This information to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World explains paid FastPass, with solutions continuously requested questions on trip reservations, line-skipping, and itinerary instruments for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Plus, suggestions & tips, tips on how to use the 120 minute rule to strategically stack and save time! (Up to date October 8, 2023.)
For the reason that Genie system launched, we’ve been within the parks extensively testing it out and sharing leads to our posts about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. These are good reads for these wanting to know how Genie works in apply, issues we’ve utilizing trip reservations, and the entire newest updates to the trip reservation system.
Unsurprisingly, there have nonetheless been a lot of questions–even from seasoned Walt Disney World veterans. The dangerous information is that the Genie system is convoluted and complicated, with a ton of variations from free FastPass. The excellent news is a few adjustments have been optimistic, and Genie+ is now higher and simpler to make use of than it was at launch. This FAQ and Information to Genie+ will reply the commonest reader questions and issues, making you a ‘energy consumer’ of Genie+ within the course of!
Let’s begin with the upcoming adjustments in 2024. In response to visitor suggestions, advance reserving of Lightning Lanes is coming to Genie+ at Walt Disney World in 2024. Whereas different vital adjustments will go into impact on January 9, it’s not clear whether or not pre-arrival Lightning Lane reservations is one in every of them.
Our expectation is that it’s not. From what we’ve heard, Walt Disney World made the choice to supply advance reserving of Lightning Lanes earlier than determining the logistics. It wouldn’t be shocking if the brand new system doesn’t launch till Spring 2024…or maybe even later if there are technical difficulties.
Just about every thing else can be unknown about advance reserving of Lightning Lanes, together with what number of days previous to arrival friends will be capable of make trip reservations. It’s additionally unknown what the bounds can be, however our guess is 3, and certain with a tier system for a few of the parks. In all chance, that is going to look lots like FastPass+ however paid.
Each time it does change, it’s possible that advance reserving of Lightning Lanes will (once more) radically overhaul the whole system, rendering a lot of this out of date. In different phrases, there’s no level in “learning” this information now to arrange for Walt Disney World holidays after February 2024–lots can be totally different once you go to! In case you’d wish to obtain Genie+ information as extra is introduced, subscribe to our FREE Walt Disney World e mail publication for updates.
Within the meantime, Genie+ per-park pricing debuted at Walt Disney World over the summer season. That is similar to how single-day park admission works; the much less widespread parks (Animal Kingdom and EPCOT) price much less, and the extra widespread parks (Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios) are priced larger. Those that need the Park Hopping or A number of Parks choice pays the best charges of all, however that has all the time been similar to Magic Kingdom pricing up to now.
The above screenshot exhibits costs for Columbus Day weekend, that are the best at Walt Disney World since Independence Day. It’s possible that charges can be at or round this degree for varied dates throughout Fall Break by way of Veterans Day, and probably even larger for the height weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New 12 months’s Eve. There are additionally slower stretches in between, and Genie+ costs will drop throughout these time frames.
Our last replace is that Genie+ has had plenty of intermittent points within the final couple of weeks. This was most pronounced over Columbus Day weekend, when there was a multi-hour system huge outage and everybody obtained an error message when attempting to purchase Genie+ or make Lightning Lane picks.
However even previous to this, there have been sporadic issues that prevented some friends from reserving Lightning Lanes. This has been extremely irritating for these it impacted, and we’ve heard from some readers who spent 45 minutes to over an hour attempting to get Genie+ to work.
We talked about this as a result of, within the occasion that you’ve these points, you must simply reduce your losses and proceed along with your day utilizing common park touring technique. Not solely will you waste your time persevering with to attempt getting it to work, however you’ll possible turn out to be annoyed and discouraged within the course of.
Belief us: Genie+ will not be price having a meltdown over, and this virtually actually will not be a “consumer error” difficulty. When the system isn’t working, it’s not working. There’s nothing you are able to do to vary the result–simply go about your day and request a refund later at your comfort.
Earlier than you get carried away with the prospect of being a Genie+ energy consumer, let’s supply an extra few phrases of warning. You don’t want to purchase Genie+ or use Lightning Lanes to have a enjoyable and productive day at Walt Disney World. On the contrary, this function within the My Disney Expertise app may be irritating on account of its unfriendly consumer interface, propensity for glitches, and the truth that it’ll improve your display screen time.
