Genie+ Reaches Record High Price & Sells Out for Thanksgiving Week at Disney World
Genie+ has reached a record high price at Walt Disney World for the peak week of Thanksgiving, with Lightning Lane prices increasing overnight on Park Hopping, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom. This post covers crowds, the likelihood of the line-skipping service selling out this week, and other commentary on the paid FastPass service. (Updated November 21, 2023.)
For starters, let’s talk crowds. It’s not going to surprise anyone that this is going to be a busy week. Our most recent crowd report, Holiday Crowd Wave Swells & Subsides at Walt Disney World, predicted that Walt Disney World would see another another big spike in attendance and wait times. It’ll almost certainly be worse than Veterans Day and Jersey Week, and probably the busiest week at Walt Disney World since April. However, it probably will not surpass Easter–the last truly busy holiday.
More specifically, we forecast that November 20 would be the busiest day of Thanksgiving week since Monday is the busiest day of almost every week (it had the highest wait times during Thanksgiving week last year), but don’t discount Tuesday or Wednesday–those were also 10/10 days last year. Thanksgiving and Black Friday were both 9/10 days, while Saturday was 6/10. By Sunday, the surge had subsided, and the week that followed had a crowd level of 2/10. That’s precisely why it’s Our Favorite Week of the Entire Year at Walt Disney World.
Against that backdrop, here are the prices for Genie+ at Walt Disney World for November 20-21, 2023:
- Multiple Parks (valid with Park Hopper tickets): $35
- Magic Kingdom: $35
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $32
- EPCOT: $28
- Animal Kingdom: $25
November 21, 2023 Update: For the second straight day, Genie+ prices are at record highs (see above). Moreover, Magic Kingdom has now sold out for the day, and Multiple Parks along with it. (Presumably, Multiple Parks becomes unavailable when any park sells out.)
Today’s crowd level at Magic Kingdom is only 3/10 with an average wait time of 29 minutes for the entire entire. However, the real-time numbers look much worse, with wait times quickly rising. It’s also a party-shortened day due to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, meaning that guests have less time to get as much done.
Yesterday, Magic Kingdom hit a 10/10, with an average wait time for the day of 47 minutes. As mentioned above, Monday should be the busiest day of the holiday week across Walt Disney World as a whole. That was amplified at Magic Kingdom, because Monday was the only day in a 4-day stretch with no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm on party days, which causes crowds to consolidate into the days when the event is not being held. Having 3 out of 4 days be MVMCP is a bad idea always, but doubly so during a busy week like this. A really guest-unfriendly scheduling decision, if you ask me.
Wednesday is also a party shortened day at Magic Kingdom, and our expectation is that Genie+ will again sell out around noon. Thursday (Thanksgiving) should start to see a slight reprieve from the crowds and normal operating hours at all parks. That might be enough that Genie+ does not sell out on Thanksgiving. We’ll keep you posted!
I know many of you are going to vehemently disagree, but we view it as slightly good news that Genie+ is “only” $35 on what’s likely to be the worst day of Thanksgiving week. Obviously, this is higher than the then-record high price of $29 on the same date last year. But before you grab the pitchforks, hear us out!
First of all, this $35 price point is not a new record–it’s a repeat of a prior record. For those keeping score at home, the last time Genie+ hit this all-time high for prices was Easter week. This was prior to Walt Disney World adopting per-park pricing, which is significant, because that model enabled Walt Disney World to charge more for Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Park Hopping. EPCOT essentially became the new baseline, with Animal Kingdom being the new “discount” option.
This price segmentation was marketed one way by Walt Disney World, but the real purpose was charging more for the in-demand parks and multiple parks without losing out on sales at the less in-demand ones. (We won’t climb back up on our soapbox, but we almost never recommend using Genie+ at Animal Kingdom, as it’s a waste of money. Part of the reason we’ll spare you that rant is because this is one of the few weeks that’s a potential exception to that rule and Genie+ might be worth buying at DAK.)
Anyway, our expectation was that Genie+ pricing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s weeks would be in-line with Easter, but adjusted for per-park pricing. That meant Magic Kingdom and Park Hopping hitting $40, Disney’s Hollywood Studios costing ~$37, EPCOT at ~$35, and Animal Kingdom at ~$30. That this didn’t happen is a small victory.
