A trip to disneyland shouldn’t be this confusing. I get what you’re saying but this just too much for a day I’d rather forget about everything. If I want this much rigamarole I’ll just go to work. It’s going to be awhile until I go back to Disneyland.

After watching the Defunctland Fastpass deep dive video, and this video, i am already dearly missing the fast pass ticket system. It was free, and accessible for everyone and not hidden behind a paywall or a phone. This system makes it so a smaller percentage of people have a ride filled day, and everyone else spends all day in lines.

The misconception is that Genie was created to make the customer’s day easier. Wrong! Genie was created to maximize Disneyland’s ability to make money. Why is Genie sending you to the other side of the park when an attraction the user selected is open and ready with a low wait time? It’s so the customer has ample opportunity to walk past the shops, restaurants and food carts along the way. If Genie tells you to hop on Toad’s right after Snow White then Disney misses the opportunity to sell you merch and food. However, if Genie has you walk to Pirates after riding Snow White, well, there’s a whole slew of shops and food carts along the way. This service was not created to make our day easier, no matter what they say.

Thanks! This is the main reason I watch you guys. I often get clear, concise information about things in the parks that are actually quite useful despite my inability to get there more than every few years. This video is one of the better explanations of Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane I've watched, and believe me, I've watched quite a few. Keep up the good work, and I hope I can shout out "Fresh Baked!" to you and Liz one of these years.

Should've just kept max pass goodness anyhow the video was very helpful

Taking our family to DL and DCA from Indiana in February. This is exactly the clear explanation of all of this I've been looking for. I've been to DL and DCA many times, but this might be a once in a lifetime type trip for our kids, so thank you for such a clear and cohesive explanation.

Dude -- That was phenomenal. Great job!! Very thorough and exceptionally detailed. Know that you've affected me and about 200 of my friends with your awesome explanations.

Visited last week for 3 days(family of 5). We only used the free genie our whole trip and bought Rise on our last day. Wait times in the morning sucked our first 2 days waiting about 2-2.5hrs for Space and Cars. We had no issues later on in the day and at night getting on all the rides we wanted. This by far was our best trip so far(went this summer and oogie boogie). Lighting lane does hinder the wait times but if you have a focused plan of attack it will all work in your favor. Thanks for all the great content🤗

Thanks for making this video! You are the only person that had broken genie+ down in a way that I can understand! ❤

Thank you for making a “genie plus for dummies” lol I truly needed the repetition of information simplified for me to understand/remember it all! Crazy…

Love your honesty! At my age I have a difficult time with technology. You make it so much easier to understand. I'm almost afraid to go to Disneyland. I went just before covid and decided I wasn't going to ride rise of the resistance because I didn't understand how to reserve a place. I love Disney, but am terrified of all the changes that I don't understand. I live 5000 miles away, so it's a very expensive trip. I just want to visit Disney at Christmas time. Not sure that's going to happen. In the meantime, I'm glad that you'er there so that I can enjoy the park with you and your family. Happy New Year! Keep making videos!

The main thing I don't like is that you can only do one LL ride each day. Meaning, I can't do LL for space mountain 2 or 3 times in a day, just once.

Excellent explanation David. Hopefully this will help clear up the confusion for many. The problem I have with Genie+ is the cost. Let me explain. Before the “shut down” I had an Annual Pass to which I added Max Pass. The extra cost was $100 for the whole year. Under the present Magic Key “pass” system that’s no longer available. Instead if I want the equivalent of Max Pass or close to it I have to pay $20 per visit plus an extra fee for the three “premium” rides. It’s easy to see that I could quickly exceed the cost of my Max Pass add on and easily exceed that $100 cost. Obviously I won’t be using Genie+ nor pay the Lightning Lane fee for the “premium” rides thus my experience at Disneyland will be adversely affected by this change. Am I upset? Not really, just disappointed. It may even affect my decision to renew my Magic Key next year.

Wow! Best Life and Beyond provided useless information in regards to Genie. This was a thorough explanation. Thank you.

