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Disney Genie+ Has Changed 9 Times — But We’re Still Waiting on ONE Big Update

August 27, 2023 ,

Genie+ has changed so much in Disney World that you might be incredibly confused about just how to use the service. (And we don’t blame you!)

Scanning into a Lightning Lane

For those unfamiliar with it, Genie+ is the PAID skip-the-standby-line service that has replaced FastPass+. Generally speaking, it allows you to pay a certain amount to make a Lightning Lane selection for a participating ride and then use the Lightning Lane to skip the standby wait. But how and when you make those Genie+ selections, what rides are included in Genie+, the pricing for Genie+, and MORE have ALL changed in the past few years. And one more important change is on the way.

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As a brief overview, Genie+ allows you to pay a certain amount (which varies based on the date and what park you’re buying Genie+ for or if you’ll be buying a multi-park option) to make Lightning Lane selections for participating rides, one at a time. When your Lightning Lane return time arrives, you hop in the Lightning Lane and skip the standby wait. You can then make another Lightning Lane selection, and so on.

Some of Disney’s most popular rides are NOT part of the standard Genie+ service though. To skip the standby lines or virtual queues at those really popular rides, you’ll instead need to use the Individual Lightning Lane Service, which allows you to pay for the chance to skip a ride’s standby line ONCE.

Tower of Terror Lightning Lane sign

Those are the very basics of the system, so now let’s look at some of the ways it has changed.

Genie+ Changes That Have Already Taken Place

Genie+ was first introduced in 2021 at Walt Disney World but it looks VERY different than it did just a few years ago. It even looks different now than it did a few months ago!

Kali River Rapids Lightning Lane

This may not be a completely exhaustive list, but here’s a peek at just some of the MAJOR Genie+ changes that have been made recently:

Disney Genie+ allows you to book the Lightning Lane for rides.

Genie+

That leads us to two of our more recent changes. One of the biggest has been a change to Genie+ pricing. In June of 2023, Genie+ switched to park-specific pricing. The cost of Genie+ now not only depends on the date of your visit but also depends on what PARK you want to use Genie+ at. You can now purchase park-specific Genie+ options or a multi-park option, and the pricing can vary depending on which one you pick (Genie+ for some parks may be cheaper than others).

©Disney

This has changed what happens if Genie+ sells out at a single park during your trip. With the old system, if Genie+ sold out in any park, it was impossible to purchase the service at all. But, under this new set-up, if Genie+ sells out at one park, it’ll make the multi-park option unavailable and the Genie+ park-specific option for the park where it has sold out. But you’ll at least still be able to buy Genie+ for OTHER individual parks where it has not sold out.

Disney World Lightning Lane

And finally, in August of 2023, Genie+ was updated to feature a helpful toggle switch. Now, when you’re scrolling through the Tip Board on the My Disney Experience app, you can toggle a switch “on” that limits your search to those rides that offer Genie+. That can help you more clearly see where the service is available.

©Disney

That’s a LOT of changes. But there’s still one we’re waiting for more details about…

But There’s ONE We’re Waiting For…

There’s a MASSIVE Genie+ change coming in 2024. In 2023, Disney acknowledged that they’ve heard guests saying they wish they could “plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit.”

As a result, Disney shared that they’re “working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024.”

Peter Pan’s Flight Lightning Lane

According to Disney, the goal is to “give you the opportunity to spend less time planning in the park and more time enjoying your visit with friends and family.”  It seems the overall goal will be to “simplify” your Genie+ experience.

Disney hasn’t shared just what those changes will be, but 2024 is RAPIDLY approaching so we’re really hoping to hear some updates soon. Based on what they’ve shared so far, it seems the changes could result in some ability to do a bit of pre-planning with Genie+ ahead of your trip.

You can find Lightning Lanes at many attractions within the parks!

In the days of FastPass+, guests were able to schedule 3 FastPass selections in advance of their trip. That may have given guests some sense of comfort knowing they at least had those 3 rides secured, and it may have taken some of the pressure off of planning in the parks (though guests could make more selections after those initial 3 were used up).

Could something similar be done with this update? It’s possible but not yet clear.

Frozen Ever After Lightning Lane sign in EPCOT

It’s also possible that the changes won’t just be limited to Genie+. Disney acknowledged that guests want to plan their Genie+ AND Individual Lightning Lane selections in advance. So perhaps there will be some ability to pre-select Individual Lightning Lanes for Disney’s most popular rides well ahead of your trip too.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Lightning Lane

Thus far, the details of those 2024 changes have not been revealed, but we are waiting for any and all updates. In the meantime, it’s crucial that you understand how the Genie+ system works, whether it’s worth it for you, and how to make the most of it. Check out our posts below for some help:

And stay tuned for more news!

What changes would you like to see made with Genie+? Tell us in the comments!

The post Disney Genie+ Has Changed 9 Times -- But We're Still Waiting on ONE Big Update first appeared on the disney food blog.



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