Well, a small victory for now. There’s always the possibility of Walt Disney World seeing “unanticipated” high demand for Genie+ and raising later this week. It wouldn’t be the first time that prices have gone up after crowds have peaked, and the odds of it occurring increase if Genie+ sells out at one or multiple parks today.
It’s also possible that the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s are more expensive. Last year, crowd levels were higher those two weeks (and the first week of January) than Thanksgiving.
In case you’re wondering, the last time Genie+ sold was during Easter week–April 4-6. On all three of those days, the service sold out at or around 10 am. April 6 was a new record for the earliest Genie+ has ever sold out, going unavailable at around 9:45 am.
Prior to that, Genie+ sold out on two consecutive days over Presidents’ Day weekend and once during Florida’s spring break this March. From what we’ve seen, higher prices do not discourage guests from purchasing paid FastPass. To the contrary, the only dates that have sold out have been the most expensive ones. This makes sense, as the price is higher when attendance is higher–and the stakes are higher, too. Simply put, there’s more of a need for line-skipping on days like today.
Three days is hardly a trend, but one dynamic we noticed over Easter week is that it seemed like sell outs beget more sell outs. Guests develop Genie+ FOMO, seeing that it sold out the previous day and thus moving faster to purchase it the next. Suffice to say, if Genie does sell out today, expect it to also sell out Tuesday and Wednesday–and probably faster.
One reason why Genie+ may not sell out is the aforementioned switch to per-park pricing. It may seem notable that Genie+ has not sold out since the debut of this model, but it isn’t. At this point, that’s more a coincidence–even though it launched several months ago, there simply have not been any truly busy days since then.
There has not been a single 10/10 crowd level day since Easter, and only a handful of 9/10 days. And for what it’s worth, there’s a very big difference between a holiday peak 10/10 day and a 9/10 day–much more pronounced than the difference between an 8/10 day and a 9/10 day.
With that said, per-park pricing could help reduce the likelihood of Genie+ selling out. It’s our understanding that, previously, Animal Kingdom was actually often the park that “dictated” whether Genie+ sold out. This may seem counterintuitive–and it sorta is–but this apparently was less a matter of high demand than it was low supply. Animal Kingdom is the park with the fewest rides and lowest Lightning Lane capacity, so when it ran out of options, Genie+ sold out across the board.
I cannot speak to the veracity of this, but it makes sense to me. I guess we’ll see if Animal Kingdom sells out first. I think you could probably make a compelling case for EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios selling out quickly for similar reasons–low capacity, but higher demand than Animal Kingdom. Heck, even Magic Kingdom is a candidate for selling out–today due to the consolidated crowds and the next two days due to the 6 pm closing (despite lower crowds).
No matter which park sells out first, we’d expect the Park Hopping option to go with it. Regardless, it’ll be fascinating to watch which park(s) sell out over the course of this week. Or if none at all do, reflecting a further exhaustion of pent-up demand and/or Walt Disney World overselling Lightning Lanes. We shall see!
What follows is my standard commentary about Genie+ and price inelasticity, crowds, etc…
When it comes to commentary, the short and simple of it is that there’s a certain amount of price inelasticity when it comes to paid line-skipping. Most guests who don’t balk at the $30 price point also are unlikely to be dissuaded from buying the service when it’s priced at $35.
With that said, we’re now getting to the point where that may no longer be true for many guests. It wasn’t that long ago that Walt Disney World switched to date-based pricing for the Genie+ service; prior to that, every day was priced at $15 plus tax. That change occurred just over a year ago, so at least some of the people traveling today likely planned their trips back then, budgeting for the old price.
That means the $35 price amounts to an increase of over $20 (post-tax) per person. For a family of 4, that’s a difference of more than $80 per day. Over the course of a 5-day trip, that’s potentially an increase of $400. That’s not the total amount, just the extra amount as compared to what was budgeted. That is a very significant added expense in the grand scheme of things!
With that said, it is still not necessarily major when compared to the cost of a Walt Disney World vacation as a whole, which has been precisely my concern with the company incrementally increasing prices like this, in search of a ceiling. I’m not sure they’re going to find one anytime soon, and worry about where it could eventually end up.
Think about it this way: if you spent $10,000 for your family to visit Walt Disney World and were willing to pay peak season room rates for hotels and tickets over Thanksgiving, are you going to balk at paying ~$400 extra to avoid long lines and crowds? Or are you going to spend ~$80 more for your family to have Genie+ and “ensure” your experience is good and that $10,000 wasn’t wasted?
