Niles: Did Disneyland make a mistake with Genie?

Did Disneyland marque a mistake with its caller Disney Genie service?

It definite looked that mode erstwhile Disneyland launched Genie earlier this month, lone to ticker it crash faster than Captain Rex connected Star Tours. That delighted immoderate fans who had been complaining that Genie’s associated paid line-skipping features were yet different cash-grab by the company.

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Disney’s IT squad rallied, however, and — successful the time-honored Disneyland contented — Disney Genie seems to person been working arsenic planned since its opening-day failure.

But was that program a bully one? Let’s commencement with the confusing labeling. Disneyland really has introduced 5 antithetic products here. There’s Lightning Lane, which is Disney’s caller sanction for its aged Fastpass queues. Then there’s the Individual Lightning Lane, which is simply a pay-per-use merchandise that allows you to entree the Lighting Lane erstwhile connected 1 of 3 fashionable attractions astatine the edifice for $7-20 a pop.

For different rides and shows, you entree Lightning Lane by purchasing Disney Genie+, which operates overmuch similar Disneyland’s aged MaxPass, but that you tin entree each idiosyncratic attraction’s Lightning Lane lone erstwhile per time now, alternatively of re-riding a favourite arsenic galore times arsenic it was available. To marque up for that loss, Disney Genie+ includes caller audio tours and features, which I accidental could beryllium considered a sixth caller merchandise here.

Finally, the halfway Disney Genie work connected the Disneyland app comprises 2 caller products: a “Tip Board” that displays hold times and edifice availability crossed the parkland and a “My Day” automated itinerary planner.

The useful Tip Board should beryllium the undisputed triumph here. The automated planner seems designed for Disney rookies who haven’t honed onslaught plans for the parkland done years of experience. But a statement rages implicit the worth of the upcharge Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane. (Can we conscionable telephone that past 1 Disney Genie Ultimate, instead?)

Fans were getting an astonishing woody from Disney with the escaped Fastpass service, truthful of people they are going to kick astir losing that. No 1 other successful the manufacture offered escaped line-skipping similar Disney did. Universal, Six Flags, SeaWorld and Knott’s each charged for their Fastpass-like products. Even astatine $20 a day, Disney Genie+ remains 1 of the cheaper options successful the industry.

By charging for Disney Genie+ and what I anticipation Disney renames Disney Genie Ultimate, successful mentation determination should beryllium less radical utilizing Lightning Lane than utilized the aged Fastpass. That should marque standby queues tally quicker. Limiting re-rides and directing caller visitors done the “My Day” planner besides should assistance Disney amended administer guests passim the park.

But it’s each truthful overmuch that it makes maine agelong for the comparative simplicity of Disneyland’s archetypal ticketing system. A-through-E insubstantial attraction tickets distributed fans crossed the park, allowed Disney to marque further gross from dense users and did not beryllium connected a finicky app oregon network. Maybe we ought to inquire Disney Genie to assistance a privation for their return.

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