To that finish, try Greatest Time-Saving Methods for Walt Disney World, which is the results of in depth ‘testing’ to find out the perfect and worst methods to beat the crowds. Genie+ is just the clear winner at Magic Kingdom. Within the different 3 parks, there are superior methods for saving time ready in line. Even Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which has plenty of widespread rides with lengthy traces, has higher methods to beat the crowds.
Let this additionally function an excellent reminder for individuals who are annoyed by glitches or system outages and are apprehensive the shortage of Genie+ will damage your Walt Disney World trip. It actually gained’t…except you let it! (So merely don’t do this, and as an alternative pivot to totally different–and typically superior–technique if Genie+ is supplying you with issues or complications.) Anyway, we strongly advocate testing that comparability and constructing your itineraries accordingly.
A lot of the consumer expertise with Genie+ is crowd-dependent. When faculty is in session, the worth of Genie+ sometimes drops and it turns into higher and simpler to make use of. Round holidays and different faculty breaks, not solely does the fee improve, however the ‘high quality’ decreases. Regardless of that larger value, extra individuals purchase Genie+ leading to extra competitors for the perfect Lightning Lanes.
In different phrases: the busier the parks, the extra individuals who purchase the Genie+ service; the extra individuals who purchase it, the much less helpful it’s. On some days and in some parks, you may solely rating a few worthwhile trip reservations–making it not definitely worth the cash or frustrations.
We’ve discovered that the ‘candy spot’ for Genie+ is on moderately-busy days. If crowds are too low, Genie+ is pointless; in the event that they’re too excessive, Genie+ will solely assist you to on a number of rides earlier than it runs out of reservation stock. (See When You Ought to SKIP Genie+ at Walt Disney World for extra steering on this.)
As coated in Genie+ Value Plummets Put up-Peak of Spring Break at Walt Disney World, the service each elevated in value (to an all-time excessive of $35) and offered out for a number of consecutive days throughout Easter week. It has offered out a complete of 6 instances ever, and never as soon as earlier than 9:45 am.
Our expectation is that it’ll promote out once more throughout peak season dates in October, November, and December 2023, however most likely not earlier than then. See our 2023-2024 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar for a rundown of dates which have excessive crowd ranges–as intimated above, these correspond with each larger costs and the next chance of Genie+ promoting out.
On a optimistic notice, the usability of Genie+ has improved as in comparison with final yr. That comes with the next value, however it’s good that the paid FastPass service is now usable even on busier days. Different tweaks have additionally been made which have made Genie+ higher and simpler to make use of. The addition of the modify button (mentioned beneath) is a large enchancment that improves the service significantly. Past that, the Genie+ size of keep ticket add-on is not accessible, which alone cuts down the variety of individuals utilizing Lightning Lanes by a big quantity.
With that out of the best way, right here’s a rundown of every thing you’ll want to learn about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World as of Late 2023. This can assist you to grasp Genie+ and leverage it to attain extra trip reservations than the typical visitor!
What occurred to the free FastPass+ system?
FastPass+ has been completely retired at Walt Disney World. Genie+ is the everlasting substitute, and may be very totally different.
What are Lightning Lanes, the paid Genie+ service, free Genie function, and a la carte attraction picks or Particular person Lightning Lanes (ILLs)?
This FAQ assumes you’re already acquainted with the variations between the assorted parts of the brand new Genie system. For a full breakdown and foundational data, see Lighting Lanes v. Genie+ at Walt Disney World.
What’s the free Genie service within the My Disney Expertise app?
The free Disney Genie service within the My Disney Expertise app will “maximize your park time” through a personalised itinerary function that can “shortly and seamlessly map out a complete day.”
You possibly can learn our Overview of Walt Disney World’s Free Genie Itinerary Creator for more information on why that is such a letdown and pointless function. Accordingly, we gained’t be losing any further time masking it right here.
Genie+ Fundamentals
What’s the foremost or most essential component of the brand new system?
In our view, Genie+ is extra vital than Particular person Lightning Lanes. We principally advocate planning across the latter–doing these rides at rope drop or late within the night so that you don’t must pay additional per-ride.
Can Genie+ picks be made 60 days prematurely like FastPass+?
No. Genie+ is a same-day trip reservation system and picks may be made beginning at 7 am for everybody, no matter whether or not you’re on-site, off-site, Annual Passholder, DVC, and many others.
