Earlier this week, Disney Genie officially launched in Disney World, and we’ve been checking it out all week long!
Festival of the Lion King Lightning Lane
On the official launch day, we sent 5 reporters into the parks to try out Disney Genie, Genie+, and the Individual Attraction Selections. They put the new systems through some rigorous testing and we were able to find the benefits, the flaws, and learn quite a bit along the way. Here’s what happened when we tried Disney Genie for the very first time!
Reporter #1
The first reporter on our list started the day at Magic Kingdom with all three systems: free Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selections (pay-per-ride). The goal here was to try and learn all the ins and outs of the system as a whole, and BOY did we learn a lot!
Let’s start out at Magic Kingdom!
We tried out the PhotoPass augmented reality lenses, purchase Individual Attraction Selections, made Genie+ reservations, listened to some of the audio experiences, AND allowed Genie to suggest things throughout our day. Basically, we got the full experience!
You can turn the castle into the 25th Anniversary castle with the PhotoPass lenses!
One of the biggest things we learned here was that the free Genie is smart, but you may still have to give it some guidance. You’ll want to make sure you load your preferences into the app ahead of time and continue to monitor the suggestions throughout the day. You can modify the Genie recommendations and swap them out, which actually helped to save us a little time!
Learn MORE about the FREE Disney Genie offering here!
Reporter #2
Our second reporter used all three systems as well. Her goal was to be the prepared Disney resort guest. She started her day in EPCOT and hopped to Hollywood Studios with the goal of hitting popular attractions in two parks!
With a Disney Resort reservation, they were able to log on at 7AM and get a boarding group for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, purchase Individual Lightning Lanes, and make their first Genie+ choice of the day. We thought it would be hectic doing all three things at once, but it went more smoothly than expected!
©Disney
With the goal of being the “prepared guest,” this reporter loaded all their plans into the Genie feature the night before, letting it know preferences for rides, experiences, entertainment, dining, and more. Using that information, Genie was able to fill in the gaps in their day incredibly effectively.
©Disney
We had an Individual Lightning Lane scheduled for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure first thing, but our first Genie+ Lightning Lane of the day wasn’t for another hour. So after we got off of Remy’s, Genie suggested that we visit Frozen Ever After due to a “low projected wait time.” We took that suggestion and it paid off for sure — the posted wait was 70 minutes but we only had to wait for 28!
Lightning Lane sign at Frozen Ever After
Thanks to the suggestions of Genie and the Lightning Lanes they booked throughout the day, this reporter was able to accomplish almost all the big attractions in EPCOT. She was even able to ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure twice since she got a boarding group and purchased an Individual Ride Selection. After EPCOT, she hopped to Hollywood Studios to ride Rise of the Resistance with another Individual Lightning Lane, and still accomplish a few other rides after that! All in all, our experience here was rather productive.
Find out how to have more than 1 Lightning Lane Genie+ Reservation at a time HERE!
Reporter #3
Person #3 was sent to Animal Kingdom to kick things off, with the main job of comparing stand by wait time, Genie= wait time, and Individual Attraction wait times throughout the day. They tested out wait times throughout the day to check their accuracy and see how they’d been affected by the addition of the Genie system.
©Disney
Here, we first decided to rope drop Flight of Passage to see how the wait time first thing in the morning compared with the wait through Individual Attraction Selections. Getting in line right at park opening time gave us a 40-minute wait for this popular attraction, but going back later with our Individual Lightning Lane was only a 7-minute wait! That saved us 63 minutes of waiting, considering the posted wait time was 70 minutes at that point.
We moved through the Flight of Passage queue very quickly with Lightning Lane!
For Expedition Everest, the park’s other Individual Lightning Lane, we experienced a completely different story. Using the Lightning Lane over there basically made no difference, as the wait time itself was posted at 10 minutes and we just barely beat the guests in the standby and single rider queues.
We ended up using Genie+ in the back half of the day to compare it with standby lines, and while we saved some time waiting in line, we would’ve still been able to accomplish most things in the park without paying extra, considering there aren’t as many attractions over there.
Learn the good, the bad, and the CONFUSING of Genie+ here!
