Disney Genie Plus Ultimate Guide + FREE Cheat Sheet!

Everything you need to know about Disney Genie Plus and the Lightning Lanes at Disney World plus my best tips and free guide!

Waiting in line is probably everyone’s least favorite part of a Disney World vacation.

You can avoid a lot of waiting with Disney Genie Plus and the Individual Lightning Lanes, but only if you know how to use them.

In this post, I’ll answer all of your questions and show you how to get the most out of Genie Plus Disney World.

What exactly is Disney Genie Plus?

Disney Genie Plus is a paid service that provides much shorter waits for many rides at Walt Disney World. 

It’s what replaced the FastPass system at Disney World in 2021. 

You access Genie Plus in the My Disney Experience app.

If you purchase Genie Plus you can use the “Lightning Lane” at many attractions throughout the day. 

Read on to learn how to use Genie Plus Disney World and how to decide if you should spend the extra money for it on your vacation!

What is the difference between Genie Plus and Lightning Lane? 

The Lightning Lane is a separate line (aka “queue”) at each attraction.

You must have a Lightning Lane reservation to use this queue and the wait will be much shorter than the regular “standby” line. 

For most attractions, the wait will typically be less than five minutes. 

You can make Lightning Lane reservations when you purchase Genie Plus for the day. 

How do the Lightning Lanes work at Disney World?

First, there are two different types of Lightning Lane attractions at Disney World. 

In a perfect world, Disney would have given them distinct names to keep confusion down. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that perfect world! 

First, there are the Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions.

There are about 50 Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions across the four parks. Purchasing Genie+ for the day will allow you to use the Lightning Lane at these 50 attractions. 

There are also Individual Lightning Lane attractions. 

There is at least one Individual Lightning Lane attraction at each park.

You have to buy access to the Lightning Lane at these attractions separately from Genie+.

Just to reiterate, Genie+ won’t work to get you access to the Lightning Lane at these rides. You have to pay individually for them. 

To help with confusion, I’m going to explain these one at a time. I’ve also color-coded the terms throughout the post to help you keep them straight!

How much does Genie Plus Cost? 

In order to use the Genie Plus Lightning Lanes, you will need to purchase Genie Plus for that day.

The cost for Genie Plus varies by the day and by the park, ranging from $16-$39 per person per day. 

So how much Genie Plus Disney World costs will depend on how busy the parks are – peak days will cost more. 

Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are the most expensive parks, while Epcot and Animal Kingdom are significantly cheaper. 

You can also add Genie Plus for multiple parks if you plan on park hopping. The price will be the same as the most expensive park for that day. 

At $16-$39 per person per day the costs can really add up. 

You do NOT have to buy it for every day of your ticket. More on this soon!

How Do I Buy Disney Genie Plus?

Currently, the only way is to buy Genie Plus one day at a time in the My Disney Experience app.

You can purchase Genie Plus Disney World for that upcoming day starting at midnight. 

Be sure to purchase it before 7 am so you are ready to make your first reservation right at 7 am!

Depending on how busy the parks are when you visit, you may not need it for every park every day.

 

When Can I Start Making Lightning Lane Selections?

Provided you have your park ticket, park reservation, and Disney Genie pass all ready to go, you can make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection starting at 7 am each day. 

Regardless of whether you are staying at a Disney resort or not, all guests can now begin making Genie+ Lightning Lane selections at 7 am every morning. 

How Does Genie Plus Work? 

When you open your My Disney Experience app, you’ll see at the very top where you can tap “My Day” or “View My Day”.

Tapping this will take you to Disney Genie where you can make your Lightning Lane selections. 

By far the easiest way to make Genie Plus Lightning Lane selections is through the Tip Board.

I found the “My Day” section to be very confusing and not helpful – I suggest ignoring it. 

Once you are in the Tip Board you’ll see all of your options for Genie+ Lightning Lane selections.

Note that your only option for a Lightning Lane reservation is the next available return time for each attraction.

You can’t choose from multiple options like you could with FastPass. 

I’m sure you are wondering what Disney World Genie Plus rides you will want to make Lightning Lane selections for first. Keep reading and I will give you my tips!

Once you make a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection you will see a confirmation screen like this.

You will be able to see any Lightning Lane selections you currently hold in the My Day part of Disney Genie. 

When can I make additional Genie Plus selections? 

And now it gets really confusing. 

In general, you can make another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection either when you check in for your current selection or after 120 minutes have passed since you made your current selection. 

