PlanningThe ParksTips

Confused and Frustrated With Genie+? We Are Here To Help

Those who haven’t traveled to Walt Disney World in a few years might be confused and slightly frustrated with all that has changed. One of the most significant changes Walt Disney World has made in the last few years is the addition of Disney Genie.

Disney Genie is a free planning feature in the My Disney Experience app. Guests can choose to use this feature as they tour the Disney Parks. This feature is nice and simple to understand. You select your favorite rides, shows, and attractions, and Disney Genie helps guide you through the day.

The additional features that came along with Disney Genie have become highly frustrating to Guests. Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are two additional features that Disney added to the My Disney Experience. It is these two features that are causing a lot of frustration for Guests during their trip.

Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes can be extremely helpful for Guests during their Walt Disney World vacations; however, you have to understand them for them to be helpful.

We will break down Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes so you will be better equipped to use them successfully during your trip.

Disney Genie+
Credit: Disney

What is Genie+

Genie+ is a paid feature found on the My Disney Experience app. Guests can add this feature starting at midnight for their Park day.

The cost of Genie+ is based on surge pricing at Walt Disney World. The starting price for Genie+ is $15 per person, and during the busiest times of the year can get up to $30 per person.

disney-genie-service-at-walt-disney-world
Credit: Disney

What Does Genie+ Do?

By adding Genie+ to your Disney Park day, you will be given access to Lightning Lanes. These are specific entrances into rides, shows, and meet and greets throughout the four Disney Parks. These allow Guests to bypass the regular standby lines and save time waiting in line at some of Disney’s most popular attractions.

Mickey Mouse with Genie+ Logo
Genie+

How Does it Work?

This is the part of Genie+ that gets tricky. Starting at 7:00 am, Guests can select their first Genie+ return time. You will choose your desired experience and be given the next available return time. This will be a specific one-hour window.

Keep this in mind when using Genie+! Guests CAN NOT select their return window. Instead, Genie+ gives Guests the next available return window. In the morning, typically between 7:00 and 7:15, you won’t see the specific return time you select. You will see the current return window for experiences as the day continues.

Once your one-hour window is ready, you can head to your ride or attraction and redeem your GEnie+ reservation by scanning in at the touchpoint. This will allow you to experience that ride with a shorter wait time.

genie
genie

When Can I Book More?

A key point with Genie+ that you will want to know is when you can book another Genie+. There are three times when you can book an additional Genie+ reservation:

  1. You have tapped in and used your Genie+. As soon as you tap into a ride, you can book another. Use that short wait time to book another one as soon as possible.
  2. You missed your one-hour window, and the Genie+ reservation has expired (don’t let this happen).
  3. Two-hour rule: this is the rule that confuses people. You can book a Genie+ reservation two hours after your original booking once the Parks have officially opened. Let’s look at a few examples.

Example One:  Right at 7:00 am, you book a Slinky Dog Dash Genie+ return time for noon that afternoon. This does not mean you must wait until you use this Genie+ to book another. Because Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened at 8:30 am, you can make another Genie+ selection at 10:30 am even though you haven’t ridden Slinky Dog Dash yet.

Example Two:  While hanging at the pool at 1:00 pm, you book a Genie+ return time for 4:00 on Pirates of the Carribbean. Your next Genie+ booking window will open at 3:00 pm before your Pirates of the Caribbean Genie+.

Pro Tip:  Set that alarm, so you don’t miss out on a booking opportunity. It is easy to forget about the two-hour rule!

genie+
Credit: Disney

Not All Rides Are Equal

When considering which rides you should book with Genie+, know that not all rides are created equal. Below are the top rides to focus on in each Disney Park. These are the ones that see longer wait times and Genie+ return windows book up quickly.

Magic Kingdom:

Jungle Cruise

Peter Pan’s Flight

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Na’vi River Journey

Kilimanjaro Safaris

EPCOT

Frozen Ever After

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Test Track

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Slinky Dog Dash

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Avatar Flight of Passage
Credit: Disney

What Are Individual Lightning Lanes?

Now that you hopefully understand what Genie+ is let’s look quickly at Individual Lightning Lanes. Genie+ gives you access to over 40 rides and attractions throughout the four Disney Parks. There are, however, some rides that aren’t included.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Avatar Flight of Passage are not included with Genie+.  If you want to skip the standby lines for these four rides, purchase them separately via Individual Lightning Lanes.

The pricing for these varies as well, depending on the crowd levels. Here Guests can choose their return window.

Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are not tied together. This means that you can choose to purchase both, neither, or one.

We hope that this quick breakdown will help you slightly with Genie+. Check out more information on using Genie+ at How to Disney.

 

 

Jennifer Retzlaff

Jennifer became a lifelong Disney fan during her first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of her life. She quickly started to introduce her love of Disney to her family with a Disney honeymoon and then family trips when her youngest was 18 months old. She loves the magic that Disney brings to people through theme parks, cruises, and adventures. As a teacher, she tries to bring Disney magic into her classroom to help kids believe that “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It.” She is also part of the Magic Vacation Planner team as a personal travel advisor. With this team, she can now help others plan magical vacations. She loves bringing her love to Disney to readers with How to Disney.

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