Genie+ & Lightning Lane- The New Way You Can Level Up Your Disney Experience
Genie, Genie +, Lightning Lane— they’re still fairly new and can get confusing!
GENIE
It’s free tools loaded in the My Disney Experience App that offer suggestions on how to plan your day. Feel free to ignore them if you’re an experienced planner lol.
GENIE+
If you’ve planned your vacation through Disney, you can purchase Genie + for every day of your trip, every person ($15 each) up front.
Or you can wait until you travel and buy only the days you need for the people who need it in your party.
Genie + can be purchased at midnight the day of use. (This is my recommendation)
On your Genie+ park day, set your alarm for 6:50am est. Log into your My Disney Experience app and at exactly 7am refresh the screen to make your first selection. It will automatically select everyone who has genie + purchased.
I recommend choosing a high profile attraction. The strategy is to book it for 2.5 hours after the park opens that day at least.
Check park opening time and set your alarm for 2 hours after park opening. This will be your next selection window. The policy states— you can make another selection once you’ve used the one currently in place OR if it has been 2 hours since it was selected but not used, whichever comes first.
The “clock” for 2 hours begins at the posted park opening time which is why you should schedule your first one just outside that timeframe. That allows you to have a 2nd genie reservation at one time. From there you’ll continue through your day booking attractions through the app every 2 hours or if you’ve used a reservation. (I know it sounds confusing)
The downside is you don’t get to pick a time to reserve- you choose what’s offered.
You have to be quick- they go fast.
You need to rope drop to maximize your attractions OR set your alarm for every 2 hours to stack a few attractions for later in the evening and only spend the afternoon in the park.
And alternative approach (especially for Hollywood Studios) is to set your alarm for every 2 hours to make another selection which stacks up your attractions then arrive in the afternoon and begin using your reservations.
LIGHTNING LANE
If you’d like to shorten the wait for the highest profile attractions, you must purchase Lightning Lane per person per ride. You cannot use Genie+ on these attractions. This is a separate charge and doesn’t impede on your Genie selections. Guests may purchase and select an arrival window one at a time for up to 2 attractions a day. This option is available for all Guests—with or without Disney Genie+ service.
Prices vary by a day and attraction popularity.
Be sure to check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit for current prices and attraction availability.
You can make individual purchases within the Disney Genie service Tip Board or My Day itinerary in the app on the same day of your visit.
Guests of a Disney Resort Hotel can make their first purchase starting at 7:00 AM on the day of their visit. (Also available to Guests of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green.)
All other guests can make their first purchase when the park opens.
If you’re hoping to score LL reservations and Genie +, I recommend having 2 different people on the app at 7am working on each task with a plan of what you’re hoping to reserve plus a backup option in case your number one choice isn’t available.
If you’re the only MDE whiz, make your LL selections first, then Genie +.
Options per park:
MAGIC KINGDOM
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
EPCOT
Frozen Ever After
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (beginning May 27, 2022)
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Avatar Flight of Passage
As of August 7, 2022 Mickey’s Runaway Railway, Frozen Ever After, and Space Mountain will no longer be Individual Lightning Lane purchases. They will integrate into the standard Genie+ options.
For more in-depth looks at these services check out @Livingbydisney on Instagram. Serena has great touring plans for Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane.
Stay tuned for tips on incorporating these add ons with DAS!!