A LOT is changing in Disney World, and no, we’re not even talking about everything that changed at EPCOT, the Magic Kingdom expansion, or the DinoLand re-theme in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Lightning Lane at Peter Pan’s Flight
Nope, we’re talking about Genie+, which will soon STOP being Genie+ and instead be called Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, with Individual Lightning Lane becoming Lightning Lane Single Pass. With the name change also comes a lot of other changes, and if you’re confused, well, it’s okay, because it is A LOT. But we’re going to give you a complete guide about the new service so that you’ll be a pro when it begins on July 24th.
Lightning Lane Multi-Pass
Lightning Lane Multi-Pass is a paid service that lets you bypass standby lines at rides and enter their Lightning Lane. It’s basically the new name for Genie+, but it comes with some changes. One of the biggest changes is that you will be able to purchase Lightning Lane Multi-Pass BEFORE YOUR TRIP and make three advance Lightning Lane selections in the park of your choice. Disney World hotel guests will be able to make Lightning Lane selections seven days before their trip, while everyone else can make those selections three days before their trip.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
For advance selections, rides will be placed into tiers for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, (Disney’s Animal Kingdom will not have the tier system). Two tiers of rides will be available. You’ll be able to make an advanced Lightning Lane selection for one ride in the first tier, and then two more from the second tier. Or you can choose three rides from the second tier. Here’s how the tiers break down:
Magic Kingdom
Choose one attraction:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Choose two attractions (or three if you choose none above):
- The Barnstormer
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
Under The Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
EPCOT
Choose one attraction:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
Choose two attractions (or three if you choose none above):
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Living With the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Slinky Dog Dash
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Choose one attraction:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
Choose two attractions (or three if you choose none above):
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play and Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Star Tours
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania
Toy Story Mania
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Choose three attractions:
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest — Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Na’vi River Journey
Kilimanjaro Safaris
On the day of your visit to that park, once you use one selection, you can immediately make another one based on what’s still available in the My Disney Experience app (similar to how Genie+ currently works). Pricing for Lightning Lane Multi-passes depends on surge pricing, so the prices could vary from day to day.
Lightning Lane Single Pass
Lightning Lane Single Pass will work like the Individual Lightning Lane selection and it will basically work the same way as the current Individual Lighting Lane system works, save for one big change — you’ll be able to make your Lightning Lane Single Pass purchases BEFORE your trip and plan your selections in advance. You are basically paying an additional fee per ride for attractions that offer this option.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
The full list of attractions that will have the Lightning Lane Single Pass option available are as follows:
Magic Kingdom:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
EPCOT
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Flight of Passage
Note that the price for each Lightning Lane Single Pass selection is dependent on surge pricing, so the prices could vary from day to day. As with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, those staying at a Disney World hotel will be able to plan their Lightning Lane Single Passes up to seven days in advance for their entire stay (up to 14 days), with all other guests being able to plan three days in advance.
Note that you will be also able to purchase both your Lightning Lane Multi-Passes and your Lightning Lane Single Passes in advance all at once.
Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
These changes will roll out in Disney World on July 24th, so keep that in mind if you’re visiting after that time. We’ll continue to answer any questions you might have about the new system, so stay tuned to DFB for more.
Answering Your 12 BIGGEST Questions About Disney World’s Huge Genie+ CHANGES
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Does this mean that virtual queues are going away?
Hi Jill! Virtual Queues will likely still exist, but the way they’re doing Lightning Lanes is changing.
Will people be able to choose lightning lanes in advance across multiple parks for park hopping ticket days?
Are the rides on the individual lighting lanes (Tron, Guardians, Rise of the Resistance, etc) be just a pay to ride or will there be stand-by lanes also? What will happen with those rides during special events (after hours, extended evening hours, holiday parties)? Some have virtual queues you get on at 6:00 and others are just hop on because attendance in the parks is low. Do we have any ideas about the cost of each individual lighting lane? I like some of those rides but I am not sure I like them enough to buy an individual lighting lane after park tickets, hotel, special events tickets, etc. If I go to a special event should I prioritize those rides so I don’t have to buy an individual lighting lane on top of everything else? Thank you!
Just wondering what kind of response your hearing about that international guests who use the new multi-pass system can not book any advance lightning lanes until they get to the park, giving us fewer chances getting the times we want let alone the rides.
