Multi-Park Genie+ has bought out once more at Walt Disney World. In the meantime, costs have elevated to peak season ranges for the beginning of the 2024 Spring Break season for Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and the Park Hopping choice. This submit covers all of that together with a dialog about why attendance is elevated and what to anticipate for the remainder of March.
Let’s begin by discussing crowds. This is among the busier stretches of the complete yr at Walt Disney World. Our current Spring Break 2024 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World recognized March 8 because the unofficial begin date of the college recess season. It additionally predicted that crowds would begin to get actually unhealthy on March 15, and just about not let up till after Easter.
With that stated, there are a few countervailing elements suggesting that this week may be worse than subsequent. The primary is the Winter 2024 Florida Resident Ticket Deal, which ends on March 15, 2024. The second is the 2 lowest tiers of Annual Passes being blocked out beginning this weekend or early subsequent week. Handy timing that might be sufficient to offset greater vacationer quantity for Spring Break season. It will seem that’s exactly what Walt Disney World is anticipating, as park hours are shorter subsequent week.
For our half, we’re nonetheless anticipating worse crowds subsequent week than this week. Whereas the ticket deal ending and extra AP blockouts in place will put a dent in crowds, those self same (or related) offsets at all times exist throughout peak season. Nonetheless, the amount of vacationers is nearly at all times better than the ensuing discount of locals. The one wrinkle right here is that most of the college districts on break subsequent week are in Florida, so it’s not strictly a vacationer season.
I suppose we will see what occurs. Regardless, the next week is Easter and that is a typical vacationer time–and can undoubtedly be the busiest week of Spring Break season. Consequently, it’s made our listing of the 10 Worst Weeks at Walt Disney World in 2024 & 2025. (So did subsequent week, for that matter–however Easter might be worse.)
Irrespective of the way you slice it, the rest of March 2024 might be very busy. It’s not a matter of low crowds vs. heavy crowds, it’s all various levels of heavy. However this can be a submit about Genie+ costs and promote outs, not a crowd forecast.
Listed here are the costs for Genie+ at Walt Disney World for March 11, 2024:
- A number of Parks (legitimate with Park Hopper tickets): $35
- Magic Kingdom: $35
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $32
- EPCOT: $28
- Animal Kingdom: $25
For reference, costs have jumped fairly a bit in a single day. Animal Kingdom is up $7, going from $18 to $25; ditto EPCOT, which went from $21 to $28. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is “solely” up $6 to $32; it’s the identical story Magic Kingdom and the Multi-Park/Hopper choice, that are up $6, from $29 to $35.
Previous to this, the Magic Kingdom or Park Hopper Genie+ worth vary for the final two weeks has been $25 to $29. The present costs are the very best they’ve been up to now in 2024, matching the height week of Presidents’ Day and Mid-Winter Break. They’re additionally on par with the height of final yr’s Thanksgiving week, which was busier than the final couple of days.
All-time highs for Genie+ occurred round Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve, when costs peaked at $39. For reference, Genie+ set a brand new file excessive worth final yr throughout Easter week at $35, breaking the prior file from the vacation season just a few months prior. That $35 worth wasn’t reached once more till final Thanksgiving, and damaged at Christmas. If historical past had been to repeat itself, Easter 2024 would set one other new file, breaking the $40 barrier.
When it comes to crowds, most of Spring Break gained’t even maintain a candle to the week between Christmas and NYE final yr, which was next-level bonkers to an extent that had not been seen since no less than 2019. (Assuming, for the sake of argument, that Genie+ is “price” its present $35 worth level…it most likely would’ve been “price” $50-60 through the coronary heart of the vacation season.)
Nonetheless, the Genie+ “Multi-Park” choice has bought out for March 11, 2024. In perusing wait occasions, I’m really barely shocked by this. They’re unhealthy, to make certain, however they don’t appear that unhealthy. In fact, the day continues to be younger and it’s completely doable crowds go from unhealthy to worse by early afternoon. I’m not going to complain about Walt Disney World setting caps on gross sales, although–that’s precisely what they need to be doing to make sure these paying $35 have ample Lightning Lane stock accessible.
One dynamic we’ve seen prior to now is that it looks like Genie promoting out begets extra bought out dates. Visitors develop Genie+ FOMO, seeing that it bought out yesterday and thus shifting sooner to buy it the following. The paid FastPass service sells out earlier and earlier, over the course of the week–at the same time as crowd ranges often peak on Monday or Tuesday.
On condition that Genie+ is promoting out on the begin of Spring Break season, we’re most likely in for a lot of extra days when considered one of a number of choices sells out. We wouldn’t be in the least shocked to see Genie+ promote out no less than a half-dozen extra occasions within the subsequent 3 weeks. Final yr round this time, Genie+ bought out twice throughout Orange County’s Spring Break (that’s subsequent week) and on three consecutive days throughout Easter. Promote outs have turn out to be extra widespread since switching to per-park pricing, although, so a full dozen dates with bought out choices between now and early April 2024 is an affordable chance.
No matter what occurs, it’s going to be a really busy few weeks with excessive wait occasions. So plan accordingly, buy Genie+ early, be aggressive with reserving pursuant to the 120 minute rule, have a sturdy refresh recreation for experience reservation refills. Oh, and don’t neglect to benefit from Early Entry and twine drop, in addition to zig once they zag savvy technique. One of many greatest errors informal company make throughout weeks like that is assuming that Genie+ is an “simple” choice for front-of-line entry. It very a lot shouldn’t be. You want an all the above method to beat the crowds–however it may be completed!
You probably have questions concerning the fundamentals of utilizing–or not utilizing–the paid FastPass service, see our Information to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all the foundational need-to-know data. This entire system is complicated and convoluted, so that you might need a query or two-dozen. That solutions all the most typical ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Accommodations Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas 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 Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part you must know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Genie+ costs and availability at Walt Disney World for the beginning of the 2024 Spring Break season? Dissatisfied that the price is as soon as once more over $30, or do you see upside from a lowered demand/higher stock perspective? Will you buy Genie+ or is the present per day value too costly for you? Do you agree or disagree with my evaluation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
