Disneyland’s Hidden Gem Ride Now Offering Way to Skip Line—Is it Sign of Mistake Coming?
While Genie+ and Single Rider are offered at several attractions throughout Disneyland as options to bypass the long standby line, there is a secret way to skip the line that has now been added to a hidden gem attraction.
Tucked into the charming Critter Country, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a family-friendly dark ride that takes you on an adventure aboard a giant beehive. You'll witness memorable scenes from Winnie the Pooh, from getting swept up in the wind with Pooh and friends to exploring Pooh's dream world of heffalumps and woozles.
Keep reading for the new secret way to skip the line for this attraction and our speculation on what this addition might mean!
Secret Way to Skip Winnie the Pooh Line
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is now offering a new way to skip the line, which is the Buddy Pass you'll also find at a hidden gem attraction at Disney California Adventure. The Buddy Pass, which is called the “Roo Pass” for Winnie the Pooh, works similarly to Single Rider (which allows you to split from your party and fill empty ride vehicle spots from parties in the standby line).
The Roo Pass allows small parties of one or two people together to fill the remaining spots. Ask the Cast Member at the attraction if these are being handed out, and if they are, you'll be able to join a separate line with others using the Roo Pass to fill the extra ride rows.
You can see the photo of the Roo Pass in the tweet below from Fresh Baked!:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh now offering buddy pass (or Roo pass). pic.twitter.com/zPIskgBjaG
— Fresh Baked! (@FrshBakedDisney) December 14, 2023
Keep in mind that the Roo Pass might not always be offered, so make sure to be respectful to the Cast Members if they say that is the case.
This new secret addition is convenient for smaller parties who can bypass the standby line for this family-friendly attraction without needing to split up. For attractions where a guest in your party is not able to ride, be sure to read our guide to Disneyland rider switch for everything you need to know.
Why Is Buddy Pass Being Added to Winnie the Pooh? Potential Mistake
It is interesting that the Roo Pass is being added for Winnie the Pooh, which is not one of the attractions that offers Genie+ Lightning Lanes at Disneyland. Right now, the average wait time for the attraction is typically very short, but the addition of this pass could indicate that Disneyland is anticipating a longer line. We really hope that this isn't a sign of a mistake to come.
There has been a recent trend of Disneyland adding Genie+ to more attractions, like the addition of the Little Mermaid ride at Disney California Adventure to Genie+, which was a surprising move given that the line always flowed smoothly for that attraction and the wait time was always less than 15 minutes. It was also just announced that Pirates of the Caribbean would be “temporarily” added to Genie+ while two major attractions in the surrounding area (Tiana's Bayou Adventure and the Haunted Mansion) are under construction.
Given the addition of the Roo Pass, we're wondering if this attraction could be the next addition to Genie+. If Genie+ is added, the standby line would get longer as guests take advantage of Lightning Lane entry. This effect was seen with the Monsters, Inc. attraction in Disney California Adventure which generally has had average wait times increase since the addition of FastPass and Genie Plus. Monsters, Inc. had a surprisingly high 90-minute wait time during the peak holiday season.
Given that the Roo Pass is being added to the attraction, we wonder if it could be a sign that Disney is considering adding Genie+, a move that would drive up the wait time for the attraction.
The real reason we are most frustrated by these additions of Genie+ is that they are much more for the benefit of the service than for the benefit of the guest. We sing the praises of Genie+ for those who really know how to use it well as we write in our guide and think it is a great addition for certain attractions, but we really don't like when the service is added for attractions that don't need the service. This just increases the perceived value of the service without solving any guest problem for the specific attraction.
See our top tips for Genie Plus below…
Before the FastPass service was replaced by Genie+, Disneyland did briefly offer FastPass for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 2003 when it first opened, and it was quickly removed due to lack of demand for the attraction. Hopefully, Disney looks back on that history and doesn't force the addition of Winnie the Pooh.
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