UPDATED July 24, 2024
Disney Genie and Genie+ launched in Disney World back in 2021, bringing big changes to the way we plan for (and budget) our days in the parks. Disney Genie is a complimentary service located within My Disney Experience, providing guests with customized itineraries based on real-time data and personal preferences.
Genie+, on the other hand, is a PAID service that replaced what used to be known as FastPass+. The days of booking a return time for your favorite ride at no additional cost are behind us, and guests must now purchase Genie+ if they want to experience an expedited wait.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: MAJOR Changes have come to the Lightning Lane Systems in Disney World as of July 24th, 2024. The previous Disney Genie+ Service is now Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can find information on the NEW Lightning Lane systems in Disney World HERE.
Genie+ is now Lightning Lane Multi Pass
As of July 24th, Genie+ is going away and a new skip-the-line program is available: Lightning Lane Multi Pass! Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes many of the same features as Genie+ with the bonus ability to buy and schedule Lightning Lanes before your trip! Get all the details on how to maximize Lightning Lane Multi Pass!
Learn More About Lightning Lane Multi PassEDITOR’S UPDATE: The remainder of this post covers the previous Disney Genie+ system which was in effect through July 23, 2024. You can CLICK HERE to find all the information you need for Disney World’s current Lightning Lane services.
Pricing for Genie+ varies by date, starting at $15 per day*, per ticket at Disney World (*Prices vary by date and by park), and you can purchase Genie+ on a day-to-day basis after you arrive through the My Disney Experience app.
A Disney World vacation is already a pricey endeavor, so the added $15 (and potentially MORE) per guest, per day may be a tricky cost to justify.
So, what exactly is included with that Genie+ purchase? Let’s take a look at an UPDATED list of what you’ll be able to do once you pay for Genie+.
Book Return Times for Most Rides and Attractions
The main feature of Genie+ is the ability to book return times for MOST rides and attractions in Disney World (46 rides and attractions, to be exact). This system works similarly to FastPass+ in that you are able to book a one-hour return time to hop in the ride’s Lightning Lane (the new name for the FastPass queue) and experience an expedited wait for that ride.
When you purchase Genie+, you are able to book your first Lightning Lane reservation at 7AM each day. Depending on which park you visit, you may need to act quickly as return times can fill up for the day early! From there, you are able to book additional return times when you’ve tapped into your Lightning Lane attraction OR 120 minutes have passed. So, you can fit a decent number of rides into your day with Genie+ if you strategize accordingly and the Lightning Lane wait times are agreeable.
Click here to learn more about the “120 Minute Rule” with Genie+
Here’s a full list of the rides and attractions that are currently included with your purchase of Genie+:
Magic Kingdom
- Haunted Mansion
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Mad Tea Party
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- “it’s a small world”
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Jungle Cruise
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Meet The Little Mermaid at Ariel’s Grotto
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
EPCOT
- Spaceship Earth
- Frozen Ever After
- Soarin’
- Living With the Land
- Test Track
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Mickey & Friends meet and greet at CommuniCore Hall
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Star Tours
- Tower of Terror
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Toy Story Mania
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage
- Disney Junior — Live on Stage
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Festival of the Lion King
- Kali River Rapids
- Expedition Everest — Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- DINOSAUR
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug
- Na’vi River Journey
- The Animation Experience
For all of the rides listed above, standby queues are available at no additional cost if you do not wish to purchase Genie+. It’s important to point out that guests are NOT able to re-book the same attraction multiple times throughout the day. So if your goal is to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as many times as possible, you’ll only be able to do so once via Lightning Lane — all of the other times must be via standby.
Also, keep in mind that Genie+ DOES recognize if you are Park Hopping, so you can take into account the full list of rides and attractions at each theme park when calculating the pros and cons of paying for this service.
Now, you may have noticed a few popular rides were not included in the list above — that’s because Genie+ does not include EVERY ride and attraction in Disney World. These Individual Attraction Selections are NOT included and require a separate fee if you wish to book a return time for those ride’s Lightning Lanes.
The following rides are NOT included with Genie+ and require a separate fee:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT)
- Rise of the Resistance (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
- Flight of Passage (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
Keep in mind that you do NOT have to purchase Genie+ in order to book Lightning Lane return times for the above Individual Attraction Selections.
