UPDATED WINTER 2023. There is SO much to learn about visiting Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Genie is at the top of that list. Especially because things continue to change on a regular basis.

It can be hard to keep up! But, that’s where we come in. In this article, we'll be detailing everything you need to know about the new FastPass+ system, Disney Genie+, at Walt Disney World.

When planning a Walt Disney World vacation, there is a lot to keep in mind. Unlike the previous version of FastPass+, Lightning Lane aims to cut standby lines for select attractions with a new upgraded system. Selections begin at 7:00 am ET for all theme park guests, regardless of where they stay. This means no more advance booking of your day-to-day attractions before you leave on your trip.

While learning a new system might seem overwhelming at first, there’s no need to worry! In this article, we’re going to detail everything you need to know about Disney Genie+ for your Walt Disney World vacation.

Disney Genie was put in place at Walt Disney World Resort in 2021. When we say Disney Genie, we’re typically talking about three different things; Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.

Here is a brief definition of each of these terms:

• Disney Genie = A free service that gives you itinerary planning based on your preferences and location inside the parks.
• Disney Genie + = A paid service that gives you access to Lightning Lanes for select attractions (one attraction at a time, based on availability).
• Lightning Lanes = Formerly known as FastPass+ queues, Lightning Lanes are an alternative to stand-by queues with expedited access to select attractions. Lightning Lanes may be accessed via Disney Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane selections.

Yes, Disney Genie+ replaced the FastPass and FastPass+ systems. Some things, like lowering your wait time remain the same, but many things have changed at Walt Disney World with this new feature.

The terms to know for the new Disney Genie+ program are outlined below.

Disney Genie+: Guests who purchase the Disney Genie+ service have access to select Lightning Lane entrances that are offered through the service.

Simply purchase Genie+ on the My Disney Experience app, make a selection from available attractions, arrive at the attraction during your appointed time frame, and access your queue via the marked “Lightning Lane” for optimal wait times.

Individual Lightning Lane: Individual Lightning Lanes—or à la carte—entry selections for specific attractions that are not offered through Disney Genie+. Buying an Individual Lightning Lane allows you access to the Lightning Lane queue (one time) for the selected attraction.

Lightning Lane: Queues are set aside for guests who purchase Disney Genie+ and/or Individual Lightning Lane. The goal with every Lightning Lane entry is to skip long lines and spend more time riding top Walt Disney World attractions.

Standby Queue: This is the traditional queue or line quests wait in for attractions. All guests have access to the standby line during theme park operating hours.

Virtual Queue: Occasionally, a virtual queue may be used for select attractions or experiences. When a virtual queue is in place, you can request to enjoy that attraction or experience through the My Disney Experience app. The virtual queue holds your place in line so you can experience other attractions while you wait.

Not like the one you remember. Disney Genie+ replaced the FastPass and FastPass+ system. While the generic Disney Genie service aims to provide free tips on planning your day, it does not offer access to Lightning Lane or expedited entry for lower wait times.

Check the My Disney Experience app for the daily pricing. But here are some important tips:

• Genie+ prices vary by date
• Genie+ prices vary by theme park
• Choose “Multiple Park” option if you are park hopping
• Choose your specific theme park if you are not park hopping
• Genie+ typically costs between $15 and $35 per person, per day.

There are some similarities on each coast, but it is important to note some key differences between the two theme parks. If you’re familiar with Disneyland Resort’s Disney Genie+ system, then you already know that you can get a new Genie+ every two hours, or as soon as your Genie+ selection has been used.

Now both Disneyland and Walt Disney World require little to no attraction planning before you travel, so you can decide which Genie+ selections you want to make that day, instead of months in advance. Note: a way to pre-select Disney Genie+ rides is coming in 2024.

Here are some important things to note at Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World:

• There is no pre-purchase option.
• The earliest you can buy Disney Genie+ is at 12:00 am ET on the date of your visit in the My Disney Experience app.
• Genie+ pricing is park specific as of June 27, 2023.
• Genie+ attraction selections begin at 7:00 am ET for all theme park guests, regardless of where they stay. We suggest making your Genie+ purchase by 6:45 am ET the latest on the morning of your visit and before you leave your hotel in the morning.
• Genie+ works for attractions and select character meet and greets.
• Prices vary by date, and will only be shown on the day-of in the My Disney Experience app.
• PhotoPass is not included with Genie+ at Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World has retired the tiered FastPass and now every park is under the Disney Genie+ umbrella. However, it’s important to keep in mind that you can only make Genie+ purchases and selections on the day of your visit.

Additionally, you may notice that a few entertainment or meet-and-greet options are listed under Genie+. This doesn’t mean that you can’t watch the show or ride the attraction if you don’t have Disney Genie+, but a Genie+ reservation means that you’ll be able to get priority access and/or seating for some of the Resort’s most popular entertainment.

Below, we give you a full breakdown of the Walt Disney World Disney Genie+ offerings for each Park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Disney Genie+ Attractions:

• Festival of the Lion King
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue...and Beyond!
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
• Naʻvi River Journey
• The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

EPCOT Disney Genie+ Attractions:

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



Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+ Attractions:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
• Toy Story Mania!

Magic Kingdom Disney Genie+ Attractions:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Mickey and Minnie at Town Square Theater
• Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space Mountain
• 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

Just to reiterate how the Disney Genie+ system works, we’ve provided an example scenario below:

Disney Genie+ Example: If you were visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day, you can purchase Disney Genie+ anytime after midnight on the morning of your visit. As early as 7:00 am ET you can make your first Genie+ selection.

Because of this, you decide to use your first Genie+ selection on Slinky Dog Dash right at 7:00 am ET. After 2 hours or after you ride Slinky Dog Dash, you make your next Disney Genie+ selection for Star Tours. At this point in time, you will be able to make any additional Disney Genie+ selections as long as attractions have times available.

