Intro
Are you overwhelmed with all the changes happening at Disney World? From new nighttime shows to mobile ordering, A LOT of new and exciting things are happening at Disney World lately! This week I wanted to change it up and share my experience with the new Disney Genie+ system! This is a new service that can help plan your day and allows you to pay to skip the line at certain attractions. I hope I can help you decide if Disney Genie+ will be something you try out on your next trip!
Overview
- Disney Genie+ vs. FastPass
- Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, Oh My!
- My Experience
- Tips and Tricks
Disney Genie+ vs. FastPass
Like many of you, I loved FastPass and was so surprised when it went away. I liked to think I was a FastPass expert, so I was really nervous about figuring out a new system. I am also a huge planner, so being able to schedule out my FastPasses in advance was a big perk for me!
Disney Genie+ is different from FastPass in a few key ways. First, it is a paid service. FastPass was complementary with your admission to any park, so it was an extra perk that you could use at no additional cost.
FastPass allowed you to book ahead of time, while Disney Genie+ is something you cannot make selections for until the day of. Selections can be made starting at 7am on your park day. You are able to pre-purchase the service for the length of your stay, if you are staying on property and want it for each park day. However you will not be able to select your Lightning Lanes until 7am that morning (even if pre-purchased).
Disney Genie+ has two different options for Lightning Lanes. It has the “normal” Lightning Lanes and the Individual Lightning Lanes. I would compare this to how the FastPass had a tier system for more popular rides. Individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased at 7am for resort guests and park open for non-resort guests.
Similarly to FastPass, when you book a Lightning Lane you are given a return time window. Once you scan your Magic Band or ticket at the final touch point in the line (typically there are two), you are able to add another Lightning Lane.
Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, Oh My!
Now to make things a little more complex, I wanted to walk through the difference between Disney Genie itself as a free service and the paid service of purchasing Lightning Lanes or Individual Lightning Lanes.
Disney Genie
Disney Genie is a free service on the My Disney Experience App. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the app before you go. At this point I would say it is almost essential and will make your trip easier. You will need this to check wait times, order food, and can even use it to get into the park and your resort room.
Once you have the app, you can use Disney Genie to help plan out your day. Each day, you can tell the app what type of experiences you are hoping to have, your favorite rides, and restaurants you want to try. It will then help you best schedule your day to make sure you are able to experience all your favorites! Think of it as your own Disney expert planner, who also happens to know when wait times will be lowest for your favorite rides.
In all honesty, I did not use this portion of the app a ton, but I can see how it could be really useful for someone who is new to Disney or has a larger travel party to organize for! Also, if you purchase Disney Genie+, the app will incorporate your plans into their ideas for you. For me, that idea of being able to visualize my plans for the day was helpful.
Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes
Now, let’s dive into the differences between the “normal” Lightning Lanes and the Individual Lightning Lanes. Again, I compare this to the tier system with FastPass. The more popular rides fall into the Individual Lightning Lane option within Disney Genie+. In short, you have to pay an additional cost to get the Lightning Lanes for those “busier” rides. Those rides currently include:
- Space Mountain
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Frozen
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Rise of the Resistance
- Expedition Everest
- Flight of Passage
The “normal” Lightning Lanes include just about every other ride and attraction at each park. While the “normal” rides are all part of the $15 per day/per person if you purchased Disney Genie+, the Individual Lightning Lanes are purchased separately at an additional cost. That cost fluctuates based on the day, basically meaning that on “peak days” those could potentially cost more to purchase. You can also purchase Individual Lightning Lanes without purchasing Disney Genie+.
If you are staying on property, you can make all of your selections each morning at 7am. You can buy Disney Genie+ for the day (if you did not purchase ahead of time) and make one “normal” Lightning Lane selection. At that time you can also purchase one or both of the Individual Lightning Lanes for that day. Again, this can be done at park open for non-resort guests.
My Experience
Overall, I had mixed experiences with Disney Genie+. I would say that it is definitely more helpful at some parks than others. I’ll share a quick overview of my recent trip and what I was able to ride with Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes.
I will also preface this with the fact that I went as an adult with my partner, without any children. I can’t speak to how it would be with kids and if that cost would be worth it for a larger group! There are a lot of concerns from families about how quickly the cost can add up, which I totally understand! In the end, it is definitely all about what is best for you, your budget, and your travel party.
