These are the Disney parks worth Disney Genie Plus service

What is Disney Genie Plus? 

Disney Genie Plus is a pay-to-play ride reservation tool available at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. The in-app booking tool, which launched in 2021, replaced the formerly free FastPass booking system that was available at both resorts. In the simplest terms, Genie Plus allows guests to bypass the standby queue for select attractions at all of the parks using the Lightning Lane entrance (a new term for the FastPass line). Standby lines for all attractions that utilize a Lightning Lane are still available for all guests, regardless if they’ve bought Disney Genie Plus or not. However, guests should know that not all attractions have Lightning Lanes.

How much does Disney Genie Plus cost?

At Disneyland, Disney Genie Plus is an additional $20 per day, per ticket. Those who have single or multi-day tickets can purchase the service as an add-on before they visit the parks through the Disneyland website or a travel agent. Disneyland Magic Key holders and day-of ticket purchasers can buy Disney Genie Plus as a day-of purchase. Kids under 3 years old (who do not require a ticket for admission) do not need to purchase Genie Plus to go with their party.

At Walt Disney World, Disney Genie Plus is an additional $15 per day, per ticket. Guests who want to purchase Disney Genie Plus will have to purchase it on the day they want to use it. That means starting at 12 a.m., someone in your group can purchase the service through the My Disney Experience app, then potentially that same someone will need to be up at 6:55 a.m. to book your first Lightning Lane at 7 a.m. 

What is the Disney Lightning Lane?

The Disney Lightning Lane is essentially the same thing as the FastPass line. It’s just a new name to go with the new service. At select attractions, guests who have a Lightning Lane reservation can use a different attraction entry line to bypass the standby line for a shorter wait time. 

What are Individual Lightning Lane selections?

Along with regular Lightning Lanes for select attractions, Disneyland and Walt Disney World have introduced Individual Lightning Lane selections. This service allows a guest to pay a set amount to use the Lightning Lane entrance for select attractions. For example, if a popular Disney attraction has a lengthy line, guests can opt to pay $15 (per person) to try and skip the line and ride without the wait. 

Attractions that are part of the Individual Lightning Lane selections cannot be booked as part of the Disney Genie Plus service. These attractions are an additional cost on top of Genie Plus should you choose to use the service. 

Guests who choose to book Individual Lightning Lanes can only book two of these attractions per day. However, the standby line for these attractions is also available, though the wait times will vary throughout the day. 

How many rides will I be able to go on per day with Genie Plus?

At Disneyland, you should be able to hit all of the big attractions and many of the smaller attractions in one day using Disney Genie Plus. The key to getting most of the available attractions done is to stack your reservations for later in the day when the parks are busier and use the standby line in the morning when the parks are less crowded. 

At Walt Disney World, Disney states that guests should expect to ride two to three attractions per day using Disney Genie Plus. While there are some strategies to ride more, this is an average based on guest usage, how busy the parks are on any given day and ride capacity.

When can I begin booking attraction reservations?

At Disneyland, bookings for both Individual Lightning Lane attractions and attractions on Genie Plus start after you’ve entered the park. If you’re traveling with friends or family, everyone will need to have scanned their ticket into the first park of the day to start the booking process for attractions. You cannot add people to your booking party who are not in the park.

At Walt Disney World, selections for Disney Genie Plus begin at 7 a.m., regardless of whether a guest is staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Individual Lighting Lane purchases also begin at 7 a.m. for those staying at a Disney hotel or other select hotels. All other visitors can begin making Individual Lightning Lane purchases when their selected park opens for the day. 

How many people in my group should manage Disney Genie Plus?

“Having one person in charge of the actual booking works the best. Ensure that person knows the plan for the day and what rides are a priority for your group,” says Britt De La O, a frequent Disney Parks traveler. This person will need to have everyone connected to them through the My Disney Experience or Disneyland app ahead of your trip, so they can reserve rides for everyone. 

How many attractions are available on Disney Genie Plus?

At Disneyland, guests with Disney Genie Plus have skip-the-line service at 19 attractions. These include Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Haunted Mansion and Haunted Mansion Holiday, Indiana Jones Adventure (make this Lightning Lane a priority), “it’s a small world,” Matterhorn Bobsleds, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (closed for Toontown renovations until 2023), Space Mountain (make this Lightning Lane a priority), Hyperspace Mountain overlay, Splash Mountain and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. 

At Walt Disney World, guests with Disney Genie Plus have skip-the-line access to over 40 rides, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway and Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid. 

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Disneyland Resort?

If you’re short on time or simply want to spend more time on rides and less time in lines, Genie Plus is worth the cost at Disneyland Resort. According to Allyson Koerner, writer for WDW Prep School, a Walt Disney World planning website, “One of the reasons we think Genie Plus functions better at Disneyland has to do with timing. You can only begin making Genie Plus selections and booking Individual Lightning Lane selections once you’re inside the park (not beforehand like at Walt Disney World). It’s more of an equal playing field.”

How many attractions are on Disney Genie Plus at Disney California Adventure

Disney California Adventure — home to the new Avengers Campus ride based on Marvel superheroes and the adorable Pixar Pier where you can blast through the sky with The Incredibles — has seven attractions available for guests to book via Disney Genie Plus, including Grizzly River Run and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout.

What are the Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Disney California Adventure?

The two attractions available for Individual Lightning Lane purchases are Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. 

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Disney California Adventure?

