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Complete Guide to Genie Plus at Walt Disney World (with FAQs and Tips)

Home2023 Disney World Vacation PlannerComplete Guide to Genie Plus at Walt Disney World (with FAQs and Tips)
Complete Guide to Genie Plus at Walt Disney World (with FAQs and Tips)

Ever since Walt Disney World introduced Disney Genie+ in 2021, there has been a lot of information to digest.

In this guide, we’ll take you through step-by-step everything you need to know to maximize using Genie Plus at Walt Disney World.

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What to expect in this Genie Plus Guide

Because we know it can be overwhelming, we wanted to try to make learning about Genie Plus (aka Genie+) as easy for you as possible, especially if you’ve never used the service before to tour the parks at Walt Disney World.

In this guide, we are going to start by explaining a bit about what Genie Plus is. We’ll walk you through how it works (including which attractions use it), plus provide you information on Individual Lightning Lanes and how the Individual Lightning Lane Selections (aka pay-to-ride or “fancy rides”) work.

This Complete Guide to Genie Plus is a great starting point, but there is a BUNCH of information to cover, and we didn’t want this guide to go on forever.

So, we’ve created additional resources that dive deeper into the most important things we think you need to know about Genie+. These are the same resources, tips, and suggestions we pass along to our friends and family when they travel to the Walt Disney World theme parks.

You’ll find those links sprinkled in below. So, start here and then make sure you take the time to explore the other pages for additional resources such as handy infographics and touring tips you can save to your phone.

What is Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World?

Disney Genie+ is the new FastPass+ system at Walt Disney World. Unlike the old FastPass+ system that was free, Genie+ uses a date-based pricing system, with busier times of the year being more expensive.

How much does Genie Plus Cost?

Currently, Genie+ starts at $15 per ticket, per day (plus tax) but that price can go all the way up to $35 per ticket, per day.

disney genie+ screenshot to show cost

But here’s the kicker:

There is no way to know ahead of time how much Genie+ is going to cost. Instead, you will see the price when you go to purchase it inside the My Disney Experience app.

In general, though, you can expect the busier the time of year, the more expensive it will be. For example, during Spring 2023, Genie+ reached $35 per day (plus tax).

Genie Plus Pros and Cons

  • Pros: Allows you to bypass the Standby Line with shorter waits, can make selections directly from your mobile device (no more physically going to kiosks), don’t have to purchase it for the entirety of your trip; you can pick and choose which days you want to use it
  • Cons: An additional cost, pricey for families, certain selections are extremely competitive (they can go super fast), for the best use of the system you must wake up extremely early to make your first booking, can only book the day of (no more booking in advance like FastPass+), forces you to spend a lot of time on your phone if you are trying to maximize your purchase

What is a Lightning Lane?

When you use Genie+, you’ll enter through an alternate entrance called a Lightning Lane.

Most attractions at Walt Disney World have at least 2 lines: Standby and Lightning Lane. And, a few attractions have a 3rd line for individuals to ride solo called a Single Rider Line.

The Standby Lines are typically the longest. Anybody can enter those (you don’t have to pay extra).

haunted mansion entrance

Most (but not all) Lightning Lanes, however, are what you use if you have purchased Genie Plus AND you have a reservation for that attraction.

Individual Lightning Lane Selections VS Genie Plus

We know this is a guide about Genie Plus, but in order to explain it fully we do need to talk a little bit about Individual Lightning Lane Selections, too.

There are 1-2 popular attractions in each park that have Lightning Lanes that are NOT a part of Genie Plus.

If you want to use the Lightning Lanes at those attractions to skip the long Standby Line, you have to pay extra. These are the Individual Lightning Lane Selections, also frequently called the “fancy rides” or pay-to-ride attractions.

Although it is confusing, for the pay-to-ride attractions you do not need to have purchased Genie+ to purchase a return time for one of the Individual Lightning Lane selections.

Which attractions have Individual Lightning Lane Access?

All 4 parks have at least 1 attraction with a Lightning Lane that is NOT included with Genie+. If you want to use the Lightning Lanes on these rides, you’ll have to pay extra.

The price per person will vary depending on the time of the year. The busier things are, you can expect to pay closer to the top end of the ranges listed below.

Magic Kingdom Individual Lighting Lane (à la carte) Attractions & Prices

Magic Kingdom currently has 2 Individual Lightning Lane attractions.

  • TRON Lightcycle / Run: $20
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $10-$12

EPCOT Individual Lighting Lane (à la carte) Attractions & Prices

Epcot has 1 Individual Lightning Lane attraction:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: $14-$17

Hollywood Studios Individual Lighting Lane (à la carte) Attractions & Prices

Hollywood Studios has 1 Individual Lightning Lane attraction:

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: $15-$25

Animal Kingdom Individual Lighting Lane (à la carte) Attractions & Prices

Animal Kingdom has 1 Individual Lightning Lane attraction:

  • Avatar Flight of Passage: $11-$16

Which is better, Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane selections?

This isn’t an easy question to answer because there are multiple scenarios and elements in play.

Which is better really depends on several factors, including what you’re willing to spend, the park, the attraction, crowds, wait times, your personal goals, and more.

Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections will definitely benefit guests who don’t visit Disney World as often or those who’ve booked a once-in-a-lifetime trip. You want to maximize your park time? This might be for you.

As for Disney World Annual Passholders, the new paid-FastPass system isn’t necessarily tailored to us.

soarin lightning lane sign

More often than not, you can ride a lot of attractions with just Genie+. If you combine Genie+ with the pay-per-ride selections, you can accomplish quite a bit.