For example, if at 9 am you get a spot in the Lightning Lane at 4 pm for Slinky Dog Dash, you won’t have to wait until 4 pm to make another selection.

You’ll be able to make another selection 120 minutes later at 11 am. 

So it is possible to “stack” several Genie+ Lightning Lane selections for later in the day if you keep utilizing the 120-minute rule. 

Here is a screenshot of when I did this one day at Magic Kingdom. I had stacked three Lightning Lanes for Disney World Genie Plus rides by using the 120-minute rule throughout the day. 

The only exception to the 120-minute rule is if you make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection before the park opens.

You’d have to wait for 120 minutes after the official park opening time to make another selection. 

So if you make your first selection at 7 am (which you should!) and the park doesn’t open until 9 am, you’ll have to wait until 11 am to make another selection. Or until you use that first selection.

And to be even more confusing, sometimes different parks open at different times. 

The opening time for the park in which you have your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection will dictate when you can make your next selection. 

So even if you start your day with a park pass for Magic Kingdom, you might have your first Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation in the afternoon at Epcot. That means you can’t make another Genie + LL selection until 120 minutes after Epcot’s opening time, not Magic Kingdom. 

What are the Disney World Genie Plus Rides?

I am sure you are wondering what the Disney World Genie Plus rides are!

I have organized all of the Lightning Lane attractions in the free printable you get by signing up for my newsletter below.

Or keep reading to the bottom of this post for the full list.  

And now, on to the Individual Lightning Lanes and how they work. 

What rides have Individual Lightning Lanes? 

As of right now, there are four Individual Lightning Lane attractions – one at each park. This is a change from the eight attractions that were originally included. 

This may change in August when Disney will re-evaluate and may add more attractions to the Individual Lightning Lanes. 

Here are the current rides at each park with an Individual Lightning Lane:

• Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarves Mine Train & TRON Lightcycle Run
• Hollywood Studios: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• EPCOT: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Animal Kingdom: Avatar: Flight of Passage 

Note that you can ride TRON Lightcycle/Run and Cosmic Rewind using a free virtual queue. Click here to learn all about the Disney Virtual Queue system. 

How much do Individual Lightning Lanes cost?

The cost of Individual Lightning Lane selections ranges from about $10 – $17.

You do NOT have to purchase Genie+ to purchase Individual Lightning Lane selections!

The price depends on the attraction and the day you are visiting – for example, the price is higher during peak seasons and on weekends.

Here are the average costs for the Individual Lightning Lane selections:

• Seven Dwarves Mine Train (Magic Kingdom) –$11
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios) – $17
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Epcot) – $15
• Avatar: Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom) – $12
• TRON: Light Cycle Run – $17

Your price may be slightly higher or lower than these prices. 

When Can I Make Individual Lightning Lane Selections?

This is a bit more confusing…

If you are staying at an on-property Disney resort, you can start buying Individual Lightning Lane reservations at 7 am the day of your visit. 

Keep in mind that you can only purchase two Individual Lightning Lane selections each day. 

If you aren’t staying “on property”, then you will have to wait until the park opens. 

Check out this page from Touring Plans for a complete list of the resorts that offer this benefit.

And to find out what time the parks open during your visit, check out this Disney World calendar.

How do I purchase Individual Lightning Lane reservations? 

In both the My Day and Tip Board sections of Disney Genie (in the My Disney Experience app) you’ll see the option to purchase Individual Lightning Lane entry for the eligible attractions. 

I suggest scrolling on the Tip Board until you find the attraction you are looking for. 

How Do I Use My Lightning Lane Reservations?

When it is time to use your Lightning Lane reservation, head to the attraction and look for the entrance to the Lightning Lane queue. 

Then you will be asked to scan either your park ticket, Magic Band, or Magic Mobile pass on your phone. 

You may have to scan your band or ticket one more time before you get on the ride. 

That’s it – you are now checked in for your Lightning Lane reservation and you can make another selection right away in the app. 

Learn all about Disney Magic Bands in this post. 

Are the Disney Individual Lightning Lanes worth it? 

You are also likely wondering if you should purchase Individual Lightning Lane passes at Disney World.

This depends a great deal on 

• If you are staying at a Disney resort with Early Theme Park Entry and
• If you are actually able to get to the parks before they open and
• If you are up for hanging around the parks until they close. 

If you’re staying on property and get up early, you will be able to ride at least one if not both Individual Lightning Lane attractions before the parks officially open during most times of the year!

For example, if Hollywood Studios officially opens at 9 am, then it will open at 8:30 am to Disney resort guests. 

