When Disney announces big news, we hear it all. People tell us they’re thrilled. People tell us they’re furious. People tell us they’re booking a trip ASAP. Others say they’ll never go to Disney World again. From new rides like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to holiday events like Jollywood Nights, it’s safe to say people have some strong opinions about what’s happening in Disney World.
Magic Kingdom
But recently, Disney dropped some BIG news about the future of Genie+. For one thing, it’s getting a NEW name. The service will be called Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Genie+) and Lightning Lane Single Pass (formerly Individual Lightning Lane). The Multi Pass will be like a combination of Genie+ and FastPass+ (Remember that? This was the FREE version), allowing people to preplan their Lightning Lane reservations before stepping foot in Disney World.
Starting on July 24th, there will be several changes to the Lightning Lane service that is currently part of Disney Genie. As we mentioned, Disney Genie+ is now Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and Individual Lightning Lanes are now Lightning Lane Single Pass. In addition, Disney announced that as of July 24th, you can:
- Make Lightning Lane plans BEFORE you’re in Disney World
- Choose your experiences and times prior to purchasing
- Book Lightning Lane passes for multiple vacation days, all in a single day
©Disney
The big perk comes in for people staying in a Disney World hotel. If you’re staying on Disney property, you will be able to plan Lightning Lane reservations up to seven days in advance for your entire stay (up to 14 days). All other guests can plan up to three days in advance. If you do NOT live in the U.S. (regardless of where you are staying during your vacation), you cannot book Lightning Lanes until you arrive in America.
Kali River Rapids Lightning Lane sign in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
OK, that covers the basics. If you want to learn more about the new system (including details on the tier system), you can check out our full guide below.
Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disney World
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We got HUNDREDS of responses, but most can be categorized into a few key takeaways.
Group #1: “We’ll Miss Genie+.”
Sure, Genie+ was pretty controversial when it first launched. It was the first time Disney was making people PAY to skip the lines. But, turned out some people didn’t mind Genie+!
Genie+
In fact, DFB reader Michele (and many others) said, “I was just getting the hang of Genie +!!”
Group #2: “We Hate PAYING for This!”
Naturally, lots of fans expressed their frustration about the price. DFB follower Dawn said, “Feels kind of like paying for the fast pass system that was free, once upon a time.”
Genie+
We saw a lot of comments that mentioned the price, like Nanci, who said, “With the amount of money spent on a Disney vacation, only to have to spend more money to hopefully enjoy the rides is ridiculous!”
Group #3: “We’re EXCITED!”
On the other hand, lots of people seemed VERY happy about the changes. Christine said, “I’m thrilled that I don’t have to wake up early every day of vacation. I think there’ll be learning curve like with any new system. I’m interested to see what effect it has on the availability of tier 1 rides.”
Lightning Lane
Anglia agreed, explaining that she thinks the new service will be “Similar to fast pass. Fast pass worked great previously! I’m ready for it. Been going to Disney for 33 years, 3-6 times a year. I’ve been there for soooo many of the changes. Genie +, I’m glad to see you go.”
Lightning Lane
Overall, most people told us they were happy to be able to sleep in again on vacation — no more waking up at 7AM to book those Lightning Lanes each day of your trip! For those who like to plan ahead, this seems like a positive change.
Group #4: “We’re reserving judgment.”
Some people, like DFB reader Jeff, are reserving judgment. “I think we’ll have a better idea when it goes live. Something tells me there will be some fine tuning, but overall it’s a step towards what the old system used to be.”
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
If there’s one thing we know about Disney, it’s that new things take time to run smoothly. Back when Genie+ first launched, there were all kinds of bugs and errors. But, over time, Disney was able to get things working pretty smoothly! We’ll be sure to keep our eyes out for any issues when Lightning Lane Multi Pass debuts. Look out for more details!
Group #5: “We Don’t Like It!”
Naturally, there were some people who told us they are NOT happy with the changes.
©Disney
DFB reader Debbie pointed out, “I see it as a problem for spur of the moment trips,” while Melissa pointed out, “It’s now harder for international guests! (Australia) leave it at genie+, at least we had a chance!”
