For months, we’ve been keeping an eye out for any updates about Disney’s FastPass system, getting your thoughts about a paid FastPass option in Disney World, and more.
Fastpass Kiosks in Magic Kingdom
Today, Disney announced that FastPass+ and MaxPass are being discontinued in Disney World and Disneyland, and new paid services will be replacing them in the future. With one of the services, you’ll actually be able to pay to get a return time (and utilize a Lightning Lane) for select attractions. But, why might you want to do this, and how would you do it? We’re breaking down the information you need to know here!
Why You’ll Pay for Individual Rides
Even after Disney introduces the new paid ride services, you’ll be able to utilize the traditional standby queue system or virtual queue system (for those rides that offer that service). If you want to, you’ll also be able to pay for the Disney Genie+ service, which will allow you to select the next available time to arrive at certain attractions and use that attraction’s Lightning Lane (a.k.a. FastPass Lane). You’ll be able to make these selections one at a time, throughout the day.
BUT, Disney is also introducing a 2nd, NEW, paid service — Individual Attraction Selection.
The FastPass kiosks have been out of use for a while!
With this service, you’ll pay to schedule a time to ride select, high-demand attractions. When your return time arrives, you’ll go through the “Lightning Lane” (a.k.a. the FastPass Line) and skip the standby line. You’ll pay for this service for each individual ride separately. This is similar to the individual paid FastPass system introduced at Disneyland Paris.
Why would you want to use this Individual Attraction Selection service? Well, first of all, this will be utilized for very popular attractions that likely have long wait times or are difficult to ride.
FastPass kiosks for Matterhorn at Disneyland
Second, the rides that will be available through Disney Genie+ will be DIFFERENT than those available through Individual Attraction Selection. Said differently, the attractions available through Individual Attraction Selection will NOT be available for you to select a return time for through Disney Genie+.
So far, Disney has said that Disney Genie+ will include over 40 rides in Disney World and over 15 rides in Disneyland. The rides available through that service will include Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Tomorrowland
But, as we noted above, the rides that will be available through Individual Attraction Selection are different. At this point, Disney has indicated that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure Park, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT will ALL be part of the Individual Attraction Selection offering.
That means that you’ll still be able to wait in the standby line for Seven Dwarfs if you want to ride the attraction. But, if you want to skip the standby line, you’ll need to buy an Individual Attraction Selection.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
For Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, guests will still be able to join a virtual queue for the rides at no additional cost (or, “Boarding Groups,” as it’s called for Rise of the Resistance). But, if they want to skip the virtual queues and standby lines, they’ll be able to purchase an Individual Attraction Selection for these rides and hop into the Lightning Lane when their scheduled return time is available.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Note, however, that guests will only be able to pay for up to 2 Individual Attraction Selections per day.
How You’ll Pay for Rides
Guests will be able to book their desired Individual Attraction Selections without purchasing Disney Genie+. In other words, you can simply have your regular ticket, and add on this Individual Attraction Selection option to it for an additional fee (without paying for other services).
You’ll purchase each of these attraction selections as a separate transaction. Note, however, that you will be able to select multiple members of your group for 1 transaction. So, for example, if you want to purchase an Individual Attraction Selection for Rise of the Resistance for your group of 5, that’s one transaction.
Will YOU join the Resistance?
You can, however, purchase up to 2 Individual Attraction Selections per day. If you want to purchase a second Individual Attraction Selection that would be a separate transaction.
For these Individual Attraction Selections, guests will make the selections on the day of their visit. Guests at Walt Disney World can make their selections when the park opens.
If, however, you’ll be staying at a Disney-owned and operated hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, or Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort, you’ll actually be able to make your selections a bit early. For those select guests, selections can be made at 7AM.
Cars Land
We’re on the lookout for more information about when these selections can be made at Disneyland.
Our understanding is that you will be able to make these Lightning Lane selections for different parks. So, for example, even if you start your day in Magic Kingdom, you’ll be able to book an Individual Attraction Selection for a ride in EPCOT (just ensure that you have a ticket with Park Hopping abilities that will allow you to visit the other park). Still, across all parks, you’ll only be able to purchase 2 Individual Attraction Selections (in total) for 1 day.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Disney Genie is built into My Disney Experience and the Disneyland App. It’s our understanding that Individual Attraction Selection would be available through those apps too, but we’ll be sure to share any updated information we find on that.
That’s a basic break-down of the information we know at the moment regarding Individual Attraction Selection. We’ll be on the lookout for more information and share that with you. If you’re looking for more information about Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and even Individual Attraction Selection, be sure to check back with us and check out some of our other posts.
