**UPDATED ON 10/5/2023**
Before we even begin to jump into all the details let’s go over some important definitions:
- Genie : Disney Genie is a free tool offered to all guests with valid park tickets.
- Genie+: Genie+ is an additional purchase that can be added onto your tickets anytime after 12am on the day of park entry.
- Individual Lightning Lane: Additional purchase for 1-2 headliner attractions at each park (not included in the price of Genie+).
One of the best parts of using a Kingdom Elite Disney Travel Specialist is our expertise on the parks. Not only have most of us been multiple times (like seriously blindfold me and I will get around just fine) but we have done Disney’s College of Knowledge! Questions we get asked often is “What rides should I do first?” “How to I prevent standing in lines for long periods of time?” “Do you have an order of things to do once we get to the parks?” etc. WE LOVE these questions! Insert Disney’s Genie, BUT EVEN BETTER.
Disney Genie is complimentary to anyone and everyone. It’s built right into your My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps and the glorious thing (other than being free) is that it will help you maximize your park time. That’s right you don’t have to ask anymore what rides to do first or last, or how to not stand in lines because Disney Genie does that for you. It will include a personalized itinerary that will map out your entire day based on your likes and dislikes as well as how the parks are looking that day. It measures everything includes those crazy wait times!
Free Features on Disney Genie:
Disney Genie
All Your Favorites in One Place: We will help each of our clients do this, but you can create your own personal tip boards where you can instantly see your favorites in one place. Example, you LOVE Space Mountain and the app knows that, it will display current AND forecasted wait times helping you know when the right time is to jump into line!
Updates ALL DAY: This isn’t a one and done thing. Disney Genie will update your itinerary all day so you don’t have to think about what’s happening around the park and stalk wait times, you can be free to just let the magic happen and have fun!
Easy as a click of a button: You will be able to join virtual queues for some of your favorite attractions, get updates on your favorite Dining options that you hoped for a reservation at, and even message back and forth with 24/7 virtual assistants if you have questions!
Okay, now that we have chatted about the FREE parts of this app let’s jump into the other two options for enjoying the parks. Through these two options Disney has introduced the NEW FASTPASS Lane titled “Lightning Lanes”
Additional Cost Features – Disney Genie+
DISNEY GENIE+
At Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Genie+ will vary in price based on the date a guest is visiting. Similar to theme park tickets, throughout the year, prices may be lower on less busy days and higher during peak periods like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Guests are responsible for purchasing Genie+ each day they want to make use of its benefits. Guests can purchase Genie+ within their My Disney Experience account beginning at midnight EST the day you will be attending the park. Starting at 7am EST (regardless of park opening time) you can make your first selection for a lightning lane. Genie+ offers a next-available time to arrive at a variety of attractions using the Lightning Lane entrance to help you navigate through longer wait times. Lightning Lanes are offered at more than 40 attractions throughout all 4 theme parks. Guests may use Lightning Lanes no more than once per attraction, per day.
The great thing about Genie+ is you can choose arrival windows for multiple attractions using the Lightning Lane Entrances at the Parks. You can only choose one ride at a time, but the great news is you can choose as many as you want as long as they are available! Used to as you know you had to get up super early and pick 3 rides at each park and hope to add more later only to find the majority of the time they were all booked up. This option will allow you to book as many as you can in one day and you can even use those park hoppers and jump from park to park and make your selections across all four parks.
For current pricing please check your My Disney Experience App on the home page.
*Note: If any individual park Genie+ sells out, the Multiple Parks option will also be sold out for that day. There is NO WAY to know ahead of time how much Genie+ will cost. In general, you can expect busier times of the year to warrant higher Genie+ cost.
