The Walt Disney World Resort may cater to millions of guests each year, and for good reason, but even the crown jewel of the Mouse’s theme park empire will occasionally see a major decrease in attendance. The resort is now braced for such an event.
Disney Genie+ Goes Defunct; New Replacement Revealed
The now-defunct Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida offered a revamped way to experience attractions with minimal waiting.
Launched in late 2021 on both the East and West Coasts of the United States, Disney Genie+ was a paid service that allowed guests to skip regular standby lines by accessing Lightning Lane, the replacement for the former FastPass+ system. Prices fluctuated based on the day, ranging from $15 to $39 per person, per day.
What Is Disney World Now Offering Instead of Genie+?
However, blockbuster attractions, like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and TRON Lightcycle Run, required a separate Individual Lightning Lane purchase, which came at an extra cost, typically between $10 and $25 per person, per ride.
In late July 2024, the Walt Disney World Resort officially retired the Disney Genie+ offering, replacing it with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass.
What Is the Lightning Multi Pass?
The new passes operate in a very similar way–read the crucial Disney vacation planning information here—and allow guests to pay for speedier access to attractions like Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom Park, Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
However, one key change with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass is the ability to pre-book attractions in advance of a vacation. U.S.-based and Canadian guests can book attraction time slots up to seven days in advance if staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel or 3 days prior if staying elsewhere.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Pros and Cons
This pre-booking removes the urgency from the wake-up call (guests used to have to make selections from 7 a.m.), but it does exclude millions of visitors. The pre-booking option is unavailable to international visitors, such as those who flock from the United Kingdom year after year. Visit Florida recently confirmed that the UK was one of the top countries to head out to the Sunshine State—and it’s not unclear where they are visiting.
The summer months of July and August cater to an influx of tourism for UK Disney World guests. In the UK, the school term break begins mid-to-late July and runs through the first week of September. However, as U.S. guests head back to the office and back to school in August, there is a pocket of time when Disney World can be utterly quiet.
When Is the Quietest Time To Visit Disney World?
While there is no definitive guide to the traffic of the Walt Disney World Resort, it can be gleaned that these late August weeks and the month of September–with the exception of the Labor Day weekend–are some of the quietest times on Disney World property.
Disney World officials confirmed it themselves in June 2024.
“While there isn’t an exact science for crowd-level expectations, there are some historical trends that we can look to for crowd-level predictions,” wrote planDisney, the House of Mouse’s official channel for vacation planning. “The lowest attendance periods usually take place immediately following the highest attendance periods.”
“Avoid Labor Day” at Walt Disney World
The answer to a guest question continued, with planDisney acknowledging when and why Disney World is quieter than usual.
“One of the best times to visit is from mid-August through the month of September (just avoid Labor Day weekend),” they said. “This six-week period is probably one of the lowest attended times of the year. Many schools are back in session and attendance/crowds drop significantly from summertime visits.”
And even without Disney explicitly acknowledging quieter periods, some key indicators indicate that the prolific Disney resort is preparing to put the ghost in “ghost town.”
The price of Disney World’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass will significantly decrease to $15-20 per person starting next week, September 4, 2024. Guests will be required to pay $15 to use the service at EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, while $20 will be the price tag for the Multi Pass at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Related: Walt Disney World Announces Disney After Hours Dates for 2025
This cost will be significantly cheaper than the previous weeks, and not only that, it seems Disney World is also bracing itself for a quieter Labor Day weekend spell. The cost of the Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Magic Kingdom will be $23, a reduction on 2023’s holiday.
New Information Comes To Light: Disney World’s Recent Attendance Levels and How It Will Change in the Future
The low attendance expected comes as Disney’s Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger and Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston confirmed that footfall had been lighter than previous periods in the recent Q3 earnings report.
“Park attendance was comparable year over year, Disney said, and guest spending was slightly up,” Travel Weekly reported in early August. “During the company’s earnings call Wednesday, CFO Hugh Johnston called it a “slight moderation” in demand.”
Related: Shocking Scene as Disney Guests Pushed and Shoved by Cast Members
They also addressed future attendance, stating that Q4–and perhaps even into fiscal 2025–will produce similar results.
Disney anticipates that this trend of flat or slightly declining attendance may continue for the next few quarters, with revenue expected to remain steady,” WDW Magic wrote; revenue was up 2% versus Q3 2023. “Johnston mentioned that this is not indicative of a prolonged downturn but rather a temporary moderation in demand that the company is closely monitoring.”
Disney World Becomes More Expensive
It’s no secret that the Disney Experiences brand has become tarnished in recent years due to increasing ticket, accommodation, and add-on costs.
One only has to look at how the previously free FastPass+ service, which was open to all guests regardless of location, has become a new way to increase revenue at the theme parks. And that’s not even the most controversial change…
Will you be taking advantage of this predicted quiet period at Disney World? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
