We got a sudden surprise earlier this week when the announcement was made that Disney Genie and Genie+ would launch in just two days at the Disneyland Resort! The complimentary planning tool, along with its paid counterpart that officially replaces FastPass+, was rolled out in Disney World back in October.

Since then, we’ve learned all of the ins and outs of both of these new programs, including how to use the free version to its full potential and which rides you should book first! Let’s see what Disney Genie and Genie+ are like in Disneyland, what the major differences are, and any NEW tips we may have learned along the way!

Signing Up For Genie and Genie+

Like Disney World, Disney Genie is complimentary for all Disneyland guests, accessible via the Disneyland App. Make sure your app is updated to use this feature! Disney Genie provides guests with customizable itineraries based on real-time data as well as personal preferences.

When it came to getting our free Genie set up, we were able to select our plans and interests, but the generated itinerary was not visible in the app until 7AM.

Genie+, however, is a paid feature that gives guests the ability to make reservations for return times at a ride’s Lightning Lane (formerly known as the FastPass lane) across nearly 20 rides at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. As of today, we could not purchase Genie+ until we entered a park, but after today you will be able to purchase Genie+ in advance along with your ticket.

Click here to read which rides are included in Genie+ at Disneyland!

Major Differences Between Genie and Genie+ at Disneyland vs. Disney World

The basics of Genie and Genie+ are nearly identical at both Disneyland and Disney World, but there are a few key differences guests need to be aware of. First, there’s the price difference. While Genie+ costs $15 per guest, per day at Disney World, it costs $5 more at Disneyland: $20 per guest, per day. 

Another big difference are the times guests can make their first Lightning Lane reservations. At Disney World, guests can make their first Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation as well as their first Individual Attraction Selections (aka pay-per-ride) at 7AM each day, and guests not staying on Disney World property can make pay-per-ride Lightning Lane reservations when the park opens.

At Disneyland, however, it’s a little different! According to Disney, guests will “be able to select the next available arrival windows to enjoy a Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction via the Disneyland app upon entering a theme park.” 

This includes the three Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes too, which are WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure and Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland Park.

While we already knew that Individual Lightning Lanes (or pay-per-ride) would cost between $7 to $20, we didn’t know what each ride would cost. As of today, Radiator Springs Racers costs $7 per person…

…and WEB SLINGERS also costs $7 per person. In contrast, Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom and Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom typically cost $7 in Disney World.

However, over in Disneyland Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance costs $20 per person for the Lightning Lane. That’s quite a price jump, especially when you consider that Rise of the Resistance costs $15 per person in Disney World!

Prices for pay-per-ride attractions could vary depending on the day, and you can make up to two Individual Lightning Lane reservations per day. Make sure to double-check the Disneyland app on the day of your visit, and keep in mind that you can’t cancel pay-per-ride reservations.

Click here to learn about how our readers feel about Genie+

Technical Issues

Around approximately 10AM PT, Disney Genie and Genie+ went down in Disneyland Resort, and a Cast Member told us they were resetting the servers. Since then, we’ve been unable to access Disney Genie in the Disneyland app, and as you can see we keep getting the “something went wrong” error. Occasionally it seemed like it would start working, only to send the error message again shortly after.

Disability Access Service (DAS) also went down, and as a result Cast Members are currently issuing physical tickets for DAS return times.

As of 1PM, we started receiving yet another message, with this one letting us know that new selections, purchases, AND modifications to Genie+ and pay-per-ride reservations are not available.

We’ll be watching out for more updates as the day continues, but so far Disneyland is off to a bit of a rough start with Genie!

Read more about Disneyland’s rocky start with Genie here!

Overall, while the service is very similar to what we have experienced in Disney World, there are still some big differences to keep in mind when using Disney Genie and Genie+ in Disneyland! We’ll keep an eye on the rollout in the days and weeks to come, providing YOU with must-know tips and tricks to mastering the programs on your next vacation.

Click here to learn more about Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection. 

Are you planning on visiting Disneyland in 2022? Let us know in the comments!