Ever wish you had a tool that could do all the park planning for you to get the most out of your Disney vacation? A tool that could guide you on the best times to visit characters, dine at your favorite restaurant or ride your favorite attraction? Well, we are about to have all our wishes come true! A whole new world is upon us!
Conveniently built right into the My Disney Experience app, Disney Genie, Genie +, and individual lightning lane attractions will launch on October 19 at Walt Disney World. You don’t need to download anything additional or learn a whole new app. Just be sure to have the most up-to-date version downloaded on your phone.
So, what exactly will Genie and Genie + do for you? Let’s explore!
First, let’s get this part out of the way – there are two different versions of this new tool – Genie and Genie + (plus).
Overview – Genie vs. Genie +
Genie is a completely FREE planning tool available to all Guests visiting Walt Disney World. Anyone can use the Genie features to help you plan your day while you’re at the parks. This is an important key point, “while you’re at the parks”. The tool is designed to create spontaneity and flexibility to your day, while you’re in the moment, allowing you to build the perfect park day totally based on your favorite things to do.
Genie + is a paid feature in the app. You get all the features of the free Genie planning tool, plus for $15 a day / person, Genie + allows Lightening Lane (formerly FastPass) access to 40+ attractions and experiences across all four parks allowing shorter wait times to all your favorite rides.
Genie + is the replacement for what we used to call FastPass. It is a paid feature within the Genie service that will afford you faster access to all of your favorite attractions and entertainment at Walt Disney World. Don’t want to stand in the regular queue?The Genie + option is completely optional and not required to still have an amazing park experience.
Lightning Lane attraction selections are completely separate from Genie and Genie +. We’ll dive deeper into that later.
Genie
What is the Genie Planning Tool?
Genie is a complimentary tool designed to help you create your best Disney day possible, all based on you and your party’s top interests. Upon launching the free service in the app, you’ll have the opportunity to share what attractions, food, entertainment, and special interests you like. Genie will then grant you a personalized itinerary based on all of the information you entered, and will update itself throughout the day providing you the best possible park experience.
What’s included in the FREE Genie service?
- Tailored Recommendations: Based on what you tell Genie you and your party like, Genie will offer recommendations and suggestions throughout the day inspired by things you are most interested in doing. Genie allows you to focus on what makes you most happy while in the parks. It will even notify you when is a good time to visit your favorite attraction or experience and provide you with an estimated wait time. Genie will even take into consideration the ebbs and flows of the park day, the crowd levels, and your top priorities crafting an itinerary that’s customized just for you. It can’t get more personal than that! Want to update your preferences during the day? You can at any time. Your itinerary will update according to your new entries.
- A Personalized Daily Itinerary: Within the app, there is a “My Day” tab. This is where all of your customized itinerary plans are located, such as dining reservations, Disney Resort hotel reservations and activity bookings. As you make changes, the daily itinerary will change accordingly, always providing you with the best possible suggested experience. Have questions during the day? You’ll also find a virtual chat option where you can ask a Cast Member any questions at any time.
- Custom Tip Board: This is probably the most important section of the tool. Here you’ll be able to see current and predicted wait times for any of your top attractions, entertainment and dining. You’ll also be able to order food, make dining reservations, check into a restaurant or request to join a virtual queue (currently Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT). You’ll also be able to book Lightening Lane arrivals if you choose to upgrade to Genie + (paid feature).
As we learn more, we’ll be sure to update any new features or tips for managing Genie.
Genie + (Plus)
Did you decide you want to upgrade to Genie +? Want to get the very most out of your day and maximize your park time? This feature is for you. For $15 per day/person in your party, you will have the benefit of booking Lightening Lane arrivals and skip ahead of the standby or virtual queue.
Not to be confused with just Genie, Genie + (plus) is designed with the rope drop to fireworks kind of park goer in mind. This is for the person that wants to ride every single attraction and still get to do the extras throughout the day. Someone who wants to get the most out of the hard earned park ticket money. Genie + was built for these Disney fans in mind.