The shortcoming to pre-book any trip reservations has been probably the most frequent complaints we’ve heard from readers. Nevertheless, that is coming from veteran trip planners. First timers possible don’t share the identical sentiment. On the contrary, an excessive amount of planning is a standard grievance from Walt Disney World newbies.
With all of that stated, Walt Disney World has indicated that advance-booking of Lightning Lanes is coming in some unspecified time in the future. No different particulars have been launched, however our expectation is that it’ll be a “compromise” between the previous FastPass+ protocol and present Genie+ same-day system.
What’s the price of Genie+ at Walt Disney World?
You may see outdated assets indicating that Genie+ prices $15 per day plus tax. That modified a number of months in the past when Walt Disney World switched to date-based pricing for the Genie+ service. Which means on days when demand is projected to be larger at Walt Disney World, Genie+ will price extra.
Along with that, as famous above, there’s now per-park pricing, which means that Genie+ prices extra for a multi-park choice, and at Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Costs are decrease by comparability at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom, however nonetheless not lower than they have been a yr in the past when the worth was a continuing $15 per day for all 4 parks.
Genie+ pricing now works very equally to the date-based ticket system, minus the pre-published calendar with costs for every month–you gained’t know the way a lot Genie+ prices till logging into My Disney Expertise the day of your go to. With that stated, we’d count on the price of Genie+ to roughly be tethered to tickets, so it needs to be comparatively straightforward to surmise primarily based on the 1-day ticket calendar.
For the reason that change, Genie+ costs have ranged from $15 to $35 earlier than tax. We count on costs round $30 to occur once more beginning in October 2023, however it’s unlikely they’ll be above $25 on off-peak dates. Non-holiday weekdays have been cheaper ($16-$22) and non-holiday weekends have ranged from $20 to $24 on common. Anticipate these to be the baseline costs all through the remainder of 2023.
When can Genie+ be bought?
Genie+ service may be bought as an in-app buy through the My Disney Expertise app starting at 12:00 am on the date of their go to/use. We’ve merely purchased Genie+ at about 6:50 am, shortly earlier than making our first trip reservation–it takes about 30 seconds to purchase through My Disney Expertise.
Can Genie+ be purchased as a ticket add-on?
Not anymore.
Walt Disney World eradicated the Genie+ ticket add-on for 2023, which angered many followers. With advance reserving of Lightning Lanes returning someday in 2024, it follows that advance purchases may also return. Whether or not it’s as a ticket add-on or one thing else stays to be seen.
Which points of interest can be found through the Genie+ service?
Right here’s the official Genie+ checklist of points of interest:
Magic Kingdom
- Large Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Pageant of Fantasy Parade
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Get together
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Chuckle Flooring
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Corridor
- Meet Mickey and Minnie at City Sq. Theater
- Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Corridor
- Area Mountain
- Goofy’s Barnstormer
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Beneath the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
Epcot
- Disney & Pixar Quick Movie Pageant
- Journey into Creativeness with Figment
- Residing with the Land
- Frozen Ever After
- Mission Area
- Remy’s Ratatouille Journey
- Soarin’ Across the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Check Observe
- The Seas with Nemo & Associates
- Turtle Discuss with Crush
Hollywood Studios
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Magnificence and the Beast: Dwell on Stage
- Disney Jr. Play & Dance
- For the First Time in Endlessly: A Frozen Sing-Alongside Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- MuppetVision 3D
- Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Meet Olaf at Superstar Highlight
- Slinky Canine Sprint
- Star Excursions — The Adventures Proceed
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania
Animal Kingdom
- Pageant of the Lion King
- Dinosaur
- Expedition Everest
- Feathered Associates in Flight
- Discovering Nemo: The Large Blue and Past
- It’s Robust to Be a Bug
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Meet Favourite Disney Friends at Adventurers Outpost
- Na’vi River Journey
- The Animation Expertise at Conservation Station
Which Genie+ picks are the “finest” ones?
We truly rank the perfect Genie+ Lightning Lane picks for every park primarily based upon time saved and the way shortly return instances replenish and run out. That is extremely useful for selecting the order to e book your trip reservations:
Since widespread rides run out of reservations early within the day and there are not any re-rides, we’d strongly advocate making your Genie+ Lightning Lane picks so as of these priorities, or danger getting “shut out” of headliner points of interest like Slinky Canine Sprint, Frozen Ever After, Jungle Cruise, and many others.
