One trip was April and one was October.
Maybe this was during the height of COVID when attendance was way down, but we went in early October 2021, right at the start of the 50th, a few weeks before they started
Genie+, and standby waits were NOT manageable at all. It was super crowded and frustrating and all the headliners had 60+ minute standby waits throughout most of the day. It was the least enjoyable trip we had had in years. I haven't been back since Genie+ was rolled out, so I can't judge first hand how it is now, but I vowed I wouldn't go back until there was some sort of FP system in place.
I agree that nobody likes to wait in line. When Fastpass was free in
Disneyland, I used it every visit.
But, as a passholder, given the choice between:
1. A paid version of Fastpass that I cannot add onto my pass, but that half of the ticketed guests buy.
2. A very expensive version of Fastpass that most people don't buy.
I'll chose #2. Now, if Disney would allow Passholders upgrade their passes to one that included Fastpass for the duration of their pass, I would consider it depending on the cost.
Bottom line: if Fastpass is necessary to truly enjoy one's visit to the park, then why sell passes that don't include it bundled into the pass? It almost seems like you are just selling a pass that doesn't include rides and attractions. And maybe that is Disney's intention here: get people into the parks buying merchandise and food, but if they want to do something that was previously free, get them to pay for that, too.
So, perhaps Disney's goal is to put
everything behind two paywalls: the main gate ticket or pass and then the additional payment for that specific thing (food, merch, parade, fireworks, rides, etc.) Very clever. I hate it, but it is very clever.