Say goodbye to Disney fast passes and hello to Disney Genie.

I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed to hear fast passes were gone, but don’t worry, I’m here to school you on using Disney Genie.

Luckily, I visited the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando the same week the NEW Disney Genie, Genie+, and the Lighting Lane entrances launched.

I used Genie+ at Epcot on a Monday, Hollywood Studios on a Tuesday, and the Magic Kingdom on a Wednesday.

What I like about Genie+

1. Before you book your Lightning Lane, you see what hour you can redeem it.

2. For this reason, you can book a Lightning Lane earlier in the day, then book another one right after, and keep doing that all day. Keep in mind, the more popular attractions will have availability further out in the day.

3. We would order food on the app and pick it up when we arrived at the restaurant. In fact, most restaurants at the parks prefer you to do this to prevent a lot of people from standing in line.

What I don’t like about Genie+

1. After you pay for Genie+, which is $15 per ticket per day, you STILL need to pay for a Lightning Lane for the most popular rides. For example, I could not book a Lightning Lane for the Frozen ride at Epcot even though I had Genie+. I had to pay for Individual Lightning Lane for everyone in my family, which was an extra $9 per person to skip the long line.

2. I had to poke around the app a bit to book the next Lightning Lane. The Genie planning my day kept interfering. For me, I’ve been to Disney enough times that I don’t need help planning my day and didn’t figure out that the “Tip Board” is where you book your Lightning Lane until the third day of my trip. Tip Board should be renamed, Lightning Lane.

Inside the NEW Disney Genie and Genie+ at Disney World

What is Disney Genie?

Starting on October 19th at Disney World, you’re able to use Disney Genie. You can find this in the My Disney Experience app. According to Disney, “you’ve never had a friend like this!”

This is supposed to be your friend in the parks showing you the best ways to enjoy popular attractions, see your favorite characters, find the park food you’re craving, and map out your big day at the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, or Animal Kingdom.

All you need to do is tell the Disney Genie what you’re most interested in doing. It’ll give you a good time to head to a ride or experience based on forecasted wait time and offer other recommendations to make the most of your time. (As someone who doesn’t like standing in long lines for hours, I’m a fan of this part.)

You can also use it to create a personalized daily itinerary in the “My Day” tab. There is also a custom tip board with estimated wait times for attractions, entertainment, and restaurants. It’s a great planning tool for first-time visitors.

You can also order food, make reservations, and get Lighting Lane access with Genie+ here, which leads me to…

What is Disney Genie+?

You can take Disney Genie to the next level, but it’s going to cost you.

For $15 per ticker per day, you can save time waiting in line by purchasing this service. At more than 40 attractions between the four parks, you’ll be able to select an arrival window for the new Lightning Lane entrances. (Sound familiar?)

I should also mention, that not ALL rides and experiences have a Lightning Lane, but most do. Scroll down to see the full list or click here to see all the rides included in the Genie+ Lightning Lane. (This is the dislike I mentioned above.)

Unlike a fast pass where you could have three booked at a time, you’re only able to make one selection at a time throughout the day. You can start booking these at 7:00 am the day you arrive – not 90 days in advance like a fast pass.

Making dining reservations and getting in a standby line by popping in the virtual queue on your smartphone is also a feature of this paid service.

What is the Virtual Queue?

Remember when Frozen Ever After opened at Epcot and people waited in line for hours and it went from Norway to the front of the park? Well, to avoid that you reserve your space in line by entering what Disney calls a virtual queue.

A virtual queue is something Disney offers for the newest rides, but you need to be by your phone at 7:00 am on the dot to get in. I joined the virtual queue for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at 7:00 am and was in boarding position number 84… which didn’t get on the ride until after 4:00 pm that day!

Again, getting the My Disney Experience App is required to do any of these things.

With the Disney Genie feature, you will also be able to access Disney PhotoPass Lenses. This allows you to explore magical new augmented reality effects with your smartphone.

You can listen to Behind-the-Scenes Audio Tales through Genie+ too.

What’s the Difference Between Disney Genie and Disney Genie+?

Disney Genie is free and in the My Disney Experience app that can help you create your best Disney day.

Disney Genie+ is an add-on option for $15 per ticket per day that lets you select arrival windows for their new Lightning Lane entrances at experiences throughout theme parks. Selections can be made one at a time throughout the day.

How do you use Disney Genie+?

There are two ways to select times to arrive at Lightning Lane entrances. You can either go all-in for $15 per ticket per day, pay for the individual attraction, or do both depending on what you want to ride and how long the lines are. To redeem, you can use the app, a card, or a magic band. (Oh yeah, you have to pay for magic bands now. Uh.)

1: Through Disney Genie+

This new service lets you select the next available time for the Lightning Lane entrances, one at a time, throughout regular park hours. Lightning Lane selections can even be made across multiple theme parks with the Park Hopper option too. You’ll be able to make your first selection at 7:00 AM on the day of your visit. It costs $15 per ticket per day.

2: Pay for an Individual Lightning Lane Entrance

If you just want to jump on the most popular rides, this is another option. It can be purchased by all Guests – with or without the Disney Genie+ service – and lets you choose a time to arrive at the Lightning Lane entry. You are limited to two attractions for the entire day, but you must buy them one at a time). To see the two attractions at each park, scroll down or click here.

Guests of a Disney Resort hotel (which you should totally be staying at) can make their first purchase starting at 7:00 am on the day of their visit. All other Guests can make their first purchase at the regular time the park opens.

Planning your Trip To Use the Disney Genie Service

I like to think of myself as a Disney World expert because I’ve been there so many times as a guest with the Social Media Moms Celebration. Since then, I’ve worked with Michelle Ryan from Tinks Magical Vacations. She is the one who got me all set up with Disney Genie+ ahead of its launch so I was ready to go.

It doesn’t cost you anything extra to work with a travel agent and you can get a lot more perks if you book with Michelle – like hard to get reservations for dinner at the Beast’s castle and watching fireworks from a boat on the water. That was AWESOME!

For your next Disney vacation, contact Michelle at micheller@tinksmagicalvacations.com.

And for my friends on the other coast who use the Disneyland App for the Disneyland Resort App, hang tight. At the time of my writing this blog post, it’s in the works to be rolled out in California very soon!

Magic Kingdom Park

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• It’s a Small World
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Splash Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Frozen Ever After
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE – Green
• Mission: SPACE – Orange
• Soarin’
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Jr. Dance Party
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Returning December 19, 2021)
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

Attractions include:

• Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King
• DINOSAUR
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Naʻvi River Journey
• The Animation Experience

Have you gone inside the new Disney Genie and Genie+ at Disney World yet? I’ll be back with my full report after I visit. To hang out with me while I’m there, follow me on Instagram at @ChristinaAllDay. For more Disney hacks, just click here.