Everyone wants to make their Disney World trip amazing. One of the easiest ways to do that on the “Ride & Attraction” end of things, is to make use of the parks’ Lightening Lanes, and the planning and logistic app Disney Genie offered by Disney in their My Disney Experience App.
But….what are those and how do you use them?
We do our best to provide you the basics below:
"What are 'Lightning Lanes', and how do I use them?"
The term “Lightning Lane” refers to the former ‘FastPass’ line, which grants special access to shorter lines for select rides at Disney World. These lanes allow visitors to skip the regular queue and reduce their wait time. While not all rides offer Lightning Lanes, most do, with a few exceptions such as Astro Orbiter, PeopleMover, and the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel at Magic Kingdom.
To use a Lightning Lane, visitors can either use Genie+ or purchase individual Lightning Lane access. With either service, visitors can book a return time within a one-hour window for a specific ride. During their return time, they can approach the Lightning Lane, tap their Magic Band, park ticket, or phone (using Magic Mobile), and enter the ride. However, if the touchpoint turns blue, it indicates an issue, such as arriving too early or being at the wrong ride.
While Lightning Lanes usually have a much shorter wait time than regular queues, they often merge with the regular line a few minutes before boarding, resulting in a wait of around 5 to 10 minutes. Although other services, such as DAS and rider switch, also use Lightning Lanes, but they’re not th subject here.
"So, what is Genie?"
Although it may be somewhat perplexing, the distinction between two similarly named services, Genie and Genie+, is not very relevant for this post. That being said, it is important to clarify what Genie is before delving further into Genie+.
Genie is a feature nested within the My Disney Experience app (the Disney World app) that aids visitors in planning their day at the parks. While it is likely that Genie will eventually replace the Disney World app entirely, for now, visitors are left somewhat puzzled by this unusual situation.
Genie consists of two parts: the “Tip Board,” which presents an overview of attractions (as well as dining options) at the park being visited that day, and “My Day,” which is a schedule of activities visitors have booked or that Genie has suggested for that day. It is also where visitors can purchase Genie+.
For the purposes of this post, Genie is the component of the Disney World app that visitors can utilize to purchase Genie+, book Genie+ Lightning Lanes, and purchase individual Lightning Lanes, all of which can be done through the “Tip Board” section of Genie. It is not necessary to purchase Genie+ or any additional services to access Genie, and most of Genie’s contents can be viewed in advance of the trip, so visitors are encouraged to explore it beforehand.
"OK...then what the heck is Genie+???"
Genie+ is a paid service that provides visitors access to most Lightning Lanes at Disney World. Essentially, it allows visitors to utilize (with some essential caveats we’ll explore) most of the Lightning Lanes at the four parks. It should be noted that there are some Individual Lightning Lanes (which we will discuss further below) that are not part of Genie+.
Interestingly, Genie+ is not really an “upgrade” to Genie; it is a separate service that happens to be housed within the Genie component of the Disney World app.
The price of Genie+ is variable, depending on the day. The cost begins at $15 (plus tax, or roughly $16) per person, per day, and we anticipate that prices may reach up to $35 on peak days, with typical days priced around $20. Visitors can purchase the service at any time after midnight for use on the same day only.
What are Individual Lightning Lanes at Disney World?
Disney World has a few rides that offer individual Lightning Lanes, which are separate from Genie+. These Lightning Lanes require a separate payment for access and are not included in the Genie+ service.
The Disney World rides that currently offer Individual Lightning Lanes are:
- Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Hollywood Studios: Rise of the Resistance
- Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage
- Epcot: Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
The list of rides with individual Lightning Lanes has been subject to change in the past and is likely to change again in the future, in terms of which rides are included and how many are offered. For instance, TRON (at Magic Kingdom) is expected to have an individual Lightning Lane option when it opens. These changes could potentially impact guest flow and result in other unexpected rides being added to the top tier, but nobody really knows.
The specific rides that offer Individual Lightning Lanes may change over time.
