Disney Genie+ launched back in October of 2021, but it has since seen several changes!
Lightning Lane at Kilimanjaro Safaris
The paid system replaced Disney’s previously free FastPass program. Now, you have to pay $15 per day, per person to use Genie+, which allows you to make reservations to skip the lines of certain Disney World attractions using the Lightning Lanes. Disney has been making changes periodically to the system, and now, MORE changes are on the way!
Starting on June 8th, you will ONLY be able to buy Disney Genie+ on the DAY OF your visit to the parks. You will no longer be able to buy the service pre-arrival as a ticket add-on for dates remaining in 2022 and in 2023.
Everest Lightning Lane
So, going forward, you will only be able to buy Genie+ through the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit (starting at midnight), one day at a time. Currently, if you buy Genie+ ahead of your trip, you have to buy it for ALL the days that you have theme park tickets.
Splash Mountain Lightning Lane
Disney says this adjustment will help manage the incredibly strong demand guests have shown for Disney Genie+.
Lightning Lane
If you have already bought Disney Genie+ for ticket dates later this year, you will still be able to use the service during your visit. So basically, if you want to book Genie+ for your whole stay in the future, you need to do it before June 8th!
Frozen Ever After Lightning Lane sign in EPCOT
Also note that this change will ONLY be happening at Walt Disney World, not Disneyland Resort. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news and updates!
Click here to learn more about 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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Will you be using Disney Genie+ on your next Disney World trip? Tell us in the comments!
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Is it me or they just keep making it more difficult. Not only do I have to wake up at 7 on the day of, book my lightning lane passes, decide if I want to purchase the individual rides, purchase them, now I have to purchase the lightning lane in it’s entirety the morning of? I find it so stressful booking this type of stuff while on vacation and this only adds to it. I came back form Disney Easter week, alarm set at 6:50AM each morning after long nights out at the parks, grab my phone load the app, keep refreshing at 7AM. Worse you go to reserve a ride and it fails, your back to square one, refreshing the app, then your hearts sinks OMG the individual lane attraction I am paying $15 says it not available, was I to late? Did it sell out? Beyond frustrating. When my kids are grown and magic is gone so will be my trips to Disney along with our family DVC.
Ok! So do you think they can sell out of available Genie+ opportunities?
They must have a staff dedicated to making a WDW visit more and more complicated.
WHY ARE THEY MAKING US WORK SO HARD TO RELAX??? Seriously!!! More work for us to do while paying you more?? I’m so confused on why this is supposed to be helpful to us?!???? I don’t want to stay up until midnight EVERY NIGHT just to PAY THEM!!! This is madness.
That’s bizarre. Why make it harder to book your first lightning at 0700?
Thanks for the info, we’re coming to WDW on 6/12 so this is good to know. As far as the incredibly strong demand rationale for this change… didn’t Disney just say according to their own figures that 2/3rds of their guests are NOT buying DG+? There will no doubt be a spike in purchases as Disney tries to get people to commit now so they don’t have to do make these purchases early every single morning of their… should I still call it vacation?
If guests do want to purchase it after 6/8, on top of the growing list of everything else we have to do the morning of, each day of our park visit, we now have this task. Prepare, upcoming run-on sentence: They’re dumping a lot on people expecting them to handle getting up early, battle a Hunger- Games style contest to get rides/attractions booked the same time as everyone else is instead of six months earlier like we used to do so we could actually plan to be on the same side of the park for a FP ride that’s going to be close to our dining res, also made six months out, get the kids up, dressed, fed, to the parks, and be in the Florida sun while still staring at their phones all day. Have a magical day! Whew, I promise not to do that again… unless Disney makes me. Is it possible that we’re just seen as mindless bags of money made to accommodate what’s best for them? Would they want to do their vacation this way?
I don’t say all this just to vent, but in the hope that somehow, someway, a Disney rep or someone who knows one, will actually read this and be moved back to sanity and change things. That’s the magic I’d like to see…
Can Disney possibly suck any more than it already does? My wife and I were resident annual pass holders for years and are glad we relinquished them during the Disney Covid mismanagement debacle. We wouldn’t go back to WDW if they offered us free lifetime passes.
That’s a terrible idea.
