Genie, Genie+ and Lightning Lane Individual Attraction Purchases Begin October 19!

Disney announced today that the Genie service we’ve been talking about for a while now will be available to use beginning October 19, 2021! You may be wondering what on earth this service does, so here are all the details from Disney…


Available for all of our guests right in the My Disney Experience app, the complimentary Disney Genie service offers new features that let guests create their best Disney day. These features include a personalized itinerary creator that effortlessly and smartly maps out an entire day inspired by the things guests tell us they love – helping them make the most of their park time so they can have more fun.

Similar to a navigation app on a phone, Disney Genie continues to update the guest’s itinerary from morning to night as the day changes, so they can stay spontaneous and go with the flow – whether guests need a nap, encounter an unexpected rain shower or want to take a detour for a Mickey ice cream bar.

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Many of you have asked about how this cool new technology works. Behind the scenes, the app is capable of magically evaluating thousands of possible itineraries in seconds – so guests don’t even have to think about it! Disney Genie puts guests at the center of the experience by prioritizing ways to:

  • Reduce time in lines while keeping in mind guest’s top picks

  • Pace the day with experiences guests will enjoy – and haven’t already done yet

  • Build around existing plans like dining reservations and Park Hopper® preferences

Disney Genie uses our 50+ years of knowledge and expertise in how guests visit our parks to make the experience better for everyone.

With this launch, we’ll also be introducing the Lightning Lane entrance. Available for purchase through our Disney Genie+ add-on at more than 40 attractions – or individually, “a la carte” at some of our most highly demanded attractions – the Lightning Lane entrance can save guests time waiting in line. See below for a first look at the list of current attractions with Lightning Lane entrances.

As a reminder, attractions continue to offer a traditional standby queue or from time to time, a virtual queue may instead be used at select attractions, like right now at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Confused about Lightning Lane? Here’s more info on that!

Starting October 19, our new Lightning Lane entrances will be introduced at a wide variety of attractions and entertainment experiences, available through 2 options (Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections and Individual Lightning Lane Selections), which can be combined.

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

When you take your day to the next level by purchasing Disney Genie+ service, you can select arrival windows for Lightning Lane entrances that are available at more than 40 attractions and entertainment across all 4 theme parks, one at a time throughout the day.

Price
Disney Genie+ service will be available for $15 per Guest per day.

How to Purchase

  • Before Your Visit:
    Available as an add-on to a ticket or vacation package for the duration of visit. Purchase via Disneyworld.com or authorized travel professionals.

  • Same Day of Visit:
    Available for single-day use for existing ticket holders or Annual Passholders. Purchase via Disney Genie service in the My Disney Experience app.

When to Select Attractions
Once you have Disney Genie+ service, you can book the next available arrival window for your first experience via the MyDisneyExperience app beginning at 7:00 AM on the day of your visit.

Once you’ve redeemed your initial selection (or the arrival window has passed), you can make another selection using the app, up to park closing.

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

For some of our most highly demanded attractions we’ll offer Lightning Lane entry as an "á la carte" purchase. This option will be available for all Guests—with or without Disney Genie+ service—and lets you choose a time to arrive at up to 2 attractions each day (booked one at a time).

Price
Pricing and availability will vary by date, attraction and park. Be sure to check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit for current prices and attraction availability.

How to Purchase
Purchase via Disney Genie service in the My Disney Experience mobile app on the same day of your visit.

When to Select Attractions
You can purchase individual selections for up to 2 different attractions per day.

  • Guests of a Disney Resort Hotel and Other Select Hotels: These Guests can make their first purchase starting at 7:00 AM on the day of their visit. Available to Disney Resort hotel Guests and Guests of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green.

  • All Other Guests: These Guests can make their first purchase when the park opens.

No More FastPasses!! Welcome to Disney Genie and Disney Genie+.

Disney announced this week the the FastPass system as we know it has been retired. If you’re like me, this is part exciting and part terrifying!

While I love the idea of not having to stress about getting those 3 FastPasses, I also really enjoyed knowing that I had 3 of my favorite attractions locked in.

So what’s Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ and how will it work?

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I attended a webinar this morning that gave Disney Travel Agents an overview of the new product.

First, the Disney Genie service is a FREE service. What will it do for you?

  • It will give you an personalized itinerary based on preferences that you select

  • You will be able to see forecasted wait times for attractions

  • You will be able to Mobile Order from Quick Service locations

  • You can check restaurant wait lists and check-in for your Advanced Dining Reservations

  • You can enter the Virtual Queue on attractions using those (no list of those yet)

The next option is the Genie+ option which is a PAID service. The cost is $15 per person per day at Disney World and $20 per person per day at Disneyland. What are the features?

  • You can choose the next available time to enter an attraction using the Lightning Lane. This is done one at a time throughout the day. (If you are familiar with MaxPass at Disneyland, this is very similar).

  • You get fun PhotoPass Lenses (like snapchat filters) at Disney World and PhotoPass downloads at Disneyland. (To download your Disney World PhotoPass photos, you will still need to purchase Memory Maker!).

  • You will also have access to Audio Experiences as you approach different areas of the park. I love the idea of this to learn more nerdy Disney trivia, but if you’re like me, your phone is usually on silent mode so I won’t even notice it. However, I don’t love the idea of hearing everyone’s non-silent phones near me spouting random information all of the time so we’ll see how this works!

Whether you are using Disney Genie or Disney Genie+, you’ll have the option to purchase up to 2 attractions per person per day using the Lightning Lane. No attractions were listed, but I got the impression these were attractions like Rise of the Resistance that currently use Virtual Queues. I also wonder if these attractions will be available at all if you don’t purchase them?

So how do you purchase these and how do you make selections?

Genie+ can be purchased ahead of time for those with tickets in a package or those with date-based tickets. Or you have the option to purchase a day at a time each day starting at midnight. At 7am, guests staying on-site at a Disney resort will be able to purchase the 2 Individual Attraction Lightning Lane options if desired. Off-site guests will be able to do this at the posted park opening time.

As of this posting, no date has been given on when we can add the Genie+ option to currently booked packages but I will let you know!

If you have pre-purchased Genie+, you can make your first Lightning Lane selection (not the 2 individual paid selections) starting at 7am on the day of your visit. I really wish they would give the 2 Individual Attraction purchases a separate name as this is going to confuse a lot of people!

A few important things that I still have questions about that were not answered today:

  • No date has been announced as to when this will start. “Fall” is the only timeline given. I will of course keep in the loop and be communicating with my guests that are traveling this fall and beyond, and let you know if this will be available for your trip.

  • The Individual Attractions available for the “pay-per-lightning-lane-use” have not been announced. No price has been given for that option either. I also wonder if there are any attractions that will be unavailable to those not willing to pay to ride?

  • Not all attractions will have Lightning Lane entrances - we weren’t given a list of the ones that will remain Standby queue only.

  • They did mention there is a limit to the number of Individual Attraction purchases, but no mention of if there’s a limit on how many guests can purchase Genie+ in a given day?

Whew - it’s a lot!! I know you have questions so please ask and I’ll try my best to answer. I have a feeling once I can go and use the system, it will make a lot more sense. Guess I’ll just have to head down again once they bring it online!! Who’s with me???

Give me a call and let’s get your trip booked and give you a WHOLE LOT OF HAPPINESS to look forward to!!