food IS a theme park
Well, to say things are getting busy in Disney World is an understatement.
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom
The crowds have arrived in FULL force this weekend, and the first sign we knew it was going to be busy was seeing the price of Genie+ go up to its highest in over a month. Well, today, that price has gone even HIGHER, so we expect to see even MORE people in the parks today.
Heading to Disney World in the near future?
Cinderella Castle
It’s a good idea to be prepared for the unexpected. Transportation can get delayed, rides can shut down because of technical difficulties, and technology can malfunction. Occasionally, we’ve seen the My Disney Experience app have some trouble, and this week it seems to be struggling again.
Get ready to become a TRUE Disney pro!
Cinderella Castle
One tool you’ll find yourself using a LOT in Disney World is the My Disney Experience app. This is the official Disney World app, which can be downloaded on your mobile device. The app can help you do a whole bunch of useful things in the parks like check ride wait times, place Mobile Orders, and secure those Genie+ selections. But the app keeps changing and evolving, getting new features that you might have TOTALLY missed out on. So today we’re taking a look at 3 of the newest Disney World app updates/additions to help you make the most of your use of the app.
03It’s been years since Genie+ was introduced in Disney World, and it’s still quite controversial.
Genie+
It’s a great way to help you accomplish everything you hope to during your Disney day without too much waiting in line, but it also can cost an arm and a leg, so many families have to choose which they’d prefer — faster lines or saving money. If you’re heading into the parks later this year for one of Disney World’s after-hours events, there’s a Genie+ trick you need to know about.
Recently, we saw a change in how Disney World guests purchase Genie+.
©Disney
This change, which happened back in June, brought the ability to purchase Genie+ based on which park you plan to visit. The price of Genie+ is now different depending on which park you’re planning to use it in. Now, Genie+ has hit its LOWEST price yet since that change!
Genie+ has changed so much in Disney World that you might be incredibly confused about just how to use the service. (And we don’t blame you!)
Scanning into a Lightning Lane
For those unfamiliar with it, Genie+ is the PAID skip-the-standby-line service that has replaced FastPass+. Generally speaking, it allows you to pay a certain amount to make a Lightning Lane selection for a participating ride and then use the Lightning Lane to skip the standby wait. But how and when you make those Genie+ selections, what rides are included in Genie+, the pricing for Genie+, and MORE have ALL changed in the past few years. And one more important change is on the way.
Using Genie+ just got a little easier!
Kali River Rapids Lightning Lane
Disney has announced a number of updates to this paid service over the past few months. Its payment tiers are now different, and some big Genie+ changes are being planned for 2024. But now, one more feature has been altered.
Genie+ has gone through a few different transformations since the skip-the-line service first rolled out in Disney World.
You can find Lightning Lanes at many attractions within the parks!
And, just when we thought we had the hang of things — Disney goes and changes it all over again. As of June 27th, Genie+ is now a per-park, per-day service, meaning that the price depends on which park you’re visiting and which date you visit. This “dynamic pricing” has ebbed and flowed since it was first introduced, but we’ve noticed something kind of peculiar lately.
Price increases seem to be the name of the game at Disney World, but some DEVASTATING ones have hit the parks in 2023.
Magic Kingdom
Reports previously indicated that current Disney CEO Bob Iger was “alarmed by increases in prices at Disney theme parks,” which former CEO Bob Chapek felt would “boost revenue and limit overcrowding.” Though that may be the case, and Iger has brought back some FREE perks to Disney World — like free overnight parking for guests at Disney World hotels — that doesn’t mean all price increases have stopped…
We all know how confusing Genie+ can be — trust us, we’re in the parks every day, but even we still get confused.
Genie+ is the new FastPass+
There are tons of changes we know are coming to Genie+ next year, and a huge change was made recently that we’re trying our hardest to get everyone up to speed on. But do you REALLY need to use Genie+ during your trip? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is NO!
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