Complete Disney Genie And Lightning Lane Guide
Everything you need to know about Disney World’s new personalised recommendation engine
Disney Genie
The base level offering personalised recommendations is FREE for every ticket holder
Disney Genie+
Genie will show you how much time you will save in queues by purchasing Genie+ on a daily basis
Individual Lightning Lane
Disney’s most popular attractions are not part of Genie+. Faster access to these requires a one time payment
Disney Genie
Industrial Engineering The Disney Way
What sets Disney Genie Apart?
In a word, personalisation. Disney crunch a ton of data in the background to give everyone a personalised itinerary. Itineraries can change throughout the day depending on a huge number of factors including crowd levels and ride breakdowns to name a few. Every itinerary is built to minimise queueing time and maximise the quality of your day.
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
The 3 Tiers Of Disney Genie
1
Disney Genie
- Free service for all ticket holders
- Personalised itineraries & tip board
- Restaurant wait lists, check-in & reservations
- Mobile food ordering
- Attraction wait times
- Virtual queue at select attractions
2
Disney Genie+
- Single Daily charge per ticket holder
- Access to most but not all Lightning Lane queues resort-wide (subject to availability)
- Not instant access but, potentially, much less queueing than standard lines
- Disney Photopass AR Lenses to enhance your memories
- Unique audio experiences to add to your day
3
Lightning Lane
- One-time access to a specific attraction
- Price depends on demand and time of visit
- Almost instant access
- Includes attractions not part of Disney Genie+
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
How Disney Genie+ Works
Genie+ is an optional add on available to all ticket holders. It can be purchased with the tickets themselves or added on a day by day basis. The current cost is $15 – $22 (plus tax) per person per day.
Genie+ can only be added on a daily basis through the app or DIsney World website from Midnight. DO NOT purchase any earlier for the following day as it will not be valid. The cost will fluctuate based on demand on a daily basis.
In order to use Genie+ on an attraction you must first reserve your spot on the My Disney Experience App. Reservations open from 7am on the actual day, not months before like the previous Fastpass+ system. Disney owned hotel guests do not get any preferential treatment for using Genie+. Not all attractions are included, for a full list please see below or click the button to jump down.
Managing expectations is very important with this system, even Disney has dialed down expectations in it’s terms and conditions. With Genie+ you are paying for access to a faster moving queue than the standard line, but you will still be queueing. How long depends on Genie+ takeup for the attraction at the same time you choose to go. Unlike Fastpass+, you also cannot choose your return time, you are allocated the next available time slot until they are all filled. Another attraction can be chosen as soon as you enter the queue for your first choice, or after 2 hours have elapsed, which ever comes sooner.
Thanks to a December 2022 update you can now modify your existing reservations without cancelling your existing booking. Its something so simple it really should have been included form the start but better late than never, I guess! You can modify your booking by tapping the 3 dots on the right of the reservation and select modify booking. All Genie+ attractions within the park will be shown. You can amend your time for your existing choice or pick a completely different attraction. If you manage multiple people you can also specify who the change will be for before confirming changes.
Book Genie+ From Midnight every day you need it. You cannot Pre-book It
On the day booking through the app from 7am no matter where you stay
Book next attraction as soon as you are in the queue
Available througout all Disney World's main parks, not water parks
modify your bookings from 7:30am for either a different timeslot or a different attraction
No early access or discounts for on-resort guests
One Time Payment One Time Ride
How Lightning Lane Works
Lightning Lane is reserved for Disney’s most popular (or newer) attractions. There are 2 attractions per park that require a Lightning Lane reservation. Reservations open at the same time the park is advertised to open for standard ticket holders, or from 7am for Disney hotels guests. These attractions are incredibly popular and would always be booked out within minutes of a Fastpass reservation window opening. Now they are chargeable with prices varying depending on attraction and time of year of visit they do last a little longer. But, if you are a standard ticket holder don’t expect there to be much, if any, availability by the time the standard reservation window opens when the park does. Many attractions run out of slots with Disney Hotel guests.
If you want to use Lightning Lane and you’re staying in a Disney hotel, set your alarm clocks because you need to be ready at 7am to bag your slot. If you want to reserve Genie+ and Lightning Lane reservations, get Lightning Lane sorted before moving onto Genie+ availability.
On the day booking through the app from park opening
2 attraction limit per person per day
One time attraction access
All bookings are final, no refunds or ammendments allowed (yet)!
Guests staying in Disney owned hotels can book from 7am
Alphabetical Order By Park
Walt Disney World Genie+ Attractions
Below is a list of every attraction offered with Genie+ listed alphabetically and by park.
Magic Kingdom
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s A Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Magic Carpets Of Aladdin
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates Of The Caribbean
- Space Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under The Sea – Journey Of The Little Mermaid
EPCOT
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
- Frozen Ever After
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Living With The Land
- Mission: SPACE
- Sourin’ Around The World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas With Nemo And Friends
- Turtle Talk With Crush
Hollywood Studios
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast – Live On Stage
- Disney Junior Play & Dance!
