Genie+ Ticket Add-On Eliminated at Disney World
Walt Disney World announced 2023 vacation packages, and with that, the end of the Genie+ ticket add-on. This post covers details about the length-of-stay prepaid Lightning Lane booking option, why it’s being eliminated, and other thoughts.
With the launch of new bookings, Walt Disney World is making an “adjustment” to how guests purchase Disney Genie+ service, which “remains popular and in high demand” amongst guests. Disney states that this is being done because the goal from the outset has been to “launch, learn and evolve” after seeing how guests are using this service.
To that end, starting June 8, 2022, the Disney Genie+ will only be offered for purchase through the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit. There will no longer be an option to purchase this service pre-arrival as a ticket add-on for dates remaining in 2022 and in 2023.
This means that, moving forward, whether you have an Annual Pass, multi-day or 1-day ticket, you may only purchase Disney Genie+ service on the day of your visit via the My Disney Experience app, one day at a time, subject to availability. (This “subject to availability” verbiage also suggests Genie+ could sell out, which is not something we’ve seen happen previously.)
Walt Disney World states that its focused on delivering the best possible guest experience, and this adjustment will help manage the incredibly strong demand for Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
If you’ve already purchased Walt Disney World park tickets that include Disney Genie+ service for dates later in 2022, don’t worry. You’ll still be able to use the service during your visit–nothing changes for you.
Moreover, this update is also only happening at Walt Disney World (the one in Florida) and will not affect sales of the Genie+ add-on at Disneyland Resort (the one in California). The paid FastPass services vary on each coast.
With this announcement, Walt Disney World has again reiterated that, on average, guests who purchase Disney Genie+ service will be able to enter 2-3 attractions or experiences each day using the Lightning Lane entrance when the first selection is made early in the day.
This is something we first covered last month, and it’s interesting to see Walt Disney World reiterate this stance even after this and other tweaks. (Read more in Genie+ Really is Paid FastPass+ at Walt Disney World.)
This might seem like a curious change, with Walt Disney World leaving money on the table by choosing not to lock guests into Genie+ for the duration of their trip. While that’s definitely true, it’s also a pragmatic and measured move.
As for the “why” of this, it more or less mirrors all of the recent decisions around Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World. If you’ve read commentary to our recent Genie+ posts, all of the following will sound familiar…
This move to eliminate the Genie+ ticket add-on comes after Walt Disney World moved Individual Lightning Lane attractions to Genie+. With that, Expedition Everest, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Frozen Ever After, Space Mountain, (plus Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure starting on May 31, 2022) are all included in the flat-rate Disney Genie+ service and will not be sold a la carte as Individual Lightning Lanes through at least August 7, 2022.
The reason those attractions were moved over to Genie+ was to add attraction capacity to the service. Stated differently, increase supply to help meet demand.
That change was made prior to the peak spring break season, back when crowds were once again starting to overwhelm the Genie+ system. As has been covered elsewhere, February was the busiest month in the last two years (at the time), and then March managed to top it and be even worse. April was on track to surpass March through the first two weeks, but falling crowds in the second half of the month brought its average down.
To make a long story short, the goal with moving an attraction from each park down to Genie+ was to avoid a repeat of the week before Thanksgiving, when Genie+ Collapsed in Crowds. Before these rides were moved over to the Genie+ service, many readers complained of limited ride reservation availability. (It has also happened since, but we’ve noticed overall “dissatisfaction rates” have ticked down slightly.)
Eliminating the Genie+ add-on will have a similar effect of rebalancing supply and demand. Except instead of increasing supply, as was the case with shifting Individual Lightning Lane attractions to the Genie+ service, this should reduce demand.
Rather than buying the Genie+ add-on for the duration of at trip as as a matter of convenience, guests will have to deliberately purchase Genie+ each day of their visit. The end result will be fewer people purchasing it, as many guests will realize they don’t want or need Genie+ (or both). Others will review their spending and decide it’s not a pragmatic purchase.
On a tangentially related note, this also explains why the Genie+ ticket add-on is not being eliminated at Disneyland Resort: because there’s no shortage of supply nor is demand for Genie+ as high as it is at Walt Disney World.
Disneyland is incredibly ride-dense, with more than enough capacity to accommodate everyone who wants to use the Genie+ service. (This is also why Genie+ is “easiest” to use at Magic Kingdom, despite that park probably having the most demand/sales of the service at Walt Disney World.)