How essential is it to make a Genie+ reservation proper at 7 am–will we be penalized for sleeping in?
Company who e book their first Genie+ choice at or round 7 am can be better off, however actually not an insurmountable one.
It’s okay to sleep in, however we’d advocate reserving one thing earlier than park opening. The “why” of that is defined in You Do NOT Have to Get Up at 7 am for Genie+ at Walt Disney World.
I’m reserving proper at 7:00:00 am and am STILL not getting rapid return instances–what offers?
You’re not alone–there’s fierce competitors proper at 7 am, leading to return instances going quick for sure widespread points of interest. Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, and Frozen Ever After are all among the many rides that go quickest.
Far and away the preferred is Slinky Canine Sprint, which may replenish in seconds or minutes, relying upon the season. For this attraction and every time potential, observe our Velocity Technique for Genie+ Picks.
Is refreshing and rebooking trip reservations potential with Genie+ prefer it was with FastPass+?
Sure, and it’s simpler with the introduction of a modify button. As defined in Learn how to Modify Lightning Lane Trip Reservations: A Genie+ Gamechanger!, now you can play the ‘refresh recreation’ and get higher or extra handy return instances, and likewise seek for availability at different points of interest with out dropping your present Lightning lane trip reservation.
Beforehand, there was no method to modify a Genie+ reservation, so that you needed to cancel and rebook, which was a tedious course of. By the point you bought again to the reserving display screen, what you noticed when refreshing was normally gone. Not solely that, however cancelling and rebooking reset the clock on the 120 minute rule. With the addition of the modify button, all of that has been mounted.
Is extra availability added to Genie+ all through the day?
Sure.
In case you have bother loading the app or have an error at 7:00 am (which occurs way more than you may suppose), it may be higher to attend ]as an alternative of reserving the primary Lightning Lane choice you see at 7:03 am (or thereabouts).
There are typically two refills earlier than 7:30 am, plus others all through the day, normally shortly after the hour or half-hour. See Trip Reservation Refill Guidelines at Walt Disney World for extra on this added availability all through the day. This may make it a lot simpler to e book Lightning Lanes for the perfect points of interest.
With the introduction of the modify button, looking for trip reservation refills is now simpler than ever. Mixed, the 2 methods may be leveraged to attain a number of extra Lightning Lane picks per day.
I’m having bother visualizing how Genie+ works within the parks, any perception?
For step-by-step single day itinerary utilizing Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, see our sequence of posts:
Like all of this, these pattern itineraries is perhaps overwhelming and discouraging. Simply understand that a regular touring plan may also be overwhelming and discouraging for first-timers. Walt Disney World is without doubt one of the most complex and convoluted trip locations on the planet, and it solely turns into “straightforward” with data and expertise.
Is per-park pricing higher or worse for friends?
Walt Disney World claims that per-park pricing was launched to “simplify” the Genie+ service and “enhance the expertise” in response to visitor suggestions. We extremely doubt anybody requested for this, and it actually doesn’t enhance something or make it easier. However does it make issues worse?
Eh, that’s debatable. This will likely look like a lateral transfer, as two parks at the moment are cheaper and two parks at the moment are dearer on common. In concept, that’s true. Nevertheless, one of many two cheaper parks is Animal Kingdom, and Genie+ was not mandatory there within the first place. Not solely that, however anybody who has Park Hopper tickets is both going to wish to buy the multi-park Genie+ choice or lose the power to make Lightning Lane reservations within the subsequent parks they go to every day, which means Genie+ is much less helpful.
In apply, the top result’s that per-park pricing is successfully a disguised value improve for regular guests to Walt Disney World. The one individuals who actually come out forward are those that disproportionately do EPCOT and Animal Kingdom and purchase Genie+ in these parks however not at Magic Kingdom or DHS. That’s an exceedingly small minority of Walt Disney World guests.
What number of Genie+ points of interest can friends e book per day?
That’s extremely variable, and dependent upon which points of interest you select, their return instances, park, and attendance ranges. The Genie+ system works higher for many friends who make their first picks early within the morning and are diligent about reserving subsequent picks.