Way worse than MaxPass. Genie+ costs more, cannot be added to Magic Keys, limits attractions to 1 ride per visit, and does not include every ride. I know Disney wants more money, they should just raise the ticket/pass price. Look, if your parks are having lots of people come and lines are a problem, increase the ticket price. I know Disney is already expensive, but the overall guest would be happier if they paid more to get into the park and had a pleasant experience inside the park. Guests are coming into the park and HATING it. My friend went the day after Christmas (I know this is a terrible day to go), but they will never go again because of the necessity of Genie+ and paying for other rides and the overall terrible setup of what guests must do. They like to show up and experience the park. Disney, as a Magic Key owner, I've spent my last dollars inside the park. I dine at the local restaurants, park in the nearby neighborhood and walk to the park, bring my own food and drinks in, and will never buy genie+. I still visit the park, but it will be free and on uncrowded weekdays. If I see improvement on the quality and experience in the parks, then I may revert my current stance, but this is where we are at currently. Thank you FreshBaked for giving a lot of insight and info on these features. I know you are not a total fan of the newer systems and hopefully Disney changes it in the future.

Get rid of everything! Magic keys, any form of an AP, genie, genie+, LL and all the rest of this bs. Go back to daily ticket sales, keep the reservation system and go back to the old free fast pass. Keep it simple. Buy a ticket, go to the park, have fun. No phones required. Not that hard to figure out.

Thank you David. This will be so helpful when it comes to my family that is coming this summer with us and they haven’t ever been to Disneyland.

THANK YOU for explaining these topics this way. So simple and repetitive (which actually helps :)

This video was actually helpful, unlike the other thirty videos I’ve watched. Thanks for great content!

This video was so helpful, wow! I was so confused with LL and you summed it all up in 10 minutes

Great video. Very concise and to the point unlike other rambling videos I've tried to get through.

Great explanation. You might want to mention that unlike Disney World. Disneyland’s Genie + includes Photo Pass. So for solo or family travelers the price could be worth it. When I go to the parks solo I often would buy Maxpass but wouldn’t really use the fast pass portion but would hit up all the photo pass options. One of my favorite photos of all time is me sitting in the teacup taken by a photopass photographer.

I find it weird they didn’t call “Genie+” “Lightning Lane”, and then rename the premium rides to “Lightning Lane+”. Just seems way clearer to me. Also my love for the genie can remain intact that way and I won’t feel like he’s bilking me when I get to the park.

David, you always do a great job explaining things. So much so that this video makes me want this product even less than before. Keep up the good work.

This was incredibly helpful and onformative. I was really confused about the whole setup before watching. Thank you!

I have been trying to figure this out for the past 2 years and this video cleared it all up for me! What a great video. Thank you 🙏

Enjoyed the video, really cleared things up. The only thing you might have clarified for folks (in case it wasn't already clear) is the $58 you mentioned which is the max you would pay if you included the extra payment rides is PER PERSON. That $58 turns to $232 for a family of four. Am I doing the math right? If so, that's just crazy.

This is the best video I’ve found on this subject! I’m taking my family there for the first time soon and it’s a bit stressful to figure this stuff out. Thank you for this in-depth guide!

Hi Fresh Baked! I wanted to thank you. I used your videos to plan my vacation to Disney with my boyfriend. And honestly you saved my vacation. If you didn’t make such amazing videos I would of been completely lost during my vacation. Because of your tips I was able to plan our vacation and we where able to enjoy the parks. I would’ve never thought to get their rope drop, which saved us so much time or your rise of resistance tricks. I hype all of your videos to any of my friends that are planning on vacation to Disney. I wanted to take this time and say thank you cause without your videos I would not of been able to enjoy my vacation. Thank you truly on the bottom of my heart thank you.

Thank you for this video! I just bought tickets this morning and I was so confused about it until I saw this video!! ✨

This is a good break down. You do gloss over the fact that Genie+ is 20 dollars each. A family of 4 pays 80 dollars for a privilege that was free before

Well done. No useless chatter. Right to the point! Thank you!

