If you had your very own Genie and could make three wishes what would they be? There are times as a travel agent when I feel like genie because I am passionate about granting your vacation wishes! Incredibly enough, Disney has now made my job a whole lot easier with the new Disney Genie coming this fall to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Today I would like to introduce you to "A Whole New World" of technology, and how I think you are going to love these new features.
Disney Genie Complimentary Service
I will admit, when I first heard of this new service I was not ready to roll out the welcome carpet. Mostly because I love creating detailed park itineraries, helping my friends, family and now clients have their best Disney day. However, I do believe this complimentary service will serve my clients by maximizing your daily park plans in real time.
In your Disneyland or My Disney Experience App, this feature will be available to check the attractions, entertainment, top picks and interests. Basically, telling your Disney Genie all of your vacation wishes, but don't worry... you will be allowed more than three. It then takes all of this information to layout a park plan flow creating the perfect day.
Here is the important part and something I am unable to provide since I can't join you on your family vacation. This service will continue to update your itinerary throughout your day, so you can be more spontaneous and go with the flow. What this means is it will calculate wait times into your plans in order to maximize the amount of Disney day wishes that come true. This is something I wish I could do, but anything I print on paper cannot magically factor in real time information.
Personally, when I have taken my vacations I have always had my plan on paper, and then as we went throughout our day, we would be flexible based on wait times and other factors. Well now there is no need to worry about going with the flow, because your Disney Genie will guide you throughout your day. Now with that said, there are still many reasons and benefits for working with a Disney Travel Expert such as myself, but this feature just became a game changer for your family vacation.
Disney Genie+ Service
Now let me tell you about a service that people are not too excited about, but I am here to tell you why I think this could ultimately be a good thing. We knew it was only a matter of time, but Fast Pass services are retiring to make way for the new Genie+ service. This is an additional fee of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World, and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort. This service allows guests to choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the new Lightning Lane entrance. This will allow for one selection at a time for classic and sought out rides such as Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run.
This service also includes themed audio experiences and photo features to capture memories. This includes augmented realty lenses (such as snap chat) for Walt Disney World, and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads for Disneyland Resort.
Now I said this could be a good thing and here is why... Statistically speaking, people generally prefer not to pay the extra fees for these type of services. If that remains true, I believe this could maximize your vacation even more as Lightning Lane wait times could be very minimal since the service is no longer free. This is just my theory, but Universal Studios Theme Parks have been offering paid fast pass services for years, and based on my experience the extra fees have always been worth purchasing in the end.
Individual Attraction Selections
So here is another possible "Diamond in the Rough"... Highly demanded attractions such as Seven Dwarfs MineTrain at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park will offer additional pricing, subject to limited availability in order to use the Lightning Lane entrance. This service will be limited to two options per day, and price will vary by date, attraction and will be announced closer to launch date.
Now, I know what you are thinking, and this is not the greatest news I get to share with my clients, but again I believe there could be some overall benefits with purchasing these exclusive services. Check out the video below to learn more about the new features of Disney Genie launching October 19th at the Walt Disney Resort in Florida.
Disney Travel Expert: A Friend Like Me
Now I do highly recommend at the very least you take advantage of the complimentary service of Disney Genie. As your Disney Travel Expert, I will offer all of my Disney knowledge suggestions and recommendations, especially if this if your first trip, or you don't plan to return anytime in the near future. I also have my top recommended restaurants for the parks and resorts, and if you decide to purchase Disney Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane passes, I will share which attractions and entertainment are worth the investment.
Either way, these services do not replace the immense benefits of working with a knowledgeable agent like myself, and because I am paid a commission by Disney, my services are 100% free!
So in summary..."You've Never Had a Friend Like Me!"
Photo of my brother and me with Genie at Disneyland Resort in 1994
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