The Cinderella Castle, Walt Disney World in Florida. Roberto Machado Noa / LightRocket via Getty Images
FastPass is being retired by Disney World and Disneyland. This allowed users to skip lines without paying.
According to the parks, customers will need to pay $15-20 per ticket to skip lines.
Walt Disney World Resort will launch the Genie service and optional Genie+ addition on October 19.
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Disneyland and Walt Disney World have agreed that customers will be required to pay an additional fee to skip the lines on rides.
To access Disney Genie+, customers who wish to skip lines at Disney World will need to pay $15 per day and $20 per day at Disneyland. Space Mountain and Expedition Everest will require line-skipping, which can be purchased separately via the "a la carte" option.
In August, Florida and California's entertainment parks announced that they would end the FastPass perk. This allowed park visitors to skip lines without paying.
Genie, a service built into Disney's mobile apps, allows customers to create customized itineraries, join virtual lines and make reservations at restaurants. The parks stated that customers can use the Genie+ service to pay to skip lines or access rides through Lightning Lane entrances.
The pandemic caused severe damage to Disney's parks around the globe. They were forced to close for several months before reopening at a reduced capacity. According to the company's latest earnings results, its parks business has not returned profitability.
Continue reading: Disney rides high on Wall Street, but still faces seven major headaches, ranging from streaming wars and franchise fatigue to streaming wars.
The chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts Josh D'Amaro told The New York Times the Genie tool would generate revenue that Disney could use to reinvest in experiences. He also said that it is designed to enhance the customer experience.
Some customers may find it difficult to accept the additional charge after many years of being free to skip lines.
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D'Amaro stated that change is inevitable and it would take some time for guests to grasp what this means. We are confident in this tool's ability to improve guest experiences.
In July, Disneyland Paris also discontinued the FastPass perk.
The company announced that the new Genie service will be available at Walt Disney World Resort on October 19, along with the premium Genie+ features.
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