Disney Genie+ moving to park-specific pricing at Disney World. Is it worth the cost?

by Admin June 24, 2023

Want to save time and ride all the attractions at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland, from the fantastical to the thrilling and everything in between? If so, then, short of splurging for a several thousand dollars private VIP guide, Disney Genie+ is the way to go.

Disney Genie+ is Disney’s answer to the “skip the line” service available at most theme parks. With Disney Genie+, you can skip the standby line and utilize a much shorter “Lightning Lane” for most attractions, potentially saving hours of time waiting in line and ensuring you get on more attractions during your trip.

Before your next visit to Disney World or Disneyland, you’ll want to get familiar with what Disney Genie+ is and how it works. And, spoiler alert, it works differently on each coast.

On June 27, 2023, for example, Walt Disney World in Orlando is introducing park-specific pricing for Disney Genie+. The price you’ll pay for the service on the day of your visit will vary depending on which park(s) you plan to visit (more on that in a moment).

Here’s everything you need to know to decide if this service is worth it and how to get the maximum time-saving value from Disney Genie+.

What is Disney Genie+?

Disney Genie+ is the paid portion of the Disney Genie service. Disney Genie helps optimize your day by making suggestions on what to do in which order, displaying current and predicted future wait times, placing mobile food orders, helping you navigate the parks with an interactive map and more.

Disney Genie+, on the other hand, is a paid service that grants you access to Lightning Lane entrances at select attractions. Lightning Lanes allow you to skip the standby line, thereby freeing up your time to get on more attractions with less waiting throughout the day.

Many attractions are included in the Disney Genie+ service, but there are one or two attractions at each park that require a separate individual Lightning Lane purchase to skip the line. It isn’t necessary to purchase Genie+ to buy individual Lightning Lane selections and vice versa. The individual Lightning Lane attraction pricing varies by attraction but typically ranges between $7 and $25 per person per attraction.

Disney may also utilize a virtual queue for new or popular attractions, and those may or may not utilize a Lightning Lane entrance. You can access both Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ through the My Disney Experience app.

How to use Disney Genie+

Disney Genie+ is available for purchase in the My Disney Experience app beginning at 12 a.m. on the day of your visit. It can only be purchased one day at a time at Disney World or can be purchased ahead of time as a vacation add-on or after you enter the park at Disneyland.

You must purchase the service for each member of your party who plans to use it, and each person must have a valid ticket and theme park reservation.

Currently, the pricing varies by day based on crowd levels and demand at parks on both coasts. As of June 27, 2023, at Disney World, however, daily pricing will vary based on which park(s) you plan to visit. Beginning June 27, you will see purchase options for each of Disney World’s four theme parks, plus a “multiple park” option that is valid at all four parks when you purchase through the My Disney Experience app.

Genie+ has been known to sell out in the past. With this park-specific pricing structure, it’s possible for Genie+ to sell out at one park and still be available at another so you don’t totally lose out on the option to skip the line. Some parks, like Animal Kingdom and Epcot have fewer Genie+ attractions (and generally shorter standby waits) than Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, so you could save money by only purchasing Genie+ for the parks where it is most valuable. Both of these are clear benefits to park guests.

On the other hand, it does add a level of complexity when choosing which option is best for you. If you are planning to park hop, you might lose out on the multi-park Genie+ option if any of the parks sell out. The multiple-park option is only available when all parks are available. Your best bet is to plan ahead and purchase first thing in the morning, as sellouts typically happen after the parks open for the day.

The Disney Genie+ service starts at $15 per person per day at Disney World and $25 per person per day at Disneyland. Genie+ at Disneyland includes unlimited PhotoPass digital downloads as part of the cost, and attraction photo downloads are included at Walt Disney World.

When you make a Lightning Lane reservation, you are given an hourlong arrival window when you can experience your selected attraction. When the window opens and it’s time to ride, you can skip the standby queue and access the attraction via the Lightning Lane.

At Disney World, you can make your first Genie+ selection for Lightning Lane entry starting at 7 a.m. At Disneyland, you can purchase Disney Genie+ and make your first Lightning Lane selection upon entering the park.

At both parks, you can make subsequent selections after you redeem your selection or once two hours have passed from your last selection, whichever comes first. The two-hour rule begins when the park opens, even if you made your first selection at 7 a.m. This means if you make your first Lightning Lane booking at 7 a.m. and the park doesn’t open until 8 a.m., you can’t make your second booking until 10 a.m. — unless you use your first Lightning Lane before that time.

You can modify Genie+ Lightning Lane selections if you want to change the time, attraction or number of people in your party who will accompany you on the attraction.

It’s possible to move through a number of attractions very quickly as long as the return times are available fairly soon after you book them. You can keep doing this grab-it-and-use-it strategy as long as Lightning Lane windows show immediate or near-term availability.

