Genie+ is a new feature that arrived at Walt Disney World in 2021. The announced new price adjustment has us thinking about what we like and dislike about this feature. Currently, the cost is $15 per person per day; however, a new price increase of $22 per person per day will be implemented on those popular days in the Parks. Think Christmas, New Year, and other holidays.
We have information HERE about when we think purchasing Genie+ is worth it and when it isn’t. Let’s also look at what we like and dislike about what Genie+ brings to our Walt Disney World vacation.
Dislike: Cost
We aren’t going to spend a lot of time on this piece, but it is a reality. We don’t like the Genie+ costs money. Since we have been used to Fastpass and Fastpass+ being free, it has been an adjustment. We are learning when and how often we want to add Genie+ to our trip and budgeting accordingly.
Dislike: Midnight and 7:00 am
Even though we aren’t the ones to sleep in during our Walt Disney World vacations, we wish we could be. Now with Genie+, sleeping isn’t an option anymore.
Guests can now add Genie+ starting at midnight. Although we haven’t heard of this being necessary, getting up early still is. Guests can make their first Genie+ selection starting at 7:00 am. This means that alarms go off each morning to take advantage of Genie+.
Although you might not think it is necessary, top rides go within minutes. Because of this, if you want to get the most out of your purchase, you do have to be ready to go early in the morning.
Like: Skipping the Lines
A major bonus of Genie+ is all the long lines that you get to skip while visiting the Disney Parks. No one heads to Disney and hopes to spend most of their vacation in line. Genie+ is a way to ensure that you can ride some rides without long waits.
We love that we can skip long wait times for rides such as Peter Pan’s Flight, it’s a small world, Na’vi River Journey, Soarin’, and so many more. Even though we love these rides, we don’t need to or want to stand in hour-plus-long lines to experience them.
For those that are only visiting Walt Disney World once, Genie+ is an excellent way for them to be able to experience more throughout the Parks. By not standing in long lines, they can see and do more throughout the day.
Dislike: Not Picking Return Times
If you were used to Fastpass+, you were used to choosing your return window. This isn’t the case with Genie+. Guests are given the next available time and cannot modify or change it.
This can be extremely frustrating if you have dining reservations, Individual Lightning Lanes, or other plans that need to be worked around. We would much rather have the ability to choose our times to ensure that it fits into our overall goals for the day.
It can be challenging if the only return time is super late in the day and you aren’t planning on being in the Park still or if it is in the middle of the day and your little one needs a nap. We hope that Disney will look into providing more options here regarding choosing times sometime in the future. Doing this will make a big difference for Guests and how they like the feature.
Like: Evenings with Genie+
One aspect of Genie+ that we have started to like is using it in the evenings at the Parks. Since we are a group that takes a break in the afternoon, we like that we can continue to book Genie+ outside the Parks.
As we rest or hang by the pool, we continue to book our Genie+ reservations as time allows (every two hours). Doing this can stack them for our evenings in the Parks. This often means that when we return for the evening, we have 3-4 rides already booked with Genie+.
Having this ability makes the return to the Parks at night easy and a lot of fun. We enjoy having this option.
Like: Options at Magic Kingdom
We love that Magic Kingdom offers so many experiences with Genie+. With so many rides and experiences to choose from, we feel we can get the most out of Genie+. In Magic Kingdom, we feel like we can always find a ride or show or meet and greet that is available for Genie+.
Genie+ is nice at Magic Kingdom because we can constantly use it to skip standby lines. Even if it isn’t a top attraction, such as Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, or Jungle Cruise, we can still use Genie+ to skip lines and experience more of the magic.
We are still learning how to navigate Genie+ in the Disney Parks. Each time we visit, we learn more about how this feature works and how to get the most out of our purchase. There continue to be things we enjoy and don’t like about Genie+.
One of the main tips around Genie+ is to make sure you understand how it works. Head to How to Disney to learn about Genie+, so you are prepared. We hope by sharing our thoughts, you will be able to determine if it will work for your family during your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation.
