Why Disney World Got Rid of FastPass

Walt Disney World veterans might be wondering — what happened to FastPass? And was it really as wonderful as we all remember it? Now that we’ve been using Disney Genie+, let’s look back at some FastPass history.

The FastPass lines are now called Lightning Lanes

Certainly, your park morning might look different now. Once upon a time, many of us would get up early in order to be at our first park of the day before rope drop. Then, the fastest family member was tasked with walking very quickly (and yes, there might have been some running!) to pick up FastPasses for the attraction that typically boasted the largest wait times throughout the day.

Paper FastPass tickets were used all around the world, including at Tokyo Disney Resort

You would need each family member’s ticket media (Keys to the Kingdom card or park ticket) and each would need to be inserted one at a time into the FastPass kiosk. Your reward: paper FastPasses — a skip-the-line, timed-ticket system for Disney attractions.

Fastpass Distribution Area for Tower of Terror

If you ever did this for Magic Kingdom’s mountains (Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, or Splash Mountain), EPCOT’s Soarin’ or Test Track, Animal Kingdom’s Everest, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, or Toy Story Midway Mania, you know what we’re talking about.

Big Thunder Mountain

Next, we mastered our touring plans with the debut of the FastPass+ system. And we liked it. We no longer had to be rope drop warriors!

EPCOT rope drop in the summer of 2021

And then… poof! Just as we had our touring plans perfected, Disney changed things up. Let’s quickly examine the history of this transition from paper FastPasses to the current Disney Genie+ system.

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History of FastPass to Disney Genie+

1999: Paper FastPasses are launched.

August 2, 2012: My Disney Experience app is introduced.

December 2013 – January 2014: Transition to FastPass+.

July 2017: Disneyland Resort Max Pass was the trailblazer for the paid FastPass concept.

2019: The Disney Genie service was initially announced at the D23 EXPO, boasting customized itineraries and real-time tips.

March 16, 2020: Disney World closes due to the pandemic.

July 11, 2020: Disney World begins a phased reopening of the theme parks. Park capacity is limited; thus, crowds are low. Disney uses this opportunity to shift the guest experience upon park reopening. First, FastPass+ is discontinued, and only standby lines are available.

August 2021: Disneyland Paris was the next to initiate paid FastPass after park reopening.

October 19, 2021: Walt Disney World rolled out new Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections.

Genie+

The transition from paper FastPasses (Legacy FastPasses) to FastPass+ coincided with the introduction of the MyDisney Experience app. This meant guests no longer had to run for FastPasses, but were able to reserve up to 60 days in advance (if staying on property). All others could reserve up to 30 days ahead.

Selecting attraction FastPasses

With FastPass+, Disney World visitors were only allowed to make a reservation for the same ride once per day. If you wanted to ride your favorite attraction again, you had to get in the standby or single rider line. This was a disappointment to guests visiting the parks to ride certain attractions.

Space Mountain

Thrill-seekers were dismayed by only getting one reservation per day for their favorite rides. Space Mountain, we’re looking at you!

An overview:

  • Legacy FastPass was relatively fair, it was free, and you did not have to plan weeks in advance. However, you were not able to choose attraction return times and if you park hopped, all FastPasses for the day could be gone when you got to the second park.
  • With FastPass+ guests were restricted due to attraction tiers within the parks, and reservation parameters for resort and non-resort guests. While it took away the spontaneity of your day because you had to book attractions weeks in advance, you also could plan your touring day ahead of time and didn’t need to be in the park to do so. If you weren’t a morning person, you could still plan a wonderful park day.
  • Disney Genie+ is a paid service and can get quite expensive, especially with surge pricing. To utilize this service, you must wake up early. Also, it takes some to learn how to make the most of the system. Many guests dislike that there is no option to preplan.

You can do so much with the My Disney Experience app!

Disney Genie, Genie Plus, and Lightning Lanes: Here’s EVERYTHING You Need to Know!

Why Did Disney Get Rid of FastPass+?

So, we’re still left wondering… why did Disney get rid of FastPass+? The company has stated that it was to improve the guest experience through managing overall park attendance and specifically lines at attractions, which looking at our above analysis is slightly misleading. It seems as if increased revenue may have been a more important factor. Has it really improved guest experience? It depends on who you ask!

That’s our look at Why Disney Got Rid of the FastPass System! Keep following DFB for the latest Disney news!



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What are your thoughts on why Disney got rid of FastPass+? It’s your turn to comment!

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