Top Disney Enhancements That are Worth the Additional Cost
It's no secret that Disney World has become very expensive. Within the past few years Disney World has done away with many of the "free" perks like FastPasses, Magical Express, MagicBands, and free parking for resort guest. Not to mention the non-stop price increases for food and merchandise.
One of our main goals here at Wave of the Wand Travel is to help our client save money on their vacation. We want everyone to be able to visit the most magical place on Earth, regardless of their budget. With that being said, with the new extra fees and charges, which new paid features are actually worth the extra cost? Let's review.
MagicBands
If you're not familiar with MagicBands, they are colorful wristband that act as an all-in-one device that effortlessly connects you to all the vacation choices you made with My Disney Experience app. MagicBands enables you to travel lighter throughout your vacation. You can use it to enter the parks, unlock your Disney Resort hotel room, buy food and merchandise, connect to your Memory Maker, and so much more.
Disney has a free feature called MagicMoblie that will allow you to do mostly everything the Magicband does but for free. So why pay for a MagicBand? Well, the MagicMoblie will need to be connected through Bluetooth on your mobile device, this will allow the app to capture you're in-ride photos, make recommendations, etc. With using the app more frequently with Bluetooth enabled, this will drain your phone battery very quickly.
We do recommend purchasing a Magicband to help simplify your trip. The average cost for MagicBands can run $10.00 to $30.00 USD Guest staying at an onsite resort will receive a discount on their purchase.
Genie+
As mentioned, Disney World has discontinued the use of the free FastPass system and has replaced it with a new, very complicated paid feature in the My Disney Experience App called the Genie+. Even though Genie+ is tricky to use, it can save many hours in the parks. There are several YouTube Vloggers that have wonderful training videos that help guest understand how to use this feature. We highly recommend AllEars.net and Disney Food Blog(DFB).
We do not like that guest now have to pay for something that use to be free, however it is still something that can enhance your park day. There are two ways to purchase Genie+, you can add Genie+ to your park ticket with your vacation package. This will add Genie+ to everyday of your park visits. Or you can purchase for select days in the My Disney Experience App. We highly recommend Genie+ for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Genie+ is 15 dollars per person, per day, plus tax.
Individual Attraction Selection(IAS) for Rise of the Resistance
Some of the more popular attractions are known as Individual Attraction selections. These attractions are not included with Genie+ and will be an additional cost if guest wish to skip the stand-by lines. These attractions are Rise of the Resistance, Snow White's Seven Dwarf Mine Train, Flight of Passage, and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. You do not have to purchase Genie+ to be able to purchase an IAS.
The prices for IAS is date-based ticket pricing, meaning the price will vary due to attraction and crowd levels. If you're visiting during a peak season the prices will be higher. Once again, we do not like that the free FastPass system has been replaced with this paid feature. We often recommend out clients to take advantage of early park entry and head directly over to this attraction first thing in the morning.
However, Rise of the Resistance is the most popular attraction in all of Walt Disney World. This line is often around a 180-minute wait. Even at rope drop, you're most likely going to wait 45-60 minutes. This most important thing to note, this ride breaks down a lot! If you wait an hour long and the ride breaks down, you have just wasted an hour of your park day! That's very valuable time. Guest that purchases an IAS will be issued a return pass if the ride breaks down. This will allow them to return once the ride is back in operation.
IAS passes can be purchased at 7:00am for guest staying in a Disney resort, guest staying off property will be able to purchase a IAS at park opening. Rise of the Resistance IAS go very quickly, with in a matter of seconds on busy days. Be sure to be up and ready to go at 7am. The cost of an IAS for Rise of the Resistance is normally $15 dollars per person plus tax.
Book a Disney Resort Package
Yes, it is true that Disney has removed many of the incentives to staying on-site. That being said there are still many perks that guest can take advantage of.
Free Transportation- Disney World transportation includes buses, boats, monorail, and the Disney Skyliner. Each hotel will offer one or more of these transportation services
Early Park Entry- Guest that stay in a Disney resort will be able to enter the parks 30 minutes before the general public. It doesn't seem like much time, but it can mean waiting in a 30-minute line vs a 120-minute line for select popular attractions. Pro Tip: Get to the parks at least 30 minutes before the start of early park entry, the parks will often open there gates early.
Extended Dining Window- All guest can start making there dining reservations 60 days in advance. But guest staying onsite can book 60 day plus the length of their stay. This is a big advantage for trying to snag those hard-to-get dining locations.
Discounts on MagicBands- As stated before, guest staying onsite will receive a discount on their MagicBand order. After purchase, the new MagicBand will be linked automatically to the vacation package.
Resort and Package Discounts- Throughout the year Disney releases package discounts that can be applied to packages. Guest that has book a stay at an onsite resort can often apply the discount to their existing package. Note: calling Disney can take several hours. If you're a client of Wave of the Wand Travel, any savings that could be applied to your package will be applied automatically. You will not have to worry about spending hours on hold. Click here to learn more about our Discount Monitoring Service.
Upgrading to a Deluxe Resort
Yes, we get it, these resorts are very expensive! The deluxe resorts often offer close proximity to a park(s), additional dining options, additional transportation options, and the most important Extended Evening Hours.
Extended evening hours will allow guest to stay in the park 2 hours after park closing. This gives guest access to the rides with little to no wait at all. And basically, have the park to themselves. If you're someone that is looking for the best way to beat the crowds, this is it. Also if your not someone that likes to wake up at 6am every morning of your trip, this would allow you to sleep in and grab a breakfast somewhere and have a leisurely day.
We truly want you to have the most magical experience possible. Our Certified Travel Advisor Angel is a huge Disney fan with extensive knowledge on Disney World. She helps guide our clients along the way with personalized advice and tips to help you experience all the magic these lands have to offer.
The best part, All of our services are 100% free. We are extremely committed in providing the best travel services, and we are always ready to go above and beyond in order to ensure the highest level of personalized service for you. Find out what magic we can bring to your vacation. Click here to contact us for more information.
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