For the complete list of all attractions included in the the Genie + option, click here.
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.
The best part? You don’t have to use Genie + every day. You can pick and choose the park days that make the most sense for you. It’s completely flexible.
So how exactly does it work once you buy Genie +?
Beginning at 7:00 am on each day of your visit, you can select your first arrival window for any of the Genie + attractions, at any one of the parks in the My Disney Experience app.
Once you’ve redeemed your initial selection (went on the ride), or the arrival window has passed, you can make another selection using the app, and you continue to do this all the way until park closing.
You can make one selection at a time for over 40 attractions and entertainment across all parks. If you have the hopper option on your ticket, you’ll be able to make Lightening Lane selections for any of the parks at any time throughout the day (if you do this, remember to buffer travel time between parks).
This is a pretty cool feature because unlike FastPass, you are no longer relegated to one park for multiple passes before you can make selections in another park. You can jump around as much as you want.
You can only use Lightening Lane once per attraction per day. So once you visit Haunted Mansion for example, you can only ride the attraction again if you choose standby.
What else is included with Genie +?
With Genie +, you’ll also enjoy these additional features:
- Disney PhotoPass Lenses – Access special Disney PhotoPass Lenses for your mobile device, allowing you to explore magical new augmented reality effects.
- Audio Tales – Discover the parks in cool new ways through fascinating fun facts and behind-the-scenes insights you can listen to during your visit.
Is Genie + Required to Have a Great Park Day?
Genie + is completely optional and not required to still have an amazing park experience. But it does afford you to maximize your park time by minimizing your wait time throughout the day. Genie + is designed for those that visit infrequently and need to pack everything in, in a short amount of time. Your locals and frequent visitors are less likely to purchase Genie +, and rather wait for their favorite attractions stand-by.
What Attractions are Included with Genie +?
Magic Kingdom*
- 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*
- 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
Hollywood Studios*
- 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!
Animal Kingdom*
- 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
*Please note that attractions may vary by date, are subject to change, and may not be available at all on the date of visit or at the time of purchase. Availability can change throughout the day. To learn about any closures or long-term refurbishments, please view details about the attraction on Walt Disney World’s website or mobile app.
A La Carte Attraction Purchases
There are a select few attractions that the current most popular rides at each park. Guests will have the option to buy access to the attraction and bypass the stand-by line. There are only 2 attractions per park that are available for purchase. You can only purchase 2 attractions each day, they could be in different parks.
Any of the a la carte purchases can be made for premier attractions with or without the purchase Genie +. You choose a time to arrive at up to 2 attractions each day (booked one at a time). You can purchase these through the My Disney Experience app on the same day as your visit.
Over time, as new attractions open, these a la carte selections (and pricing) will change.
A la Carte Attraction List & Pricing
Magic Kingdom*
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
EPCOT*
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Hollywood Studios*
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Animal Kingdom*
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
*Please note that attractions may vary by date, are subject to change, and may not be available at all on the date of visit or at the time of purchase. Availability can change throughout the day. To learn about any closures or long-term refurbishments, please view details about the attraction on Walt Disney World’s website or mobile app.
Prices for these a la carte options will range from $7 – $15 per person at launch. The prices can and will vary by day.
Important to note: This is a separate thing from the Genie+. You can buy one or the other, both, or none.
Individual Lightning Lane selections can sell out, there is only a certain amount available each day. You will need to act fast to purchase. They will be available for guests to purchase when the park officially opens. Rest assured, you will not need need to be inside the park to buy them.
Disney Resort Guests will receive early access to purchase their selections at 7:00 am each day. This is one of the perks of staying on property. Especially knowing there are a limited amount sold, this give resort Guests a slight advantage.
On the other hand, Genie + will not sell out and will always be available for purchase. There is no max limit. You can purchase at the start, middle or end of day.
Stay tuned for more information. This post will be updated as we learn more.