It also helps that the California parks skew more towards locals, who are less inclined to purchase line-skipping access. They don’t have the same sense of urgency to experience attractions as tourists.
When this add-on was first announced, we called it a “savvy move” on Walt Disney World’s part because guests don’t know how many days they’ll want Genie+ before actually using it. Whether it’s a matter of overestimating its usefulness or peace of mind, there’s a high probability that consumers buying the Genie+ add-on will spend far more than those who would purchase it on a daily basis, even if they buy the Genie+ add-on option at a “discount.”
It’s like the Disney Dining Plan all over again! (That comparison wasn’t a joke–the idea is exactly the same behind the two product offerings.)
One of the things we’ve stressed in our Genie+ and Lightning Lane coverage is that it’s not necessary in every park or every day of your trip. Even as we’ve been more optimistic and positive about Genie+ than most readers, we’ve still cautioned against buying the length-of-stay add-on. It’s just not necessary for the vast majority of guests.
It’s one thing as a blogger trying to hack the system and test maximizing my ride count for the sake of research and putting together planning resources. I cannot fathom visiting Walt Disney World like a normal human and needing Genie+ for every single day of a week-long vacation. I’d maybe want it for 3 days–perhaps more during peak season just as a safety net.
Then again, I’m also someone who only leveraged the Disney Dining Plan for ‘bite-sized’ trips and would far prefer to simply pay out of pocket for food during longer vacations. Just like I’m not good enough at eating to maintain the value proposition for a longer visit, I’m not good enough at riding rides to utilize Genie+ for that long.
After a few too many sugary cupcakes, I hit a wall and crash into a food coma, tongue stained from artificial colors. Likewise, my body can only handle so many thrill rides in a week. (Perhaps this all says more about me getting old than anything else, but I digress.)
That more or less summarizes my perspective on the Genie+ ticket add-on being eliminated. It’s interesting and promising that Walt Disney World is willing to leave money on the table with the Genie+ service, and reducing demand is an unequivocal positive.
I’m sure that many Walt Disney World fans will nevertheless be upset about this, preferring the ease of pre-purchasing rather than having to buy Genie+ each day. This does add another layer of stress to the whole process–not only will you have to make ride reservations starting at 7 am, but you’ll need to purchase the service a few minutes before that.
It’s another friction point or potential error message during what’s already a stressful process. Those concerns are well-founded, and I’ve personally experienced them. What is less well-founded is the notion that you’ll have to stay up until midnight to purchase Genie+ and then get up early the next morning to make reservations.
This is driven by concerns that Genie+ will sell out before 7 am given the new “subject to availability” disclaimer. While that’s obviously possible, it seems highly unlikely. Walt Disney World isn’t going to go from unlimited Genie+ sales (and the accompanying revenue!) to significantly throttling sales. FOMO is a powerful motivator, but it seems highly unlikely that Genie+ will sell out before 7 am most days.
Remember, there’s a similar disclaimer for Park Hopping and that has only been limited once in the last 2 years–on the day of the 50th Anniversary in Magic Kingdom for a few hours. Pretty much everything is “subject to availability” but it that doesn’t mean it’s an actual issue or concern.
Personally, I always buy Genie+ on a daily basis, and have literally never done that. I buy Genie+ at ~6:50 am, customize my ride preferences, and then make my first Lightning Lane ride reservation at 7:00:00 am. I’m not worried in the least that this will force me to change my approach.
The good news is that anyone who feels really strongly about pre-purchasing can simply buy the Genie+ ticket add-on now before it stops being sold on June 8, 2022. Of course, this doesn’t help anyone planning to use Genie+ during a Walt Disney World in 2023, but a lot more is going to change with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes between now and then, so get comfortable with the system being tweaked.
On balance, my perspective is that eliminating the Genie+ ticket add-on is still unquestionably a net positive. By selling it for each individual day only, it will reduce the number of Genie+ daily users. It’s impossible to say by how many, but a reduction will definitely occur.
