Genie+ Prices Drop One Day After Park-Specific Pricing Announcement

The Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort are climbing an uphill battle with their line-skipping policies. Many Guests have hoped the paid line-skipping system, Genie+, would be a temporary fix to curtail crowds after the COVID-19 closure. But Guests haven’t gotten their wish—Genie+ appears to be sticking around, and it recently got a controversial update.

Since Disney did away with the complimentary FastPass system, the Parks have attempted to iron out the kinks with the Genie+, Genie Lightning Lane, Individual Lightning Lane, and Virtual Queue systems. Starting at $16, it seems like a harmless add-on to tickets that break $100 for one Park day, especially if it means being able to pack more into a highly-anticipated Disney vacation.

On June 27, Disney announced that the Disney Genie+ pricing was changing. For the crowd of Guests lamenting the paid service since its October 2021 debut, the update was met with more push-back, and the Parks made yet another change just one day later.

Is Disney Back Pedaling?

Frequent Disney Guests know ticket prices vary based on availability. Holidays, peak summertime, and special events like runDisney hike Park prices throughout the year. But with the recent Genie+ update, it’s difficult for Guests to anticipate how the Disney Genie service will vary. According to industry insider Ashley Carter (@AshleyCarter on Twitter), the varied Genie+ pricing dropped for Multiple Parks, Magic Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

On the second day of the new park-specific pricing for Genie+ at Disney World, the price of the Multiple Parks, Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios options decreased $2 from the first day. EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom pricing unchanged. Today vs Yesterday:

On the second day of the new park-specific pricing for Genie+ at Disney World, the price of the Multiple Parks, Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios options decreased $2 from the first day. EPCOT and Disney's Animal Kingdom pricing unchanged.

Today vs Yesterday: pic.twitter.com/OT0pSSd5yl

— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) June 28, 2023

Although the pricing for EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom stayed the same, it seems that Guests can anticipate various pricing on a weekly, if not daily, basis. With the cost of the Disney experience as high as it is, Guests are seeking transparency from Disney about the future of Genie+. While it’s evolving regularly, one could assume Disney isn’t even entirely sure what that looks like.

One common gripe with Genie+ is how overwrought it is, with Guests competing for a Lightning Lane reservation for popular attractions like Haunted Mansion, Cosmic Rewind, and Expedition Everest. Since nearly everyone can justify tacking on 20 bucks to an already-expensive ticket, the Genie Plus system is overly congested.

In contrast, the Universal Express Pass costs almost the same as a full-blown Disney Park ticket. Still, Universal Guests applaud the ease and organization of the queues at the competing Park. There’s no telling whether or not the Walt Disney Company will take a page out of Universal’s playbook on its line-skipping system. In the meantime, Disney Fanatic will keep tabs on the ever-evolving Genie+ system for updates.