Lately, it seems like every time we turn around, there’s a new price increase or exorbitant price tag attached to a Disney experience (looking at you, Galactic Starcruiser!). Just when we got used to paying extra for airport transportation, Disney made FastPasses an additional fee. Then, just when we got used to paying extra to skip the lines, Disney introduced surge pricing on its Genie+ service. It’s not cheap to visit Disney World, that’s for sure!
The Magic Kingdom can get SUPER busy around the holidays!
With all the recent price increases, we’re left wondering, if Genie+ hit $35 and sold out this spring, how high will the price go this summer?
For those that are unfamiliar, Genie+ is a paid FastPass-like service. The price starts at $15 per day per ticket at Disney World, though the price changes based on the crowd level on any given day. If you pay for this service, you’ll be able to reserve a return time and use various rides’ Lightning Lanes (previously the FastPass+ lanes) to skip the standby lines.
Lightning Lane sign at Beauty and the Beast show
Now, Disney had a lot going on in the parks this spring. There were some runDisney events, a BIG attraction opening, a returning fireworks show, and Easter weekend, all happening around the same time. As you can imagine, the Disney World parks were crowded. Very crowded.
The spring break crowds came in full force
Thanks to Disney’s new surge pricing measures, the cost of Genie+ increases with the crowd level. So, when the parks were feeling extra full, the Genie+ price skyrocketed to $35 per person per day. And sold out.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster can end up with some HIGH wait times!
For reference, we tracked the price of Genie+ throughout the month of April and found that the price remained at $35 from April 4th to April 14th. Interestingly, by the end of the month, the price was back to the LOWEST reported price we’d seen in a long time. On April 23rd, Genie+ was $15 per person per day. What a difference just a few weeks can make!
By late April, the crowds shrunk!
Clearly, Disney is not afraid to hike (and lower) the price of Genie+. So our question remains: What kind of prices can we expect to see this summer? Well, Easter is commonly known as one of the busiest weeks of the year in Disney World, but the Fourth of July week is generally considered an even BUSIER time in Disney World. Considering that many expect the Disney parks to be even MORE crowded this summer, will the price of Genie+ rise with the crowd level? Could the price exceed $35?
Genie+
Keep in mind that this is all speculation, as Disney shares the price of its daily Genie+ service day-by-day. The price of Genie+ could reach $40, or it could plateau at $35 — only the Genie pros in Disney HQ know the answer to our question!
The Lightning Lane comes in handy on a busy day!
Considering Genie+ sold out even when it was priced at $35 proves that there is still a demand for the service despite the higher cost. With that logic in mind, Disney could charge as much as it wants for Genie+, though guests might not be happy about it.
Tower of Terror Lightning Lane sign
Between catering to the crowd level and managing guest satisfaction, Disney must walk a fine line to keep park guests and Genie+ users happy. As summer approaches, we’ll continue to monitor the price of Genie+ and look out for major changes. In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more!
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Gigi, when the Genie Plus is said to be SOLD OUT, how many people are in the park and how many Genie Plus was sold that day? Please let me know. In addition, when the Genie Plus is SOLD OUT, is it possible that the Genie Plus line can have a longer WAIT than the Stand By line wait. Please let me know, Gigi
If everyone stopped using/paying for Genie+, it would go away.
Genie+ is like a 3rd World election– one candidate, and everyone MUST vote. The results are predictable; 100% of the people voted for the dictator.
But people will keep using it and paying for it because they want to get to the head of the line. If you’re complaining about high prices and how FastPass needs to come back, then you shouldn’t be paying for Genie+. It’s that simple.
Hi Ron. Unfortunately, I can not give you those numbers. Disney doesn’t release that kind of information. As far as having a longer line as the standby line when Genie+ is sold out for the day, we haven’t seen anything like that. Usually they’ll try to empty the Lightning Lanes as fast as they can. The result would be that the standby line would have a longer wait.