Genie+
Updated July 2023
What is Genie+ and is it worth it?
Full disclaimer we have never brought Genie+ so we can not comment on whether it’s worth it. However we will detail what it is and how to purchase if you want to use it.
Genie+ has replaced Fast pass, so you no longer get 3 free fast passes to plan prior to your trip.
Now you have to pay per day if you want to use the ‘lightning lanes’
Genie+ comes in 3 parts.
The first part is free!
On your My Disney experience app you will find your ‘Daily Tip Board’.
To access the ‘Daily Tip Board’ where you see ‘Upcoming Plans’ at the top of the photo click ‘My Day’. The ‘My Day’ tab will show you anything you already have reserved for that day like park pass, dining and hotel reservations.
If you click ‘Tip Board’ you can then view wait times and what quick service or dining might have a low wait. This is free for all and you don’t need to sign up for anything.
If you don’t know where to start, Genie+ can help you by planning your day based on your answers to the questions in the below photos. Simply click on ‘Get Started’ and answer the step by step prompts to allow Genie+ to plan your day. Just remember this won’t make any dining reservations for you, it’s simply a suggested itinerary.
I have already added my park tickets for our upcoming trip, along with creating my party. Genie+ therefore already knows which dates I will be visiting, who I want in my party and also which parks I have a reservation for.
I can then select any rides, dining or enchanting extras I definitely want to do. As well as any general Disney favourites, park or dining options I might want to experience for my perfect day.
I can also add height requirements or access needs so that Genie+ won’t suggest ‘Space Mountain’ for instance if I had a party member who doesn't meet the height requirement.
The second aspect of Genie+ starts at 7am on your park day.
You can choose to buy Genie+, or more simply access to the shorter ‘Lightening Lanes’
This price differs per day and can range from $15 - $30 per person per park. Genie+ only allows you to skip the line on certain rides. So for a family of 4 you can easily add $120 to each day of your trip!
There are a set number of Genie+ add ons available per day per park. So if you decided to buy it make sure you have the app open ready at 7am.
Not all rides have a ‘Lightening Lane’ however, those that do are in the video.
Once you have chosen your return time you must enter the lightning lane queue within your time window. To enter the lightning lane you tap your magic band or park ticket on to the barrier and will be let in. Once you have entered the line you can then choose your next lightning lane.
It is advisable to start early with your lightning lanes to make the most of your purchase. Some parks offer more rides, however some of those rides don’t regularly have long lines. For instance ‘Living with the land’ in Epcot is available to book as a lightening lane but the wait is normally only 15mins so you might not want to use Genie+ for this.
Once you have selected ‘Get Disney Genie+ Service’ you will be asked to chose which park you would like or whether you want all the parks and also which members of your party you would like to buy Genie+ for. You will then be charged to the credit card you have on file with Disney.
You’re now ready to book your first lightning lane.
The final part of Genie+ is ‘Individual lightning lane’. This allows you to purchase a one time entry to a specific ride from a limited list.
So for instance if you want to ride ‘Tron’ at Magic Kingdom, you can go to ‘My Disney Genie day’ and then pick which park you would like to view and then scroll to the ride you want to purchase.
These are available from 7am just like Genie+.
You would then select the ride and the members of your party who want to purchase an ‘Individual lightning lane’ and pay via the credit card linked to your account.
You will then be given a time slot to join the lightning lane for that ride. This is useful if you only want to ride a specific ride. Currently these are - ‘Tron’, ‘Rise of the Resistance’, ‘Seven Dwarfs Mine Train’ ‘Avatar Flight of Passage’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind’
However as with Genie+ the price fluctuates by date and park.
On the day I’m writing this the price of an ‘Individual lightning lane’ for ‘Tron’ was $20, (remember ‘Tron’ isn’t included in Genie+).
So if you also buy Genie+ in Magic Kingdom ($25 today), you are looking at an extra $45 per person on top of your park entry to stand in shorter lines.
2. Select the members of your party who want to ride.
4. Confirm the details and price
6. Receive your confirmation, and it will be added to your ‘My Day’ tab.
To purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for ‘Tron’ at Magic Kingdom I went through the below steps on the ‘My Disney Experience’ app.
Open the Tip Board and scroll to ‘Tron’
3.Scroll along the available time slots until you find one you want
5. Pay for the Individual Lightning Lane
We knew that ‘Tron’ was a must ride attraction and to ensure we did get on it we purchased the ‘Individual Lightning Lane’. However you could have tried to get in the ‘Virtual Queue’ which would have been free!
We can’t say whether Genie+ is right for you and your family, however if you are looking into buying it for a larger group, maybe consider a private tour, you might find that it is better value for your money and your time.