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Will you pay for this Individual Attraction Selection service in Disney World or Disneyland? Tell us in the comments!
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Walt Disney would not have approved this extra cost. The park prices are already nearly pricing families out of going, and this added cost is another way to stick it to the consumer.
NO WAY!!!!! It is already expensive enough without them trying putting on additional fees to go on a ride.
So I get to the park and the ride breaks down, do I get a refund??
A disgrace!
No moderation forthcoming! Shame on you for being so afraid!
worst idea ever!!!!
Chapek’s plan for the Genie+ app is In App Purchases.
If I understand, rather than the old FP+ system where you could select 3 free fastpasses per day for everyone in your party in advance of your trip and then additional passes one at a time as available on the day of your visit, under this paid system system you can select ONE fastpass at a time on, but not until, the day of your visit, although resort guests can select starting at 7:00 on the day of their visit. At a cost of $15 per day per person.
Am I missing something?
I am really disappointed that Disney is deciding to go this way. It seems they are really straying from their trademark customer service. They have always been known for going above and beyond for their guests, and lately they are doing away with many services that guests have grown to depend on, and in some/many cases, are charging money, for what guests used to be able to get for free. I’m afraid they are going to price themselves so high, after all these charges, that average families will no longer be able to afford Disney vacations. It’s too bad, because all of these decisions each take a bite out of the magic of a Disney trip.
When will Disney realize that they can charge for each and every “Land” in the Magic Kingdom? Thus once you pay your “entry fee,” if you go to Main Street and if you want to go to Fantasy Land, that’s may be an extra charge. Tomorrow Land would be another and Frontier Land another. Disney can maximize their costs by charging for each “Land.” I’m sure they have already thought of this and it may eventually materialize. If they keep this up, they will price many of us out of going to Disney World permanently. It’s already border line for a family of five.
The real “why” is because Bob Chapek is a scumbag who cares nothing about people who love Disney.
Sounds like a hot mess to me.
I absolutely will not Enable Disney’s bad business decisions.
And I certainly will not be paying for Fast Passes.
This is not a good idea for Disney. They will lose money with this program.
Sometimes I think Disney is trying to lose customers!
This has lost me as an Annual Pass Holder. The one thing Disney had above all the other theme parks was the free fast passes. They are optional this is true, but to pay PER ride and per person is way to much. People already spend a fortune to get here and to have added expenses is in poor taste. Sorry Disney, but you’ve lost me as an Annual Pass holder.
Money. The why is money.
The beginning of the end.
This is bad news for overseas visitors who spend up to 2 weeks holiday at WDW. Added costs such as these are unwelcome! I assume per ticket means per person.
Do you have to pay for the children to ride? What about disabled people?
Wow did you get all that 2 ways to get a ride and pay . This is getting to complicated . Disney is making it better and worse this is to much work to have any fun . People are going to Disney Parks will have to understand it all to get on rides . Disney is make everything more about the money .
Chris, we might have to wait for more details to be shared by Disney, but I imagine when it come to Individual Attraction Selections, you’ll only pay for the members of your party who intend to ride.
If the goal is to make money and reduce crowds, just raise the ticket price and get rid of this convoluted Fastpass mutation. I don’t want to spend my time on vacation looking at my phone the whole time.
What was Disney’s reasoning for changing the FastPass system? Crowd control? No matter what Disney says is the reason, I think there’s no denying that this is a way for Disney to pocket more money from the consumer. If FastPass tickets are no longer a part of your ticket, then I would expect that the individual ticket to enter the park would be cheaper than what it has been. But I will not assume that considering the price hikes the past few years. Walt Disney wanted everyone to be able to enjoy his parks, and quite frankly, the current leadership in Disney has been disappointing. While they have created beautiful attractions, they are limiting the people who can attend. The charges are becoming astronomical, and if Disney keeps going down this route, only the very wealthy will be able to experience the magic of Disney; the exact opposite of Walt Disney’s wishes.
So disappointed in Disney. It’s all about the money. When the holiday costs around £10,000 they want even more money on top of the already expensive entry tickets. Really unfair
This is so disappointing. Disney is not fun any more. No Spontaneity. All planning months in advance. Lines, lines, lines. You already pay $$$ for a park ticket and what does is buy you now other than a crowded place where you can stand in line. Want to see a show or fireworks? PAY MORE money for a good seat! Want to ride a ride? PAY MORE to ride and not wait in line! Want to get to Disney from the airport? PAY MORE! Want to eat? PAY MORE! PAY MORE! PAY MORE! Walt is rolling over in his grave! This was NOT the vision he had for his parks. He wanted to include all rides and NOT nickel and dime his guests!
