Disney World Finally Lets Its Genie Out of the Bottle
Change isn't always easy to implement when you're a theme park operator banking on nostalgia. A major update to the official Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) app kicks in on Tuesday, and it will polarize guests as they tap into one of the media giant's gated attractions.
There are a lot of things that Disney Genie does well -- and I speak from experience after a hands-on demo earlier this month. There won't be a lot of debate about the merits of the real-time experience optimization tools included in the free Disney Genie app. Drumming up customized itineraries, streamlined meal planning, and even killing time in queues with augmented reality selfie filters and audio descriptions of park landmarks will be winners if the launch isn't buggy.
The real sticking point will be Genie+, the platform where any guest can pay $15 for access to a limited number of return times to expedited Lightning Lane queues. Then you get to Lightning Lane+, where two of the most popular rides in each of the resort's four parks command a surcharge for one-time access to the faster-moving queue. It's a game-changing moneymaker for Disney if it works. It's toxic pixie dust if it flops.
Source Fool.com