Reporter #4
Our fourth reporter had a really unique experience throughout the day, as she was trying her best to be the guest who really didn’t understand the system just yet and didn’t use it the way it was intended. She spent her day in Hollywood Studios with the goal of hopping to EPCOT. She made her first Genie+ selection at 7AM…but it was for Slinky Dog Dash at 4PM. That’s a long time to wait!
©Disney
Through this reporter’s experiences, we were able to learn a lot more about the infamous 120-minute rule. Basically, if your Genie+ selection is scheduled for more than 2 hours away from the time you booked it, you can make another one in exactly 120 minutes (so you’re not wasting away your day!). The only time that this rule changes is if you make your first Genie+ choice before the park opening time — in that case, the 120-minute countdown starts when the park opens. Hollywood Studios opened at 9AM, so our reporter wasn’t able to make her second Genie+ choice until 11AM.
Now, remember, this reporter knows the parks like the back of her hand, and learning these new systems was a completely new experience for her. Using Genie with such later initial Lightning Lane reservation made her struggle to accomplish anything all day.
©Disney || The message you’ll get if you try to book too early
And as if the universe knew what she was trying to accomplish, she purchased an Individual Attraction Selection for Rise of the Resistance and the ride went down THREE TIMES before she got the chance to actually experience it in its entirety. So long story short, our reporter did not get on many attractions after a 4-hour wait to book her first pass and an attraction going down three times. Due to this, she did not even get the chance to hop to EPCOT!
Wondering what happens when a ride you PAID to get on goes down?! Get all the details here!
Reporter #5
And finally, let’s talk about our “do it all” reporter. One person was sent to Magic Kingdom in the hopes of accomplishing every ride in the park in one day, and they succeeded with flying colors! Using Individual Attraction Selections and Genie+ for all the rides, they allowed Genie to fill in the spaces between with other attractions, shows, entertainment, and dining.
©Disney
We finished every ride in the park around dinnertime, so we still had time to eat, watch fireworks, and redo some favorites in the standby queues if we wanted to! However, this is not necessarily a strategy that we recommend for a family on vacation — we were doing a LOT of running back and forth and there wasn’t much downtime during our actual day.
Wondering if you can CANCEL your Genie+ passes? Find out the details here!
What We’ve Learned Since Then
Since Disney Genie launched on October 19th, we’ve been in the parks testing it daily. We’ve tried to answer every question that our readers have asked, and we’ve learned quite a bit along the way.
Less Time in Line Doesn’t Mean More Rides
On our second day, we had two reporters race each other and we found that Genie+ may not get you through your must-dos faster (because you’ll have to wait for Lightning Lane options to pop up), but you might enjoy less time waiting in line and maybe more attractions and offerings overall.
Ready to skip the line?!
Genie+ Might Not Be NEEDED Everywhere
We’ve also figured out that Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections aren’t really necessary in some of the parks. Without the new systems, we still would’ve been able to accomplish most of what was available in EPCOT and Animal Kingdom, especially with the help of the free Genie and the projected wait times. But in parks like Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, where there are more rides and higher wait times, it definitely offers some advantages. Of course, this could shift depending on crowds and the time of year.
Some rides aren’t worth the extra cost!
How Staying at a Disney Resort Will Help You Get on Rise of the Resistance
Also, speaking of advantages, there are a few potential benefits to being a Resort guest if you want to ride Rise of the Resistance. Disney Resort guests get to book their Individual Lightning Lanes at 7AM, but everyone else must wait until the park opens. For the first two days, this didn’t make much difference because additional Rise of the Resistance passes became available when Hollywood Studios opened. However, today there didn’t seem to be any “extras” handed out later — by the time 9AM rolled around, the only available times were after 5PM, and within a few minutes, they were all “sold out” for the entire day. It can certainly be beneficial to snag one at 7AM!
Rise of the Resistance sells out quickly!
So that’s what we’ve experienced from Disney Genie so far! But don’t worry, we’ll continue covering the new system and offering up our thoughts, opinions, and experiments for you to learn from. Stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney World news!
Read all about Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selections here.
