If you are heading to Disney World and haven’t been there in a few years, you may be super confused by Genie+, and quite frankly, we don’t blame you! It can be frustrating and baffling, not to mention, expensive.
We want to give you a simple direct approach on how to use it and equip you with a super helpful strategy that we employ every time we go to the parks. This post will give you the basics on what you need to know. Head here for a step by step strategy of how to use Genie+.
Disney veterans will remember the old Fast Pass system. Introduced way back in 1999, Fast Passes were able to give smart folks (like you reading this) a strategic “leg up” on others in the park in order to cut down on the amount of time you spent standing in lines.
But alas, today FastPasses no longer exist but have now been replaced by Genie+!
Important Genie+ Terms You Need To Know
Genie
This is a free service that helps you set your itinerary on your Disney App. It will keep track of everything you are doing on a particular day at Walt Disney World from attractions to meal reservations.
It will also give you suggestions in real-time on attractions and restaurants concerning wait times, show times and Lightning Lane return times.
Genie+
This is a PAID add-on that will allow you to bypass the line and use the Lightning Lane for most attractions. This is a per person, per day purchase.
Individual Lightning Lane
This is an a la carte Lightning Lane reservation. Each park has a couple of super high-demand attractions that Disney has decided you cannot use Genie+ on. If you want quick entry on these attractions you will need to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. The extra fee is between $11 and $25 plus tax per attraction, per person.
Lightning Lane
This is the line you go through if you have either a Genie+ purchase or an Individual Lightning Lane purchase. (This used to be the fastpass lane.)
Standby Lane
This is the normal standby queue you use when you have no other quick entrance.
Ok now that you have a general idea of this concept we can get into some deeper specifics.
What is Genie Plus (Genie+)?
Genie+ is a paid service that allows you to pick an attraction or experience to use the “Lightning Lane”. The lightning lane entrance allows you to skip the slow standby lines and massively reduce your wait times.
How much is Genie+?
Genie+ starts at $15 per day and goes up from there. Pricing is dependent upon factors such as the time of year and what park you are going to. The higher the crowds, the more expensive Genie+ will be. For example, during the 2023-2024 holiday season, Disney was charging $39 per day per person.
What other perks will Genie+ give you?
In addition to the 40 plus attraction Lightning Lane opportunities, you will have access to Augmented Reality Lenses throughout Walt Disney World and an exclusive behind the scenes audio tour with appearances from Walt Disney Imagineers.
You will receive digital downloads of your Disney PhotoPass attraction photos taken in the park on the day of your purchase at no additional charge.
Does Genie+ give you access to every attraction?
No. Many attractions can be accessed by having Genie Plus, but unfortunately some of the biggest attractions are not a part of your purchase. The top one or two most popular attractions in each park will not be available on Genie+.
Here are the rides and attractions that are included in your Genie Plus purchase. Keep in mind, experiences are subject to change without notice:
Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park Genie+ Attractions
Lightning Lane Entrances Offered Through Disney Genie+ Service:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
- Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Space Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
EPCOT Genie+ Attractions
Lightning Lane Entrances Offered Through Disney Genie+ Service:
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Frozen Ever After
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE – Green
- Mission: SPACE – Orange
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Genie+ Attractions
Lightning Lane Entrances Offered Through Disney Genie+ Service:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play & Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
- Toy Story Mania!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Genie+ Attractions
Lightning Lane Entrances Offered Through Disney Genie+ Service:
- Festival of the Lion King
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the forbidden mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue….And Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventure Outpost
- Na’vi River Journey
- The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
How Do I Avoid Lines For Attractions Not Included In Genie+?
Of course, we recommend getting to the park at rope drop and riding the most popular rides first. But even doing that, you may only get one ride in. What to do?
At this point you will have one of two options. Either wait in the long lines or spend more money to get an Individual Lightning Lane reservation for the popular rides. You will be able to choose to pay for up to two Individual Lightning Lane attractions per day.
How much will the Individual (Á La Carte) Lightening Lane Attraction Selections cost?
The official statement from Disney reads “Pricing and availability will vary by date and attraction.” The understanding is that Disney will be raising and lowering prices depending upon the popularity of the ride and the crowd levels.
Keep in mind, this is a per ticket price. If you have a family of 5 and you want to purchase a $18 á la carte Lightening Lane the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train the additional cost to your family will be at least $90.
One thing to remember is that Individual Lightning Lane purchases can be made independent of purchasing Genie+.
When Can I Book an Individual Lighning Lane Pass?
Disney guests who are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort can make individual lightning lane selections at 7:00am. Non Disney Resort Guests can book when the park opens – you do not have to be at the park to book.