We explain what you need to know if you’re an international Disney World visitor here!
Kim commented, “Walt is rolling in his grave,” while Dawn called the updates a “Big Fail for Disney.” We heard from a LOT of readers who live outside the U.S., and everyone seemed to agree with Rachel’s sentiment: “As a Canadian, overlooked and angry.”
Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
If you don’t follow us on Facebook, we highly recommend visiting our profile and giving us a follow! That way, you can be part of the conversation. Now, let us know YOUR thoughts in the comments below! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
We Have BAD NEWS About Disney World’s New Genie+ Changes
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I basically don’t like that Disney punishes those with less. Fastpass was a great idea, reserve a spot in a line then go on/do something else, but it really made the parks seem more crowded because people didn’t wait in as many lines. Would it have made more sense to just redesign the lines to make people WANT to spend more time in them? Vendors, bathrooms, more interactivity, more places to sit in line, etc? How bout a multi attraction line? wait in one line that leads to a few other attractions. You get off one ride and get a pass for a short line on another ride? Cover all the rides in one area over 2-3 hours, break for a meal, go to the next area.
I don’t know what the answer is, but I simply can’t do Disney at this financial level, and I really want to go again. Our first trip in 2022 was amazing (thanks dfb).
I don’t know what Epic has in store, but as a ground up designed new park, I hope they have some of their best considering crowds and line management.
You should seriously look at the official Disney Parks Instagram. It is filled with over 50,000 comments, mostly negative about the new Fast Pass, or whatever the new name is. People are not happy about this. Disney needs to start listening to their guests. BIG FAIL DISNEY!
When Fastpass+ went away, and Genie+ arrived, I figured it was the start of a long and winding road basically to get people to pay for Fastpass+. IMO the thinking was that the optics of changing from free to paid would be obscured by ‘trying something very different’ in the middle. But Disney fan memories are too long, and too many people were too unhappy with what Genie+ did to their trips, whether they used it or they didn’t use it. People are upset about all the upcharges and baseline price increases, and those things have hurt us too. But prices for everything have increased 30-500% or more over the past few years. Disney is not going to be immune to that, and the (I will not use the new name) RCID “Board” is out to make things as hard on Disney as possible, especially financially, as well. I hope people are thinking about how broader situations are impacting Disney. I don’t like the price increases either, but Disney doesn’t operate in a vaccum.
I hope they change the international visitor rule not helpful for UK visitors
Absolutely furious 😡 UK what do we have to be loyal to Disney for now, I will go Universal for a good part of our stay so Instead of Disney getting 17 days of my money maybe Universal would like some of it instead. 25yrs of coming to Disney! You can hardly keep us coming after all have to pay for mears anyway so might get dropped off at Universal, we can’t even book our dining anymore on the app since they messed with it.
The old fast pass system was free and worked fine for everyone. Disney is money hungry and will do anything to milk the last dollar from families. Disney is quickly losing its fan base. Almost everything you hear about Disney is bad. If a family of 4 spend a week at Disney and pay for the line skipping it will add about $1000 for a week. That’s crazy. Disney took away our free Disney express ride service. It raised prices for everything far more than the already outrageous rate of inflation. We now have to pay for Magic Bands. We no longer have free resort package delivery to our hotel. Disney no longer wants annual pass holders. It’s very clear Disney has chose short term profit over long term success. I don’t know why Disney would not offer free scheduling of rides. People don’t spend money when they are standing in line. The magic is gone.
What I don’t understand is WHY international guests can’t use it until they arrive in the US?
I do not like the new system due to the fact that it is almost the same. They are better off doing something similar to Disneyland Paris, where you can either decide you will worry about times all day and but the “pass” ride by ride, OR buy a full day pass, and walk on to everything like you do there with Premier Ultimate OR Universal’s system.