Why does Disney insist on giving me decision anxiety during my vacation? I’m fine with “Do I want a dole whip or cheeseburger spring roll or maybe both?” as a vacation decision but buying genie for a family of 5 is expensive and really effects whether or not you can ride rides during the day in certain parks and I can’t even make this decision ahead of time? Gotta wake up at 6 am now to make sure my line up is in order?? Come on Disney, cut this tired mama a break!
Wish they would do the same for park hopping add on…one day at a time instead of your entire visit.
Why would I want to buy Genie+ for all days if I didn’t have to?
I’m curious, will there be a limit to how many genie passes are available for each day? Like is it possible to sell out by 1:00 am for the next day?
Of course, Disney is saying the change is to handle the unusually large demand for Genie+. When its the only viable option to riding a ride, people are being corralled into the Genie+ queue. Either that or miss a once in a lifetime opportunity. I live in Florida so I can go anytime I want to go. If the line is too long, I can just come back another day. Genie+ is is just another way for Disney to generate bigger revenues and higher profit margins (what is profit margin on Genie+? Well it doesn’t cost anything materially so it’s an infinite profit) I vote to go back to free Fast Passes. We already pay a fortune to get into the parks – why should we have to pay extra to enjoy the attractions. Maybe they just need to bring back the A,B,C,D & E-Tickets. I think I still have a booklet.
I wonder if you will be able to book G+ at 12am but not be able to submit your picks for the day until 7am still.
What about ILLs? Curious if those will still not open until 7am.
They’re just Taking the magic away little by little . Very sad
So how do you go about adding to tickets for July before June 8th?. Can I do it on the app or have to call Disney?
Does anyone smell ‘surge pricing’ for Genie+? I dunno why else they would do this. So now, will I have to stay up past midnight to buy it and then get up at 7am for the Individual premium lightning lanes? Sheesh.
I’m so sad that there doesn’t seem to be any backtracking with a system that is incredibly unpopular. And now I guess guests will have to be up at midnight to buy Genie+, then up at 7 to book rides? I don’t know if it would actually sell out before morning, but who knows. Or is this a way to force those with reservations to buy it in advance for every day, and then once day to day purchasing is the option, make more tweaks? I wish our trip didn’t fall in what seems to be a period of trial and error for WDW.
I bought GENIE plus once and got two rides from it. It’s not worth the money. I miss the free fast pass system. Everything Disney has done the last two years has made things worse.
All I can say is BRING BACK THE FREE FAST PASS SYSTEM! Now I know that it’s is a dream, or modify this ridiculously complicated Genie+ system to mirror the old Fast Pass system and we can just pretend that we don’t know we are paying for the old perk. Remove the restrictions and allow multiple reservations at one time. I hate spending all day on my phone when I am on vacation!
When I see something like this, it always makes me wonder if it means a price increase is coming. What do you guys think? Is Genie+ popular enough to warrant increasing the price? I know it is $20 at Disneyland, maybe they up it to $20 for Disney World too.
It is uncharacteristic to shift from advance purchases to day of purchases only. I have a feeling this is so that Disney can more easily make adjustments to Genie+ without having people yelling who pre-purchased. Considering that Genie+ is new and there has been a lot of feedback, it seems likely that modifications are likely during the first couple of years. This adjustment makes it easier to make changes.
I think this is actually a much better system than forcing guests to purchase Genie+ for their entire visit. You might only want it for one or two parks. Of course you have to stay up until midnight to book it but at least those who just want it for one day can do so.
What a joke Disney has become! So now I have to stay up till midnight to buy Genii+ then get up early at by 7:00 to book them. I less thing I can do ahead. I’m so happy that Disney has made it so easy to never to go there again. Maybe if management changes?
Stupid system it’s only a money maker for Disney. No thought is given to the guests. The whole system should scrapped.
More hassle. Now even if you were going to buy Genie + for your trip, you have to wait and buy it every day ! Are people really going to be forced to stay up till midnight to buy their Genie+ in case WDW limits the number sold ( like Universal does when it runs out of express passes for the day). What a crock!
WTF is their angle now? So stay up to midnight to grab G+ and then up at 7 to grab other rides? I truly detest Disney even more. You’ve outlaid a ton of money on air, hotel, tickets -then hope that G+ will allow you utilize your stay to its fullest – and now that might not happen if you aren’t up or fast enough to grab a slot.
Disney thinking up new ways to make my vacation stressful and frustrating
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I don’t get it. Why make it more inconvenient? So now you have to wait up until midnight to get it every night and then wake up before 7 to reserve your first ride?