If you’re only concerned with the most popular rides, like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Flight of Passage, you may just want to pay to ride those and try Standby (skip purchasing Genie+) the rest of your day.

We go into a lot more detail in our post on Genie Plus vs. Individual Lightning Lanes.

When can I buy Disney Genie+?

Whether you have an Annual Pass or multi- or single-day ticket, you may only purchase Genie+ on the day of your visit via the app, one day at a time, “subject to availability,” per Disney.

You can do so on the day of your park visit, starting at 12 a.m. EST. Basically, once the day changes, you can begin purchasing Genie+.

You can even buy Genie+ in the middle of your park day, if you want.

If you want to make that first Genie+ selection starting at 7 a.m., make sure you purchase Genie+ somewhat early to navigate the new system (including Disney Genie), especially if you’ve never used it.

Read more about the Genie+ timeline.

Where do you buy Genie+?

Genie+ is built directly into the My Disney Experience app. From the app you’ll purchase Genie+, Individual Lightning Lane selections, and book your Genie+ attraction reservations.

If you are unsure how it works, we walk you through the steps for purchasing Genie Plus (including lots of screenshots) in our guide on how to Make, Modify, and Cancel Genie+ reservations.

Which attractions and rides are included with Genie Plus?

Here is a list of the available Disney World Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions (including select characters and shows).

Remember: every guest – both those staying onsite at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel and those staying Offsite can book their first Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation at exactly 7 a.m. on each day of your visit.

After your first booking, you will be able to book your next Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation as soon as you have used your reservation OR after 120 minutes (the 120-minute clock starts at park opening, not at 7 a.m.).

Magic Kingdom Genie+ Attractions

Magic Kingdom has a total of 23 rides and attractions included with Genie+:

Epcot Genie+ Attractions

EPCOT has a total of 12 rides and attractions included with Genie+:

Hollywood Studios Genie+ Attractions

Hollywood Studios has a total of 14 rides, attractions, and shows included with Genie+:

Animal Kingdom Genie+ Attractions

Animal Kingdom has 11 rides, attractions, and shows included with Genie+:

How many Genie+ selections can I make at a time?

You can only make one selection at a time.

But, it is possible to hold more than 1 Genie+ reservation at a time.

Churning vs. Stacking

When it comes to Genie+ strategies, churning and stacking are 2 popular approaches.

  • Churning – is the Genie+ strategy where your goal is to select attractions with return times as close to the current time as possible. With this strategy, you’ll rarely hold more than 1 Genie+ reservation at a time.
  • Stacking – is the Genie+ strategy where the goal is to stack a bunch of Genie+ reservations back to back, typically for later in the day. This approach is great if you want a late start to touring the parks or if you plan to take a break during the middle of the day.
  • Read more about Churning and Stacking

When can I make another Genie+ selection?

This is one of the most confusing parts about Genie+. To help, we have an entire post on when you can make your next Genie+ selection that walks you through the steps in even greater details.

Start with this summary below, but then if you need more info, check out our Genie+ timeline post for more details.

Everyone (both onsite and offsite guests) with Genie+ can make their first selection starting at 7 a.m. EST, with the ability to make another reservation immediately after scanning into an attraction.

You have to redeem a Genie+ selection before you can book another one — or you’ll have to wait 120 minutes from time of booking, whichever comes first.

When booking a Genie+ selection at 7 a.m. — before park opening — the 120-minute rule applies here as well. If you book a selection at 7 a.m. and the park doesn’t open until 9 a.m., you’ll have to wait until 11 a.m. to make another selection.

And, if your first return time is greater than 2 hours after park opening, you can still make your next Genie+ selection even if you haven’t yet used the first.

Most of the time, you can book another Genie+ selection as soon as you enter the Lightning Lane. But, if you don’t scan into a ride, you’ll be able to make another selection at the end of the arrival window for the current selection.

Important: Some attractions require you to scan your MagicBand (or card) at two touch points. If this is the case, you may have to wait to make another Genie+ selection until after the second scan.

genie+ lightning lane selection booking times

If your first Genie+ selection is farther out than 2 hours from park opening (like 1 p.m.), you’ll be able to make another selection 120 minutes following the official park opening time and will most likely be able to grab a return time earlier than 1 p.m.

Return times can overlap. You need to pay attention to this and make sure you have time for what you’re booking.

To see the next available time that you can start booking another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection, open up your Tip Board and you’ll see it at the top:

genie+ return time

Tip: Set a reminder or alarm on your phone to alert you when you can make another selection. Try doing this as well, so you don’t miss your return window.

Which Genie+ choices are the best?

The value of using Genie+ at each attraction varies greatly, but ideally, you want to prioritize the attractions that will help keep you out of the longest lines.

Below we list our top picks for each park, but then we also link off to our individual park Genie+ guides to walk you through all your Genie+ options with details on why they are – or are not – good choices.

Magic Kingdom Genie+ Priorities

Magic Kingdom has 2 attractions that we refer to has Level 1 priorities:

Get more info on Magic Kingdom Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Genie+ priorities.

Epcot Genie+ Priorities

Over at Epcot, there are 3 attractions that all make excellent first choices. Here are our Level 1 priorities there:

Get more info on Epcot Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Genie+ priorities.

Hollywood Studios Genie+ Priorities

1 of the Hollywood Studios Level 1 priorities is one of the most competitive Genie+ selections in all of the parks: