Presidents Day weekend is one of the busiest times to visit Walt Disney Worldand this year is no exception.
waiting time on Disney World four theme parks have reached up to two hours on popular attractions, with some games like Avatar’s Flight at Disney’s Animal Kingdom approaching three hour wait times.
Due to the large number of customers and higher demand, Disney+ Genie hit an all-time high of $29 per person (plus tax). The record-breaking prices didn’t deter guests eager to skip the queues using Disney’s Lightning Lanes.
Related: Does Disney Genie+ have enough magic to justify the extra cost?
Early Sunday afternoon, Disney Genie+ sold out at Disney World for the first time since its launch in 2021. Guests who didn’t purchase a Genie+ on Sunday before tickets sold out had no choice but to wait.. . and wait . . . and wait.
The same thing happened again on Monday. Genie+ was available for purchase throughout the morning, but the service sold out shortly after 2 p.m. for the second day in a row.
Disney Genie+ has replaced Disney’s free FastPass skip-the-line system and completely changed the way customers wait in line at Disney parks in the United States. If you want a shorter wait time for your favorite ride, you have to pay.
Despite customer complaints about having to pay for what was once free, Genie+ was an immediate financial success. The service costs $15 and you can buy it before it launches.
However, the price now varies by day and you can only buy it on the day you visit. This variable pricing is similar to Disney’s theme park ticket pricing structure. Busier days will cost more and slower days will cost less.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
In Disney’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings report on November 10, 2021, Disney reported that nearly a third of park guests purchased Genie+ in those first few weeks. By early 2022, per capita spending at Disney parks in the United States was up more than 40% from the first fiscal quarter of 2019, thanks in part to revenue from Disney+ Genie.
Disney Genie+ launches again on Monday, but prices remain at the new upper limit of $29 per person. When wait times are this high, Disney knows guests will pay to avoid waiting in line. It also now knows that even at a price close to $30 a person, guests are willing to pay whatever it takes.
Related: How to save money at Disney, so you don’t get ‘bibbidi-bobbidi-broke’
There’s not much you can do about the cost (grudging won’t work, trust us). However, there are ways to make sure you don’t miss out on the magic of being able to skip rows with Genie+.
While you’ll have to wait until the day of your visit to buy Genie+ at Disney World, that technically means it’ll be available at midnight on the day of your visit. If you don’t want to stay up so late, you can set your alarm a few minutes before midnight and come back to give your best impression of Sleeping Beauty after making a purchase.
You can also safely buy Genie+ in the morning, which is the best way to maximize the value of the service regardless of the crowd level.
After purchasing Disney Genie+, you can reserve Lightning Lane for the first time at 7 a.m. on the day of your visit. This way, you already have your first Lightning Lane even before you enter the park. You can buy Genie+ just minutes before 7 a.m. and be ready to catch those high-demand rides in no time.
There’s no magic mirror or fairy godmother to tell us if Disney Genie+ will continue to sell out, but you don’t need magic to make sure you don’t miss out on the skip-the-line power of Disney Genie+.
You just need to plan ahead with these tips.
