money.