Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane FAQ for Walt Disney World

Aug 19, 2021 in "Disney Genie"

Posted: Thursday August 19, 2021 7:06am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane Frequently Asked Questions for Walt Disney World

Learn more about Disney's announcement and launch of Disney Genie.

FAQ Updated June 10, 2024

1. What is Disney Genie?

Disney Genie is a digital service that is part of the My Disney Experience app available at no additional cost. The service is designed to plan your day at the Walt Disney World theme parks, including a personalized itinerary that maps out the entire day based on your preferences. Disney Genie will display current and forecasted future wait times.

2. What is Disney Genie+?

Disney Genie+ is an option within the Disney Genie service that makes the former FastPass line available at select attractions, now called Lightning Lane. Certain headline attractions are not part of Genie+, and Lightning Lane access at those attractions will require an Individual Attraction purchase.

3. What are Individual Attraction Purchases?

Attractions not included as part of Genie+, such as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, will require an individual attraction purchase for access into the Lightning Lane. Prices will vary by date, attraction and park. Throughout the year, prices may be lower on some days and higher on other days. This option may be purchased at up to 2 different attractions each day.

4. If I don't want to buy Genie+ or individual attraction purchases, can I still ride?

All attractions will still have a standby queue or a virtual queue.

5. When did Disney Genie and Genie+ launch at Walt Disney World?

Disney Genie+ launched on October 19 2021.

6. What is the difference between Genie and Genie+?

Disney Genie is the planning service that creates itineraries and is free for all visitors. Genie+ is a paid option to provide Lighting Lane access to certain attractions.

7. What is a Lightning Lane?

The Lighting Lane is the new name for the FastPass queue, and can be accessed via Genie+ at participating attractions, or via an Individual Attraction purchase at a limited number of high-demand attractions.

8. How much does Disney Genie cost?

The basic Disney Genie service is free to all guests visiting Walt Disney World.

9. Is Disney Genie a new app?

Disney Genie is accessed via My Disney Experience, the existing Walt Disney World app available for iOS and Android.

10. When can I add Genie+ to my ticket?

Genie+ at Walt Disney World now starts at $15, and may go as high as $39 per person per day (plus tax), depending on the date and park. You can purchase through My Disney Experience on the day of your visit. Pre-arrival purchase is not possible. WDWMAGIC provides detailed pricing data and historical trends for Disney's Genie+ and Lightning Lane purchases at Walt Disney World.

11. What attractions are available for Lighting Lane access via Genie+?

Magic Kingdom

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
Mad Tea Party
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Barnstormer
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Tomorrowland Speedway
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Mickey & Friends
Mission: SPACE – Green
Mission: SPACE – Orange
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
Soarin’
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Alien Swirling Saucers
Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
Disney Jr. Dance Party
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Muppet*Vision 3D
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Tours
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania!

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King
DINOSAUR
Feathered Friends in Flight!
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Na'vi River Journey
The Animation Experience

12. How many Disney Genie+ selections can I make and when can I make subsequent selections?

You can make one selection at a time throughout the day. Once you use one, you can make another. Your first Disney Genie+ Lighting Lane selection can be made at 7am, regardless of whether you are staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotel or offsite.

In most cases, you are eligible for another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection as soon as you tap into the Lightning Lane entrance at the chosen attraction. If you do not tap into the attraction, you are eligible for another Lightning Lane selection at the end of the arrival window for the current selection or 2 hours after your prior election was made.

Suppose your first Lightning Lane selection is further out than 2 hours from park opening, for example, 2pm. In that case, you can make a second Lightning Lane selection 120 minutes following the official park opening time.

Example. At 7am, you book a Lightning Lane selection for Haunted Mansion at 2pm in Magic Kingdom. The park opens at 9am, so you are then eligible to make another Lightning Lane selection for a ride time from 11am. This means at 11am you will have two Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations.

In short, assuming the park opens at 9am, your latest booking times will be: 7am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm.

Using the above booking times, and assuming that your first reservation is for later in the day, it may be possible to stack three or more Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations at one time.

13. How many Individual Attraction purchases can I make?

You can schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance.

14. What attractions are not part of Genie+ and require an Individual Attraction purchase?

Magic Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
TRON Lightcycle Run

EPCOT

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Avatar Flight of Passage

15. Do I have to buy Genie+ before I can make an Individual Attraction Purchase?

No. Individual Attraction purchases can be made via Disney Genie without needing the Genie+ add-on.

16. When can I purchase Individual Attractions for Lightning Lane access?

Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can purchase up to 2 individual attraction selections for Lighting Lane access at 7am on the day of visit. Available to Disney Resort hotel Guests and Guests of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green.

Non-resort hotel guests can make a purchase when the park opens.

17. When can I make Genie+ selections?

At Walt Disney World, all guests can make the first Genie+ selection at 7am on the day of the visit via My Disney Experience.

18. Will Genie+ and Individual Attraction purchases be available during Extended Evening Hours and Early Entry for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests?

No, only standby lines will be in use during these times.

19. Do I have to purchase Genie+ for the entire length of my trip?

Genie+ is purchased on a day-by-day basis, and is not linked to a trip length.

