It’s been a few years since Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes debuted in Disney World, but you know what? It’s STILL very confusing to a lot of people!

We get it — sometimes we get confused, too, especially when Disney changes something about the service. Basically, Disney Genie is just a free planning tool to help you navigate your day in the parks, while Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are ways to pay to skip standby lines at many rides and access the Lightning Lane. However, the Individual Lightning Lane option is separate from Genie+ (we told you it was confusing). So, we’re going to try to clear up the rules you need to know about the Individual Lightning Lane option.

If you pay for Genie+ in Disney World, you’re essentially paying to access the Lightning Lane (the old FastPass line) for many of Disney World’s rides, but not all of them. The full list of rides covered with Genie+ can be found HERE. Some of Disney World’s most popular rides, though, use the Individual Lightning Lane option, which means you can’t use the Lightning Lane to ride them just by purchasing Genie+. Instead, you have to pay a separate price per ride for those attractions.

Yep, it’s still a bit confusing. Genie+ and the Individual Lightning Lane option are two separate things. You do not have to purchase Genie+ to purchase the Individual Lightning Lane option (or vice versa, for that matter). The Individual Lightning Lane is offered for the following rides in Disney World:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom
• TRON Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT
• Avatar Flight of Passage in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

You can access these Disney World attractions via the “faster” line (the old FastPass line), now referred to as the Lightning Lane.

Before you use the Individual Lightning Lane option, though, there are some rules you need to know.

You can only buy ONE Individual Lightning Lane per attraction per day.

If you think you can buy Individual Lightning Lane access several times in one day for the same attraction, think again. No, you can’t buy a ride on Flight of Passage twice in one day (although you can buy an Individual Lightning Lane AND also use the free standby line). You’re only allowed to use the Individual Lightning Lane at an attraction ONCE per day. 

So keep that in mind if you’re trying to decide if you want to ride an attraction more than once. As we said, you can ride an attraction via its standby line as many times as you’d like in a day.

You Should Always Buy This Cheap Individual Lightning Lane in Disney World. Here’s WHY

You can only buy TWO Individual Lightning Lanes per day.

Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you’re park hopping, is that you are only allowed to buy two Individual Lightning Lanes per day. So, if you’re visiting Magic Kingdom, you could buy BOTH Individual Lightning Lane selections, but you would NOT be able to park hop and buy another one elsewhere.

Likewise, if you’re hopping to several parks in one day with Individual Lightning Lane attractions, you’re limited to buying just two, so you’ll want to consider what your priority rides are.

Every Disney World Ride That Will Have an Individual Lightning Lane in 2024

Some Individual Lightning Lane attractions also have a virtual queue.

Some Disney World attractions also offer the option to sign up for the FREE virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app. This is common for some of the newer rides. At the moment, you can try to get a virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and TRON Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom.

Note that the virtual queue often fills up quickly, so if you want to ride those popular new attractions, make sure to wake up early and be prepared to join the virtual queue right when it opens.

Learn all about how virtual queues work here

WHEN you can buy an Individual Lightning Lane depends on where you’re staying.

If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel or other select hotels, you can buy your first Individual Lightning Lane at 7AM on the day of your park visit. This includes those staying at Disney-owned hotels, as well as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin and Shades of Green.

However, if you’re staying elsewhere, you’ll have to wait until the park opens to buy your first Individual Lightning Lane.

BEWARE: You’ll Face a NEW Problem With Virtual Queues and Individual Lightning Lanes in Disney World in 2024

The price will vary.

Another thing you need to know is that the price for the Individual Lightning Lane option varies depending on the ride and how busy the parks are. The serivce is subject to surge pricing, meaning if the parks are really busy, the price of the Individual Lightning Lane option will be higher than when the parks are less busy.

Here’s an idea of how prices for Individual Lightning Lanes can vary:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – $10 – $12 per person
• Flight of Passage — $11 – $16 per person
• Rise of the Resistance – $15 – $25 per person
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — $14 – 17 per person
• TRON Lightcycle / Run — $20 per person

Why One Disney World Lightning Lane Is Better Than All the Rest

You can’t modify an Individual Lightning Lane in the app once it’s paid for.

If you change your mind about an Individual Lightning Lane, you can’t change or cancel your reservation for that ride once it’s made. If you don’t show up for your reservation, you will not receive a refund. However, if the ride goes down when you’re supposed to board it, you may get a refund if the reservation can’t be rescheduled or the ride stays down for the rest of the day.

However, note that you will not automatically be refunded. You’ll need to speak with a Cast Member at Guest Relations if you want a refund for a ride that remains closed for the rest of the day.

How and Why You’ll Pay For Individual Rides in Disney Genie+

We hope this clears up some of the confusion about Individual Lightning Lane and gives you an idea of how it works and what you can and can’t do.

Stay tuned to DFB for more!

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What Individual Lightning Lane options do you always get in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!