The other strategy you can employ is to “stack” your Lightning Lanes for later in the day. If the app is only displaying return windows that are many hours later into the day, you can start stacking reservations for later and add new reservations every two hours. You will have to use standby lines or separately purchased Individual Lightning Lanes early in the day to utilize this strategy.

It can be confusing the first time you use it, so let’s look at a sample day to give you an idea of how to best utilize Disney Genie+. This example will be in The Magic Kingdom at Disney World. The only difference at Disneyland would be that you couldn’t make your first selection until you arrive at the park for the day.

7 a.m. — Reserve a Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation for Jungle Cruise with a return window of 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive at The Magic Kingdom for rope drop (or Early Entry if you are staying in a Disney World hotel) and use the standby queue to ride Space Mountain.
9 a.m. — Ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant or “it’s a small world” via the standby queue.
9:30 a.m. — Ride Jungle Cruise via your Lightning Lane and make your next Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
10 a.m. — Visit a character meet-and-greet, Tom Sawyer Island or ride the Liberty Belle riverboat. Or have lunch and find a spot for the noon parade.
1 p.m. — Ride Big Thunder Mountain via the Lightning Lane and stack your first evening Genie+ Lightning Lane Reservation for Peter Pan’s Flight between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
While you are stacking afternoon and evening Lightning Lane reservations, you can check the Disney Genie Tip Board for attractions with short wait times or even head back to the hotel and cool off in the pool for a couple of hours.
3 p.m. — Make another Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation for Haunted Mansion between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
5 p.m. — Make another Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
6 p.m. — Redeem the Genie+ Lightning Lanes you stacked throughout the afternoon. Eat dinner, watch the fireworks and rest up so you can do it again the next day.

Which rides accept Disney Genie+?

Many rides at Walt Disney World and Disneyland are included with Disney Genie+. This list may change when a new attraction opens, but you can always see the latest ride list – including which rides require a separate Individual Lightning Lane purchase – on the Disney Genie websites for Disney World and Disneyland.

Walt Disney World

The Magic Kingdom

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
Mad Tea Party
Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
The Barnstormer
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Speedway
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

* Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tron Lightcycle Run require an individual Lightning Lane purchase.

Epcot

Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Frozen Ever After
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Mission: Space
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Soarin’ Around the World
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush

* Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind requires an individual Lightning Lane purchase.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Alien Swirling Saucers
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Disney Junior Play & Dance!
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Muppet Vision 3D
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania!

* Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance requires an individual Lightning Lane purchase.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Festival of the Lion King
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue … and Beyond!
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
Navi River Journey
The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

* Avatar Flight of Passage requires an individual Lightning Lane purchase.

Disneyland

Disneyland Park

Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure
“it’s a small world”
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

* Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance requires an individual Lightning Lane purchase.

Disney California Adventure

Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
Incredicoaster
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Soarin’ Over California
Toy Story Midway Mania!
Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure

* Radiator Springs Racers requires an individual Lightning Lane purchase.

Will Disney Genie+ save me time at the theme park?

In short, yes, but there are a few things you need to know if you want to maximize the money you spend on Disney Genie+.

You need to purchase Disney Genie+ first thing in the morning and begin making Lightning Lane reservations as soon as you are able to. This ensures you have access to the most Lightning Lanes possible. If you purchase the service later in the day, it won’t be as valuable.

You also want to maximize other expert-level Disney strategies to make sure you get on as many rides as possible. As the old saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. If you arrive before the gates open for the day, you can be near the front of the group and knock out some high-demand attractions before the lines get long. During the first hour after the park opens, standby lines tend to be shorter.

It’s also worth mentioning that certain attractions may run out of Lightning Lane availability before the park closes for the day. The earlier you can make your Lightning Lane reservations, the better (even if they are for later in the day).

Additionally, if you don’t see what you want available when it comes time to grab your next Lightning Lane, the best advice is to refresh, refresh and refresh some more within the My Disney Experience app. New Lightning Lane reservations become available either when other groups cancel or as Disney periodically loads more throughout the day, so the more persistent you are with refreshing the options in the app, the more options you will eventually have.

There are also situations where purchasing Disney Genie+ may not be necessary for your day.

Are you planning a day of eating and drinking around the world at Epcot? Do you prefer to stroll around the parks while you take photos and people-watch? Do you hate being on your phone and prefer to let the day take you wherever it may? Disney Genie+ won’t help you with any of that, though you can use the free Disney Genie service to mobile order a cocktail or find the rides with the shortest lines.

Whether you find value in Disney Genie+ depends on the type of Disney World or Disneyland vacation you are planning.

For most guests who want to get on as many attractions as possible during their Disney trip, Disney Genie+ is worth the added cost to avoid spending hours waiting in line. There are plenty of ways to save money at Disney so that you can fit Genie+ into your budget and have the most magical vacation possible.

Related reading: