After the big announcement earlier this year, we finally know exactly when guests will be able to use the new Genie and Genie+ service in the parks: Tuesday, October 19.
But with that start date just over a week away, there’s still a lot to take in (and learn) about this new pay-to-use replacement for the old FastPass+ system. Let’s take a look at what we found out in today’s announcement.
In this article
Genie+ is one step closer to launch
As a reminder, when the parks reopened last year, they did so without FastPass+. At that time, Disney stated that it was necessary to reopen with Standby Lines only to accommodate the required physical distancing in the queues. But, when the physical distancing went away, FastPass+ did not return, leaving guests wondering what was next.
Enter Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lanes.
To be fair, this new service was announced back in 2020, so it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise when Disney dropped the news that they were ready to roll it out.
But after years and years of a complimentary skip-the-line service with both FastPass and the later FastPass+, it still came as a bit of a shock to learn that the free service was being replaced with something that would require a daily fee if you wanted to use it.
There is a LOT to unpack with Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lane Selections, and if we went into all the details here, we’d be writing all day. So, if you are brand-new to Genie+, please head over to our Genie+ FAQ post to get up-to-speed on all of the nitty gritty details.
So what did we get with today’s announcement?
Well, in addition to that October 19 rollout date, we also got a bit more information on exactly which attractions would be eligible for Genie+ and some final confirmation on the Individual Lightning Lane Selections.
Here’s how it looks:
Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane Selections by park
Magic Kingdom
Individual Lightning Lane Selections
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections
- 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
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections
- 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
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
- 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
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections
- 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
How much will the Individual Lightning Lane Selections cost?
The other news that came out today was some sample pricing for the Individual Lightning Lane Selections.
We already knew the pricing would be dynamic and fluctuate based upon time of the year. But, here are some real-world examples that Disney has shared:
Prices will vary by date, attraction and park. For example, the Lightning Lane entrance to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be $9 per person on October 19 and $11 per person on October 23. As another example, on both those dates, Lightning Lane entrance to Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain will be $7 per person, while Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be $15 per person. Throughout the year, prices may be lower on some days and higher on other days. This option may be purchased at up to 2 different attractions each day.
As a reminder, Genie+ will cost $15per day, per ticket at Walt Disney World and $20 per day, per ticket at Disneyland.
And, you don’t have to purchase Genie+ to purchase the individual Lightning Lane Selections.
But, this is important:
You can’t cancel or get refunds for Individual Lightning Lane selections. Once you purchase them, that’s it. No canceling. No modifying.
As for Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections, those can be modified or swapped out with different attractions throughout the day.
More on Disney Genie
In addition to the long awaited pricing examples for the Individual Lightning Lane Selections (seriously, we need a better name for those), Disney also gave us some more spin on the basic Disney Genie.
Here’s some more on what to expect when it rolls out on October 19:
Tailored Recommendations
You’ll receive attraction and dining recommendations inspired in part by what you told Disney Genie service you’re most interested in doing. It even displays a good time to go to an experience and an idea of the forecasted wait. Need to swap a recommendation out? No problem. Like many popular navigation apps, Disney Genie will continue to offer new suggestions throughout the day, so you can make the most of your time during your visit.
A Personalized Daily Itinerary
Your “My Day” tab is where you’ll find Disney Genie recommendations and any plans you’ve made, including dining reservations, Disney Resort hotel reservations and activity bookings. You’ll also be able to virtually chat with a Cast Member who can help answer any questions that arise.
A Custom Tip Board
This new feature will let you see estimated wait times for your top attractions, entertainment and dining. You’ll also be able to order food, make dining reservations, check into a restaurant, request to join an available virtual queue (currently at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure), and even book arrival times for our new Lightning Lane entrance at select experiences if you’ve purchased Disney Genie+ service.
While that may sound fantastic, we are still hesitant to get too excited about the basic Disney Genie service. Our fear stems from the fact that Disney may try to guide you towards restaurants and attractions with low waits, and not necessarily towards the best of the best the parks have to offer.
In some instances, going towards the places with low waits makes a lot of sense. You’re tired. Your kids are tired. You just want a cupcake or to hop on a ride with air conditioning.
But, the fact is, there are definitely attractions and places to eat that are better than others. And, if you are taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip, it would be nice to spend the majority of your time visiting those rather than dining on less-then-stellar food or on attractions that are skip-worthy.
But, of course, until the service rolls out we won’t know exactly what to expect. Maybe we’ll be surprised. We’d love to be surprised, in fact. But, we aren’t holding our breath.
We expect to hear more news in the upcoming days and weeks, so be sure to stay tuned as we continue to step closer and closer to the official rollout of Disney Genie.
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