Not sure how to tell the difference between Disney Genie and Disney Genie+?
Right now at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, you have two magical services that can help you save time at the parks and make secure your seat on your favorite rides. These two services, though both part of the My Disney Experience app (or Disneyland app) platform, are very different in what they do and, more importantly, what they cost.
The Difference Between Disney Genie and Disney Genie+
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🧞Disney Genie is a new free service that any park guest, regardless of annual pass status or resort stay, has access to through the (also free) My Disney Experience app (or the Disneyland app over in California).
🧞Disney Genie+, however, is a PAID service. It includes “FastPass-like” selections, now called Lightning Lane selections. It also includes some magical extras like PhotoPass exclusives, Audio tidbits, and AR lenses.
Everything You Need to Know About the Free Disney Genie Service
The free Disney Genie service is quite handy, especially if you are already a My Disney Experience or Disneyland app power user. (If you are new to using MDE, I highly recommend bookmarking our extensive guide to My Disney Experience.)
With Disney Genie, you will be able to …
Enter in your interests and top picks
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Enter in top picks for:
- Attractions
- Dining
- Entertainment
And highlight interests like:
- Star Wars
- Marvel
- Pixar
Get personalized recommendations
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Based on your entries, Disney Genie will build out an itinerary for you and your family.
Get continuous updates about that itinerary
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Check out tips on My Tip Board
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See wait times for your favorite attractions
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Check on dining reservations and waitlists or perfect your mobile order
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Talk to a Virtual Assistant about all your lingering questions
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Everything You Need to Know about the Paid Disney Genie+ Service
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As I mentioned, the biggest difference between Disney Genie and Genie+ is the cost. The Disney Genie service is complimentary, but Disney Genie+ will cost you, per person, per day:
- Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World: $15 per person, per day
- Disney Genie+ at Disneyland Resort: $20 per person per day
- This replaces the MaxPass at DLR.
So what does that $15 or $20 for Genie+ get you? With it, you will be able to …
Reserve an arrival time at select attractions
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You’ll be able to select an arrival window for one ride at a time, using the Lightning Lane (repurposed FastPass lanes).
⚡ Get the full list of Genie+ attractions at Walt Disney World right here. ⚡
Among the available Genie+ rides are favorites like:
- 🧞 Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom
- 🧞 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom
- 🧞 Frozen Ever After at EPCOT
- 🧞 Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Hollywood Studios
- 🧞 Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom
Audio Experiences and PhotoPass Exclusives
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Disney Genie+ will offer unique audio experiences across both resorts.
For PhotoPass, offerings vary by resort:
- At WDW, you’ll have access to various augmented reality photo lenses on your own phone.
- At DLR, you’ll get free unlimited PhotoPass downloads.
Individual Lighting Lane Selections
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Not every Disney World and Disneyland attraction will be available for the paid Genie+ Lightning Lane access. For a select few, you will instead need to utilize Individual Lightning Lanes (Disney originally called these Individual Attraction Selections).
You can purchase up to two of these a day, separately from Genie+. These will guarantee entry at specific times on some of Walt Disney World’s and Disneyland’s most coveted rides.
Across the two parks, Disney originally confirmed Individual Lightning Lanes (an a la carte FastPass experience) for Rise of the Resistance, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Radiator Springs Racers. But now we’ve got the full list and cost of Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Walt Disney World.
More Genie+ Updates
Disney Genie and Genie+ are both new services meant to enhance the experience at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Ultimately, we won’t know how these new offerings affect the park experience until they actually play out.
We will continue to report Disney Genie and Genie+ updates when Disney confirms more. Browse our Disney Genie posts below:
- Everything You Need to Know about the Disney Genie Service
- Full List of Genie+ Lightning Lane Attractions
- How Much Does Genie+ Cost?
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