Disney Genie Plus, the service that Disney has come up with has been deemed as magical, but there is a catch when it comes to the price.
It is found that Disney parks are full of magic but it also has many costs. Yesterday's launching of the new Disney Genie Plus service has made traveling to Disney parks even more costly. So let’s break down exactly how much more you’ll need to pay to access the pleasures of Genie Plus. Let's break it down.
How to Avoid the Lines: A New Approach
Genie Plus is a direct replacement for the old FastPass system that has been in operation before but was dismissed later. This was a big advantage with FastPass where guests could make bookings in advance of the park to avoid having to wait in some queues. Genie Plus works similarly and helps you book the return times so that you are not left standing in the super long standby queues for the entire day.
The only difference is that this benefit of skipping lines during your pilgrimage now attracts an extra cost. So if you want to make the most of your park time and not spend half your time in the queues that is going to cost you.
The pricing strategy commonly used in this model is Pay Per Person, Per Day.
On the topic of its pricing, it is essential to note that Genie Plus is charged according to the number of people and the number of days the service will be used. On this basis, when you purchase park tickets, you are required to pay for each member of your party for each day of the tickets. What do you expect from Disney? Well, it is not cheap as most of its products and services are in the branded department.
The current rate of charges is $15 per head for each day of stay. Well if one is a family of 4 visiting Magic Kingdom for 2 days, that evaluates to a $120 total cost for one’s entire Genie Plus plan. That means if you want to spend several more days in the park or if more people are in your group, the cost increases.
Of course, that would be Disney and nothing could ever be that straightforward. The only current loophole to this is Disney World when you are traveling during the peak season, especially around the holidays. For instance, if one wishes to visit during Christmas or New Year’s Eve, the Genie Plus costs as much as $22 per person per day.
Adding more hours to Extra Lightning Lane.
Well, there is a but and that is where things are slightly more complex than that. Specifically, the Genie Plus service does not offer anything more than standard Lightning Lane access to the majority of the attractions. Lightning Lanes are like the FastPass entrances where visitors can get through more quickly.
However, some of the best and most commonly sought-after attractions can be experienced at an extra cost if you wish to book for the Lightning Lanes. There are those called Individual Lightning Lane Selections.
For instance, at Magic Kingdom, this new service meant that in addition to the Genie Plus cost, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train cost $15 per person per ride. Other Individual Selections ranged anywhere from $7-$15 per individual.
Let’s break down the cost of choosing Genie Plus over standard parking lot pricing.
If a guest wants to get the most out of the Genie Plus service, most of them decide to buy the basic package of Genie Plus and Individual Selection for the headliner attraction. Thus, when comparing prices one must take into account, both kinds of expenses.
Let’s use the family of 4 examples again across 2 Magic Kingdom days:
- Genie Plus = $15/person x 4 person x 2 days = $120
- Mine Train Individual Selection = $15/person x 4 people x 2 days =$ 120
- Space Mountain Selection = $13 (per person) x 4 people x 2 days = $104
The funds used to purchase Genie Plus and additional Individual Lightning Lanes = $344 for the whole family vacation. Followed by the fact that ticket prices for the parks have also gone up.
Comparing to Other Add-Ons
When deciding whether or not Genie Plus is worth it, it is helpful to look at the costs in the context of being added to the Disney parks experience. For instance, some visitors prefer buying Memory Maker which allows them to use professional pictures’ and on-ride videos’.
The complete price for Memory Maker is a one-time fee of $169 for the whole experience. Not cheap but maybe more value for money than Genie Plus if a family is visiting the park multiple days. This is exclusive of photo access to skip lines and not actual line skipping.
Likewise, daily expenses on different tasty grilled steak entrees, creative cocktails, or memorable lightsabers for several individuals can easily go beyond $300+ for meals and gifts. That puts Genie Plus into perspective when comparing all the ways to spend money at Disney parks and resorts.
Is the Genie Plus Worth the Price?
Therefore, the decision to join Genie Plus at Disney has to do with the park’s personal preference and the ability to spend money on it. If the frequency of the number of attractions you wish to visit is the main priority, then Genie Plus is nearly indispensable. These basic standby queues may just take way too much time.
In the same way, if you are planning one very brief visit to Walt Disney World, Genie Plus provides the extra option of making the most of that brief possibility. The one-time expenditure might be painful but it offers more value for money as the trip progresses.
However, for second-timers, or, in fact, for anyone who wants to save money, skipping Genie Plus is simply rational. It is also possible to have a long wait in some conventional lines just to get free services. Oh well, there are lots of not-so-popular sights with less of a time queue to check out anyway.
Disney Genie vs. Genie Plus: The pros and cons of Disney’s new service that will help you navigate entertainment at Disney World.
So, in conclusion, always remember that Disney Genie and Disney Genie Plus are two different things! While these terms may seem like they are the same, they are requesting two different services.
Disney Genie is also a complimentary service, which offers suggestions and personalized hints to visit the parks. Lightning Lane is the new term that is a part of Genie Plus and is for the paid service. You must find out what you are getting yourself into very well.
Wishing You Pixie Dust!
In this article, I hope that you have come to appreciate the exhaustive detail that I have taken to explain what Disney Genie Plus costs. This is a service that appears to be designed to make Disney as much money as possible but does a lot for the consumer. Ultimately, when deciding whether the pleasure of skipping a line is worth the expense or not, you need to make a decision.
I hope that the breakdown of Genie Plus prices I provided above sets appropriate expectations for at least some of these features. Wish you an amazing Disney experience, and make sure you don’t overlook the surroundings as well even if you buy more add-ons! They have a lifetime impact and a positive one at that.
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