Magic Kingdom
I did purchase Disney Genie+ for my Magic Kingdom Day. I was able to get Lightning Lanes for:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo The Flying Elephant
I was able to ride a handful of other “normal” rides without Lightning Lanes and rode both Space Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
All in all, I would recommend Disney Genie+ for Magic Kingdom. This park has the most rides, so it is easy to get your money’s worth if you play it right.
Hollywood Studios
I did purchase Disney Genie+ at Hollywood Studios and purchased an Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance (which cost $15 per person that day). Additionally, with Disney Genie+, I got Lightning Lanes for:
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
I definitely think I could have done better at scheduling out my Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios, but I had a few other reservations I had to plan around, such as Savi’s Workshop and Oga’s Cantina. I do think it could be worth it at Hollywood Studios, if planned correctly!
EPCOT
I did not purchase Disney Genie+ for EPCOT. The Food and Wine Festival was happening during my trip and I knew that most of my time was going to be spent in World Showcase. So, for me, it didn’t seem necessary based on my plans for the day. I could see it being worth the cost if you plan to be getting on rides most of the day and if it is crowded. It was an extra crowded day at EPCOT when I was there, so if not for the festival, I think I would have purchased Disney Genie+ just to beat the crowds.
Animal Kingdom
I did not purchase Disney Genie+ for my Animal Kingdom day, however I did purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for Flight of Passage (which cost $14 per person that day).
For me personally, I am not sure I would use Disney Genie+ at Animal Kingdom at this time. There are not as many rides and there is also so much to do outside of rides! On a busy Animal Kingdom day, there are tons of ways to avoid the crowds and find quiet spots. It was however totally worth it for me to purchase the Individual Lightning Lane for Flight of Passage. It is one of my favorites and last time I rode it I waited two hours, so this was definitely a game changer!
Tips and Tricks
- Download the My Disney Experience app way ahead of time and get yourself acquainted with how it works.
- Make sure your travel party is all linked together on the My Disney Experience app. This will make everything go quicker in the morning when selecting Lightning Lanes.
- If you are staying on property and plan to use Disney Genie+ everyday, you can purchase it ahead of time for your entire vacation. You won’t be able to select your Lightning Lanes or purchase Individual Lightning Lanes early, but you will save the extra step of having to purchase Disney Genie+ each morning.
- You don’t have to purchase Disney Genie+ to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. For example, on my Animal Kingdom Day I wanted to get an Individual Lightning Lane for Flight of Passage, but did not want to purchase Disney Genie+ for the day.
- Come prepared with your “must-rides” and your budget for each day. This will help you make the best decision for your travel party. If Rise of the Resistance is a must for you, have an idea of how much you would be willing to spend for an Individual Lightning Lane. Since those prices fluctuate, you won’t know until that morning how much it will be, so you’ll want to know your limit!
- You do not need to be at the parks in order to make your first selection. This is most relevant for those who are staying off-property and trying to make Individual Lightning Lane Selections.
In the end, I think that Disney Genie+ has its benefits. Whether or not it is worth it depends on a lot of factors. For me, it was worth it on my Magic Kingdom Day and to be able to ride some of my favorite, more popular rides. I think the important thing to decide before you go is which rides are your “must-dos” and which you are okay with skipping. Is there a cost that is too high for an Individual Lightning Lane, even for your top ride?
I think if you have those conversations ahead of time, it will definitely make the process and daily decisions a lot easier to handle! What is your experience with Disney Genie+? Share your tips and tricks in the comments!
Overview
- My Disney Experience: free app that you should download before your trip. It is necessary to use Disney Genie and purchase Lightning Lanes, along with many other things while at the parks!
- Disney Genie: free service on the My Disney Experience App that can help you plan out your day.
- Lightning Lane: a special, designated entrance for each ride where guests can expect minimal wait times.
- Disney Genie+: paid service ($15 per day/person) to skip the line on certain attractions. You can book one Lightning Lane selection at a time, starting at 7am. An additional selection can be booked after you scan into your previous selection.
- Individual Lightning Lane: a separate, individual paid selection (fluctuates based on the ride and the day) that can be made for busier, more popular rides (ex: Rise of the Resistance). This can also be made at 7am or park open and can be made with or without purchasing Disney Genie+.