Click here for more info on how to book a pay-per-ride attraction that does not come included with Genie+
Book Return Times For Select Character Meet and Greets
In addition to most rides and attractions, guests may also book return times for select character meet and greet experiences at Disney World with the purchase of Genie+. This feature recently rolled out, providing guests with more value built into the $15+ per guest, per day* price tag (*Prices vary by date and by park).
As of this writing, the following meet and greets are available for booking an expedited wait for using Lightning Lane with the purchase of Genie+:
- Mickey at Town Square Theater (Magic Kingdom)
- Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall (Magic Kingdom)
- Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall (Magic Kingdom)
- Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals (typically Mickey & Minnie!) at Adventurers Outpost (Animal Kingdom)
With the return of traditional character meet and greets, this is a huge benefit to Genie+. Other characters can appear at various outdoor locations in the parks throughout the day, so keep your eyes peeled. We’ll let you know if additional meet and greets are added to Genie+.
Click here to see what character meet and greets are like at Disney World right now.
Augmented Reality Photo Lenses and Audio Experiences
By purchasing Genie+ in Disney World, you’re also able to use special Augmented Reality photo lenses located within My Disney Experience.
Disney parks-themed audio experiences are also available for guests to use, which shares fun facts about the attractions and other areas surrounding you in the parks.
Click here to learn more about the Augmented Reality photo lenses that you can use when you purchase Genie+!
On-ride Attraction Photos
Additionally, guests who purchase Disney Genie+ also get FREE digital PhotoPass downloads for on-ride attraction photos taken on the day of their purchase!
That means you can download photos from Space Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, Expedition Everest and more for FREE if you have Disney Genie+ that day!
As Disney World includes more guest offerings with the purchase of Genie+, the $15 per guest, per day starting price tag* (*Prices vary by date and by park) can seem like a better value to some. Still, for many guests, it’s hard to justify paying extra for something that was once included with your park admission. No matter what your thoughts are on Genie+, we hope this was helpful in reviewing what’s included and assessing whether or not it’s worth purchasing on your next Disney World vacation.
Genie+ is now Lightning Lane Multi Pass
As of July 24th, Genie+ is going away and a new skip-the-line program is available: Lightning Lane Multi Pass! Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes many of the same features as Genie+ with the bonus ability to buy and schedule Lightning Lanes before your trip! Get all the details on how to maximize Lightning Lane Multi Pass!
Learn More About Lightning Lane Multi PassClick here to learn EVERYTHING you need to know when it comes to using Disney Genie and Genie+
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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Are you heading to Disney World in 2022? Will you purchase Genie+ for your upcoming visit? Let us know in the comments!
Shirley says
I don’t like Genie+ because I cannot choose the return time. If I have a lunch reservation at noon, I may want to book a ride before my lunch for a return time in the afternoon. However, when I looked at the available rides for me to book, they either have a return time for the next hour (because these are not popular rides) or the return time is already not available or in the evening (because they are too popular). I have to wait for hours with nothing I can book while constantly checking the app until the return time I want for a ride shows up. I wish it would be like the pastpass+ that I can at least choose a later return time for the rides instead of the first available return time.
Cheryl Seaha says
Does the cost of individual rides change everyday? Where can you find them?
Carol says
I had a question – if you buy genie plus, but no times are available for the hours you’re at that park, are you still charged. The same question for the special extra cost rides.
DFB Gigi says
Hi Carol! For Genie+ you will be charged for the day. You can always go to Guest Services if you weren’t able to use it at all to see if they can help you. For the a la carte rides, you don’t get charged unless you pick a specific ride and a specific time. Those are set at the time of purchase.
Nicole says
You are only able to book return times of times are available. We visited the week of Thanksgiving’ paid for Genie+ before our trip. We were only able to get no wait rides one day of our entire trip. It was a total waste of money.
Robin says
Question… on really busy days like during the holidays, has there been times where certain days or parks have not been available at midnight for the individual day purchase because so many people bought them for their whole trip ahead of time? Basically, do they limit how many are sold per park- per day?
George says
Do you have to wait until 7am to purchase Genie+ on the day you are visiting a park?
DFB Gigi says
Hi George! You can purchase Genie+ in advance so you don’t miss the 7am ride selections.
George says
As I understand the system, If you purchase Genie+ the day before you go to a park, you will have to pay for Genie+ for however many days ticket you have, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 10 days, So I should wait until 12:01 am on the day of my park visit to purchase Genie+ for that one park?