Disney World has gotten a lot of flack from park visitors about its Genie+ service. That was inevitable because the added-fee product replaced the free FastPass+ (arguably with something worse).
That's bound to leave a bad taste in people's mouths, but it's not the only complaint about the service. The Walt Disney (DIS) theme park also had Genie+ sell out multiple days over President's Day weekend. That's a tad troubling because variable pricing is designed to keep that from happening.
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But, while Genie+ has its critics, it has also proven to be very popular and the company is making an effort to make it more valuable. That includes giving people who pay for it access to part of Disney's PhotoPass service.
Image source: Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images
Disney Adds Free Photos to Genie+
The core Genie+ experience gives park visitors who buy it access to a shorter line at many (but not all) rides at a set time. People pay $15-29 per person, per day, for that feature which allows you to select a ride where you essentially get to cut the line. After you finish that ride, you can then select another experience.
Disney also has some Lightning Lane access that's sold separately from Genie+. Basically, the newest and most-popular rides aren't included in the base package and have their own fee. You don't actually need Genie+ to buy a Lightning Lane on the relatively few Disney World rides which are exempt from the service.
Now, to sweeten the offer for people on the fence about Genie+, the company has thrown in an added service that has nothing to do with ride access.
"Starting March 20, guests purchasing Disney Genie+ service will also receive digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction photos, taken in the park on the day of their purchase, at no additional charge," Disney shared in a press release.
This is a fairly brilliant move by the company because the photos are automatically taken and sharing a digital image with a customer essentially costs the company nothing.
"Attraction photos are taken while in the parks at more than a dozen of our most popular attractions including Space Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, Expedition Everest, and more," Disney added.
Disney Brings Avengers Movie Musical to Real World
Bringing a musical that was referenced in a Disney+ TV show to real life is the kind of reality-bending move that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become known for. "Rogers: The Musical" was a fictitious Broadway show featuring all the Avengers, but focused on the life of "Captain America" Steve Rogers that was a plot point in the "Hawkeye" TV series.
Snippets of the musical appeared there, mostly for comedic effect, but now the fake musical has become a real one.
"Starting this summer for a limited-time engagement, a short one-act version of 'Rogers: The Musical' will debut on the Hyperion Stage inside California Adventure Park," Marvel.com reported.
"In the show, all the Avengers are invited to New York for the premiere of the brand new, showstopping musical but only Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, shows up. The MIA Avengers don’t know what they’re missing, though, as viewers are treated to a musical number based on The Battle of New York…though a few creative liberties have been taken here and there," the website added.
Disney Parks confirmed that the fake musical would become a real one on its Twitter feed.
"A timeless story of a timeless hero! A short one-act musical is coming for a limited time this summer to Disney California Adventure Park," the company shared.