All About Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection
BIG Genie+ Changes Being Planned For Disney World
FULL List of Rides Included With Genie+ in Disney World
3 Tips to OUTSMART Genie+ in Disney World Right Now
Please Stop Skipping These Genie+ Hacks in Disney World (They Really Work!)
Genie+ Tips for the Most Crowded Days in Disney World and Disneyland
Click HERE to See More About Disney Genie
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Would you purchase Disney Genie+ for your trip? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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What happens if you miss your lighting lane time? Say I’m in line for Rise of the Resistance but by the time I exit the ride I’m like 5-10 minutes late for my lighting lane at Slinky Dog. Will they not let you on?
Looking for multiple members of a group using genie+ or ILL at the same to get reservation times.
Will be purchasing both for after Xmas visit 12/28 to 1/7.
Can you park hop to Epcot & pay to ride Remy’s?
Thank you to all five reporters for your hard work! It was interesting to begin to see how the new system is working. My question to you all is how does the Genie free or the Genie+ affect the special needs category of visitors? Previously we would visit a ride, get a return time, and go up the Fastpass lane (now called the LL). Are we now just standing in the lines or just paying the LL prices? I would love you to do an article on Genie for those of us who are differently-abled.
I will not purchase Genie+ or any other additional ride fee for my trip in April 2022. This is a disgrace to charge more than my admission ticket to do any or all rides. I am a real Disney fan, I even have stocks in Disney. But I am furious that they are doing this. Prices have gone up in all areas so to do this extra $ for rides makes me furious. I have been to Disney World for conventions & pleasure throughout the years but now I’m bringing my grandchildren. I think Disney is being greedy & money hungry and I hope they come to their senses soon.
Holly, the Disability Access System (DAS) has seen some upgrades with the addition of Genie to the My Disney Experience app. But Disney is also maintaining the “old” way to do it, as you’ve described. Here’s what you’ll want to know about what’s NEW with DAS. DAS users can now register pre-arrival (2-30 days before they arrive) online via My Disney Experience. This will be via video chat with a Cast Member. In addition to pre-registering, they’ll be able to select TWO attractions per day of their trip to book DAS return times. So that’ll start users out with two DAS selections per day. Once onsite, like I said, you can do it the “old” way where you go up to the attraction, talk to the CM, and get a return time that is equivalent to the current Standby time. You’ll return and access the ride just like before but using the Lightning Lane since that’s the new name for that queue. There is a SECOND way to get return times, though, once you’re in the Parks. Starting with trips that begin November 1, DAS users will be able to book a return time — one at a time, just like the “old” system — right in the app. So they won’t need to navigate to the attraction and speak to a CM, which could add a lot of backtracking and extra steps/inconvenience. Now users can select a return time in the app, go to the attraction at that return time, tap in with the CM or tapstile at the ride entrance, and experience the attraction. As soon as they tap in or scan in with the CM, they can make their next DAS return time selection in the app. (And, again, they’ll also have two pre-made selections if they opted to register pre-arrival using My Disney Experience, too.) Does that help? DAS users will NOT be required to purchase Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selections unless they wish to do so. They’ll still be able to wait out the queue (essentially what the return time allows them to do) without having to stand in the potentially lengthy Standby queues. The self-selection tool in the app could really be helpful, I think, though.
AngieApplegate, if you plan to Park Hop to EPCOT, you can purchase the Individual Attraction Selection in the morning and select an after-2PM return window. There’s no restriction on where you can purchase your IAS. (If you want to do Virtual Queue, though, you’d have to have an EPCOT Park Pass reservation in order to book one of those.)
Brittney, I think you’d be fine in this scenario.
But are DAS allowed to repeat rides?
DJ Moves, I would imagine so, since DAS isn’t “skipping” a line; it’s waiting out the Standby queue time elsewhere. However I can’t be 100% sure. You could try calling Disney to confirm.
Thank you for the detailed information on DAS. I will read and re-read it to make sure I understand. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer. I read DFB everyday and make many of our plan by what you do and suggest us to do.
Holly, I’m so glad we’ve been able to help. If you have any further questions about DAS or any of the new features, let me know!