Just like at Disneyland Resort, Disney Genie Plus is worth it at Disney California Adventure. The ease of bouncing back and forth to both parks, called park hopping, during the day makes using Disney Genie Plus easy. Just be sure if you plan on park hopping to make all of your Genie Plus reservations for your second park after the park hopping time starts at 1 p.m.

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Walt Disney World Resort?

With more attractions and experiences at Walt Disney World that utilize Disney Genie Plus you would think it would be a good value at all four theme parks, but we think differently. Keep reading for a breakdown of Disney Genie Plus at each of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. 

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is where kids enjoy many of their favorite attractions and adults are able to rekindle the nostalgia of the past. It’s also where over 20 experiences are available on Disney Genie Plus. The number of attractions may change seasonally based on ridership and if Disney is willing to move allocations around from Individual Lightning Lane purchases to certain rides being available with Disney Genie Plus.

What are the Disney Genie Plus and Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Magic Kingdom Park?

At Magic Kingdom Park, there are 20 experiences available on Disney Genie Plus. The number of attractions may change seasonally based on ridership and if Disney is willing to move allocations around from Individual Lightning Lane purchases to certain rides being available with Disney Genie Plus.

Currently, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain are the only Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain will move to Disney Genie Plus until August 7, 2022, when it is slated to return as an Individual Lightning Lane purchase. 

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Magic Kingdom Park?

This is possibly the only Walt Disney World Resort park you will definitely want to purchase a Disney Genie Plus pass for. “It has the most attractions out of any park at Walt Disney World, and the extra cost makes sense, especially if you’re only planning to spend one day at the park,” says Koerner. 

Epcot

Epcot is currently undergoing a multi-year transformation, which include new attractions and a dazzling nighttime display. But can Disney Genie Plus really help here? 

Disney Genie Plus and Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Epcot

There are only 11 experiences currently available on Disney Genie Plus at Epcot, and three attractions currently available as an Individual Lightning Lane purchase: Frozen Ever After, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Until August 7, 2022, guests can ride Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure with Genie Plus and not as an Individual Lightning Lane purchase. 

Best way to ride Epcot’s newest ride, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Epcot’s newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened to guests on May 27. As of this writing, the attraction is utilizing two different options for guests who want to ride it. The first option is to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, which starts at 7 am for Disney hotel guests, and at park opening for non-Disney hotel guests. The other option is to attempt to get a boarding group through the My Disney Experience app. Boarding groups start booking at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., regardless if you’re a hotel guest. 

This is the same system that was used when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Boarding groups are free, so you should try for this option first. If you aren’t able to get a boarding group you can still try to book an Individual Lightning Lane. At the time of this writing, the standby line is not available for this attraction. 

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Epcot?

The answer depends on what you want to do. If you’re willing to get to Epcot early and make a plan for the day to jump from attraction to attraction, skip breaks back at your hotel and don’t mind waiting in line, you can likely skip purchasing Disney Genie Plus here. If you want to take breaks throughout the day or want to maximize your time at Epcot, you may want to consider purchasing Disney Genie Plus.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is filled with 20 rides and live shows to please everyone young and old, and includes popular “Star Wars” and “Toy Story” themes.

Disney Genie Plus and Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Of the 20 rides at Hollywood Studios, 14 experiences are on Disney Genie Plus. And two rides are available as an Individual Lightning Lane experience: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Until August 7, 2022, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is part of the Disney Genie Plus bundle of attractions.  

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

For those who have the budget, getting Disney Genie Plus at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is worth it. Many of the top attractions like Slinky Dog Dash and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror can garner very long wait times, so being able to skip the lines and do other things is helpful. 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Disney’s Animal Kingdom feels a world away from its other Walt Disney World counterparts, with live animal encounters and attractions based on real-world experiences like an African safari. 

Disney Genie Plus and Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there are nine experiences available on Disney Genie Plus, and only one Individual Lightning Lane attraction: Avatar Flight of Passage. 

Is Disney Genie Plus worth the cost at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park?

This is the park where we suggest skipping Disney Genie Plus. If you get to the theme park early, you’ll be able to do all of the attractions without spending the extra money. 

Tips and tricks for getting the most out of Disney Genie Plus 

According to De La O, one key to getting the most out of Disney Genie Plus, no matter what park you’re at, is to have a strategy. “Know what the must-do rides and shows are for your travel group. Know what rides to prioritize and try to get a Genie Plus first. Make a list on your phone in order of importance and refer back to it,” she explains. 

After booking your first Lightning Lane selection, you will get a return time or a time to make your next selection. Be sure to set an alarm on your phone for that time so you know exactly when to make your next reservation. This will not only allow you to maximize the number of experiences you’re able to get, but will also keep you from having to constantly check the app to make your next selection. 

Koerner also explains two methods that can help guests get the most attraction bookings during the day. The first method, called stacking, is when a guest makes their Genie Plus selections for later in the day and stacks one right after another, so they have a bunch of rides to do all around the same window of time. “You can overlap them and create a situation where you are riding attraction after attraction with very little waits,” she says.

The other method is called the churning method. With this method, a guest makes their Disney Genie Plus selections for earlier in the day, scans their ticket at the attraction touchpoints and then immediately makes another Disney Genie Plus selection. Doing this throughout the day is helpful to those guests who want to get as many selections in during the operation day of the park, even though they may not get top-tier attractions later in the evening.