Lightning Lanes v. Genie+ at Disney World
If you’re confused by the differences between the free Genie feature, paid Genie+ service, Lightning Lanes, and individual attraction selections at Walt Disney World, this comparison and explanation is here to help. It breaks down what each are and offer, along with an analogy and further explanations.
This is intended to supplement our Lightning Lane and Genie+ at Walt Disney World FAQ. Recently, we’ve been receiving questions that confusion Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and it’s absolutely fundamental and foundational knowledge that you understand the differences. Otherwise, you won’t get the rest of it. Honestly, what’s covered here should have been the very top of that FAQ, but I assumed too much. That’s my bad–not yours. This is incredibly convoluted and confusing, and the way Walt Disney World has rolled it out has left a lot to be desired from a guest education perspective.
I do want to reassure you that this all gets easier to understand over time. As a thought experiment, try to assume a veil of ignorance about FastPass+ at Walt Disney World. Now consider all of the different tiers, the 30 day v. 60 day rule, the check-in extension rule, 4th FastPass+ scenarios, refresh strategy, Park Hopping hacks, same-day drop times–the list goes on and on. Most longtime Walt Disney World fans take FastPass+ for granted, but it had a steep learning curve. Which is part of the reason fans loved it–the barriers to entry and confusion created meant FastPass+ was easier to leverage for power users than average guests.
Many fans are confused by Genie+ and Lightning Lanes right now, and that’s absolutely understandable given that you’ve never used them and Walt Disney World still hasn’t announced all of the specifics. There are a ton of absolutely legitimate complaints about this. While certainly not the only criticism, the cost of the once-free service is far and away the most valid of those. (If you’re upset, we’d recommend emailing Walt Disney World and respectfully articulating how Genie+ will impact your future business with the company.)
“It’s too complicated and confusing” is not a particularly persuasive complaint. At least, not coming from fans who mastered FastPass+, the most unnecessarily complex ride reservation system at any Disney theme park in the world. Ask anyone who used both FastPass+ and MaxPass (again, the Genie system is built around MaxPass) more than a couple of times which was more user-friendly. I’d hazard a guess that over 75% would respond that MaxPass was easier to use and more laid back.
If you have an advanced degree in Walt Disney World vacation planning, the Genie system is only intimidating because it’s new and unknown, and currently an abstraction. It’s the type of thing you need to play with to understand. Give yourself a couple of hours with the app feature–you’ll be fine. Of course, that doesn’t wave away all of the many other complaints, but maybe it offers a little peace of mind?
But I digress. Back to the basics, with an explanation of what each component of this new system replacing free FastPass+ at Walt Disney World entails…
Lightning Lanes
Lightning Lanes are the new name for FastPass+ entrances, meaning they are actual queues or lines. Something guests who purchased Genie+ or individual attraction line-skipping access will use.
To illustrate, the Lightning Lane is the entrance on the left in the photo above. The standby line is the entrance on the right. In the coming weeks, expect FastPass+ entrances to get new signage as they’re converted to Lightning Lanes.
Lightning Lanes exist in the physical world. Disney Genie+ is a service that exists in the digital world–on the Grid. You can walk through a Lightning Lane–you can scroll through the Genie+ service with your fingers.
Free Disney Genie service
The free Disney Genie service in the My Disney Experience app will “maximize your park time” via a personalized itinerary feature that will “quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day.” It will also offer forecasted wait times throughout the day and attraction suggestions, so you can save time in line.
While Walt Disney World highlighted the free components of Disney Genie in its announcement, no one else is focusing on this for a few reasons. First, Disney IT doesn’t exactly have the best track record, so there’s considerable skepticism that this will work as advertised. Second, Disney promised similar features with My Disney Experience almost a decade ago, and none of those features materialized. (It’s a good day when the app works without crashing!) Finally, even if the free Disney Genie service works, it’s more likely to benefit the company than guests.
Maybe Disney will prove everyone wrong and deliver a free service that changes the game. Given past precedent, I’m not willing to give Walt Disney World the benefit of the doubt on that. Accordingly, we won’t be devoting any attention to the free Disney Genie service until it actually arrives–and works as advertised.
Disney Genie+ service
Disney Genie+ service is an option you can purchase in the My Disney Experience app for $15 per day that will give you priority access via the Lightning Lane at a variety of attractions, like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Spaceship Earth, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and many others. It’ll offer line-skipping access to approximately 40 attractions in total–minus two highly-popular headliners in each park.
The Genie+ service is essentially a digital version of paper FastPass, which was used prior to FastPass+ at Walt Disney World. Except instead of walking around the park to obtain paper slips with day-of return times, you do that via your phone. (More accurately/recently, it’s a modified version of the MaxPass service at Disneyland.)