Which Rides Are Part Of The Individual Lightening Lane Attraction Selection?
Here are the rides in each of the theme parks that are included in the Individual Lightning Lane category. To remind you, these are are NOT included in the $15 (or more) Genie+ options.
Magic Kingdom Individual Lightening Lane Attractions
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride
- TRON
EPCOT Individual Lightening Lane Attractions
- Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Individual Lightening Lane Attractions
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Individual Lightening Lane Attractions
- Avatar: Flight of Passage
How many Individual Lightening Lane Attraction reservations can you make per day?
You can make two reservations but they need to be made for two different attractions. For example, you can’t make two reservations for Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride. You will be able to make reservations at 7:00am if you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel. If you are staying off site you can make your reservations when the park opens.
Important Individual Lightning Lane Information: Attractions WILL sell out, so you must make your reservation as early as possible.
Genie+ FAQ
Remember, Disney Genie is a free app in the My Disney Experience App. It will ask you what things you like…what rides you want to go on, what you like to do etc.. and give you a personalized itinerary.
It will also help you with mobile ordering your food, make restaurant reservations, see walk up waitlist availability as well as the all important wait times at the attractions.
Yes. These will work independent of each other. For example, you could purchase an Individual Lighting Lane Attraction without purchasing the Genie+ at all, or you could purchase the Genie+ without the Individual Lightning Lane Attraction.
You do not need to purchase Genie+ or ILL. One you purchase your park ticket, that’s theoretically all you need for the day. These other options will only help speed up entrances into attractions.
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
You may purchase Disney Genie+ service, one day at a time on each day of your visit, via the My Disney Experience app. This is all subject to availability. You can purchase Genie+ anytime after 12:00am.
You may choose to use it on certain days and not on others depending on which park you are at, how long you will visit, or how busy you might think it will be. There are many factors other than just financial that will dictate if you want to purchase them.
There are two ways for you to book your Genie+ passes. The first way is making your first selection at 7am, and then the second as soon as you have finished your first ride.
There is a sneaky way to book “extra” passes. If your most recent selection is further than two hours away you can book your next selection two hours after the park opens.
For example: At 7:00 you book your first Genie + pass: Pirates of the Caribbean for 11:00. If the Magic Kingdom opens at 8:00, you can make your next selection at 10:00! From here on out, you can make a selection every two hours. Set an alarm on your phone. As soon as that alarm goes off, check Genie+ to make your next selection.
No, Genie + will not allow you to ride an attraction more than once. If you want to ride it again, you will need to use the standby lane. If you think you are going to miss one of your reservations we highly recommend canceling it and trying to book it for a later time. If you simply don’t show up, Disney will view that as a “used” reservation and you will not be able to re-book for a later time.
YES, the most popular rides can run out of selections, especially on crowded days. Our advice is to secure the attractions you most want early in the day.
SNEAKY TIP: Keep refreshing your app throughout the day! Sometimes Lightning Lane options open up if Disney adds options or if people cancel their reservations.
Yes, you can use Genie+ for some character greetings.
Let’s say you have a family of 7 and you want everyone to have either Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane or both. No problem! Just link everyone on your app before you begin booking your passes. Everyone will be good to go.
If there are people in your party that you want to edit out, (Grandma is staying back at the hotel by the pool for the day) it is fairly easy to make the necessary omits in the app. A cast member will be able to help you if you get stuck.
This is a huge concern for everyone! Your phone is your Disney World life line and if it loses battery power, it is not a good thing. Before you go to the parks, have a plan on how you will keep it powered whether it’s FuelRod’s or portable battery charger or just doing some energy saving techniques.
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
As many as you possibly can! On average, guests can enter 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using Lightning Lane entrances, if the first selection is made early in the day. Most people find that they can book more than 3 attractions by stacking attractions throughout the day.
Yes, you can arrive 5 minutes early and usually about 15 minutes on the back side of the reservation. When in doubt, ask a cast member.
Only you can decide that, however, to help you in your decision, consider these things:
Crowd size for the day. If it is going to be a very light day, you may not need it.
Your tolerance for lines. If standing an for an hour to see an attraction really infuriates you, then Genie+ might be a great investment.
The park. You may not be as excited about many of the attractions in some parks over others. For example, if you go to Animal Kingdom and you are spending most of the day just observing animals and taking in the trails and conservation station, then you may want to not purchase Genie+ for this park.
Your time at the park. If you are only attending a park for a half day, you may consider not getting Genie+.
Genie+ is one surefire way to avoid long lines at Disney World. We have 8 additional tips to help you skip the lines here! For more time saving tricks, check out this post.
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