To be abundantly clear: $400 extra is a lot of money, especially if you didn’t plan on that expense. However, it’s less than 5% of the cost of the vacation as a whole, which seems like a reasonable amount for “insurance” to make sure you don’t lose the full value of the $10,000. (Hopefully that makes some degree of sense.)
In a nutshell, my position is that demand for Genie+ is relatively inelastic with incrementally higher prices for the line-skipping service. This is because Genie+ is still a relatively minor cost in the grand scheme of a Walt Disney World vacation.
Worse wait times creates a higher incentive for bypassing lines, meaning higher uptake of Genie+ even when it costs more. Demand for beating crowds increases as crowds increase, and as such, Genie+ will always be a relatively “small” (air quotes) price to pay for peace of mind in the grand scheme of things.
Complain as they might, most people will reluctantly fork over the extra money rather than risk a bad trip. They’ve already spent so much–what’s another “few hundred dollars” on top of a multi-thousand dollar trip if it’ll offer a competitive advantage?!
In various ways, we’ve seen all of this play out for years with date-based pricing on everything else at Walt Disney World. Whether it be for park tickets, resorts, or the Genie+ service, date-based pricing is an effective way for the company to accomplish its desired optimizations at Walt Disney World. There are certain times of year that experience higher demand for a number of reasons–school schedules, seasonal events, weather, etc.
Charging incrementally higher prices for these times of year allows Walt Disney World to capitalize on and profit from that inherently higher demand. That’s the goal–not preserving the guest experience or whatever the talking point might be. Increasing prices on that quasi-captive audience is simply savvy business or opportunism, depending upon your perspective.
The alternative to continually incrementally increasing prices in search of a ceiling is determining a fair price that balances demand with guest satisfaction, and letting Genie+ sell out at that level. Due to the aforementioned price inelasticity, who knows what the limit is for Genie+ during peak season.
When it moved to date-based pricing, I was inclined to believe $25 would be the magic number. As I sit here today, I truly wonder how much sales would even slow down at $40 or $50. People are willing to throw a lot of money at making problems on vacation go away; long lines and high wait times are the ultimate problem at Walt Disney World.
The problem with that line of thinking is that it also comes with higher expectations. I still remember the first two months after Genie+ first launched up until the week of Thanksgiving; it worked amazingly well and was priced at $15 per person after tax. Even then, diehard fans were understandably upset at going from free FastPass+ to paid line-skipping.
Genie+ is more than double that price, which brings with it higher expectations of being able to score more Lightning Lanes. (In my testing over Veterans Day/Jersey Week, I actually was able to score more Lightning Lanes than during Spring Break, but it’s impossible to tell whether this was “caused” by lower crowds or improvements to Lightning Lane inventory. My guess is a bit of both.)
This isn’t idle speculation; we’ve seen exactly this happen as costs have increased all around Walt Disney World. Guests didn’t magically become more entitled, stressed out, etc–it was all a direct result of higher prices and rising expectations resulting therefrom.
With this comes greater tensions among everyone (guests and Cast Members; guests and other guests), which negatively impacts the overall mood. (Not to go on too much of a tangent, but this is one of the great things about Disneyland–everything is much more laid back and lower stakes, and the energy is obviously different and better as a result.)
Unsurprisingly, that also impacts guest satisfaction scores and intent to return metrics. Since his return, Bob Iger has taken a keen interest in this, already empowering leaders at Walt Disney World and Disneyland to make changes and roll back previously-made and unpopular decisions. Genie+ pricing would seem to fit squarely within that initiative.
Ultimately, there’s no easy fix to this issue for Walt Disney World. Aside from park expansion and more new rides (hardly immediate fixes), no perfect solution exists that balances supply and demand and keeps everyone happy (both those who purchase Genie+ and those who opt against it). There’s also the company’s obvious and understandable short-term “desire” to maximize revenue and profits, which is precisely how it ended up on the current path–going from free FastPass to Genie+ costing $35 per person per day (plus tax) for Park Hopping or Magic Kingdom.