Individual Lightning Lane Selections:
Individual Lightning Lanes (ILL) are an additional day-of purchase to help you skip the lines at some of the headliner attractions for each park. These rides currently include: Rise of the Resistance, Flight of Passage, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, Tron Lightcycle /Run, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. ILL is limited to two selections per guest, per day. Guests staying at Disney Resorts, Shades of Green® Resort on Walt Disney World® Resort, or the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels can purchase individual lightning lanes on the day of their visit, starting at 7AM EST. All other guests can purchase ILL on the day of their visit, starting at each park’s opening time. ILL can be made for more than one park. If you choose to make a selection for the park you’re hopping to it will need to be set for after 2pm (when parking hopping begins).
Individual Lightning Lane cost: Pricing varies by date, attraction and park, ranging from $8-25 per attraction per person. Pricing is displayed before purchasing your Individual Lightning Lane.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I want to “skip the lines” at the parks, which do I need?
You need Genie+, at a minimum, to skip lines at more than 40 attractions. If you’d like to skip the lines at the top headliner attractions, you will want to purchase Individual Attraction Selections at 7am each morning of your vacation via the My Disney Experience app.
Can I still enjoy attractions without Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes?
Yes, standby lines and virtual queues can be used without Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes.
Will Genie+ “sell out?”
Possibly, Genie+ will be available to all guests on a first come first served basis each morning (unless you added it to your vacation prior to July). Return times for rides are distributed on a first come first served basis. Some rides can and will “sell out.”
Can I purchase Individual Lightning Lanes without purchasing Disney Genie+?
Yes. You do not need to purchase Genie+ in order to purchase Individual Attraction Selections.
Can I modify a Genie+ selection?
You can cancel and rebook an available time/attraction.
Do I have to purchase Genie+ for each park when park hopping?
No, your Genie+ purchase covers every park for the entire day making it even more useful with park hopping.
How do I add Genie+ on some days of my vacation?
While on your vacation, add Disney Genie+ to your tickets on the morning that you would like to utilize. Log into the My Disney Experience app, from the homepage navigate to My Day >> Get Disney Genie+ Service >> Get Disney Genie+ Service >> Continue. You then enter payment info & Disney Genie+ to add them to your tickets for the day.
Is Disney Genie+ a new app I need to download?
No. Disney Genie+ is a part of the existing My Disney Experience app. You will need to update your app to the latest version to see Disney Genie+.
How long do I have to utilize my Genie+ return time?
You have a 1 hour time slot to return to enjoy your Lightning Lane selection.
How does Disney Genie+ work with Rider Switch?
Disney Genie+ works just as before with Rider Switch. Everyone in the party that plans to ride the attraction would need Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane return windows in order to utilize Rider Switch.
You cannot cheat the system and only book Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane return windows for the first group of riders and not the second. Cast members will verify that everyone in your group has a return window.
When can I make my FIRST Disney Genie+ selection?
You can make your first Disney Genie+ selection at 7am — regardless of park opening time.
When can I make additional Disney Genie+ selections?
You can make an additional Disney Genie+ selection AFTER you have tapped in to your first Disney Genie+ selection (keep in mind, some attractions have 2 scan points). Alternately, another selection can be made after 120 minutes have passed since making your original selection even if you haven’t tapped into your first selection. This rule stands except for 120 min after your 7am selection – it has to be 120 min after park opening. For example, at 7am you pick Slinky Dog at 1pm. You will not be able to make another selection until 11am (assuming the park opens at 9am).
Can a Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction sell out?
Yes they absolutely can. I highly recommend you prioritize grabbing return windows for the most popular rides at each park FIRST. The return times will run out and you’ll have to wait in the standby line, which is what you’re trying to avoid.
Do I get to select my Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane return window?
No, you don’t. The app will display to you the next available window.
Can I ride my favorite attractions more than once?
You cannot use Genie+ more than once per attraction. If you’d like to ride an attraction more than once, make sure arrive early for rope drop, or stay late and utilize the standby line. Typically ride wait times are lower at those times. Then use Genie+ when wait times are higher.
Leave a Reply