However, you will likely be allowed to enter at 8 am to get on Rise of the Resistance before the park even opens to resort guests. 

I also suggest getting in line for one of the Individual Lightning Lane attractions a few minutes before park closing.

You can continue to get in the queue up until the minute the park “closes” and you will be permitted to ride the attraction!

The wait will be the shortest of the day, but you will have to hang in there until closing. 

If the nighttime entertainment coincides with park closing, you may have to skip that as well. Just something to consider as you plan!

Note that you can make up to two Individual Lightning Lane reservations per day. This means you’ll have to think ahead if you are park hopping. 

Disney World Genie Plus Rides

Here is a full list of the Disney World Genie Plus rides and Individual Lightning Lane Attractions at Walt Disney World. 

Magic Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• TRON Lightcycle/Run

Genie Plus Rides at Magic Kingdom:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Meet Cinderella & A Visiting Princess at Fairytale Hall
• Meet Tiana & A Visiting Princess at Fairytale Hall
• Meet Mickey at Town Hall
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space 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

Epcot

Individual Lightning Lane at Epcot:

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Genie Plus Rides at Epcot:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’
• Test Track Presented by Chevrolet
• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Frozen Ever After
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Hollywood Studios 

Individual Lightning Lane Attraction:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Genie Plus Rides Hollywood Studios:

• Slinky Dog Dash
• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Toy Story Mania!
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• 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!
• MuppetVision 3D
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight

Animal Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Avatar Flight of Passage

Genie Plus Rides Animal Kingdom:

• Nav’i River Journey
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Dinosaur
• Expedition Everest
• Festival of the Lion King
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Feathered Friends in Flight
• The Animal Experience at Conservation Station
• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond!

Can I Modify My Lightning Lane Selections?

Thanks to a recent update, you can now modify a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection after you’ve made it!

You’ll be able to change who is on the Lightning Lane reservation, and, more importantly, modify the return time of the reservation.

This is a HUGE improvement to the system.

Is Genie Plus Worth It?

I’m sure at this point you are wondering “is Genie Plus worth it?” 

Well, like the service, the answer is complicated!

My quick answer is that Genie Plus ISN’T needed at every park and during every time of year. 

Now here is my full answer to the question “Is Disney Genie Plus worth it?”

Genie Plus is almost always needed at Magic Kingdom. 

If you want to avoid waiting in lots of long lines, I’d recommend purchasing Genie+ for your day at Magic Kingdom. 

The reason for this is that there are so many attractions at Magic Kingdom.

You’ll likely get your money’s worth out of Genie+ and be able to make many Genie+ Lightning Lane selections throughout the day!

The only times you might not need it are rainy or cold days during a less busy time of year. 

Get my picks for the best times to visit Disney World for low crowds in this post.

I recommend Genie+ at Hollywood Studios in most circumstances as well. 

You’ll get a lot of use out of Genie+ at Hollywood Studios as well. 

There are many Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions at Hollywood Studios that typically have long waits during the middle of the day. 

These include the Millennium Falcon, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Midway Mania, Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and the Hollywood Tower of Terror. 

Unless you are visiting with very young children who can’t go on most of these rides, you’ll probably want Genie Plus at Hollywood Studios. 

In my opinion, Genie Plus is only needed at Epcot and Animal Kingdom during the busier times of the year. 

With fewer attractions and crowds, you likely won’t need Genie Plus at the other two parks unless you are visiting when the parks are crowded. 

However, you will need a solid touring plan in order to experience these parks with Genie+. 

I suggest that you invest in a Touring Plans membership as opposed to spending $120 on Genie+ for those two parks for a family of four. 

Get customized touring plans for each park plus more trip planning tools here. 

Does Genie Plus Include Photopass Downloads?

Beginning March 20, 2023, you’ll receive free Photopass Ride photo downloads when you purchase Genie Plus for the day!

Keep in mind that you’ll only be able to download photos taken on rides and not photos taken by photographers around the parks. 

You’ll also only be able to download photos from the days that you purchased Genie+. 

This is a nice added benefit for those who fork over the extra money for Genie Plus in the parks!

Disney Genie Plus Rules & Individual Lightning Lane Rules

As you may have noticed, Genie+ and the Lightning Lanes are complicated. 

There are many rules you need to be aware of in order to get the most out of these services. 

Here is a quick summary of all of the Disney Genie Plus rules and Individual Lightning Lane (LL) rules: 

1) You can’t make more than one LL reservation per attraction per day. This applies to both Genie+ LL and Individual LL attractions!