Even on probably the most crowded days of the yr, we’ve been in a position to e book at the least 3 points of interest through Genie+. Through the low season, we’ve been in a position to exceed a dozen Park Hopping between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. With that stated, some readers have shared horror tales about solely with the ability to rating one or two picks throughout peak dates.
If you need an thought of how exhausting utilizing Genie+ is on a ten/10 crowd degree day, see My Day Utilizing Genie+ Lightning Lanes in Peak Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That’s good studying for anybody visiting Walt Disney World through the busy journey seasons. You can too try Greatest Option to Use Genie+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a partial-day strategy that’ll keep away from plenty of frequent complications at Walt Disney World’s most irritating park.
Particular person Lightning Lane Fundamentals
Which points of interest can be found for Particular person Lightning Lane buy?
Right here’s the complete checklist of Walt Disney World’s Particular person Lightning Lanes:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare at Magic Kingdom
- TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom
How a lot do Particular person Lightning Lane points of interest price at Walt Disney World?
At present, Particular person Lightning Lane (ILL) costs begin at $11 per attraction and go as much as $25 per individual relying upon the trip and dates. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is normally most costly at $20.
All year long, costs could also be decrease on some days and better on different days. See our Information to Particular person Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for every thing else you’ll want to learn about value ranges, ILL availability, and way more.
When can Particular person Lightning Lane points of interest be booked?
Company staying at a Walt Disney World resort lodge are in a position to buy and schedule the primary Particular person Lightning Lane attraction at 7 am, forward of off-site friends, who can to take action when the park opens.
TRON Lightcycle Run, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance e book up quick on busier days. In case you’re not staying on-site, it’s possible you’ll not actually have a likelihood to purchase ILLs for that trio. On sluggish to moderately-crowded days, you must have a shot.
What number of Particular person Lightning Lane attraction reservations can every visitor e book per day?
Two, and people reservations should be at totally different points of interest. (In different phrases, no doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance–or anything–twice.)
Are you able to select instances for Particular person Lightning Lane rides?
Sure.
Pending availability, you’ll be able to choose your return time slot for Particular person Lightning Lane points of interest. What we’ve seen thus far is that earlier within the day tends to replenish first, and evenings are final to promote out.
Different Widespread Genie+ and ILL Questions
I’m having an issue with [insert technical difficulty], what am I doing improper?
It’s most likely not a “you drawback,” however relatively, a “system error.”
Like a lot of Walt Disney World expertise, the entire Genie system is extremely glitchy, liable to crashes, downtime, and different assorted errors. About the perfect technical troubleshooting we will supply is to pressure shut My Disney Expertise and reopen the app. That most likely gained’t repair the difficulty, however it’s price attempting.
Are there higher or worse days for utilizing Genie+ or reserving Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World?
As a normal matter, the decrease the crowds, the extra success you’ll have with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
See our 2023-2024 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar for suggestions in relation to selecting months, weeks, or particular dates for visiting. In case you’ve already chosen your dates however need day-of-week suggestions for every park, see our Greatest & Worst Days of the Week to Go to Every Park at Walt Disney World.
Can we buy each Genie+ and Particular person Lightning Lane entry?
Sure.
Since there isn’t any overlap between what’s coated by Genie+ and by ILLs, friends could buy each.
If a visitor purchases one Particular person Lightning Lane reservation at 7 am, does this intervene or forestall them from making Genie+ picks?
The system enable each to be booked concurrently, as they work independently of each other, and every have their very own price.
As a sensible matter, we’d advocate making your first Particular person Lightning Lane reservation at the least a few hours after park opening so it doesn’t battle along with your first Genie+ choice–or doing rides through standby earlier than crowds construct.
You talked about reserving Slinky Canine Sprint and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance proper at 7 am…how?
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is dwelling to the preferred Genie+ attraction and the preferred Particular person Lightning Lane attraction in all of Walt Disney World. Each of those usually e book up inside seconds of seven am, which presents a sensible drawback–how do you e book each?
There is no such thing as a great way for one individual to perform each past attempting to do issues shortly and hoping for the perfect. Realistically, you’ll need to have two adults awake at 7 am, with one reserving Slinky Canine Sprint and the opposite reserving Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Can the identical attraction be booked a number of instances with the Genie+ service?
No, re-rides are usually not at present potential.
As with something, that is topic to vary because the system evolves.
