Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane Explained

Yesterday was a HUGE day for Disney news with the announcement of Disney Genie, a new smartphone planning tool helping guests to get the most out of their visits to Disneyland and Disney World.  There are several components to this new offerings which left many Disney-goers and even some of us MickeyBloggers going “Huh!?” 

However, we’ve unpacked how the Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes will work and will share the details with you below.

Credit: Disney

Three Components of Disney Genie: 

• Disney Genie – This is the new complimentary in-app planning tool being added to My Disney Experience.  
• Disney Genie+- A paid-for add-one that will be replacing both FASTPASS (Walt Disney World) and MAXPASS (Disneyland) in offering front-of-the-line access to select attractions. 
• Lightning Lane – There will be no more FASTPASS entrances at the theme parks. This will be replaced with Lightning Lane. Guests also have the option of individually purchase Lightning Lane passes for premium attractions not included in Disney Genie+

That might be quite a bit to take in so here’s a deep dive into the individual components. 

Disney Genie 

Launching this Fall, the Disney Genie is the COMPLIMENTARY part of the new service. The Genie is a planning tool used in the My Disney Experience and Disneyland Apps. 

Using Disney Genie, those visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney World are able to: 

• Create a theme park itinerary- Craft a theme park itinerary specific to your interests
• Receive personalized recommendations- Given your interests, the Genie will suggest experiences, activities and more for you to enjoy. 
• Tip Board – Just finished an attraction and aren’t sure what to do next? The tip board will help you decide!
• Track Wait Times – The Disney Genie will let you know when the best times to ride particular attractions are to save you time in line. 
• Improved Dining Reservation System  – Updated interface for mobile ordering as well as making and checking in for dining reservations and signing up for stand-by dining queues.
• Virtual Assistant – Get answers to your questions the crop up throughout your day with this Virtual Assistant tool. 

So just to recap, Disney Genie is a complimentary planning tool to help you plan out your days, create your own itineraries, manage your dining plans and get assistance for any questions you may have.  Again the Genie is FREE to anyone visiting the parks and requires the My Disney Experience App. 

Disney Genie+

Upgrade your Disney Genie service by including Genie+, a paid add-on,  to further enhance your theme park visit.  Functioning like Disneyland’s MaxPass an upgrade to Disney Genie+ comes with the following perks. 

• Front-of-the-line access: Start your day by picking one (select) attraction that you’d like to go to the front of the line of. One you’ve finished that ride, pick another etc.
• Access to the Lightning Lane: Say good-bye to Fastpass queues. Pick your attraction using Genie+. Head to the Lightning Lane and bypass the Stand-By Line for your ride of choice. 

Types of attractions included in Genie+

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
• Haunted Mansion 

Cost: There is a cost to use this service: 

• Walt Disney World: $15 per person per day. 
• Disneyland: $20 per person per day. 

Disney Genie+ can be purchased in advance. Your first Disney Genie + reservation cannot be made until 7am on the day you’ll be visiting the park. 

So just to recap: Disney Genie+ replaces Disney World’s FastPass and Disneyland’s MaxPass programs.  Genie+ can be purchased in advance, comes with all the perks of Disney Genie plus front of the line access to select attractions. Guests use Genie+ to book one Lightning Lane Ride and after you have checked in for your existing selection you can then book another and so on throughout your day. 

Lightning Lane

Now here is where things get a tad bit confusing.  With Disney Genie+, there will be select rides that you can gain front of the line access to.  However, this does not include all rides. Premium experiences may not be included in Genie+ but CAN be purchased (for an additional cost) as part of Lightning Lane. This paid for service would include access to TWO attractions.  Since the Premium attractions are limited, these two reservations can be at multiple parks (provided that you have Park Hopper.) 

Types of attractions included in Lightning Lane: 

• Rise of the Resistance
• WEB Slinger: A Spider-Man Adventure
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (opening October 1st.) 

This paid service is essentially a way to avoid singing up for boarding groups for Disney’s BIG headlining attractions. The price for this service would be in addition to Genie+. You can also use Lightning Lane WITHOUT purchasing Genie+ and vice versa. 

Cost: Disney hasn’t said how much the Lightning Lane premium add-on will be. They have however said that pricing will vary depending on whether your are visiting during peak or off peek times or weekends versus weekdays. 

Lightning Lane passes can be purchased the day of at the following times: 

• Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort: 7 am the morning that you’ll be using the passes. 
• Offsite Guests: Once the theme park opens for the day. You must be present at the parks to make your selection. 

So just to recap: Some rides are so popular at Disney World and Disneyland that virtual queues and boarding groups have been put in place.  You can bypass this process by purchasing Lightning Lane as an additional add on. Purchasing Lightning Lane will allow you front-of-the-line access to two of these theme park attractions and they can be at different parks provided you have a park hopper ticket. Disney hasn’t disclosed the pricing for Lightning Lane as of yet which is separate from Disney Genie+

Let’s continue to recap with this video shared by Disney yesterday: 

Questions about Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ or Lightning Lane? Keep following along with MickeyBlog where we’ll share with you everything we’ve learn about this new system as we learn it.  Alternatively feel free to drop  me a line at mroden@mickeytravels.com and I’ll do my best to answer your questions. 

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