Since Walt Disney World reopened, fans have been waiting for quite a few offerings to return. Fast Pass is among the most talked about. Many were disappointed when Disney announced that the complementary ride reservation system would not return but would instead be replaced with an updated paid version. On the east coast, the Disney FastPass replacement system launches on October 19th, 2021. It will debut at Disneyland at a later date. Here’s a look at what it all is, how it all works and tips to get the most out of Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Note this has no relation to the Genie pass families on wish trips use to bypass lines.
What is Disney Genie?
Photo credit to @sparklynicoleole
Disney Genie is not an app itself but a complementary day planning tool within the My Disney Experience App. To get started, Genie asks you about your interests and top park picks. An algorithm considers that information, your dining reservations and other plans in My Disney Experience and makes a plan for your day that, in theory, gives you the lowest wait times. Disney says Genie operates like a navigational app and also aims to make your path the most efficient. If Genie makes a suggestion you don’t like, let it know and the plan for the day updates. If a ride goes down for weather or a wait suddenly gets longer than expected, Genie recalibrates your day again. There is also a seamless dining integration. Disney Genie makes mobile ordering, joining a restaurant walk up list or making a same day dining reservation easy to access within your day plan. Disney Genie will also display forecasted wait times. If these stay accurate, this is like gold for theme park plan efficiency whether or not you take Genie’s advice otherwise.
If an algorithm planning your day isn’t your cup of mad tea, you don’t have to use it. The My Disney Experience App will still have the overhead map with wait times. You can still use mobile order and make dining reservations in the app the same way you do now.
Disney Genie+ Price
So what about the Disney FastPass Replacement and skipping the line? Guests will need to purchase Disney Genie+. It does everything Disney Genie does but for $15 per person, per day you can use the Fast Pass entrances which are now called Lightning Lanes. Genie+ includes over forty attractions around Walt Disney World but not all of them. You do still need to reserve times for Lightning Lanes and that’s done within Disney Genie+. You can book your next one after experiencing your current reservation.
Lightning Lane Prices
Some of the most popular attractions have an additional cost for Lightning Lane access that is not included with Disney Genie+. When this is introduced, there will only be two attractions in each park that require the additional Lightning Lane cost. There is a max of two individual Lightning Lane purchases per person, per day. These can be used at different parks if you’re park hopping. Guests can purchase individual Lightning Lane access with or without the purchase of Disney Genie+. Prices for individual Lightning Lanes fluctuate like park tickets.
Sample pricing at launch includes Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at $9 per person on Tuesday, October, 19th and $11 per person on Saturday, October 23rd. On both of those dates, individual Lightning Lane prices for Expedition Everest will be $7 per person and $15 per person for Rise of the Resistance. I’m sure these will change as new experiences debut at Walt Disney World.
Updates to how the Disability Access Service works will roll out the same day.
This is a lot to take in! Disney is aiming to change the entire theme park experience with this much involvement in your plans. Using an app to give immediate recommendations and suggestions throughout the day could certainly help the overall guest flow and even out wait times. We’ll all find out at launch if Genie’s phenomenal cosmic powers can really make your Disney day better.Read more about Disney Genie on Disney’s official blog.