What number of trip reservations may be made at a time with the Genie+ service?
Company are in a position to make one reservation at a time–with the power to make a subsequent reservation instantly upon tapping into an attraction or pursuant to the 120 minute rule.
What’s the 120 minute rule?
The best way Genie+ trip reservations work is you can e book separately, and may both make one other choice after two hours (120 minutes) or when you faucet into your earlier Genie+ choice (each tapstiles at points of interest which have two)—whichever comes first.
That simply barely scratches the floor. For full particulars, see How the Genie+ 120 Minute Rule Works at Walt Disney World.
Within the morning, when does the clock begin ticking on the 120 minute rule?
There’s plenty of confusion as as to if the clock begins operating at 7 am (or every time your first trip reservation is made), or at park opening. It doesn’t begin till park opening.
As an instance, let’s say that you simply make your first Lightning Lane choice at 7:15 am, reserving Jungle Cruise with an 1 pm to 2 pm return window, and Magic Kingdom opens for the day at 9:00 am, you can also make your subsequent Lightning Lane choice through Genie+ at 11 am. In different phrases, 120 minutes after 9 am.
Can I maintain a number of Genie+ picks concurrently?
Sure!
Walt Disney World’s official wording is complicated, however it’s potential to “stack” Genie+ picks. Actually, there are quirks to the system that make it potential to build up Lightning Lane reservations through Genie+ later within the day. If you wish to leverage this, learn our Suggestions for “Stacking” Genie+ Trip Reservations.
Is it potential to return early or late to Genie+ trip reservations?
Sure.
You possibly can faucet into Lightning Lanes as much as 5 minutes early and as much as quarter-hour late. These are computerized grace intervals, and also you don’t have to ask a Forged Member for them–tapping in will merely work. (Actually, don’t ask a Forged Member, as they may inform you there isn’t any grace interval, which is improper.) No exceptions are granted past that.
Can friends select return instances through Genie+?
No.
This is rather like the previous paper FastPass system–you obtain the earliest accessible 1-hour return window, with no choice to decide on later or earlier instances.
What if that conflicts with different plans, ADRs, or trip reservations?
Genie+ is not going to cease you from making overlapping plans, so you’ll want to monitor this your self and ensure it doesn’t occur.
If a particular attraction’s return time conflicts along with your schedule, both choose a special attraction with a return time that isn’t problematic, or wait 5-10 minutes till the clock strikes ahead on return instances and eliminates the battle.
Which parks do you advocate shopping for Genie+?
Genie+ is most helpful at Magic Kingdom on account of that park having the best variety of widespread points of interest with Lightning Lane entrances. It’s second most helpful at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as a result of variety of headliner rides in that park. It has turn out to be extra helpful at Epcot now that Remy’s Ratatouille Journey and Frozen Ever After are each included within the service, however it may be tough to attain Lightning Lanes for each.
Genie+ is least helpful at Animal Kingdom as a result of low trip counts. Nevertheless, working hours make it straightforward to separate a Genie+ day between Epcot and Animal Kingdom–we cowl that in My Morning in Animal Kingdom Utilizing Genie+ and My Afternoon in Epcot Utilizing Genie+.
How does Genie+ examine to Specific Move at Common?
By no means, actually. Apart from each being line-skipping companies, they’re basically totally different in nearly each different materials means.
In case you’re actually inquisitive about how the 2 stack up and which is best, see Common’s Specific Move v. Lightning Lanes & Genie+ at Walt Disney World.
How are teams be capable of make Genie+ reservations?
Company have the power to pick out household and associates in My Disney Expertise through the trip reservation course of, and one individual can full the method for everybody. (It ought to go with out saying, however Genie+ must be bought for each single visitor who needs to make use of the service.)
Can solely sure friends in my social gathering e book sure Genie+ reservations?
Sure.
It’s extremely versatile–if half your social gathering needs to do one trip and the opposite half needs to do one other, that’s totally potential. You choose who’s driving through the Genie+ choice course of.
Can solely sure friends inside a celebration select to buy Particular person Lightning Lane entry?
Sure.
Identical course of as describing above for choosing/deselecting members of your social gathering to purchase ILLs.
Does this technique work with MagicBands?
Sure. It additionally works with the MagicBand+.