2) You can only purchase two Individual LL reservations per day.

3) You can begin making Genie+ Lightning Lane selections at 7 am the day of your visit in the My Disney Experience app. 

4) If you are staying at an on-property Disney resort, you can purchase Individual Lightning Lane passes starting at 7 am the day of your visit. If not, you will have to wait until the official park opening. 

5) You can make another Genie+ LL selection after you check-in for your current selection OR after 120 minutes have passed since you made your current selection. 

6) You don’t have to purchase Genie+ in order to purchase Individual LL passes. 

7) You can purchase Genie+ for the day starting at midnight. Just be sure to have it added before you go to make your first reservation at 7 am. 

8) You can select up to twelve individuals from your Friends and Family list when booking Genie+ Lightning Lane selections. So one person can plan for a group of up to twelve people total.

Disney Genie vs. Disney Genie Plus

Disney Genie is a free service within the My Disney Experience app. It is supposed to help you decide what to do in the theme parks based on your interests. 

However, I don’t suggest you actually follow the suggestions that the Disney Genie service provides!

The suggestions are designed to control crowds and won’t necessarily send you to the best attractions. 

On the other hand, Disney Genie + will help you avoid waiting in long lines all day long by giving you access to a special shorter queue.

If you learn how to use it, the quality of your vacation can increase dramatically. 

Is there a Genie Plus Disney World App? 

No, there actually isn’t a separate Disney Genie app!

You access the Disney Genie service within the My Disney Experience app. 

When you open the app, you will see a link to the Disney Genie service right at the top of the screen after the welcome message.

Disney Genie Plus Tips & Tricks

Now that you’ve got the basics down, here are some very important tips and tricks for getting the most out of Genie Plus. 

1) Be sure to have these things already done well before 7 am: have your resort reservation linked (if you are staying at a Disney resort), have park tickets purchased for everyone in your party, have tickets linked to My Disney Experience, have a Park Pass secured for that day, and have Genie+ purchased if you are using it that day.

2) The Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations for Slinky Dog Dash will disappear faster than for any other attraction. Grab a Lightning Lane reservation immediately at 7 am, especially if you are park hopping and want an earlier time. 

3) The most popular Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations in Magic Kingdom are for the Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, and Peter Pan’s Flight. I suggest grabbing a Lightning Lane reservation right at 7 am for the Jungle Cruise. And as soon as you check in for that attraction, grab a reservation for the Peter Pan’s Flight. The rest of the attractions at Magic Kingdom should be easier to get. 

4) For Epcot and Animal Kingdom, you can wait until you are actually in the parks to decide if you want to purchase Genie+ for that day. If the standby waits are getting longer and the Lightning Lane return times are good, you can purchase it on the fly. This is better than buying it ahead of time only the discover you didn’t need it at all that day. 

5) The most popular Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions at Epcot are Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, and Test Track. If you do use Genie+ at Epcot, grab these first. Also, note that Test Track has a single rider line option if you don’t mind sitting separately from your party. 

6) The most popular Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions at Animal Kingdom are Kilimanjaro Safaris and Nav’i River Journey. Grab these first if you are using Genie+. 

7) Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom has a Single Rider Line option. You can use this line if you don’t mind sitting separately from your party. The wait is usually VERY short with this option.

Because of this and the fact that the line moves quickly, you may not need the use the Lightning Lane for this attraction.  

8) Set a reminder on your phone to make another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection as soon as 120 minutes has passed. 

Can I Park Hop With Genie Plus? 

Yes, you can park hop and use Disney Genie Plus. 

In fact, it is particularly helpful when you are park hopping!

When you are in the Tip Board, click on “Change Park” and you’ll be able to select which park you’d like to hop to later in the day. 

As long as you have a ticket with Park Hopper, you can hop on over to another park starting at 2 pm, as long as that park isn’t at capacity. 

You can make Genie+ Lightning Lane selections for the park you want to hop to throughout the day.

I suggest doing this since the afternoon and evening always have the longest wait times of the day!

I hope that you found this post helpful in learning how to use Genie Plus (aka Genie pass Disney, Disney Genie app, or the Disney Genie service).

Read about how to get the cheapest Disney World tickets in this post. 

If you have any questions please join the conversation on my free private Facebook group, The Budget Mouse. Or leave a question in a comment below and I will answer just as soon as I can!

Check out these related posts: 

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• How To Find The Cheapest Time of Year To Go To Disney World