For the primary time ever, Genie+ has offered out at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (as has the Park Hopping possibility, which sells out each time any park is unavailable). This submit covers the colossal crowds and triple-digit wait occasions proper now at Walt Disney World, plus the probability of the line-skipping service promoting out as peak week continues, and extra.
Let’s begin by speaking crowds. It’s not going to shock anybody that this has already been a busy week. Crowds at all times construct in mid-December, and it’s sometimes the case that the weeks main as much as Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve are two of the busiest of the 12 months. This pattern will proceed into early 2024, which is why the entire massive adjustments don’t take impact till January 9. The primary week of 2024 will in all probability be worse than the week earlier than Christmas, in actual fact.
What is perhaps a shock is that the times and weekend main as much as Christmas truly weren’t that dangerous. Don’t get us flawed–crowds have been excessive, however as an entire, the typical wait time for final week was 45 minutes and the gang stage was 8/10. It wasn’t even one of many prime 5 weeks of the 12 months, and was nicely beneath final Christmas. Nonetheless, this week has been a very totally different story up to now…
Though it’s only some days previous, the present week has a mean wait time of 54 minutes and a crowd stage of 10/10. That’s dangerous sufficient to tie because the busiest week of the 12 months. That quantity is barely rising, too. The typical wait time throughout all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks immediately (December 27, 2023) is 65 minutes.
That may make December 27 tied for the busiest day of the 12 months (with January 3, 2023) if the day ended proper now. Wait occasions have in all probability peaked for the day, so we wouldn’t be stunned to see that common dip again to 64 minutes. That’s nonetheless far busier than any day since Easter.
It’s protected to say immediately will go down because the busiest day since this January. That’s, till tomorrow rolls round. Every single day for the remainder of this week/12 months has an opportunity of being the busiest of the week/whole 12 months. In equity, we warned you that crowd ranges could be 10+/10 this week!
With that in thoughts, listed here are the costs for Genie+ at Walt Disney World for December 27, 2023:
- A number of Parks (legitimate with Park Hopper tickets): $39
- Magic Kingdom: $39
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $35
- EPCOT: $32
- Animal Kingdom: $29
These record-high quantities began on December 23 and we anticipate these exact value factors to proceed by means of New 12 months’s Eve. On January 1, 2024, it’s possible the max value will fall again to $29. Don’t be stunned if Genie+ sells out a number of occasions within the days and week to come back regardless of the document excessive costs.
As famous above, December 27, 2023 is the primary time ever that Genie+ has offered out at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Granted, a particular park promoting out has solely been attainable because the swap to per-park pricing earlier this 12 months. Genie+ offered out on a number of events earlier than that, but it surely was across-the-board promote outs that couldn’t be attributed to any single park. We have been in DHS on a few these days, and primarily based on crowds and Lightning Lane stock, I’m guessing DHS was the perpetrator for the promote out at the least as soon as.
Regardless, each time that Genie+ has offered out because the swap to per-park pricing, it has occurred at Magic Kingdom. And virtually all of these occasions, that has been attributable to Social gathering Season–both shorter hours at Magic Kingdom (that means much less Lightning Lane stock) or longer hours at Magic Kingdom (that means a consolidation in crowds). Which will seem to be a nonsensical clarification, however Social gathering Season is a curler coaster for capability and attendance at Magic Kingdom. Anyway.
Above is a present take a look at wait occasions in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As you possibly can see, there are 5 points of interest with triple-digit wait occasions and one other 4 with 60+ minute waits. You recognize it’s a nasty day when Star Excursions is posting a 60-minute wait time! Ditto a number of of the meet & greets being above half-hour–and that’s simply those that submit wait occasions.
You may see these numbers and assume that the wait time common thus have to be even worse than 65 minutes. That’s an affordable evaluation. In case you polled friends presently within the parks about their perceptions of wait occasions, the consensus common would possible be a a lot greater quantity. However averages take your complete day and your complete attraction roster into consideration.
The ten-15 minute wait occasions at Trip Enjoyable, Walt Disney Presents, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, and MuppetVision 3D assist drag down the general common, as do the morning hours when the park is much less busy. These underutilized points of interest and occasions of day affect the precise common however in all probability not visitor perceptions exactly as a result of they’re much less common/busy.
About the one attraction that I wouldn’t say is atypically dangerous is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at 160 minutes. Sure, that’s an almost 3-hour posted wait time, but it surely’s not that far above its common wait time. With that mentioned, there’s not an opportunity on earth I’d soar in that line. That standby line is enjoying with fireplace–the longer the wait, the upper the chance of the trip breaking down when you’re in line. Wherein case, you received’t be ready “solely” 3 hours…it’ll be nearer to 4 or maybe extra. (For a radical clarification, see Why Sure Walt Disney World Rides Can Have WORSE Precise Wait Instances Than What’s Posted.)