This was never an issue in the past.
Do you think they’ll change this anytime soon.
Thanks for your time.
Jennifer Davies
( a Canadian Disney fan)
I’ve heard that international guests will not be able to make any ride reservations until they’re actually in the US. Is this true? Many thanks!
Hi Emma! As of right now that is true. Disney has not said yet whether they plan to change this, but we are always keeping an eye on it.
Hi Jennifer! We are keeping a close eye on the situation and will report if we hear about any changes.
Hi Arica! We don’t have all the answers at this time. Disney hasn’t said what the price will be or if any rides that are currently Individual Lightning Lanes will switch to standby. I do know that TRON and Guardians will be able to be purchased as a Lightning Lane Single Pass. Disney previously told us that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure would be a Virtual Queue so I don’t think those are going away either. We will post more information as we receive it and/or are able to test the new system out ourselves on July 24th.
This is not “line skipping”. You don’t go to the head of the line. You wait in a shorter, and possibly faster moving line, but it’s still a line. People who have never been to Disney take the term “line skipping” literally.
Do you have to pay for the lightning lane multi pass the entire length of stay. We usually stay on Disney property for 20plus days
Hi Jennifer! Yes, you would need to purchase it for each day you want to use it. You’re not required to purchase it if you don’t think you will use it one day, however. Let’s say you have a rest day built in to your trip where you won’t be going to any parks, you wouldn’t need it that day so only purchase it for the days you think you will use it.
Do you have a guide like this for the Disneyland parks?
I can hardly wait for this to go live! Then you all at DFB can show us exactly what it’s going to look like, how it’s going to work and any tips you can give us. Then when all the kinks and glitches are worked out I will know exactly what to do when I book my Multi Passes in a few months. Yay!
We will absolutely be reporting on how to use it so stay tuned!
Are the other perks of purchasing Genie+ continuing to be included like the AR lenses and ride photos?
Another nail in the coffin for us international travellers. If it remains the same as published there will be slim pickings for us after our arrival especially if staying off site.
Hi Kim! Disney’s website says: “Enjoy photo perks. Receive digital downloads of select attraction photos and videos from your day, captured with Disney PhotoPass Service. Plus, access Disney PhotoPass Lenses. Disney PhotoPass Terms and Conditions”
Can you select the same ride multiple times or is it a one and done thing? For instance we ride Buzz at 10AM and then decide to try again at 2:30PM, if the time is open can we reserve it? I’m hearing mixed signals
Hi Dave! Unfortunately you can only choose a ride one time.
Quick question. Back in the day with the three fastpass+ reservation. You were able to make three reservations but those could not overlap. Meaning I had 3 ready to go, one from 9:00-10:00, one from 10:00-11:00 and the last one from 11:00-12:00. When I used my last fastpass+ reservation at 11:03 I was able to book new experiences and I could refresh until I got the best times. I did 13 fastpass+ reservations in one day once.
(I walked in to pirates at 11:45, scanned the fastpass at the start and immediately started looking for a new ride while in line, managed to get Splash Mountain at 8pm. Did a refresh and got 4pm did a couple more refreshes and got a 12:15 time.)
Now my question is, can the reservations you make, overlap? If your reservations can’t overlap, wouldn’t it be worth it to run through all three of your reservations so you can make a new reservation at a time that would normally not be possible. See my experience from fastpass+ from a couple of years ago.
Hi Mitchell. When we tested it, it would let us overlap them when we modified them.
Just wondering if you know at what time seven days before your trip you will be able to make the reservations? 12:01 AM? 7:00 AM? Some other time?
Hi Frank. You can begin making those selections at 7am ET.
Hi DFB Gigi!
One thing I can’t figure out is if I have to pay for one day at a time for my six days or if it will let me pay for all of them at the end? If so, will my selections hold until the end till I pay or is there a chance I would lose them? I know I only get 5 minutes but is that 5 minutes a day or 5 minutes for the whole week? I can’t imagine they would think I could get through six days in five minutes.
Hi Penny! It’s 5 minutes to make all of your selections for every day you’re purchasing for, not 5 minutes each day, unfortunately. You will pay right after you’ve made all of your selections so the selections will hold for that 5 minute timeframe.