Genie+ is theoretically unlimited. More practically, average guests will be obtaining new Genie+ return times every ~90 to 120 minutes. Like its predecessors (legacy FastPass and MaxPass), Genie+ will have internal rules inherited from those systems to ensure guests are not being shut out of subsequent selections by virtue of delayed return time windows. Those rules have not yet been announced by Walt Disney World.
Individual attraction selections
Individual attraction selections allow you to schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day, again via the Lightning Lane entrance, like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom or Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This is pay per ride access for up to 2 attractions in each park, as opposed to the ‘bundle’ of theoretically unlimited access offered by the Genie+ service. Attractions will either be included in Genie+ or sold as individual attraction selections–not both. There is no overlap between Genie+ and individual attraction selections. The latter will be sold at approximately 7-8 attractions in total across Walt Disney World.
Pricing for the individual attraction selections option will vary by date, attraction, and park–and will be announced closer to launch. Pricing for the comparable Premier Access at Disneyland Paris ranges from €8 to €15 (~$10 to $18) depending on the attraction and day of visit. Think of it like Express Lanes on highways—dynamic pricing that increases with demand.
Individual attraction selections are likely the source of most consumer confusion, as they don’t have a catchy name. Our guess is that many fans are conflating Lightning Lanes (physical queues!) with individual attraction selections, which is inaccurate–but an absolutely understandable error. For a company that is so good at branding and marketing, it seems like a pretty big oversight to not give “individual attraction selections” its own catchy name.
I’m inclined to start calling the individual attraction selections “Magic Carpet Access,” which would make sense, avoid any confusion, create clear product distinctions, and fit with the Aladdin-inspired branding.
All options in practice
1. Standby or Virtual Queue (all attractions, $0)
2. Genie+ via Lightning Lane (~40 attractions, $15 per day and theoretically unlimited)
3. Magic Carpet Access via Lightning Lane (~8 of the highest demand attractions, unknown cost per ride)
All attractions will have #1. Most if not all previous FastPass+ attractions will have 2 or 3, but not both.
I love a good analogy, so think of this all like the diamond lane on the highway (or carpool/HOV lane, depending upon where you live). That fast lane often has various rules for eligibility–hybrids, motorcycles, public mass transit, or vehicles with two or more occupants can use it to facilitate more efficient use of highways.
In that example, Lightning Lanes are the diamond lane–the physical infrastructure on the highway, or in this case, the attraction’s queue that bypasses the gridlocked standby line. The different types of vehicles that can use that physical fast lane are Genie+ or individual attraction purchases, plus things like DAS and Rider Switch. The only material difference in the analogy is that the same Lightning Lane will not give access to both Genie+ and individual attraction purchases–it’ll be either/or.
Okay, with that foundation in place, we can now get to the other 1,248 questions about the Disney Genie+ system and Lightning Lane physical infrastructure. Again, it’s intimidating now, but it’ll make sense over time. Just like driving a car on the highway, it’s a lot easier to grasp when you’re actually doing it as opposed to reading about it on the internet.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have any questions we didn’t answer with the above? Still confused by how Genie+ or Lightning Lanes will work? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Can you continue to book Genie+ attractions at the same time or overlapping times as your Individual Attraction passes?
Thanks for the great explanations of these new features!
Max Pass at Disneyland was definitely superior to the paper fast passes at Disneyland and both those systems were way better than FastPass+ at Disney World. I hated having to pick my rides 60 days in advance at the crack of dawn. This system will make a Disney World trip less stressful and more spontaneous, which gives you time to slow down and enjoy the day and the magic.
And yes, it sucks for them to charge for something that was once included, but every major theme park offers a paid “line skipping” option. Universal Express Pass can be over $100 a day. Legoland California was $35 a day. Depending on what Disney charges for the “magic carpet access”, we’ll probably be paying about $45 a day for Genie+ and 2 magic carpet access rides (I’m just guessing at $15 a piece). That’s pretty on par with Legoland, which has less rides and is a much smaller park than Disney World parks. It’s not unreasonable. There are still stand-by lines available for free.
I think I’ll just stick with my preferred touring plan provider, and keep Disney out of the equation as much as possible.
Hi Tom
Maybe I missed general info on the new restaurant that will be opening in Epcot, Space two twenty or 220? Do you have any info since that will be soon? I am trying to grab a reservation ASAP as my sister will be coming at first week of dec and we would like to eat there. Also ??? I know this is way off but for main gate pass holders do You guesstimate that there will be a day or two offered for entry at that time? Thank you and I do enjoy reading your articles
So excited for the Lightening Lane! Plan to add it to our January 2022 trip just to try it out. We might not necessarily need it but would love to try it at the parks when they shouldn’t be too crowded. Granted there will only be 2 of us traveling so it’s not a budget breaker for us.