That means less competition for Slinky Dog Dash, Frozen Ever After, Jungle Cruise, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and the other most difficult Lightning Lanes. Every incremental improvement helps, and while we all might prefer a return to FastPass+, clearly that is not going to happen given the revenue-generating realities of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
For now, the best we can hope for is more tweaks that address the supply and demand imbalance and make the user experience less frustrating. With that said, this is still a matter of Disney (partially) “solving” a problem of its own creation. Probably shouldn’t pat them on the backs too much for improving their own unforced error. Beyond that, the company still needs to fix the foundational problems causing so many frustrations for guests–even months after its relax, Genie is still glitchy and unintuitive.
If you have more unanswered questions, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all of the foundational need-to-know info about this replacement for free FastPass+. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Genie+ add-on being eliminated as a Walt Disney World ticket option? Disappointed that it’s happening, or do you see the upside from a lowered demand perspective? Will you be buying the Genie+ add-on while you still can, doing it day-by-day, or skipping Genie+ entirely? Any other considerations we failed to take into account or details we missed/got wrong? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I have taken 2 trips to DisneyWorld in the past 6 months and was actually in MK on the day that Disney launched Genie+. If I didn’t have someone with me that controlled the whole Genie+ and LL for our group, I probably wouldn’t have purchased. I do not like the idea of having my cell phone out during my whole vacation. I am taking one last trip to Disney early January and will do a split Disney/Universal trip. Looking forward to the latter part at Universal for sure more than Disney.
Agree completely. Our next trip is likely to be our last trip, if the Genie+ is even more of a hassle than last time (which it is shaping up to be).
My wife and 2 year old daughter went to Disney in November/December and purchased Genie Plus on days we were in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and 1 of 2 days we were in Animal Kingdom (I admit this was for the Safari it was what my wife wanted more than anything and spending the money to ensure what she wanted was smooth was well worth the investment) We have booked a return trip for this Late August/Early September and bought the add on with our package because it was actually cheaper then doing it day by day I actually priced it out and because to be honest while I know there are complaints about the system and I admit I don’t like feeling like I have to use my phone the whole time I am on vacation but it made getting on attractions with a 2 year old so much easier than trying to entertain her while waiting in a line that to me personally I would pay probably twice as much per day as they are charging now because of how much we got to see with her without the daily meltdowns of waiting in line and screaming. I realized that when I bought the add on that I would have it on days we are at Epcot or Animal Kingdom where we wouldn’t use it as much as we do at Magic Kingdom but since we have it we will use it for sure to eliminate any waiting we can. Especially since we have used it once and I have studied the tips on this blog and I think I have enough ways to maximize its use.
We’ll be there from December 26-Jan 1st. Based on this change and others you think might be coming before Thanksgiving, would you advise we pre-purchase tickets with Genie+ now, or wait to see how this plays out? The week between Christmas and New Years seems like a good one to get Genie+ for park days.
If you already know you’ll want Genie+ every single day of your trip, you should buy it now.
Personally, I would not. Not because of any potential changes, but because I simply don’t think Genie+ is necessary every single day (especially if you’re staying on-site and will have access to Early Entry).
EDIT: I missed your travel dates when originally writing this comment. If you’re traveling the week between Christmas and NYE, I would ABSOLUTELY buy the add-on in advance.
Same for us, Jen. Thanks for asking the question that I was thinking, and thanks to Tom for answering!
I was wondering if this was going to come out this week. We just purchased our one day tickets yesterday for a July trip. I could not purchase Genie+ anywhere! Was hoping it was going away all together. Now to wait patiently as others experience the change so we know what to expect come July 😉 Thank you for all the research!
It seems like this would be a great tool to add a little slice of incentive back to staying at a Disney Resort. Include it for free for all resort guests. They have removed so many of the sweeteners that made the on property stay a bit more Magical. Perhaps this would be a way to restore a little Magic.
Don’t get your hopes up.
Once the genie is out of the bottle, there’s no putting it back.
I totally agree Disney is removing things that made me want to stay in a Disney Resort. Things like this now make it easier for me to seriously consider staying off property to save money.
Disney is loosing its focus on resort guests and some of their customer focus
I definitely agree! The resorts guest perks and DVC perks have really dwindled over the years that it makes it so much harder to plan, pay and stay than it used to be. Then you add on the loss of Magical Express and I’m starting to wonder what else they could do!
We fly from Buffalo, NY, so now on top of rising plane tickets, we have to pay to transport to and from the airport, we already have to pay for extra towels or services as a DVC member, plus the cost of tickets and the frustration of the reservation system and park hopping, I’m really starting to lose my joy when I look forward to a vacation. We haven’t been back since Fall of 2019 and I think its still going to be a while until we let the dust settle and return.
