The Answers to ALL of Your Burning Questions About Disney Genie
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In their place will be some new, paid systems called Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections. But, Disney is also introducing a FREE planning system called the Disney Genie that can help you see information about some of these new paid features as well while also showing you (for free) forecasted wait times and more. Yes, it can get a little bit confusing! You’ve been sending us lots of questions about these new systems, so today we’re trying to answer as many of them as we can.
Brief Overview
Before we dive in, we want to share a brief overview of what’s going on. For starters, FastPass+, FASTPASS, and MaxPass are going away.
Next, let’s talk about Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection. We did a post recently explaining some of the basics of these three things in less than 500 words. You can click here to see that, but we’ve also have the core information here:
Disney Genie is a FREE planning service built into the My Disney Experience App and Disneyland App. You will tell Disney Genie what you want to ride, what types of things you like, etc., and Disney Genie will create a personalized, flexible itinerary for you. With Genie, you’ll be able to see forecasted wait times, mobile order your food, chat with a virtual assistant, see walk-up waitlist availability, make restaurant reservations, adjust your plans, and more. Plans will continuously update to help you get the most out of your day. Essentially, Genie is designed to help you plan your day and optimize your plans.
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Disney Genie+ is a PAID FastPass-like service. It costs $15 per day per ticket at Disney World and $20 per day per ticket at Disneyland. If you pay for this service, you’ll be able to see when the next available time is to use various rides’ Lightning Lanes (i.e. FastPass+ lanes). You will select the next available time to use the Lightning Lane for whatever ride you want, and when your time arrives, you can visit the ride and use the Lightning Lane (skipping the standby line).
Once you’re done with that ride, you can make another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection — 1 ride at a time, throughout the day. Over 40 attractions will be available through Genie+ at Disney World, over 15 attractions will be available through Genie+ at Disneyland. NOT all attractions will be available through Genie+.
While most guests can purchase Genie+ in advance (though the situation seems different for Annual Passholders), you cannot make a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection until the DAY OF your trip. At Disney World, guests can make their first Lightning Lane attraction selection at 7AM on the day of their visit. At Disneyland, the first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection can be made once you’re in the park.
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Select, highly popular attractions (like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure Park, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT) will NOT be listed on Genie+. That means that even if you pay for Genie+ you will NOT be able to select a time for/use the Lightning Lane at those attractions. Instead, if you want to use the Lightning Lane for those attractions, you’ll have to pay for the attractions INDIVIDUALLY. (We aren’t really going into that in-depth in this post — you can see more about that here).
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Okay, that’s a quick overview of the basics. Now, let’s dive into your questions.
Questions
Is it $15 a day to ride unlimited rides?
This basically relates to the breakdown between Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection. If you pay for Genie+ ($15 at Disney World, $20 at Disneyland), you can see the next available times to enter various rides’ Lightning Lanes. You can then select the next available time for the ride you want, and when that time arrives, you’ll go to the ride, skip the standby line, use the Lightning Lane, and get on the ride. Remember you can only make 1 Lightning Lane selection at a time.
But, NOT all rides’ Lightning Lanes will be accessible through Genie+. At Disney World, Genie+ will give you access to make Lightning Lane selections at over 40 rides. At Disneyland, over 15 rides will be included in Genie+.
You can continue to select 1 Lightning Lane selection for any available ride through Genie+ throughout your entire day. Disney has not announced that there will be a limit as to how many you can actually select over the period of an entire day. So, from what we know at this time, it’ll only be limited by availability and how many rides you can get through.
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But, some SUPER popular rides (like Rise of the Resistance, WEB SLINGERS, and more) will NOT be included in Genie+. That means, if you want to use the Lightning Lane for WEB SLINGERS, for example, you will NOT be able to select a time for it through Genie+ (even though you’ve paid that $20 — $20 because this ride is in Disneyland).
In order to use the Lightning Lane for those select POPULAR rides, you’ll need to pay for the ride individually through Individual Attraction Selection. Disney hasn’t shared prices yet, but for purposes of our example let’s say it’s $10 to schedule a Lightning Lane time for WEB SLINGERS. You’ll then pay that amount and schedule the time to return and use the Lightning Lane for that ride. Those $10 will ONLY give you access to scheduling a Lightning Lane for that single ride you’ve selected — WEB SLINGERS. And keep in mind you can only buy Lightning Lane attractions for up to 2 attractions per day.
Click here to learn more about Individual Attraction Selection.
Is there any benefit to stay on-site?
In Disney World, there is a benefit to staying on-site when it comes to Individual Attraction Selection specifically. All guests will have the ability to buy Individual Attraction Selections. Guests will be able to get their first Individual Attraction Selection when the park opens.
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
But, those staying at select hotels get a little bit earlier access. Disney has stated that those staying at Disney-owned and operated hotels, The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, and Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort will be able to make their first Individual Attraction Selection at 7AM each day.
Click here to see more about this hotel perk.