Sorry, but not everyone is a Disney Uber Nerd. I only started paying attention to this stuff because I have a trip scheduled for next year. I’ve only been to WDW once and that was eight years ago when Fastpass was all there was, and that was initiated at the ride entrance.
I am quite concerned with Disney’s expansion of the “nickel and dime” strategy. We will see how this trip goes, but we may never go back again.
Questions for the individual attractions lighting lane: when you purchase the individual attraction say for $10
– does that get you both rides or just one ride?
– if it doesn’t get you both rides, do you have to purchase the lightning lane for both rides (for example, I want to purchase it for FOP but not for the safari).
– can you only ride the attraction once per day or is it multiple times per day?
Thanks for explaining it all!
@Katie
I’m familiar enough with the basics of FP+. If one was satisfied with the 3 selections, then sure, one wouldn’t have to ever look at it again. I was talking specifically about maximizing the service, i.e. modifying your 3 selections to move them up in time in order to get extra selections, then constantly refreshing for lucky drops. I know using it like that is not everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s understandable, but when I visit parks I like to get on the more aggressive side. I don’t know very many people, because I have no friends, but the few casual acquaintances I know who are bullish on avoiding Standby like I am have given me some pretty good tips on how that all worked (when I was planning my upcoming trip, G+ hadn’t yet been announced and it was assumed there was a chance that FP+ might come back in some form).
At any rate, you couldn’t modify MP selections like you could with FP+, and I am assuming G+ will be the same. Therefore, when you make a G+ selection, you just go to it when your window opens and make your next selection. No modifications available, and no refreshing necessary. Hence, less time on the phone if skipping Standby is a priority.
Do we know if you will have the flexibility to pick what time you would like to return for an individual ride purchase? I ask this because I can see this working to a guests advantage. For instance, let’s say I want to immerse myself in Pandora during the day. Instead of hopping on FOP at 2 and then returning for a lightning lane que later, I could coordinate both so I could stay in Pandora. So, my virtual que is ride time is at such and such time and then I pick a individual pass close to that time.
i am still a little confused
if i purchase the genie + for the $15 and i can book two attractions at the start of the day -if staying at disney hotel at 7 am
but if i have to wait 90-120 minutes to book additional – that means that i need to stay at the park all day to use this 9 additional times (total of 11) if the third starts at 9 and ends at nine. – ie i am still able to select another at 9pm (9, 1030, 1200, 130, 300, 430, 600,730, 900)
if every 2 9,11,1,3,5,7,9) for a total of 9 (7 +2) again requiring staying at the park the whole day
if i choose to spend all day at the parks
Cathie, that is the exact same post I posted on FB annual pass holders. Such a shame.
For Genie+ will each member of your party have to pay the additional $15? So for a party of four, $60? And can it be managed from a single mobile phone (let’s say your have an elderly person in your party without smart phone access)?
Personally, we go without a lot to save for Disney, my daughter and I won’t ever stop going, but the money has to come from somewhere, so , more quick service than waiter service meals for us, much much less spending money for Disney merchandise, and only 1 dining experience per trip.Also we will now have deliveries to the resort of snacks and drinks etc.
That was so helpful Tom. Makes total sense now. Thank you!!!
Having to spend the day looking at your cell phone IS a valid complaint. With the old FP+ system we could schedule three of our favorite rides ahead of our trip and we wouldn’t have to look at our phones at all until we used our last FP+ selection in the afternoon. Could immerse in the magic. Now that’ll be gone. We could also schedule dining without worrying about it interfering with fast passes. I’m truly disappointed with Disney on this one.
I am confused if the Genie+ feature will be used during the early morning hours? I would assume no as I didn’t see Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain on the list of rides to be open at that time. As someone who is paying extra to stay on property I would think it would be nice for Disney to have those two rides open at that time and not require the Disney Genie+ feature. I just think this may be a way to push people to pay the extra if people want to ride these more than once a day. I also am hoping the extra night hours will not require Disney Genie+ as this is supposed to be a perk for paying extra to stay at a Deluxe resort! I may sound negative but Disney is taking the magic away and showing it’s all about the $. We have always been die hard Disney fans but our next vacation ( we save up for) will be Staying at Universal. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was amazing! Escape from Gringotts and Diagon Alley were truly awesome. This will be our last trip to Disney for many years! We have always paid the extra for the park/ hopper / water park feature but for what you are paying for the entire trip it’s ridiculous to be adding the amount they are asking. I could maybe see if it was a smaller fee per day including the most popular rides , but this is pure greed!
Hey, Mickey 1928, Yes, Disney may work with you if your boarding pass interferes with ADR. And you will have to wait in line for 45 minutes during the busy season waiting to talk to one of those cast members with an iPad. Been there, done that. No fun.
Any guesses on a potential roll out date?
@Floridajoeykon – He’s referring to MaxPass in Disneyland, not FP+ in WDW