We love DISNEY characters and experience, but this new business model is so sad. They are creating a caste system where the wealthy have an exclusive and good time, the middle class has a miserable time waiting in line and sitting in the back, and the lower class can’t even afford a ticket any more. SO SAD!
I have a party of 6. It said 1 transaction per group. Will I be charged 6 times the amount of the individual attraction price? That would be well over $100 just to save some time.
On my gosh this is so ridiculous.!!!It’s all about the money. I have no interest in visiting your parks anytime soon. That just means the regular lines will be even more crowded,. At least having a fast pass would have guarantee d you a ride of your choice for a couple of rides that day. I feel so bad for the families that are already on a budget. They spend so much money here and now if they want to be guaranteed to ride one of their favorite rides they have to shell out even more money. Walt Disney World you’ve dropped the bucket on this one! Follow the money!!!!!!
Tom, if you want to purchase the Lightning Lane on an Individual Attraction Selection ride (like Rise of the Resistance), you will pay per person who wants to ride in your group. I think the wording on this post is trying to explain that you can purchase all six (in your case) at once (i.e. you don’t have to go into Disney Genie and purchase six separate Individual Attraction Selections). Does that help? If not, let me know, and I’ll ask the writer to explain it for me so I can be clearer.
So do I purchase on the Disney app with my credit card on file or do I purchase at Guest Relations slowing everyone’s entrance top the park?
If it can be added from the app and charged to my account it would be better.
I try not to be too reactionary until I all have the facts but the more I read about this the more I’m accepting it. It’s not much different than what most parks are doing now anyway. I probably would consider this for many of the new attractions. The only thing I don’t care for is trying to book times each day of the trip. Some people crack me up though. It’s like they’re ready to jump off bridges! Of course, it’s about the money. Why wouldn’t it be?
Back in the day you were charged per ride so maybe walt would have done this as well. Unfortunately we will never know what he would or would not do. I like being able to pay to ride rise. It is way to difficult to get a boarding pass.
Coming next, $5 per square of toilet paper if you need the restroom at a disney park.
I assume Disney is going to limit the number of Individual Attraction tickets for a ride on any one day. Similarly to the way they limited Fast Passes. So, what I want to know is what happens when you are staying on site at 7:00 AM and you try to get an Individual Attraction pass for ROTR but find out there are not any more available. By the time you determine that, the normal virtual queue tickets for ROTR will be gone. So, you will have paid the extra $$$ to ride ROTR but will be shut out completely from riding it ????
Disney has become a convoluted mess. We are stuck with one more yr of WDW ( wow never thought I would say that). Pass Holders since 1999 and now one waiting in MDE . It isn’t just all the extra costs but the many inconveniences and lack of excitement now due to the exorbitant amount of changes and planning . Park reservations , Fast Passes and mobile ordering top the list. When EPCOT is all finished we will activate the passes and that will be our last year. Believe me Disney you are not the only game in town.
So can you make two virtual queue bookings at 7 am for both the Star Wars ride and Ratitoulle ride? Is that even possible when you only have about one minute to do it in?
So can I make to virtual queue bookings at 7am for resistance and remy? Is that even possible if you only have one minute to do it in?
If Disney wants to raise money for rides, maybe we should deduct that from money we would have spent on souvenirs, dining or lodging. They are getting out of control with these fees. We can’t necessarily control the amount they charge to enter and ride, but we can control the amount we spend on other things I don’t have to have ears or a t-shirt.
????????? im baffled at this point…..miss the good ol days of waking up and saying Hey which park should we go to today…..and now all this new fangled whatever the hell they are doing to us who dont live on phones over the age of 60……believe my Disney days are about over…..Universal sounding better an better…..
As a Visitor from the uk who loves Disney this is just sad. They are just out pricing themselves for people to visit. This was already a really expensive holiday to visit and stay in Disney for 2 weeks and it’s just getting unachievable for the normal family. All the perks have disappeared and now to have to pay for parking, extra to get a fast pass equivalent or even worse pay per ride for all the new rides. I wish people would boycott Disney then they might actually take notice.
How does this work with DAS pass???
Just wondering how this affects those with a disabled family member.
Done and done. Enjoyed visiting Disney in the past. Own DVC and will use them for rooms and a pool vacation. Hopefully we can use the “free” transportation from the hotel to a restaurant (but not in a park!) Of course the “free” transportation from the airport is gone. WDW you have ruined a wonderful experience. Please don’t blame Covid for this because there is just too much greed in your “World”!