Is there any benefit/discount to being an Annual Passholder? And how does the system work for Annual Passholders?
At this time, Disney has not announced any discounts or special perks for Annual Passholders or (future) Magic Key Holders when it comes to Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selections.
So, how will the system work for Annual Passholders? Disney has shared that at its launch, Disney World Annual Passholders and Disneyland Magic Key holders will be able to add Disney Genie+ and/or individual Lightning Lane selections on the day of their visit.
Disney World Annual Pass
So, Passholders and Key Holders will have full access to the service. You’ll just have to add it on the day of your visit.
Disney also shared that they will be looking into other enhancements for Passholders and Key holders using Disney Genie in the future.
Click here to see our post about how the system works for Annual Passholders.
Do I have to use Genie+ for every day of my trip?
Our understanding is that the answer to this question is “no.” From what Disney has announced, guests will have a lot of flexibility and choice. If you want to buy it for one day of your 7-day trip, you can do that. Want it for only your EPCOT days and nothing else? You can do that. Want it for all of the days of your trip? You can do that too. Our understanding is that you can buy it for as many (or as little) days as you want.
When can I buy Genie+ in relation to my trip?
If you’re an Annual Passholder, see above. So far, Disney has shared that Disney World Annual Passholders and Disneyland Magic Key holders will be able to add Disney Genie+ and/or individual Lightning Lane selections on the day of their visit.
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If you’re not an Annual Passholder or Magic Key Holder, you’ll be able to purchase Disney Genie+ in advance for all/as many of the days of your trip as you want. BUT, you’ll only be able to actually BOOK Genie+ Lightning Lane selections on the day of your visit.
What rides are being offered for each?
So far, we don’t have a full list of attractions that will be available through Genie+, but Disney has specified a few that may be included. So far, Disney has indicated that some of the rides that will be available through Disney Genie+ include Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Overall, Genie+ will include over 40 attractions in Disney World and over 15 attractions in Disneyland.
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What about Individual Attraction Selection? So far, Disney has indicated that the following rides will be included in this individual attraction selection option: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure in Disney California Adventure Park, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT.
Note that the attractions that will be offered by Genie+ will be DIFFERENT than the ones offered through Individual Attraction Selection.
What do the return times look like?
Return times will vary presumably by day, park, ride, etc., so we can’t quite give you more details on that yet. But, if you want to know what the system itself looks like in terms of how to select a return time, here’s a quick breakdown.
When scrolling through the Disney Genie portion of your app, you’ll see various rides with their Standby Line wait time listed, and their next available Lightning Lane time listed. So, in this example, Haunted Mansion’s next available Lightning Lane time is 12:15PM…
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…but Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin has a return time for 11:40AM as its next available option.
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You’ll select the attraction you want, and specify who from your party you want to include.
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Then, your selection will be confirmed.
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And when it’s your time to ride, you’ll go through the Lightning Lane.
What is the 7AM start time for?
Alright, there are a few times you’ll need to keep in mind — some of which are 7AM, some of which are different.
For Disney Genie+, all guests at Walt Disney World will be able to make their first Genie+ Lightning Lane selections at 7AM. At Disneyland, all guests can make their first Genie+ Lightning Lane selections when they enter the park.
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For Individual Attraction Selection, all guests at Walt Disney World that are staying at a Disney-owned-and-operated hotel, the Swan or Dolphin, or Shades of Green will be able to make their first Individual Attraction Selections at 7AM. All other Disney World guests will be able to make Individual Attraction Selections when the park opens. In Disneyland, our understanding is that these selections can be made when they enter the park, but we will update if we hear anything to indicate otherwise.
Can I still use standby? Do you need a Lightning Lane pass for rides with virtual queues?
Standby lines and/or virtual queues (like what’s being used for WEB Slingers, Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure) will still be available for guests to use. You don’t have to use Genie, Genie+, or Individual Attraction Selection at all if you don’t want to.
But, if you want to skip the standby queue or not worry about signing up for a virtual queue, then you can use Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selection (depending on what ride you’re trying to get on) to skip the standby/virtual lines and go through the Lightning Lane.
When does it start?
So far, Disney has only indicated that Disney Genie will debut in the fall. We expect that means Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection will also debut at that time. An exact date hasn’t been shared yet.
Will everyone in the party need it or can just 1 person buy?
From what we understand, your entire party does NOT need to buy Genie+ (or Individual Attraction Selection). But, keep in mind that only the members of your party who DO buy one or both of these services will be able to use them. So if 3/4 members in your party buy Genie+ they’ll be able to select Lightning Lane return times throughout the day, but the remaining 1 member who didn’t buy it will NOT be able to go through the Lightning Lanes. So if your whole family plans on riding and using te Lightning Lane, you will need to purchase it for each person.
Will we be able to book ride times for the whole party at once?
Our understanding is that you will be able to do this. You can see the break-down above for Genie+ (we’ve included the same image below), but during the selection process, it looks like you’ll be able to select all of the members of your party that you want included in the Lightning Lane selection.