With that stated, MagicBands are usually not required. You should utilize your park tickets or MagicMobile through your cellphone as an alternative when you don’t have MagicBands.
What about digital queues?
Each Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Journey have ended their digital queues.
Nevertheless, Walt Disney World’s latest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, simply opened and is at present utilizing a digital queue. See our trip information: Learn how to Trip Guardians of Galaxy Cosmic Rewind & Digital Queue Velocity Technique for recommendation on efficiently scoring spots.
When will Walt Disney World be “carried out” with digital queues?
In all probability not anytime quickly.
The digital queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will most likely finish someday within the coming months, however the TRON Lightcycle Run digital queue will virtually actually proceed by way of 2024.
What else does Genie+ embody at Walt Disney World?
Trip reservations and line-skipping through the Lightning Lane on the aforementioned points of interest plus AR filters for images and guided audio excursions of the parks.
Does Genie+ embody PhotoPass downloads?
Sure. Company who buy Genie+ additionally obtain digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction images, taken within the park on the day of their buy, at no further cost. On-ride images are taken whereas within the parks at greater than a dozen of Walt Disney World’s hottest points of interest together with Area Mountain, Slinky Canine Sprint, Check Observe, Expedition Everest, TRON Lightcycle Run, and extra.
Word that this solely applies to on-ride images. In case you go as much as a PhotoPass photographer within the park, the ensuing images will not be provided to you without spending a dime as a part of the Genie+ service.
Does Genie+ and/or Particular person Lightning Lane points of interest work with Park Hopping?
Sure.
You possibly can reserve points of interest after 2 pm in a special park than the one the place you began your day and have Disney Park Move reservations. Park Hopping with Genie+ or Particular person Lightning Lane attraction purchases observe all the traditional guidelines of all three (Park Hopping, Genie+ and Lightning Lanes).
What occurs if I need to Park Hop however the return time for the attraction I e book with Genie+ is earlier than 2 pm?
Genie+ accommodates Park Hopping, however you’ll want to watch for the return time for Lightning Lanes to advance past 2 pm in your subsequent parks. In case you’re trying to order a Lightning Lane for a park that isn’t your reserved first park, the system is not going to allow you to accomplish that if the return time is earlier than 2 pm.
Sadly, this can be a comparatively latest change. Beforehand, the system would routinely modify your reservation window to 2-3 pm when you’re not already in that park. It’s essential to make Genie+ picks for widespread points of interest (Slinky Canine Sprint is the perfect instance) early within the day, so understanding how this works and making Lightning Lane picks strategically is essential when you’re Park Hopping.
What has modified with standby traces?
Nothing.
Common ole walk-up standby traces are nonetheless accessible on all points of interest besides Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Is there an on-site benefit with Genie+ or Particular person Lightning Lanes?
Not with Genie+, however these staying on-site are in a position to buy ILLs at 7 am as an alternative of park opening time.
Are different on-site perks potential down the highway?
That is still to be seen. Walt Disney World has on-site lodge occupancy targets which can be extremely essential metrics. If bookings are low or cancellations proceed, count on to see extra incentives to remain on-site, together with the potential for Genie+ included with choose stays.
Can Annual Passholders buy Genie+ or ILLs?
Annual Passholders could buy Particular person Lightning Lanes or add Genie+ on a per-day foundation, similar to common theme park ticket holders.
Demand has been extremely excessive for Genie+ in Florida. With fewer eligible points of interest, the capability most likely doesn’t exist for a Walt Disney World AP add-on. Don’t count on to see one anytime quickly.
Are there Annual Passholder or DVC Member reductions?
Not at present.
Nevertheless, this might occur in some unspecified time in the future in 2024 as Walt Disney World appears to be like to enhance visitor satisfaction. Now that the ticket add-on has ended, Lightning Lane availability has improved, and providing a reduction to APs and DVC Members might be a great way to spike gross sales whereas additionally enhancing visitor goodwill amongst these teams.
Will these methods pressure me to be glued to my cellphone all day?
Utilizing the Genie methods undoubtedly requires cellphone use all through the day–there’s no means round that. Nevertheless, it might be as little as a few minutes each 90 to 120 minutes, or shortly after getting into an attraction queue. It gained’t be essential to be continuously in your cellphone.
With that stated, simply as earlier than with FastPass+, it’s possible that these friends who refresh the app compulsively and are diligent about making reservations can be better off.