I would definitely be interested in a guide (or tips) on how to maximize ride count via standby and single rider queues w/o Lightning Lane. Because as someone who barely has the chance to visit, I don't know the trends on when wait times go up or down throughout the day (other than the obvious demand changes based on heat or rain).

Thanks for the clarification.

I don't mind waiting in line, it's the experience that matters when you're in line. You might even get to know some really nice folks in line. Genie+ Not for me.

Gosh...I do miss the old times. Walt would be saddened to see what his creation has now become.

I am at Disney now over winter holidays with teenagers. The best thing to do in my opinion for this age group is to go to early magic hours which are an hour before the park opens if you stay at a Disney affiliated resort and don’t buy Genie plus. This is difficult to get them out of bed but worth it. At 7am online buy lightening passes for the toughest rides to get and during the extra magic hours (there are some at night too) do all the other rides that are hard to get. By 10am we have done all the rides we want and go back to the hotel to sleep, go to the pool, shopping or mini golf… at night do dinner and the musicals and fireworks which don’t require anything.

We plan to be there Spring break. Looks like I should budget for Genie+.

Great job on this David! Thanks for the clarification provided especially for those of us who don’t visit often since we live in the Midwest.

Great content as always. Was a pleasure meeting you today. Lol sorry if i startled you. Wasnt expecting to see you when i turned around

I'm a grandma who hasn't been to DW since my kids were little. I find DW trip planning is very confusing and worse than planning a European vacation. In May I'm taking my family with 3 kids 4,6,and 8. This video is helpful in understanding Genie +. My question is - does one person in the family download the app and use for everyone or does every member, 7 of us, have to have the app? Which would cost 7x$20. Is the $20 a cost per day or for my entire week at DW?

It does clear things up for me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I went to Disney in 2006 and it wasn’t over populated. It’s crazy the stories I hear now

This is absolutely by far the best explanation of how this all works. Thank you so much #freshbaked!

Thank you for the easy to understand breakdown. I have a trip planned but I am unsure if these features will benefit me. I wish that all of the lighting lane rides were included and I don't like the flexible cost on aspect. I also wish that they were not limited to 1 ride a day. It will be interesting to see if this evolves or if Disney digs their heels in.

Thank you so much! This video was awesome! I was so confused on the Genie+ and lighting lane. You made it all so much easier to understand!

I didn’t see that you mentioned that Genie+ includes PhotoPass. That alone can make Genie+ worth it if you like doing photos in the parks or like ride photos.

This is the best video about this abomination of an app lol. I was there on Christmas day though I wasn't Vlogging. Great Job David.

I'm looking forward to your video on how to strategize your day without using Genie+ because there's no way I'm paying for that! Thank you for explaining the differences between the three terms. That's one of the reasons why I think the Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lanes were a bad idea...because the terms are confusing to understand.

Thanks David! You always get to the main point and info on what we Muffins need to know!

Thank you. We are going for the first time this Saturday and this really helped!

I just can’t wait for the warm weather to return to come back to the park I hate the winter season

Thank you Fresh Baked 🥰

Great recap

I appreciate the clarity! Looking forward to the most efficient day in Disneyland without genie+ video! As much as genie+ may be helpful for those with only a day the cost adds up. It was already a challenge to pay for the admission. Thanks again!

Very, very helpful... Thank you!

You finally convinced me to keep the Genie+ service I was about to get rid of once I found out you still have to pay more for the most popular rides. Other vids on here tell me the average wait time on stand by is 10-20 minutes less than posted. Still, I'll be from out of state so it sounds like it'll be beneficial to use the Plus service on busier days, and since there's no extra charge for fast pass on most other rides, it'll be worth it. Great information in under 15 minutes! Thanks.

The indelible David Erickson telling it like it is! We used LL at DLR and one thing to note: if the ride you reserved is not available at the time, Genie+ gives you a sort of a “choose any ride you want” which I thought was great. What I didn’t like is if you reserve a ride that is in demand and your ride time is 2 hrs from now, you are locked out from reserving rides that are available immediately. If they can at least give a 1 hr range of Genie+ allowing us to reserve another ride if the other ride is 2-3 hrs out, that would be great.