It’ll be really interesting to see whether Genie+ sells out on Wednesday (November 22, 2023). Again, the first three days of the week should be busier than Thanksgiving and Black Friday. If it does continue to sell out, will Genie+ hit $40 later in the week? If not, will the price be lowered by the weekend? Given Walt Disney World’s reactionary pricing, will the cost remain elevated even after the Thanksgiving crowds have started to depart on Saturday?
My sincere hope is that guests have finally reached their breaking point. With the pullback we’ve seen in all other forms of spending, that may finally be the case. In that scenario, $35 might stand as the record-high price for the line-skipping service at Walt Disney World–and prices might finally start to recede. (Just as they have for Walt Disney World’s resort hotels, which are actually down year-over-year due to dramatically better discounting this holiday season!)
If you have questions about the basics of using–or not using–the paid FastPass service, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all of the foundational need-to-know info. 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 Genie+ reaching its record high price of $35? If you’re visiting during the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, what’s the maximum price you’ll pay for the line-skipping service? Thoughts on our perspective that demand for Genie+ will continue to be highest on the busiest/most expensive days? Any other considerations we failed to take into account or details we missed/got wrong? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? 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!
We were there on 11/20 and it was crazy. Not surprised to see Genie+ sold out. The LL lines were insane. Not just the number of people in the park, but rides kept temporarily closing (Peter Pan, Tron, Little Mermaid, etc..), giving everyone with LL reservations during the closure a free LL to use whenever on one ride from a list provided. Needless to say the LL lines were the same length as a lot of the standby lines. The did move pretty fast considering. Fireworks viewing reached maximum capacity 45 min before the show!
I was at Disneyland yesterday (11/20) so obviously a very different beast… but we knew Genie+ was going to be $35 for the day, but single day tickets sold out, so Genie+ was an absolute necessity. I was expecting the park to be absolutely nuts… and it actually wasn’t *the worst*… I think Disney was prepared for the crowds, and did a good job of running everything at max capacity. And with Genie+ we hit every headliner and then some. Without Genie+ though…I’m sure it would have been a very different experience…so honestly…I don’t know if a max cost exists…like if it had been $50…I think I still would have paid it if I knew it was going to help as much as it did…
Hey Tom. Any thoughts on Standby Skipper? Thanks
Disney is just not looking at the bigger picture beyond short-term greed/profits.
I was recently there for 10 days (2 adults, 2 kids). We bought Genie+ on just 4 days and only 4 ILLs, which cost $750 !!!!
As a result, I cancelled several table service ADRs and a character breakfast. And I was pretty annoyed, feeling like I was getting played, while KNOWING we were getting so much less on this vacation. I certainly did not have that Disney-hypnosis I’ve had in the past, that makes you happily spend more while you’re there.
On the contrary, I was even MORE aware of all I was spending bc I felt I was getting “taken.”
If Disney thinks that Genie+/ILL dollars are a pure profit add-on, they are mistaken. Many of those dollars will be offset by lower guest spending elsewhere. And lower guest satisfaction which will result in lower attendance – eventually. We spent less on dining and merch, for sure. And still I feel slighted, knowing what Disney vacation I used to get for the same budget not that long ago.
Disney cannot be this dumb, are they? I still enjoy Disney but the magic is giving way to basic corporate greed. While Disney has always been a business, it never felt so much like a profit machine over a place of wonder and imagination.
Please right the ship, Disney!
I have to wonder if Disney is actually fine with a percentage of people moving their spending from restaurants to Genie+. With the exception of alcohol, restaurants typically have low profit margins, given the cost of ingredients and salaries of the people who prepare and serve it. Meanwhile Genie+ doesn’t have much associated cost other than a couple LL attendants per ride, so it’s almost pure profit (assuming the R&D costs have already been recovered). Until all the table service and character dining meals are sitting half empty, I don’t know if Disney really cares that people are moving their vacation dollars from food to Genie+.
Said another way, if Disney was only ever going to get $10k from me (because that’s what I budgeted for the vacation), do they really care if they got it through restaurants or Genie or something else? That said, I they should be more concerned about the very real possibility that disappointed fans like you will start lowering their total vacation budgets from $10k down to $8k or $7k by spending less time at the parks, or just go somewhere else entirely and then Disney has $0.
LOL you are probably right! In the short term I’m sure Disney would prefer the highest margin profits, which are definitely Genie+/ILL purchases. It doesn’t seem sustainable long-term without losing Guests.