What about friends with out smartphones?
They’re out of luck.
Company with out My Disney Expertise can be unable to make use of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and as an alternative can be caught with standby.
How does this influence Single Rider or Rider Change?
It doesn’t.
Latest adjustments have been made to Rider Change to raised work with this technique; these friends use the Lightning Lane entrances for entry to points of interest that provide rider change/swap.
What adjustments have been made to Incapacity Entry Service?
Two new options have debuted with Incapacity Entry Service (DAS): pre-arrival registration and planning through stay video chart and a same-day DAS return time self-selection instrument. These have now launched–examine them in Information to Incapacity Entry Service (DAS) at Walt Disney World.
Sadly, the ins and outs of DAS are usually not our space of experience, so we can’t supply additional perception or suggestions for these new instruments. What we will say is that we’ve obtained many reader complaints about this new system, delays, and understaffing. As such, we extremely advocate initiating the pre-arrival registration as early as potential earlier than your journey. Go in with the expectation that it’ll take some time to get carried out, and be affected person. That is one in every of many ways in which Walt Disney World is short-staffed proper now.
How may this “have been a lot worse”?
A number of of you caught our “this might have been a lot worse” line within the announcement submit and questioned how that might probably be true. For starters, recognizing this requires acknowledging that paid FastPass was an inevitability. Don’t cry as a result of free FastPass is over, smile as a result of it didn’t occur 5 years in the past when first deliberate. 😉
Rumored variations of the paid FastPass substitute have been all worse than this, both when it comes to price or insurance policies. The model that was extremely near coming to fruition was totally a la carte. Check out the pricing for Premier Entry at Disneyland Paris and also you’ll see what we imply. Furthermore, the entire paid FastPass “pilot applications” at Walt Disney World price greater than this and provided much less.
Walt Disney World most likely opted for probably the most complicated choice, however it’ll make much more sense in apply (or for anybody who has already used MaxPass). We don’t love Genie+ or Lightning Lanes and positively aren’t attempting to “promote” you on them–simply declaring that that is fairly removed from the worst case state of affairs.
Disney stated: “We’ve been listening to your suggestions — you need planning to be simpler, you need extra flexibility and also you need higher instruments that will help you profit from your go to — and that’s precisely what Disney Genie is right here to do.” Is it actually, although?!?
Lol.
You simply learn 5,000+ phrases about this “simpler” and “higher” instrument and there’s an excellent likelihood you continue to have questions. What do you suppose? 😉
How can we offer suggestions to Walt Disney World about Genie+ or Lightning Lanes?
We advocate respectfully expressing your opinions as to how Genie+ or Lightning Lane will influence your holidays or enterprise with Walt Disney World by e mail [email protected].
That is far superior to complaining in feedback, social media, boards, and many others. (Though Disney sees all of that, too.) Somewhat than beginning petitions, that are largely ineffectual, share suggestions in visitor satisfaction surveys, carry it up when you converse with managers or others in park management, and even contact Visitor Relations.
Take into account that Genie+ and Lightning Lanes will proceed to evolve within the coming months. The system arguably debuted earlier than it had been sufficiently examined and adjusted, in order that course of has been enjoying out in real-time for precise friends. In different phrases, the “guidelines” and the way Genie+ works will proceed to evolve and we are going to replace our suggestions accordingly.
There truly have already got been ‘seasonal’ adjustments, with some Particular person Lightning Lane points of interest shifted over to Genie+ and parade viewing added as a way to assist with demand and capability. We’ll proceed to maintain you posted, as extra adjustments are possible on the horizon beginning that vacation weekend. We’ll additionally proceed updating this FAQ as we be taught extra and we obtain extra reader questions.
This ought to reply many of the questions that readers have been asking in regards to the Genie+ app function and Lightning Lanes which can be coming to Walt Disney World. In some circumstances, these “solutions” are merely our greatest guesses and hypothesis, however in plenty of circumstances that’s the perfect we will supply. There have been plenty of questions, so if we didn’t deal with yours, we apologize. Please submit within the feedback beneath and we’ll reply extra as they’re requested!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Lodges Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing you’ll want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have any questions we didn’t reply with the above FAQ? Nonetheless confused by how Genie+ or Lightning Lanes work? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Different ideas or issues? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!