Yes it is expensive but no one is required to do it. So it would be better that way. This will let us pick some ahead of time and then SPEND THE WHOLE DAY ON MY PHONE after that. ****This is the part we all wanted to be removed and they missed it somehow………………….LOL
We’re furious! Being within a short drive to WDW was one of the top reasons why we moved to Central Florida 15 years ago. We always bought annual passes, the former Tables in Wonderland, etc. But when Fast Pass Plus was implemented we found that we had to wait YEARS to ride any new rides without a 2 hour wait. We dropped our annual passes and began enjoying Universal instead. When Genie+ started we decided to give WDW another chance. We LOVED the Genie+ app – we got to ride all the rides. Yes it was more expensive but it made our day so much easier and really minimized waits in line. This new system looks a lot like a reboot of Fastpass+. We are SO sorry to have just purchased another annual pass and will be considering dropping it. Can we get a refund???
I am delighted that Disney finally woke up and got rid of Genie+. The new system still has ways to go to serve all Disney fans, specifically the internationals.
One thing still fathoms me: Literally thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) were irritated by Genie+ at its very outset. It extracted tons of extra money for Disney but had very little going for it from the consumer perspective. Yet it took Disney years to react to a product that was a dismal failure. The evidence was clear barely a month after it was instituted that it did not accomplish its purpose…unless that purpose was wringing more cash from the wallets of visitors. That is did very well.
I’m kind of torn on this one!
I’m glad we won’t have to get up at 7am while on vacation, so that’s a plus!
But since Disney has done away with park pass reservations (for the most part) We did enjoy deciding the day of, or the night before, what park we wanted to do that day. I’ll be curious to see if you’ll be able to make changes to your selections if you decide to switch up what park you’re going to. Even though I’m not a local or an international guest, I worry how this will effect them! For those people, or people who decide to make changes within a day or 2 of visiting the parks, will there be anything left to choose from?
Overall I think it will be a good change. I was never a big fan of Genie +. Our next trip isn’t until April 2025, so plenty of time to see how it’s all working & functioning and get all the good tips on using it
I’m reserving judgment but I do have a question. Do we know yet at what time we can start making reservations 7 days before our arrival? Is it 7 am like if you’re in a hotel on property or is it more like an ADR and it starts at 6am?
Thank you!!
Fast pass was free …. people whined when Genie + came to town, then they gave us this upgrade allowing people to book ahead (like with fast pass) and still use it like Genie plus, and people whine even more. Get over it people, or dont and stay home, that will make it more roomy and less lines for people who know that this is better.
you need a group 6 : so confused and boy is it continuing to kill spontaneity .
Lucky I spotted this.
Today I was due to book 2 weeks at Yacht Club for next August and was especially excited to be doing so having read the recent news about not needing to wake early during our stay to book Genie+ anymore.
Then I read the news re the new Multipass about how booking 7 days in advance does not apply to overseas visitors.
Looks like a rethink is needed. Paying thousands for two rooms at a deluxe resort and it doesn’t even qualify for booking in a few rides is insane customer service.
Thank you for flagging this up.
I will always be furious that we now have to pay for fast passes. This trip I have planned for 25 is probably going to be my last one for a very long time and I could see a future where I do just universal trips with one or two magic kingdom days. That being said I am glad that they are making the system more like the old one which was in my opinion much much better. I honestly wonder if the plan the whole was to replace the free one with one so terrible that people would rejoice to pay for the old one.
My issue with the Genie+ system has been fixed! I simply wanted to be able to reserve the attractions before I go to WDW. We’re still paying more and getting less at WDW, but at least management is listening to customers’ feedback and making the additional expense more tolerable.
I prefer the FP+ system and have always said I’d rather pay for that system that works rather than Genie+ which left us with nothing to ride on several occasions. Paying to skip the line is industry wide & if you think you won’t pay to skip lines at Epic you’re fooling yourself. I think this is a huge improvement. I also think it’s fair that FINALLY Disney hotel guests are getting some actual perk. I always hated that DS hotel guests got the EMH (pre pandemic) that those of us who were spending much more to stay at a Disney hotel got. However, I’m not sure why international guest can’t have the early booking if they are staying at a Disney hotel. I’m not international but I don’t think it’s fair to offer that perk to just American traveler. Those people are spending $$ too.
