
A new year brings change for Walt Disney World Resort’s Disney Genie+.
The former FastPass+ system, now turned into the upcharge service of Disney Genie+, allows Guests to pay to skip the line via the Genie Lightning Lane on select attractions at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
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The pricing per person per day for Disney Genie+ ranges depending on the Walt Disney World Park crowd size. Recently, the price point has jumped to the high of $29 per person over the holiday season.
Adding an additional $29 (or $116 plus tax for a family of four) on top of Disney Park tickets can have an impact on the Disney budget. Not only are we learning that more and more Disney Park Guests are going into debt for Disney vacations, but even The Walt Disney Company CEO, Bob Iger, has been quoted saying the Parks are too expensive.
Alas, Disney Genie+ looks like it’s here to stay. And with a recent update, the former Disney Genie+ ticket add-on was officially eliminated at the turn of the new year.
On December 31, 2022, @ScottGustin took to social media to share, “On June 8, WDW tickets for 2023 went on sale and Disney eliminated the Genie+ ticket add-on. That means tomorrow (Jan. 1) will be the first day at WDW without guests using tickets that include the Genie+ ticket add-on. All guests will be purchasing same-day.”
Gustin goes on to report that there are “likely some exceptions (ex: people with 2022 tickets that were impacted by Hurricane Ian) – but it will be interesting to see if Genie+ availability is impacted with the ticket add-on no longer a factor.”
This means when visiting Walt Disney World, Guests will only be allowed to purchase Disney Genie+ on the day of their visit to the Park.
If willing to spend the extra money, much like purchasing an individual Lightning Lane attraction (rides that are not included in Genie+, such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind), we recommend purchasing first thing in the morning before the Genie service possibly sells out due to crowd level.
Keep in mind this new removal of the Disney Genie ticket add-on is currently only impacting Walt Disney World Resort. If purchasing tickets at Disneyland Resort for either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park, the Genie+ add-on is still available.
Want to learn more about Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World? Check out all the details here. Happy planning, Disney fans!