I’m already planning a Disney/Universal split trip for our next visit, which I’ve NEVER done! I’m actually excited to try something outside of Disney
Whatever you do, don’t miss the Harry Potter stuff. And be sure to knock on Kreacher’s door!
Universal is wonderful! It’s not the same as Disney, but has plenty of strengths especially the Harry Potter areas. Also the whole thing is just a lot lower stress and involves less planning which is quite the breath of fresh air compared to WDW. I hope you have a great trip!
There are just TOO many people going to these parks and that’s why Genie + is overpriced and limited.
Gail – you nailed it basic supply and demand… I was standing at Universal several years ago and it was overcrowded and the main thought I had was “if this cost more there would be less people here” please raise prices… this is a luxury item…
gross
You nailed it with the higher price point increasing expectations accordingly. I hate to say that the way we’ve learned to cope is to not expect anything-essentially we gladly take whatever magic we can get. Then if we feel we really missed something essential, we hit it first the next time, which will usually occur in the same year. That’s okay for people who go more than once a year; but if I put myself in the shoes of people who may only go once in a lifetime or once a decade, they don’t want (=shouldn’t have to) to have to lower expectations as they’re shelling out thousands upon thousands of dollars.
we complain about Genie plus and no mention that Universal Express pass which is more than the daily ticket – get ready for more
Wouldn’t mind paying what the rate is if they changed the system to allow you to use LL on rides multiple times. The current one ride per LL selection is a let down. Just my opinion.
The problem is there are more people who want to go on a ride than the ride has capacity. Giving to LLs to the same person would mean someone else couldn’t ride.
Looking at estimated daily ride capacity, it ranges from 4,410 rides/day for Tomorrowland Speedway to 10,080/day for Buzz Lightyear, to a max of 32,760 for Pirates, which most being inbetween.
On average the Magic Kingdom has 57,424 guests, so with rides like Buzz, only 1/5 guests can go on that ride. For a ride like Tron the capacity is higher, so 1/2 people could experience it.
This problem would of course be much worse on Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.
I think your analysis is spot-on with the price of Genie+. With relatives in Orlando I’ve spent many a Thanksgiving at WDW, and it’s a scene out of Dante: “abandon hope all ye who enter here.” The press of the unbelievable crowds drives many people nuts, and they’d pay anything for relief.
That being said, you’re pretty much signing up for a different experience on Thanksgiving at WDW and can’t expect to have the same type of visit as on a regular day. I look at it as “spending Thanksgiving with my relatives at WDW” rather than a regular park day. For me the crowds add to the holiday vibe and gives a heightened sense of shared experience.
It’s a day for lowered expectations and a chance to enjoy the riverboats, Tom Sawyer’s Island, the Hall of Presidents, Country Bears, street performers, etc. Genie+ *should* make it easier to get on more rides, but that depends on how many Genie+ tickets they’ve sold. I’ve showed up for my Genie+ slot at rides and found a very long line that’s not much shorter than stand-by.
I’m looking at the wait times now, and there’s a 55 minute wait for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, of all things! I think you were right on the money and today being the busiest day of Thanksgiving week.
And that’s the spinner with the shortest wait time–Astro Orbiter and Dumbo are both over an hour. Yikes!!!
I have to disagree about Animal Kingdom. Maybe because Expedition Everest is closed right now, wait times are 120+ minutes for Flight of Passage and 100 minutes for Nav’i River Journey. The latter is my favorite AK ride and my back and ankle pain prevent me from waiting that long, or, really, over about 25 minutes. I gladly pay for Genie+ to avoid such waits, which actually cripple me for the rest of the day and into the next day.
That’s right now, though.
Animal Kingdom opened at 8 am today, with Early Entry at 7:30 am. Anyone who arrived then would’ve been able to knock out virtually every attraction by 10 am.
Conversely, those who show up at ~4 pm will be able to hit just about every ride in the last few hours.
If you’re among the vast majority of guests at DAK who arrive late and leave early, then you’re right, Genie+ is a good buy. But hopefully by reading the strategy on this blog, you are in the minority who does things differently. (And if not, that’s okay–Genie+ can be a good option for you!)
Maybe it should be called “Genie Minus”?
“Ultimately, there’s no easy fix to this issue for Walt Disney World.”
Actually there is. but it means Disney not making nearly as much profit.
Ha, touche!
Maybe I should’ve added “that’s realistically something they’ll implement” at the end of that.