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For Individual Attraction Selection, Disney explained that you’ll be able to purchase an Individual Attraction Selection for multiple people in your party and that counts as one transaction. If you want to get an Individual Attraction Selection after the first one then that will be a separate transaction.
Do you pay for it?
The Disney Gennie planning service (the one that will help create a customized itinerary for you, suggest nearby restaurants, show you wait times, forecast wait times, etc.) is FREE.
Disney Genie+ (where you’ll get access to various rides’ Lightning Lanes) costs $15 per ticket per day in Disney World and $20 per ticket per day in Disneyland.
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Individual Attraction Selection (where you get to schedule a return time to ride 1 specific attraction and use that attraction’s Lightning Lane) will be a separate cost. Disney has not revealed this pricing yet, but we do know that the price will vary by attraction, date, and park.
How many do you get per day?
For Disney Genie+, Disney has not indicated that there is a limit. You can only make 1 Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane selection at a time. But, once you’ve used up that selection, you’ll be able to make another. Then when you use that one you can make another, and so on and so forth throughout the day.
For Individual Attraction Selection, you can only buy this for a maximum of up to 2 attractions per day.
Is it a separate app or is it built into My Disney Experience?
Disney Genie (the FREE planning service) will be built into the My Disney Experience app in Disney World and the Disneyland App at Disneyland Resort.
Based on our understanding, it seems Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection will also be built into Genie and thus My Disney Experience and/or the Disneyland App.
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When Disney has shown images of the Tip Board, it shows different attractions, their standby wait time, their next available Lightning Lane time, whether that ride’s Lightning Lane is included with Disney Genie+ or whether it is available through the select, Individual Attraction Selection, and it provides guests with the opportunity to buy those selections in the app.
Does getting a ride on Genie+ put you in the Lightning Lane or is that separate?
The “Lightning Lane” is what Disney is now calling the FastPass Lane. If you get Genie+, you will be able to select the next available time to arrive at an attraction and use that ride’s Lightning Lane. When your designated time arrives, you’ll be able to go into the Lightning Lane for that ride.
For Individual Attraction Selection, you’ll be able to purchase and schedule a time to arrive at up to 2 attractions each day. When your time arrives, you’ll then use that attraction’s Lightning Lane. Just keep in mind that the attractions available through Genie+ will be different than those available through Individual Attraction Selection.
Is it $15 per ride or $15 for the whole day?
Disney Genie+ is $15 per ticket per day in Disney World ($20 per ticket per day at Disneyland). Included in Genie+ is the ability to make Lightning Lane selections (for the rides included), 1 attraction at a time, throughout the day. So it is not a cost per ride. The cost gives you access to making Lightning Lane selections (1 at a time) for the over 40 rides at Disney World and over 15 rides at Disneyland that are included.
Individual Attraction Selection, on the other hand, is a price that you will pay to enter the Lightning Lane attraction for a SINGLE ride.
Can you pay for popular individual rides and NOT get Genie+?
Yes! You could just continue to use standby lines/virtual queues that are included in your regular theme park ticket. Or, you can pay for just the Individual Attraction Selections for up to 2 rides per day and that’s it. Or, you can pay for Genie+ and that’s it. Or, you can pay for Genie+ AND Individual Attraction Selection. It’s up to you.
How does this affect Disability Access Service?
Disney said that they are making some enhancements to their DAS program with the Disney Genie.
Click here to learn more.
Will you be able to use it for the same ride multiple times?
With Genie+, Disney has not indicated that you will not be able to use it for the same ride multiple times. Based on our understanding, you can make that Lightning Lane selection (1 at a time) throughout the day for the attractions of your choice. You can even make them for other parks if you have a Park Hopper ticket.
For Individual Attraction selection, Disney has said that guests will be able to “schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day.” Our understanding is that this means you can only purchase an Individual Attraction Selection for a particular ride ONCE for any given day (i.e. you can’t buy 2 Individual Attraction Selections both for Rise of the Resistance on the same day). That’s our understanding of the situation, but we will update this if Disney clarifies the situation.
What’s the deal with PhotoPass? And what about the Augmented Reality offering?
Disney Genie+ ($15 at Disney World, $20 at Disneyland) includes special additional features. At Disney World, it includes Augmented Reality frames to use for your photos. Below is a look at what these Augmented Reality features look like.
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At Disneyland, it includes unlimited PhotoPass downloads for the day of your visit.
Is there a discount for Disney Vacation Club Members?
So far, Disney has not announced any discounts for Disney Vacation Club Members.
We’ll try to work through and answer more of your questions about Genie when we can, and we’ll continue to work on articles and more that can help you better understand these changes. So stay tuned for more updates from us here at DFB!
Click here to see the difference between Disney Genie and Genie+.
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What questions do you still have about the Disney Genie, Genie+, or Individual Attraction Selection? Tell us in the comments below.
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