This was SO clear, concise and HELPFUL! Thanks so much!!

Thank you for the helpful video explaining the differences. Can’t wait to test it out my self in February. Do you have any tips or tricks for vday week at Disneyland?

I think it’s stupid they kept “lightning” for both lightning lane and individual lightning lane. That’s so confusing.

Thank you FreshBaked! You explain Genie Plus the best.

Hey Fresh Baked!!

Thanks very much for the clear explanation. Really appreciate all you do to bring us relevant content and keeping us all updated.

perfect explanation. i was so confused but phenomenal job.

Thank you for such a simplified explanation!! Much appreciated 🙏

Great explanation! Many thanks!

I went to Disneyland in 2017 and then it was Fastpass. Went again in early 2020 and it was Maxpass. Now we're going this summer and it's Genie+. I have to learn a new system every time we go.

Great video! This actually made me understand all of this genie+ nonsense. So for rise and webslingers there is no virtual queues anymore?

How about if you don't have a cellphone? I know most people do, but maybe guests from out of country may not have roaming capability?

Genie @1.00 4:25 Genie+ 6:21 rides not included in LL (fastpass) 8:55 individual ride LL cost

Just wake up early you can save yourself time & money.

EXCELLENT job. Thanks so much for explaining this!

Very helpful resource for my upcoming trip. It was necessary to explain this like we’re idiots 👍

Amazing explanation!!! Thanks

We are doing genie plus because my fiancé soon to be husband in 5 months isn’t patient so I thought having genie plus will be perfect for lighting lane!

Dave thank you for taking the time to explain everything so well, this video is truly the video that our visiting families need to watch/. So glad you are now “retired”!

They need to go back to the drawing board with this and bring back fastpass and all the other free and complimentary things!

It's basically pay $20 for fast pass and another $20 for the popular rides...

So is the Disneyland app obsolete now? And how come I always have to log into my account after I'm logged into my app?

This info was great, thank you!

Super helpful! Thanks!

Lovely editing

So this is basically Genie+ = MaxPass But completely took the point of of what the maxpass was… you can only book a reservation ONCE per ride. That’s such a rip off. The best part of MaxPass/FastPass is you can literally book them back to back over and over again and ride the rides over and over again. Now if you don’t wanna standby , you can ride all the rides on Genie+ once a day and then that’s it. You just wait in the lines for the remainder of the day. I am so disappointed in Disney for actually even considering taking this Direction. I can honestly see guest satisfaction going down when the busy seasons start. And I hope they do. I used MaxPass for 3 years straight and I would literally never be off any ride. I would ride all the rides back to back even on busy seasons. It was truly magical. Now this is jigs dumb. I’m so disappointed.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THIS! Much appreciated on the breakdown of understanding Disneyland now a days. :) It's just getting ridiculous, but let's see if it's the same as it was!!!!!

Legit quick carefully curated good advice.

Great video explaining!

Explained very well. Thank you.

Welllll im going back to Disney w the same girl from last year 😂💪🏼 I’m back for updates and all that

Thank you. Great video. Told us exactly what we needed to know

Thanks for repeating. I definitely understand it now great video no joke.

I work for a university and we have a partnership with Disney. I work with a lot of students who are Disney performers and they are so nice. Disney knows how to hire friendly employees.🙂 I even spoke with a student who just finished on stage. You could hear the music in the background.

This was helpful. thanks.

This was extremely helpful. Thank you!

My only issue with Genie + is that it should include ALL the attractions as Maxpass used to do

Total money grab by Disney. One of the reasons why we didn't renew our annual passes after the re-opening. I remember when we were annual pass holders we could add MaxPass for a set price, I think it was $80? to our pass good until our pass expired. Now you have to pay for that Genie+ each time you visit and cannot add it for one set price to your annual pass. MaxPass was great and totally worth it. If you only visit once, Disney knows that you are much more likely to purchase Genie+ as you will not want to spend most of your valuable time waiting in line.

So for somoene who wants to ride rise, when would be the best time of day to attempt it?

too much money you ask me David

Thank you for the amazing explanation!!

Excellent video!! 🌟