The introduction of Disney World’s Disney Genie+ is bringing some serious changes to Disney World.
Today, we’re going to talk all about it!
These changes will greatly impact your Disney World planning and your Disney World Budget!
This post is going to get into what this means for Fastpass, what the Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ are, and what you need to know about these services for your trip!
Say goodbye to FastPass+
FastPass as we know it is no more! This popular service was free for Disney World guests and allowed us to ride some of the more popular rides with a reduced wait time. You were able to book three FastPasses 60 days prior to your trip. Once you used your three rides, you were able to book more.
This service was suspended when the Parks reopened after the Pandemic closure. Suspended services have slowly been restored in recent months, but it was recently announced that FastPass, won’t be returning.
Instead, it will be replaced with the Disney Genie+, which is a paid version of the service.
The Disney Genie (Free)
There are two versions of the Disney Genie and both versions will be built into the My Disney Experience App.
The free Disney Genie will help you plan your trip and your day. It can make suggestions, help with mobile ordering, and give you a heads up about crowd levels and wait times.
This has the potential to make your trip go smoother and help get you on rides with a shorter standby wait time. But we’ll have to wait until it actually rolls out to see how effective it is.
Both this service and the Disney Genie+ service are expected to premiere this fall.
The Disney Genie+ (Paid)
Lightning Lanes
This is basically the new name for FastPass in Disney World. Every place that used to be a FastPass entrance is now a lightning lane entrance.
The bad news: You now have to pay for this access. Like we discussed, in the past, FastPass came free with any park ticket. With the introduction of Genie+, this service is no longer free.
Additionally, you no longer book your rides 60 days in advance. Now, you book when you get to the park. Or, if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort, you can book at 7 AM the day of.
There are two options for guests to choose from in the Disney Genie+.
Option 1: The FastPass equivelent
This is the service that is the more obvious replacement for FastPass+. For $15 per ticket per day, you can have the opportunity to book a lightning lane spot in 40 rides in Disney World.
This will be built into the My Disney Experience App, similar to how FastPass was in the past. You’ll be able to book as many as you’d like, however you can only book one at a time.
So, you have to use your current lightning lane reservation before you book another. This is a bit like the older FastPass with the paper tickets that Disney World used before upgrading to the FastPass+ system.
If you have a park hopper ticket, you can book rides in different parks.
Option 2: Pay Per Ride
This is an option that’s reserved for Disney World’s most popular rides. In this case, you will have the option in the app to purchase a ride time. This will be separate from/in addition to Option 1. So far we know this is likely to include Rise of the Resistance, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train.
The full list of rides hasn’t been announced, nor do we know the price of each ride. Though, it appears that the prices may vary depending on how busy the park is.
You’ll be able to choose up to two of these rides per day.
What this DOES NOT mean
This does not mean that you HAVE to pay to ride the rides. You’re only paying to use the reduced wait Lightning Lanes.
You can still use the standby lines just like always.
It’s also worth noting that there will still be free boarding groups for those Option 2 rides like Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, but if you don’t get a boarding group, you’ll be able to purchase a Lightning Lane spot.
My Thoughts on the Disney Genie+
I have mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand, it feels like Disney is really starting to nickel and dime its guests. Staying at a Disney World resort used to get you a lot of free extras that made it worth the cost. But this year, they’ve taken away magic bands, extra magic hours, Fastpass+, and the Magical Express is on the way out.
And sure, they’re giving resort guests an extra half hour at any park in the morning, but as someone who likes to sleep a little on vacation, this isn’t a big perk for me. Neither is getting up at 7AM to book my first lightning lane.
On the other hand, the fact that it’s a paid service means fewer people are likely going to use it. Time is money in Disney World. Paying fifteen extra dollars a day to truly maximize your time might actually be worth it if you can zip through most of the more popular rides. But this is something else that we’ll have to wait and see once the app rolls out.
Overall, I’m not a fan of this latest decision, but I’m open to the possibility that it might be worth its value.
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: What are your thoughts on the Disney Genie+? Tell us about it in the comments!