As beforehand talked about, the subsequent two weeks or so will see peak season plus attendance, with crowd ranges of 10+/10, for lack of a greater time period. That won’t make full sense, however final 12 months’s peak week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve is an effective illustration. December 20 was a ten/10 crowd stage day with a mean wait time of 54 minutes–that was just one minute greater than a 9/10 crowd stage. In contrast, December 29 was the worst day of final 12 months, additionally with a ten/10 crowd stage however a mean wait time of 67 minutes.
That’s a 13 minute unfold–which is completely huge–however the very same crowd stage. Nowhere else on the dimensions (besides, I suppose, 1/10 because it may theoretically begin at 0 minutes–however that by no means occurs in apply) has that vary. Normally a crowd stage has a variety of some minutes earlier than it strikes up or down. Not 10/10. It may be 54 minutes, 67 minutes, 80 minutes, and so forth. Therefore the ten+/10 crowd stage.
Hope that is smart. Even when not, the salient level is that there are various levels of ‘dangerous’ crowds and that 10/10 isn’t a static stage of awfulness. Proper now could be fairly dangerous, however subsequent week will virtually definitely be means worse. On the plus aspect, the parks will probably be working in ‘most effectivity’ mode, which presents extra alternatives for beating the crowds for those who’re prepared to work a bit.
We’d as soon as once more advocate studying Making the Most of Midnight in Magic Kingdom & Beating Peak Season Crowds! That’s a latest submit that I put a ton of labor into primarily based on my midnight expertise, and it was comparatively ignored by readers. The guidelines there can prevent a ton of time and stress for those who’re visiting Walt Disney World within the subsequent two weeks.
It’ll be fascinating to see what number of days Genie+ sells out between now and January 6, 2024. My earlier guess was 3-4, with the entire promote outs occurring later within the week as NYE attracts nearer and crowds crescendo.
Genie+ promoting out regardless of greater costs truly shouldn’t be a shock. For one factor, there’s a certain quantity of value inelasticity in terms of paid line-skipping. Most friends who don’t balk on the $35 value level are also unlikely to be dissuaded from shopping for the service when it’s priced at $39. That’s particularly true of tourists who pay peak season costs to go to Walt Disney World–they’re much less prone to be cost-sensitive (in the event that they have been, they’d select cheaper dates within the first place).
There’s additionally the sensible actuality that Genie+ is extra invaluable when crowds are greater. As we’ve mentioned beforehand, there’s a “candy spot” for getting the Genie+ service, and you might be arguably higher off skipping it in favor of superior technique when costs are highest attributable to lack of Lightning Lane availability (see When to Skip Genie+ at Walt Disney World).
Nonetheless, that’s not precisely intuitive to lots of people who aren’t savvy planners. Generally, the extra friends see longer wait occasions, the extra possible they’re to need to skip these standby traces. Worse wait occasions creates the next incentive for bypassing traces, that means greater uptake of Genie+ even when it prices extra. Demand for beating crowds will increase as crowds enhance, and as such, Genie+ will at all times be hottest when it’s costliest. That’s true even when its benefit is considerably illusory in 10/10 crowds, since availability worsens and so too do the Lightning Lane return traces.
In the end, there’s no straightforward repair to this concern for Walt Disney World. Within the close to time period, capping Genie+ gross sales is the very best answer. Within the medium time period, our expectation is that Walt Disney World’s crackdown on DAS abuse will speed up in 2024, and that alone ought to unencumber quite a bit of Lightning Lane stock. (Severely. Judging by the feedback to that submit, lots of you massively underestimate simply how a lot abuse–not simply correct use–of DAS is going on.)
The transfer to advance-booking of Lightning Lanes can even change issues, however that won’t enhance Lightning Lane availability, as a result of it can not. It’ll be a reallocation. (It will probably, nevertheless, have the looks of an enchancment if paired with a DAS crackdown…) Long term, the options are restoring all leisure that’s nonetheless (STILL!) lacking, repurposing underutilized areas of every park, reimagining rides which are unpopular. Oh, and naturally, park enlargement and constructing extra new rides.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study inns on our Walt Disney World Accommodations Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part it is advisable know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Genie+ setting a brand new all-time document excessive value of $39? In case you’re visiting in the course of the week of New 12 months’s Eve, what’s the utmost value you’ll pay for the line-skipping service? Ideas on our perspective that demand for Genie+ will proceed to be highest on the busiest/costliest days? Another concerns we did not take into consideration or particulars we missed/bought flawed? Do you agree or disagree with my evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