They took too much away for our liking, we will not be back….Genie is a disaster and there’s nothing we like about going on vacation there any more….i sent DVC and Disney customer service emails explaining our position but I dont think it will matter so we have decided to move onto other destinations
In a vacuum it’s a positive change, but very ehhh – because the changes we want to see are much more sweeping. Imagine waking up at 6:45am every day before your trip, praying the app works so you can buy Genie+ and then it works again so you can book rides. If it doesn’t work either time, you start the day VERY frustrated. If Genie+ is ever sold out you start the day VERY frustrated. If everything works…you still had to wake up extra early to do something you used to be able to reliably do (the equivalent, I mean) well before your trip and all at once.
I don’t know, to be honest I’ll keep complaining forever at an experience that costs more, has less benefits, is more frustrating, requires more early wake ups, and requires much more screen time than FastPass systems did “back in the day.”
All of those points are very fair!
Also think it’s totally reasonable for consumers to voice (ongoing) displeasure over changes that have materially impacted them in a negative way.
Exactly. You have described the situation for so many of us absolutely perfectly.
Interesting. Could this change be a prelude to variable pricing for Genie+ (“surge” pricing)? I’m sure Disney is adept at estimating Genie+ demand well in advance, but eliminating the presales may open the door adjusting the prices every day.
Also, does this impact fall 2022 bookings?
“Could this change be a prelude to variable pricing for Genie+ (“surge” pricing)?”
I think that’s an inevitability at some point, but I haven’t heard any credible rumors that it’s currently under consideration.
This is the type of change that would be a necessary prerequisite for that, though.
My take on this is that making G+ unavailable in advance will permit Disney to make radical changes to ride pricing, or even eliminate G+ completely, without having to refund guests who have already purchased G+ or honor a grandfathered-in system. Whether Disney decides to switch to a more expensive but more encompassing system like Universal’s Express Pass, or make all ride reservations available only a la carte, Disney can now make any decision it wants to, giving guests only a short amount of advance notice.
My initial thought was that they are setting up to have a variable cost for Genie+ depending on demands of the particular day, rather than allowing people to “lock in” $15 for each day of their trip. If supply/demand issues are the main point discussion, can’t we assume that we’re going to see a cost increase along with any other changes?
Interesting! My brain didn’t stretch that far. I would kinda like to see that actually. It would deter purchase on high days and generally provide insight into crowds and purchase forecasting.
Robin – just left a comment with the same idea about surge pricing. I don’t see how the price remains $16 during busy periods, so I am inclined to agree with you!
I actually love this change. A higher bar that fewer people will choose to meet should mean better capacity for those who bite the bullet and get up early to take advantage of Genie+. And that’s me every morning at Disney. Sleep in? That’s for my own bed. Not a Disney resort bed.
Terrible system, terrible idea……terrible, terrible, terrible
Now i have to stay up until midnight to reserve Genie(=) and then be up before 7am to book a ride?
I don’t think this helps at all, i think its makes an already bad experience even worse
Why wouldn’t you just buy it in the morning?
I wouldn’t buy it at all
But if you were going to buy it, wouldn’t you want to get it right at midnight when it went on sale in case it “sold out”? Seems to me the wording indicates they will be limiting sales
You had mentioned at one point that there was some implied possibility that there could be a cap placed on genie plus purchasing. To be the switch to day of purchasing across the board would be needed if there was a cap, as pass holders and last minute ticket holders would be more likely to be denied access to the service. Any thoughts on the cap? I may have missed it if you discussed it me above, sorry.
There’s a lot being discussed behind the scenes, a lot of which I suspect will not happen. One thing that is safe to say is that we’ll get a lot more Genie+ changes before Thanksgiving.
I wouldn’t expect Genie+ to “sell out” anytime in the near future…but it’s a definite possibility down the road, and this is likely in part to lay the groundwork for that.
Genie + does not improve the park experience. They need a complete redo of this whole project- something that does NOT require an early morning race to the finish contest to book a desired ride reservation.
AMEN!! If there goal to to make more money…I don’t know why they didn’t just add a fee to the old fast pass system OR let you pay extra for early access to genie plus…once you have your first ride of the day the system doesn’t suck as much.
