Multi-Park Genie+ has sold out again at Walt Disney World. Meanwhile, prices have increased to peak season ranges for the start of the 2024 Spring Break season for Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and the Park Hopping option. This post covers all of that along with a conversation about why attendance is elevated and what to expect for the rest of March.
Let’s start by discussing crowds. This is one of the busier stretches of the entire year at Walt Disney World. Our recent Spring Break 2024 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World identified March 8 as the unofficial start date of the school recess season. It also predicted that crowds would start to get really bad on March 15, and pretty much not let up until after Easter.
With that said, there are a couple of countervailing factors suggesting that this week might be worse than next. The first is the Winter 2024 Florida Resident Ticket Deal, which ends on March 15, 2024. The second is the two lowest tiers of Annual Passes being blocked out starting this weekend or early next week. Convenient timing that could be enough to offset higher tourist volume for Spring Break season. It would appear that’s precisely what Walt Disney World is expecting, as park hours are shorter next week.
For our part, we’re still anticipating worse crowds next week than this week. While the ticket deal ending and more AP blockouts in place will put a dent in crowds, those same (or similar) offsets always exist during peak season. Nevertheless, the volume of tourists is almost always greater than the resulting reduction of locals. The only wrinkle here is that many of the school districts on break next week are in Florida, so it’s not strictly a tourist season.
I guess we shall see what happens. Regardless, the following week is Easter and that is a typical tourist time–and will undoubtedly be the busiest week of Spring Break season. Consequently, it’s made our list of the 10 Worst Weeks at Walt Disney World in 2024 & 2025. (So did next week, for that matter–but Easter will be worse.)
No matter how you slice it, the remainder of March 2024 will be very busy. It’s not a matter of low crowds vs. heavy crowds, it’s all varying degrees of heavy. But this is a post about Genie+ prices and sell outs, not a crowd forecast.
Here are the prices for Genie+ at Walt Disney World for March 11, 2024:
- Multiple Parks (valid with Park Hopper tickets): $35
- Magic Kingdom: $35
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $32
- EPCOT: $28
- Animal Kingdom: $25
For reference, prices have jumped quite a bit overnight. Animal Kingdom is up $7, going from $18 to $25; ditto EPCOT, which went from $21 to $28. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is “only” up $6 to $32; it’s the same story Magic Kingdom and the Multi-Park/Hopper option, which are up $6, from $29 to $35.
Prior to this, the Magic Kingdom or Park Hopper Genie+ price range for the last two weeks has been $25 to $29. The current prices are the highest they’ve been thus far in 2024, matching the peak week of Presidents’ Day and Mid-Winter Break. They’re also on par with the peak of last year’s Thanksgiving week, which was busier than the last couple of days.
All-time highs for Genie+ occurred around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when prices peaked at $39. For reference, Genie+ set a new record high price last year during Easter week at $35, breaking the prior record from the holiday season a few months prior. That $35 price wasn’t reached again until last Thanksgiving, and broken at Christmas. If history were to repeat itself, Easter 2024 would set another new record, breaking the $40 barrier.
In terms of crowds, most of Spring Break won’t even hold a candle to the week between Christmas and NYE last year, which was next-level bonkers to an extent that had not been seen since at least 2019. (Assuming, for the sake of argument, that Genie+ is “worth” its current $35 price point…it probably would’ve been “worth” $50-60 during the heart of the holiday season.)
Nevertheless, the Genie+ “Multi-Park” option has sold out for March 11, 2024. In perusing wait times, I’m actually slightly surprised by this. They’re bad, to be sure, but they don’t seem that bad. Of course, the day is still young and it’s entirely possible crowds go from bad to worse by early afternoon. I’m not going to complain about Walt Disney World setting caps on sales, though–that’s exactly what they should be doing to ensure those paying $35 have ample Lightning Lane inventory available.
One dynamic we’ve noticed in the past is that it seems like Genie selling out begets more sold out dates. Guests develop Genie+ FOMO, seeing that it sold out the previous day and thus moving faster to purchase it the next. The paid FastPass service sells out earlier and earlier, over the course of the week–even as crowd levels usually peak on Monday or Tuesday.
Given that Genie+ is selling out at the start of Spring Break season, we’re probably in for many more days when one of several options sells out. We wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Genie+ sell out at least a half-dozen more times in the next 3 weeks. Last year around this time, Genie+ sold out twice during Orange County’s Spring Break (that’s next week) and on three consecutive days during Easter. Sell outs have become more common since switching to per-park pricing, though, so a full dozen dates with sold out options between now and early April 2024 is a reasonable possibility.
Regardless of what happens, it’s going to be a very busy few weeks with high wait times. So plan accordingly, purchase Genie+ early, be aggressive with booking pursuant to the 120 minute rule, have a strong refresh game for ride reservation refills. Oh, and don’t forget to take advantage of Early Entry and rope drop, as well as zig when they zag savvy strategy. One of the biggest mistakes casual guests make during weeks like this is assuming that Genie+ is an “easy” option for front-of-line access. It very much is not. You need an all of the above approach to beat the crowds–but it can be done!
If you have questions about the basics of using–or not using–the paid FastPass service, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all of the foundational need-to-know info. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Genie+ prices and availability at Walt Disney World for the start of the 2024 Spring Break season? Disappointed that the cost is once again over $30, or do you see upside from a lowered demand/better inventory perspective? Will you purchase Genie+ or is the current per day cost too expensive for you? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!