During your visit to Walt Disney World, you can choose to purchase Disney Genie+ and/or Individual Lightning Lane. You do not need to purchase both, but you can. Each system operates independently, helping you to maximize your day at the Parks.

There are two important things you need to know about securing your Individual Lightning Lane attractions:

1. Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel (including Guests of Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, and Shades of Green Resort®) may begin booking à la carte Lightning Lane arrival windows at 7:00 am ET on the day of their park visit.
2. All other Guests with valid admission and a park reservation for the park they are visiting are eligible to purchase individual Lightning Lane entry when parks open.

Below, we give you a full breakdown of the Walt Disney World Disney Individual Lightning Lane offerings for each Park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Avatar Flight of Passage

EPCOT Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (also available via Virtual Queue)

Magic Kingdom Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• TRON Lightcycle Run (also available via Virtual Queue)

No, but you do need to purchase the “Multiple Parks” Genie+ option AND wait until the available return time is within your park hopping time frame.

For example, when making a Disney Genie+ selection at 10:00 am ET at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a ride in EPCOT, make sure Genie+ return falls sometime after 2:00 pm ET or the current park hopping time frame. Or, if you’d prefer, you can always make additional Disney Genie+ selections for the Park you’re already at.

You can continue this process of adding one new Disney Genie+ selection after your previous reservation has been used. No matter what you choose to do, don’t forget to keep making those Genie+ selections throughout your Disney day to take advantage of all of the fun.

Disney Genie+ allows you to select an attraction for Lightning Lane entrance once per day. After that, you may ride it again via the standby line. Individual Lightning Lane purchases are limited to 2 attractions per day.

Yes, the systems allow overlapping reservations so be sure to confirm your arrival time in the My Disney Experience app so you don't miss your return window.

You can start making Disney Genie+ selections beginning at 7:00 am ET on the day of your visit, regardless of where you stay during your vacation. In 2024, we expect some advance selection options to become available.

Yes! Our first tip is to always book your Genie+ selections as soon as they become available. Guests who visit Walt Disney World are serious about getting their Genie+ reservations and will log in as soon as they become available at 7:00 am ET. I mean, who can blame them? No one wants to wait in a long line – especially if you had the opportunity to get an early return time for one of the most popular rides! We suggest logging in as soon as possible to start making your Genie+ reservations, to help give you as many options for your vacation.

Additionally, it’s important to start thinking about what attractions are your top priority well before your vacation start time. If you have an attraction that is a must-do, be sure to snag that Genie+ selection first. Genie+ selections can run out fast, so it’s important to be flexible with your schedule and have a back-up plan.

We always recommend checking the My Disney Experience app prior to your vacation to make sure everyone’s tickets are linked and ready to go for your first morning. We’ve also found that more Genie+ selections might open up throughout the day, even if they’ve appeared sold out earlier. Because of this, always be sure to check the My Disney Experience app before and during your vacation. You never know what you’ll be able to find!

You can start making Individual Lightning Lane selections beginning at 7:00 am (ET) on the day of your visit, regardless of where you stay during your vacation.

Yes! One of the most popular selections is Avatar Flight of Passage. It’s no surprise that this is frequently one of the first Individual Lightning Lance selections to sell out each day. However, to give you the best chance of scoring an Individual Lightning Lane for this ride and other add-on attractions, we recommend trying daily as your first selection at 7:00 am ET. This is another reason Park Hopper tickets come in especially handy! This gives you the most flexibility to ride the most popular rides and skip the long standby wait times at least once.

To help you determine what Disney Genie+ and/or Individual Lightning Lane selections are going to sell out fast, we’ve provided a list of the most popular attractions in each Park (based on wait times) below:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Na’vi River Journey

Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• Slinky Dog Dash
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Toy Story Mania

EPCOT:

• Frozen Ever After
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
• Test Track

Magic Kingdom:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain

As you might have noticed, most of these rides used to be considered to be Tier 1 FastPass+ attractions, but now many are part of the Individual Lightning Lane program. This means that you’ll need to prioritize what you want to do before you go.

You can only purchase individual Lightning Lane entries for up to 2 experiences per day, one at a time.

In addition, you can also arrive before the Parks open and Cast Members can direct you straight towards your desired attraction at rope drop. This may cut down your wait time if you are one of the first guests on the ride and allow you to use a Genie+ or Lightning Lane on another popular attraction instead.

To make your Walt Disney World Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane reservations, you’ll need to log in to My Disney Experience app. This is the same place you reserve dining, personalize your MagicBand, create a family and friends list, link tickets, manage your vacation plans and more prior to your trip. The next available time will appear on the app before you purchase.

Yes, to make it easier to change plans on the go, guests are now able to modify Lightning Lane selections made with Disney Genie+ service, without having to cancel and rebook their selection. You can now quickly search for and select other available attractions or arrival windows without canceling and rebooking.

Of course! We understand that Walt Disney World can be, well, a whole new world for our guests. Because of this, we offer a complimentary Walt Disney World concierge service for guests who book any 2-night or longer Walt Disney World Resort hotel stay that also includes Park tickets.

Our concierge services include:

• Dedicated Concierge Email
• Free Concierge Planning Appointments
• Dining and Experience Reservation Assistance (Deluxe/Deluxe Villa Guests)
• Assistance with Special Event Tickets and VIP Tours
• My Disney Experience Assistance
• Transportation Assistance
• Dining Alert Assistance (set up your dining alerts here)

So, what are you waiting for? To book your Walt Disney World vacation, give us a call at 855-GET-AWAY or view our discount Walt Disney World packages online. As a reminder, booking with Get Away Today is completely FREE! Our travel experts are here to help, so let us help you have the best vacation yet.