20. Can I pay to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or Remy's Ratatouille Adventure?

For Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, you will be able to buy Lightning Access as an Individual Attraction purchase.

21. How does Genie+ and individual attraction purchases work for Annual Passholders?

Genie+ can be purchased by Walt Disney World Annual Passholders on the day of the visit. No discounts are available.

22. What has happened to FASTPASS and FastPass+?

The original FASTPASS and FastPass+ have been retired and replaced by Disney Genie and Genie+.

23. Can I modify a Genie+ selection?

Yes. Using the My Disney Experience app, guests can now modify an existing booking without first canceling a reservation and making another booking. This only applies to Lightning Lanes that are part of Genie+, and not those that are Individual Attraction Purchases

24. Can I book an Individual Attraction Purchase at the same time as a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection?

Yes. It is possible to have a Genie+ reservation at the same time as an individual attraction purchase. Disney Genie will detect this and advise you that you have an existing plan in the same window, but it will let you make the reservation.

25. What payment methods can I use to buy Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction selections?

My Disney Experience accepts the following payment methods:

Disney Gift Card
Disney Rewards redemption Card
Credit or Debit Cards - Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club, JCB and UnionPay
Click to Pay

26. How can I find out pricing for Genie+ and Lightning Lane selections?

WDWMAGIC now provides detailed pricing data and historical trends for Disney's Genie+ and Lightning Lane purchases at Walt Disney World.

Whether you're planning a family trip, or you're a Disney enthusiast who wants to stay informed, our platform empowers you with invaluable insights in a single at-a-glance page. Try it out now at https://www.wdwmagic.com/genieprice.htm

Discuss on the Forums

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wdwmagic10 days ago

First pricing for 2025 is out https://www.wdwmagic.com/genieprice.htm

RememberWhen12 days ago

Thanks for the update! I had gotten the same data you had elsewhere, so it definitely seemed like a glitch on the WDW end. Always grateful for all the information I get here!

wdwmagic12 days ago

That was actually a rare instance where the prices changed after being initially released. First time that has happened.

Brooklin Disney Dad13 days ago

Ultimately, we each have our own price point for budgeting a family vacay at Disney. You can complain on a forum, but wear your thick skin. Or you can go somewhere else, hoping that the demand for LLs, multi, etc. drops to lower prices to within your budget. They way my fam of 5 did DW 6 yrs ago will never happen again. I can live with that. Loopholes and extra perks are gone and won’t come back until there is a big shift in consumer spending. And that may take a few years.

Touchdown13 days ago

I’ve taken over a half dozen trips since this got implemented and was able to do it with 5.5 days in the park. Needed Early Entry to do it, but otherwise had no issues.

RememberWhen13 days ago

Thanks for the confirmation.

networkpro13 days ago

I won't pontificate drawing attention away from Lightning Lane. Currently LL works well for both standby and those who choose to purchase expedited entry. LL lanes are not overflowing and the standby lines move thanks to the removal of unplanned capacity consumption by DAS parties. Value of LL is the primary focus now and personal justification of it's cost based on crowd levels. Rides have a fixed maximum capacity per hour and planned consumption works well right now.

Fido Chuckwagon13 days ago

The numbers were wrong. Also, WDW clearly didn’t have access to numbers past the 21 day mark, the data they were publishing past that point was wrong. Nobody knows what the price will be past the 28th since that’s 21 days from now.

Fido Chuckwagon13 days ago

Yeah, so @wdwmagic’s numbers were wrong. I made my purchases today. It was up to $39 for basically all of Christmas week for MK. It did go up from last year.

RememberWhen13 days ago

Can we bop back a page here and look at LL pricing again? I’m trying to figure out pricing for our trip, which extends through New Years and into the first couple days of Jan. The page hosted by WDW Magic doesn’t list prices past 12/31. (It had been listing prices out a week further than I could see on MDE). And the price they had listed for the 28th at Epcot/MGM didn’t match what MDE eventually showed. It does now list the higher expected price. (Example: it had said $29 for MGM on 12/29. Now it says $35. But I can only see out through the 28th on MDE and now I don’t know what’s what. Just feeling frustrated with the whole system.

DisDude3313 days ago

Easily spoken by someone that the game (which is equal parts chance and skill) has treated well.

networkpro13 days ago

Life isnt fair. Play the game, make your choices, live with the consequences.

Ayla13 days ago

To be fair, very few people can take a leisurely, two week vacation. The average length is 5-7 days.

Cliff13 days ago

How were "official" posted wait times versus actual wait times? We are hearing lots of talk about Disney "inflating" posted wait times to scare people into buying into the app. I have two CM friends that told me that if a guest asks them what the "real" wait time is, they are MANDATED to repeat only the "official" posted time. They are NOT allowed to look at a que that they know is only 15 min and tell that to a guest. If the official time says 65min,..they must say that and NOT the "real" 15min. I'm sorry folks,...that does not bother the strong Burbank defenders here on this forum...but that bothers me. It's a dishonest way to get people to pay for something they might not need. They prey on guests that don't know better. Also,...do you know how to make lines LONGER at Pirates if they are not long enough? You deliberately take boats OUT of the water and keep less boats moving in circulation. Etc.. Keep that app money on your phone flowing!