Not sure how to tell the difference between Disney Genie and Disney Genie+? Your wallet will thank us for clearing that one up.
Last week, Disney announced its new Disney Genie Service with additional details about Genie+, the Lightning Lane, and Individual Lightning Lane attraction selections. While the announcement has drawn, shall I say, mixed reactions from many loyal fans and spurred plenty of rumors on top Disney news sites, we’re here to report the facts and nothing but the facts.
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The truth is: We don’t have all the answers about Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ yet. Disney left a lot unclear, and other sites are merely speculating when they publish lists of Lightning Lane rides.
UPDATE (10/8/21): We have now seen inside the crystal ball! Tap here for the full list of Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions at Walt Disney World.
What we do know is that there’s a lot of confusion about the free Genie Service and the paid Genie+. These two services, though wedded together through the same My Disney Experience app (or Disneyland app) platform, are very different in what they do and, more importantly, what they cost.
The Simple Difference Between Disney Genie and Disney Genie+
Photo courtesy of Disney
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. Many have called it a paid FastPass, and even more have argued that Disney should just return to the free version of FastPass that once set the parks apart from competitors like Universal Studios.
For better or worse, however, that was not Disney’s decision.
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
Photo courtesy of Disney
Enter in top picks for:
- Attractions
- Dining
- Entertainment
And highlight interests like:
- Star Wars
- Marvel
- Pixar
Get personalized recommendations
Photo courtesy of Disney
Based on your entries, Disney Genie will build out an itinerary for you and your family.
Get continuous updates about that itinerary
Photo courtesy of Disney
Check out tips on My Tip Board
Photo courtesy of Disney
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
Photo courtesy of Disney
Prefer to Plan the Old-Fashioned Way?
Everything You Need to Know about the Paid Disney Genie+ Service
Courtesy of Disney
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).
⚡ You can get the full list of Genie+ attractions at Walt Disney World right here. ⚡
Among confirmed Genie+ rides are Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Get special audio experiences and PhotoPass features
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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.
Use Individual Lighting Lane Selections
Photo courtesy of Disney
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.
The full list 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?
Disney Genie Service and Genie+: Everything You Need to Know
