Disney announced that it will be making “Temporary” changes to the Lighting Lane and the Genie Plus app for certain attractions as well as Early Hours. Here are the following changes announced via Disney:
* Extra Park Time For Resort Guests: To celebrate the holiday season, from December 19, 2021 – January 3, 2022, the early theme park entry benefits for Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels will be extended from 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
* More Disney Genie Plus Attractions: From December 19, 2021 – January 3, 2022, the following attractions will be included in the Disney Genie Plus service and will not be included as an individual Lightning lane entrance purchase option: Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom), Frozen Ever After (EPCOT), Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Hollywood Studios) and Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom).
These changes will be temporary of course and are most likely meant to entice guests to visit during the Christmas season. Of course their most popular attractions at each park (except for Rise of the Resistance and Flight of Passage) are listed because they know people will most likely spend money to skip the lines on those. That’s usually how this thing works. As soon as the New Year hits you’ll have to go back to their usual waiting standards.
The Disney Genie app has been seen as controversial and only about a 3rd have been reported to be using it. The inconvenience of having to pay for a reservation in order to ride an attraction brings back the thought of ticket booths when the park originally opened.
This is a nice little surprise from Disney, but remember when the early entry and after hours were longer? And when you didn’t have to pay for a ride reservation? As time goes on you will slowly pay more for less. At least that’s what the current CEO, Bob Chapek thinks.
What do you think? Is it a cheap trick to entice more visitors? Or is it a genuine gesture of good will?
Source: WDWinfo
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