This is totally opposite as yo what a VACATION should be! Getting a large family out the door at 7:00am and booking rides ? Are you serious?!
The next time we go is this December. After that our very frequent family trips will be over until there’s a positive management change.
Costa Rica here we come!
To to experience new horizons at a much cheaper price!
Thank you Disney, for helping me cut the proverbial Disney umbilical cord!
Lol, no one wants this. Nobody likes the changes…I love the wording that Disney feels that Genie+ has had such an overwhelming popularity, when in reality, it’s quite the opposite. This is why, a family that has been AP for a decade, has decided enough is enough. We aren’t going this year. After this last years trip we decided the magic is gone and so are we. I can’t even enjoy the DTB videos anymore because they’re beginning to sound more and more like a boardroom strategic meeting than how to have fun on vacation. I miss the days before Chapek. But it’s never going to be what it was. I’m only 40, but I’m just over it. Not fun anymore.
Just, No.
I thought there would be more comments about being able to add Genie+ when ever you wanted to what ever day of your trip with this new rule. As opposed to being forced to buy it for every day of your trip with the old rule. We may use Genie+ but we don’t want it every day we are there. As long as you have a legit reservation for a park you won’t be denied buying Genie+ in the morning prior to picking your selection at 7 am. Why stay up past midnight the day before to buy it? I have to be up at 7 am anyway to use Genie +, I’ll buy it at 6:30/6:45.
I’m heartbroken; all of the pixie dust is gone. I’ll bet Mr Disney is heartbroken as well. 😥
I see a lot of disappointment and complaining, understandably so. That’s why my wife and I relinquished our resident annual passes two years ago. We did something material in protest of Disney’s draconian Covid mismanagement and never-ending price increases for less, and poorer, entertainment options with ever-increasing crowds.
My advice, STOP GOING TO WDW AND PURCHASING ANYTHING DISNEY-RELATED! They seem intent on hitting us where it hurts most (our wallet), so let’s return the favor. Consider Universal instead. At least it appears their management hasn’t gone completely off the deep end.
Booked a fall trip through the WDW website and tried to call Disney to add genie plus to our trip before the 8th June cut off date. Took 6 hours to get through to a number where someone would help us just because we live in mainland Europe.
It was not possible to add Genie plus because for their UK office (that Disney booked us through -not our choice) they claim they could only add it until the day before my call. We are also blocked from add on’s in My Disney experience.
Seriously considering cancelling our trip and going elsewhere.
What if I buy a 6 day park ticket with Genie+ now… And while on my trip, I want to add 1 day, will Genie+ be available/included in the purchase ?
Still have a set of several days of the old non-expiration tickets (lived on special entrance days like Halloween Party last few times) but still holding off on booking. none of these changes – park reservations, genie+, etc., look good at all. Planning to wait for a recession and demand goes down to hopefully wring out some of these policies, or at least make them more tolerable with fewer crowds.
Here’s an idea. How about some NEW management in the upper echelons of Disney. Seems like the latest guy, glints of greed reflecting from his head, is a little too happy making WDW guests uncomfortable.
I’m not going back until rides are able to be booked in advance. Too much stress getting up at 7, not knowing which rides will be available, then having to be on my phone all day trying to reserve more rides. I think it would be impossible to coordinate with dining reservations and have a enjoyable time.
I think it’s funny that they say “increased demand”. How is it demand if it’s forced on you?
As I’ve said many times, I would GLADLY PAY for FastPass+.
I doubt that I will pay for Genie+ as it is much inferior to FP+.
Remember the days, once upon a time, when you could plan your Disney trip ahead of time and then just show up and enjoy it? I loved those times.
I hope Disney reads this so they can see from the comments that this “incredibly strong demand” for Genie+ is not because guest are feeling love for it. I’m sensing a lot of frustration, feeling forced to use it, and sadly, departure. We found it so stressful we stopped using it, even though one of us had prepaid. We enjoyed the days we didn’t use Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane so much more. I don’t think Disney will go back to the free Fastpass because Genie+ is raking in the money, but I do hope they will at least find a way to make it “plus” our trip by adding magic instead of adding a ton of stress.
So many things to be unhappy about. Not to mention you pay a fortune for rooms that you have to do your own housekeeping for. How is it that the price goes up for rooms, but what you get for the price goes WAY down?