Sarah at DFB, Thanks for your work on Genie, +, LL.
Our group of 7 have 4 separate WDW Resort Reservations. We are all on each others’ MDE “Friends List”. We plan to leave North Carolina on a Friday in Feb. 2022 and make WDW in time to only ride Avatar-Flight of Passage that day. Do you suspect we should “check into our rooms” on MDE/Genie in order to activate our ability to purchase all 7 Lightening Lanes at 7:00 a.m. that day?
On subsequent days of our weekend, do each of us 7 have 2 LLs available, so we’d have 14 total?
I already subscribe to and enjoy your daily dfblogs.
Unlike Genie+, can you purchase your 2nd Individual Attraction Selction before you have completed your first one?
TLDR version: Shift of focus from customer experience to increased revenue stream.
There was an interesting note in a BBC article about Disney Parks worldwide and this system as it’s rolling out. The change from the FastPass system to this indicates a fundamental shift in philosophy by WDC. Until now, the ride reservation system was designed to improve the customer experience. Instead, now it is about using the crowd management tools to create a revenue stream.
There is a lot of grumbling about it, but demand is so high for admission into the parks (even with surge pricing on tickets) that I don’t doubt people will adapt to the model.
One thing it does – it increases the revenue from annual passholders. These folks (present company included) bring in less revenue per visit than the vacationing ticketholder – depending on the level of pass purchased, and how often one visits, the cost per visit could be as low as $4 (that’s admittedly someone going every single day – like a member of the DFB staff, for example). Additionally, annual passholders spend less on food and merchandise per visit because it isn’t such a unique experience. So anything seen as a way to increase revenue from these particular visitors is bound to be considered a net positive, especially among shareholders.
Being a Disney World lover for over 40 years (our first visit was 1978), I have mixed feelings about the Individual pricing of attractions. I hate the increased costs that are making Disney World exclusive to the “well off” . However, both my wife and I came to the realization at the same moment…It’s the E ticket! I believe, It will have the effect of reducing the queues on the most popular rides.
You make it sound like it is WONDERFUL that I can still wait in line to go on all of the rides. That’s what I paid the Magic Your Way ticket for
The whole idea of Disneyland is one price for everything except food!!! The ticket prices are higher than ever and now only the “rich” can avoid lines when before with careful planning anyone could use the Fast Pass system. Also ridiculous is that you get 40 attractions to choose from for $15.00 at Disney World but only 15 attractions for $20.00 at Disneyland!!! Walt must be spinning in his grave.
While I believe it is terribly wrong to have such a high cost to enjoy the Disney World/Disneyland experience, we need to remember that the passport method was not begun until 1981. From 1955 you had to purchase either the ticket book or individual ride tickets. The “E” ticket, which was introduced in 1959, in 1970 was $.90 each. This costs in today’s value over $6 per ride. Now I find the price increases over the years really concerning, as they are obviously to increase the profit margins and not the experiences. But I believe one of the major decision points in increasing the cost is to reduce the number of people in attendance. If you have ever been to the parks on high attendance days, even the Fastpass+ queues were 20-30 minutes or more. This means fewer families will be turned away when the parks are at maximum. Additionally, the variable days pricing is designed to keep the attendance up by spreading it to low attendance days. A businessman’s view: Every park at maximum, no one turned away! As long as the cost per ride is reasonable and it shortens the wait, I am willing to pay for it.
This is just too sad for words. 😥
We are from the Uk. When we first booked our holiday for April 2020 – we had magical express, disney dining and fast pass. The pandemic has forced us to move the holiday several times. Although, we were meant to be in disney right now (Aug 2021) due to the US not opening the borders it has been moved again into next year. The new package had a price hike, there is now no disney magical express, no fast pass and no disney dining included…and the holiday price has increased, by a lot!!. I am very very disappointed as I am not having the holiday I origionally booked. We alway used to plan our days around our pre-booked fast pass selections. My Dad won’t cope well with the go with the flow of lightening lanes, I have not been able to tell him that Genie + will be adding a further £300 to the cost. (and Mears transfer costs) I am hoping I can pay for Disney Genie on the quiet before we go. How will things be charged in My Disney exprience. Can you run up a bill to pay at the end of the holiday? Or is it immediately charged to a card? Very very sad and disappointed. My Dad is in his Mid 80s and this was going to be our last trip as a family. Sadly it will be a little less magical than in previous years.