Magic

Famous quote:

"All Magic comes with a Price".

And much confusion.

I think that's the whole idea. 

There's little doubt that prices at Disney have gone into the upper stratosphere. The concept to raise prices to control over crowding has completely failed to control crowds and enhance the guest experience... but has elevated prices to extraordinary levels. Wait times for everything is worse than ever.  Park admission has never been higher with even higher prices on dates and times of peak attendance. The cost of food, drinks, and snacks,  as well as merchandise has also risen exponentially. 

So yes... All magic comes with a price. 

Add to this the extra costs intended to cope with the longer wait times.  In the beginning,  there was the "fast pass" system.  Free and included with the price of admission. Everyone was on an even playing field, there was no special advantages to be bought... except for the lesser known VIP privileges for the rich and famous that were kept very low keyed. Everyone felt equal for the price of admission. 

Then everything changed... along came " lightning line passes" that you could buy... The old fast passes at a price. Then came "Genie" and "Genie+", which also came with a price. Then the all too long but short lived park reservations system requiring both a ticket and reservation to get into the any park.... with restrictions on park hopping.  And while the reservation is now suspended... and new restriction is looming. Certain parks, certain days of peak usage... like summer vacations and weekends... adults without a child will not be allow to enter the park. Another big controversy. 

The lightning line passes, Genie, and Genie+, and how to use them seems to be cumbersome and confusing, not to mention the high price that comes with their use. And the wait times even with them is still worse than the standby lines from a mere 5 years ago. 
So yes, you gain an advantage over current standby lines, so instead of a standby wait of 3 hours, now it's perhaps 60-90 minutes. 

And... The more people that use it to gain an advantage simply make the so called advantage even more crowded and the wait times much longer.  

As for us... We are accustomed to prices, waits, and systems from years ago. So us returning to Disney ever again remains unlikely. Too many changes, too high prices, too cumbersome systems.  

Nothing is simple... in fact costly and complicated. Prices are outrageous. But if you must go... You better learn the current systems and how to use them to gain at least some small advantage.  

HERE'S SOME INFORMATION FROM A Fb Site. GOOD LUCK. 
It's a tangled web of complicated confusion. 
Ending in something much less than magical. 

So... What's it all gonna cost?

Much more than you imagined.