Planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort can be an overwhelming and complicated experience, especially if you have never been before. That is why Disney has its very own travel agents who can help guests plan out their trip. Disney travel agents can help guests book things like hotel and dining reservations, as well as help guests get the most out of each day.
Disney travel agents must follow a certain set of rules if they plan to work for or be approved by the Mouse House. One of those rules is that they are not allowed to charge guests for their services. Approved Disney Travel agents are compensated through the company, receiving a commission for each trip they book.
Despite the rules, it appears that a number of travel agents still try to find ways to make extra money from the guests. They apparently do this knowing that it is against the rules. And now they are being called out.
Related: 10 Insider Disney Tips From a Professional Travel Agent
TikToker Nicole (@nicolegeorge_) is a licensed Disney Travel Agent who absolutely loves what she does. She loves spending her days helping people plan the most magical vacation possible. And she HATES it when she hears that some Disney travel agents are charging guests who want or need help using Disney Genie+.
Related: Genie+: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
According to Nicole, some agents will actually charge guests who need help using Disney+ during their vacation. Now, agents are not required to help their clients use Disney Genie+ throughout the day. However, if they do agree to help their client use it, they are not allowed to charge for it. Disney compensates every agent for each Disney vacation they book.
The agent said that she angered an entire group of Disney travel agents when she said that she provided the Disney Genie+ service for free. Sometimes, she even gifts it to the family she is working with!
“If you are doing Genie+, you are already paying a good chunk of change to do Genie. Even when it’s the slow season, and you’re just doing Animal Kingdom… it’s like $14… But right now… you’re paying $30 to $40 per person per day. That’s just insane. Then you’re going to ask your travelers to pay even more on top of that for you to run it for them? No.”
@nicolegeorge__ Yup…also just wait for them to also hear Ill even gift Genie+ sometimes 🤭 #genieplus #geniepluspass #disneygenie #disneygenieplus #genieplustips #genieplustipsandtricks #wdw #travelplanner #disneytraveltips #disneytravelagent #disneytravelplanner
Nicole was not the only Disney-certified travel agent who was shocked to hear that some agents charge guests to help them book Disney Genie+. Kourt (@makingmagickourt) — another Disney travel agent — couldn’t understand how guests would pay to have their agent book their Genie+ reservations, on top of what they pay just to get Disney Genie+.
@makingmagickourt I mean if yall are dumb enough to pay it then I guess I respect the hustle 😂 #disneyparks #disney #travelagent disney travel agent drama #disneyworld #disneyland #disneytiktok disney tiktok drama #scam #travelplanner #traveltiktok travel agent scam #travelagentsoftiktok #drama #distok
While Nicole said that she would book Genie+ for any group she works with, Kourt said that she simply does not have the time. Nicole’s full-time job is as a travel agent, but Kourt has another job as well.
So, it is important to note that, if you are booking a magical Disney vacation through a Disney-certified travel agent, they ARE NOT allowed to charge you for things like Genie+ bookings. You can always ask if they will help you, but they are not required to. However, you can always ask for help from a cast member when you arrive at the parks.
What do you think of Disney travel agents who charge for extra services when they are not supposed to? Let us know in the comments!
By Disney’s rules, you are not supposed to log into someone else’s My Disney Experience account for any reason, so doing genie plus for free or not for free, for someone else is still against the rules…