- Frozen Sing-along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Mickey And Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Rock N Roller Coaster
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours
- Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Animal Kingdom
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest
- Festival Of The Lion King
- Feathered Friends In Flight
- Finding Nemo – Into The Big Blue – COMING SOON
- It’s Tough To Be A Bug
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Na’vi River Journey
Alphabetical Order By Park
Most Popular Genie+ Reservations
Magic Kingdom
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
EPCOT
- Frozen Ever After
- Sourin’ Around The World
- Test Track
Hollywood Studios
- Mickey And Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
Animal Kingdom
- Expedition Everest
- Kali River Rapids
- Na’vi River Journey
Alphabetical Order By Park
Disney World Lightning Lane Attractions
Magic Kingdom
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
EPCOT
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance
Animal Kingdom
- Avatar: Flight Of Passage
Genie+ & Lightning Lane Tips
Tips And Tricks
Genie+ and Lightning Lane are a lot more complicated than the system they replaced. Use these tips and tricks to help get used to the system.
First Booking
Make your first reservation from 7 am using the My Disney Experience App. You can add Genie+ on from Midnight if it wasn’t pre-purchased
Next Booking
Your second attraction can be reserved after you use your first attraction reservation OR after 2 hours have elapsed from the previous booking, whichever is sooner
Keep Trying
If your attraction doesn’t show availability keep refreshing the app. Just like itineraries, reservation availability is dynamic and changes throughout the day
Disney Genie+ & Lightning Lane
FAQ
Will Ths Make Getting On Some Attractions Easier?
In a way, yes it will for first time visitors as long as they do a little homework beforehand.
The previous system, Fastpass+, allowed 3 attractions to be booked 6 months from the visit. Fine if you know what you are doing and what attractions get the busiest but if this is your first time you likely won’t know that information.
Disney Genie+ reservations are only on the day (from 7am) and only for one attraction at a time. To get a reservation for the most popular Disney+ attractions you need to be on the app from 7am to try and get a spot.
Lightning Lane specific reservations will have much less availability and on-resort hotel guests can get first availability from 7am. Standard ticket holders will have to wait until the park opens to book their first Lightning Lane attraction.
This will make Disney’s most popular attractions just as difficult to get with the new service compared to the old Fastpass+. Remember though that Lightning Lane specific attractions will be chargeable so there may be a little less demand than there was historically.
Will Disney Genie Have A Standalone App?
Thankfully, no!
Disney Genie is the name Disney is giving to the technology behind the service.
Disney Genie functionality is built into the My Disney Experience app for Walt Disney World (Disneyland in California has it’s own app).
What Incentives do On-Resort Guests Get When Using Genie+ & Lightning Lane?
There are fewer incentives for on-resort guests with this new system compared to Fastpass+.
Disney’s on-resort guests will not get any preference nor discounts when it comes to booking Genie+ Attractions.
They will have an early booking window for Lightning Lane attractions, but there is no discounted price for staying on-resort.
Disney may decide to tweak the system once it launches and they get some real-world data about how it is being used. If they do. Iwill update this page accordingly.
Will my UK Ticket Include Genie+
It’s very unlikely that UK bought tickets will have Disney Genie+ included as standard like Fastpass+ was included.
Disney could offer periodical incentives with discounted rates if sales start to fall or as an incentive for people to book but that is entirely at their discretion.
Genie+ can only be added on a day-by-day basis through the My Disney Experience App or Website. On busy days Genie+ will sell out, so if you would like it make sure you don’t leave it too late in the morning to do so. You do not need Genie+ to reserve a Lightning Lane attraction.
Is There A Limit To The Number Of Genie+ Reservations I Can Make In A Day?
No, but all Genie+ bookings are subject to availability.
You can book your first reservation from 7 am on the day of your visit. Your second booking can only be after 2 hours of the park opening, even if your first reservation is within 120 minutes of the park opening.
After the initial 2-hour wait, once you are in the queue for your chosen attraction you are free to select another experience. This is, of course, subject to availability on the day.
You must always at least be in the queue for your previous experience before you can book the next, or wait until 2 hours have elapsed, whichever comes sooner.
The timings of your reservations are crucial to getting the most out of Genie+, but it also depends on other factors. The number of Genie+ positions is fixed per hour and per attraction but availability will depend on attraction popularity and crowd levels on the day.
Is Disney Genie+ Offered In Disney's Water Parks?
Currently no, Disney Genie and Lightning Lane is for Disney World’s 4 main parks only.
Practically, it won’t work in its current form because it will require you to carry your phone around the water park.
Disney may decide to opt for a service like Universal’s Volcano Bay’s Tapu Tapu wearable device but there has been no public announcement yet.
Will I have To Be In The Park To Use Genie+ And Lightning Lane?
For Disney Genie+ no because you can make reservations from 7am. You will, however, need to have a valid ticket and park pass reservation to be able to use the service.
For Lightning Lane specific reservations you will need to be in the park to make them. The only exception is if you are staying on-resort when you can book your first attraction at 7am before the parks open for the day.
Why Is The System Now Chargeable?
Fastpass+ was a great system but the technology was outdated and it was to skewed in favour of people that knew what they were doing. Fastpass+ was also one of the last free systems offered by Disney. Disneyland in California has been using the chargeable Maxpass system for years which worked a lot like Disney Genie+, Hong Kong Disney has its own chargeable system. Disneyland Paris has just moved to a chargeable system.
The public face of Disney Genie, Genie+ and Lightning Lane is a system that increases everyone’s fun, hence customer satisfaction scores. I don’t doubt it will do that, particularly for first time visitors.
Make no mistake though, Disney Genie is a very slick shop front for Disney to increase its bottom line. Coronavirus may have accelerated the timeline a little but this new system was announced before the pandemic hit.
Disney has sunk many thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of development time into getting this service up and running. It had been in development for over 2 years before launching so expectations are high that Disney will see a return on its sizeable investment.