G+ currently goes on sale at midnight for the following day. Is this going to create a second “rush” where you’ll have to stay up until 12am to get it and then 7am to get your first selection? Not exactly vacation vibes.
And if they do move G+ purchases to 7, what a nightmare getting everything lined up is going to be. For example, if you’re going to Epcot, you then have to decide whether to prioritize the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind, the ILL for Cosmic Rewind, or buying G+ and snagging a Remy reservation before they book out. Even with two people collaborating, that’s sure to end in a lot of disappointments.
That’s what I’m envisioning. Can’t wait!
The time Genie+ goes on sale each day will not change to 7 am anytime soon. There are a lot of potential changes on the table right now, but to my knowledge, that isn’t one of them.
I’m curious to see what impact this will have on the rides that have presently been moved from ILL to Genie+. With the potential for limiting Genie+ sales, would that mean that some of the recently added rides will be clawed back to ILL purchase status again since since the original rides will be able to keep pace with demand? It almost makes Genie+ even less attractive. We pre-purchased ours *hoping* that many of these ride additions (Frozen Ever After, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway…) would be on the list to stay.
From what I understand, restoring ILLs is not the underlying motivation for this change. Rather, both changes are motivated by the same supply/demand imbalance.
The “blame” for the current problems goes pretty high up–those on the ground in Florida are trying to fix it. Whether their efforts will be thwarted in a quest for more revenue remains to be seen, but Walt Disney World leadership is very much aware of the many issues with the Genie system.
Excellent point about the relative value of Genie+. I don’t mind the concept of paying more to get more value, but these moves just make Genie+ worth less.
Oh look, Disney is going about NOT fixing anything that was actually broken about G+.
Buying at midnight was NOT what people hated about G+.
We hate having to make that selection at 7 a.m. – precisely when we’re getting the family up and out, or when other people are sleeping in on their apparently child-free vacations.
Now we can add to that: hating buying it at 6:55 a.m. with thousands of others, while the servers crash.
They created a new problem! Good job, Disney.
Completely 100% agree with this entire statement!
Absolutely. Dead on. Even if they keep the purchase time at midnight, there are going to be a lot more people buying at 7:00. The system gets overwhelmed as it is. Making plans for HS is going to be an even bigger nightmare. My family was already suggesting we visit Disney less often in favor of other places, and I’m sorry to say that the Genie+ replacement, not to mention these further changes, are really strong arguments in their favor.
Just make it free again but limited to how many can join each day.
Now that Disney has gotten a taste of the line-skipping revenue, there is no going back.
You might as well hope for Disney to replace the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. There’s probably a better chance of that happening.
This seems like a positive development only if their infrastructure can handle all the same day purchases, with many happening as soon as the purchase window opens.
Color me a pessimist, but it’s not hard to picture a stressed out parent trying to buy Genie+ the morning of their park days only to get stuck in a loop of Stitch eating some page as their servers crash in the background.
Lol. That’s been happening for months now already! (To me)
Yeah, very fair point.
I really wonder what percentage of Genie+ users pre-purchased v. daily purchased. I would hope it’s not enough to cause crashes, but one thing I’ve learned from years of dealing with Disney IT is that more moving parts leads to more problems.
A concise analysis as ever. Thanks Tom.
I do have one query… I am in the UK and have already booked my package for Jan 2023 with Genie+. The info from Disney states that bookings already made are good through 2022 . . . But what about 2023 bookings already made? Might be a UK specific thing but it is odd that it wasn’t mentioned.
If you’ve already bought it, you’re good. They aren’t going to retroactively claw it back–whatever nominal percentage of guests have purchased it thus far just isn’t worth the effort.
This is a positive development IF it means they will limit G+ sales. The problem with G+ has been that it is oversold. When massive numbers of people buy it, there just isn’t enough capacity to give people more than a couple high demand passes at most parks.
If you limit sales, it can become a superior product.
That said — It’s a missed great opportunity for on-site perk. On-site guests should be able to pre-purchase, or even limit it to deluxe on-site guests as a pre-purchase.
There are so many little ways they could turn Genie+ into an on-site guest perk.
My semi-informed guess is that the teams dealing with all of this stuff are so overwhelmed right now that they’re main focus is addressing the supply v. demand imbalance. All of the things we see as “little changes” are pretty colossal when you involve the practical realities of navigating Walt Disney World’s bloated bureaucracy.