The cost of an Individual Lightning Lane can vary depending on the day and the ride. Prices generally range from $10+tax to $25+tax.
Genie+ Basics
Honestly, the Genie+ system is not as complex as it seems, despite the confusion around its rules.
Here’s the basics:
You Purchase Genie+ first thing
- Genie+ can be purchased at any time after midnight for the current day and is valid for that calendar day only. If purchased at 6 PM on Tuesday, access will end at park closing on Tuesday night.
Everyone needs Genie+
- All guests who plan to use Genie+ Lightning Lanes need Genie+. If there are multiple people in your group, all need Genie+ to use the Lightning Lanes. One person can make bookings for the group, or each person can make individual bookings.
Make your first Booking @7am
- The first Genie+ Lightning Lane booking can be made at 7 AM and is available to all guests, regardless of whether they are staying in a Disney hotel or not.
- Bookings for Genie+ Lightning Lanes can be made through the Genie Tip Board in the Disney World app, with different ways to access the booking screen.
You can only use it for each ride once
- Each ride can only be booked once per day through Genie+. If a booking is canceled, a different time can be booked, and if a reservation expires without being used, the same ride can be booked again.
When booking – you will only see one time option
- With Genie+ Lightning Lanes, only one available time for each ride is visible when making a booking, as opposed to the individual Lightning Lanes, which allow guests to pick any available time.
- Available times for rides roll forward throughout the day, with earlier times becoming available first. Better times may appear when refreshing the Tip Board, but they may disappear quickly.
- During peak times in the morning, Disney hides the next times on the Tip Board because they change so quickly.
You can only book AFTER 2pm at other parks, when Park Hopping
- When park hopping, Genie+ bookings can only be made for times after 2 PM in the park being hopped to. Once available, the system does not limit bookings to specific parks.
You can now modify bookings
- Genie+ bookings can now be modified, allowing guests to grab the best option available and then attempt to modify it to a better time or ride.
When Can You Book your next ride?
This is the question that confuses many people, I’ll try and make it as clear as I can.
Once you make a booking using the Genie+ Lightning Lane, you cannot make another booking until you either use the first booking or wait for two hours from the time you made the booking, except in the case where the two-hour clock only starts running once the park where the booking was made opens. Here are some examples:
- Hollywood Studios opens at 9AM. At 10AM, you make a booking for Alien Swirling Saucers from 11AM to 12PM. you tap onto the ride at 11:30AM, so you can make my next booking immediately. you cannot book any earlier since you only used the booking at 11:30AM.
- Animal Kingdom opens at 9AM. At 11AM, you make a booking for Na’vi River Journey from 4PM. you can make my next booking at 1PM, which is two hours after you made the previous booking. you don’t have to wait until you ride Na’vi River Journey, and making another booking won’t affect my Na’vi River Journey booking.
- Magic Kingdom opens at 9AM. At 8AM, you make a booking for Peter Pan’s Flight at 1PM. you can make my next booking at 11AM, which is two hours after the park opens. you can’t make a booking at 10AM because the two-hour clock doesn’t start running until the park opens.
Make sense?
If you cancel a booking, all restrictions related to that booking are removed. For example, Epcot opens at 10AM. At 9AM, you make a booking for Living with the Land at 11AM. When the park opens at 10AM, you cancel my Living with the Land booking, and you can immediately book any available timeslot.
You cannot automatically “replace” a cancelled booking. For example, Hollywood Studios opens at 9AM. At 7AM, you make a booking for Slinky Dog Dash at 2PM, and at 11AM, two hours after the park opens, you make a booking for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at 5PM. At 11:05AM, you cancel my Slinky Dog Dash booking, and you can’t make a new booking until 1PM since you must wait two hours from the time you made the previous booking.
We know it’s a lot to grasp without “hands on” experience, and there’s more to utilizing it effectively, like strategy, but those are the basics. We recommend watching the following video from DFB for further help.