It’s not the Lightning Lane that has failed. It’s Disney.
As an international visitor, this feels discriminatory. What is the point of making us wait until we are in the US to book our selections? We’ve paid just as much for our vacation as someone in the US. Probably more, when you consider flights and the fact that most international guests stay longer than domestic guests. And now even off-property guests will get to make their selections before we do, meaning all the best LLs will already be taken. Disney has basically removed any benefit for International travelers to stay on property. There’s no more free transportation from the airport, there’s no more free parking (you now have to pay to park at the resort), there’s no more sending your purchases to your hotel for pick up, and now you also don’t get to make FP reservations in advance….the only perk left is the entry 30 minutes prior to park opening, and let’s face it, that’s not that great of a perk in some cases. But the worst is that it feels like there’s no REASON to make us wait. Does it cost more for International access to the app? Is it harder to do? If there was a legitimate reason to restrict access, it might make more sense, but it doesn’t seem to have a purpose other than to discriminate against people coming from overseas.
Susan, its not discrimination
1) parking at Disney resorts (if your staying there ) is free
2) the app doesn’t work as well overseas
3) you had to wait to buy your MB too
If you want to hate and throw words like discrimination around STOP and think, when we Americans travel abroad do we have all the same perks you do as a native to your country? NO so get over it
want to go to Disney deal with it as it will be
But dont start whining and claiming Discrimination , We dont get special treatment, price cuts or even the same prices and treatment that you do as a native when visiting your country. So do you hear us whining??
get over it
From my understanding the reason this is not offered to International visitors, specifically UK/EU travellers is the consumer laws there will not allow Disney to sell a product that offers no refunds so either try with a VPN if you are interested in buying the new multi pass or take a gamble when you arrive. It’s been 9 years since our last visit so I will at least try the VPN route first just to guarantee access to a lot of rides I have not been able to do yet, but for the most part I will just have to risk it, you never know we could get lucky and the crowds are low.
Honestly couldn’t care less. It’s never going to be fair for everyone, there’s no perfect solution, even the free system had many issues. It only creates the illusion of not waiting in line, becomes obsolete not even halfway through the day , creates more issues for cast members and makes parks more crowded.
There is no solution to this except a paying system as sad and as privilege as it is. The least they could to is build toilets and install benches in the lines.
Though I don’t like the booking in advance, I never saw the point with genie+ either. I don’t want to plan my day a week in advance I want to plan it the day of or at least the day before. That would make it also fair for international guests who don’t get to have access to the service in their own country before leaving.
Jerry, wow, you are quite angry about people having an opinion, aren’t you? But that’s the way the world works….people have opinions and sometimes they will differ from yours. They have every right to have these opinions. So my advice is to get over it.
And the definition of discrimination is “treating some people different than others.” In this case overseas visitors are being treated differently than US visitors. If there’s a legitimate reason, such as another commenter pointed out in a much more polite manner about international law excluding sales without refunds, that’s a different story. But without that context, it would absolutely fit the definition of discrimination. All I asked was whether there was a reason for it or not. And I don’t even understand your comment about getting special treatment or different prices in my country, so I can’t address that. You didn’t need to be rude.
I think Disney made it fairly clear that they were going to eventually charge for FP lines. They held out much longer than Universal but it’s obviously the way it is now. Dollywood is the same too.
With that being said and personally not wanting to pay & have an extra expense, I think you just have to budget it into your trip just like any other item, food, merch, etc.
Disney & other amusement parks have found another money grab. It’s here to stay. I just question why can’t we go back to a single standby line and just all wait together as one big happy family! 🎉
Also… @Jerry L Blankenship says
July 1, 2024 at 9:17 am
1) parking at Disney resorts (if your staying there ) is free
*It’s obviously been awhile since you’ve been to Disney. They’ve been charging for overnight parking for several years, since 2018. 🙄 Blech!!
Hi Erica! Walt Disney World Resort Hotels stopped charging for overnight parking on January 10, 2024.