BREAKING NEWS: Disney Unveils Launch Date, Pricing & More Details For New Disney Genie and Lightning Lane

Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Lightning Lane are almost here. Disney has announced the launch date of the new program and released information including sample pricing and which attractions are included in Disney Genie+ and A la Carte Lightning Lane attractions. Catch all the details below.

The Disney Parks Blog has all the details below:

What a week! “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” at Walt Disney World Resort is in full swing, as we kicked off the 50th-anniversary festivities on October 1 with all-new experiences and countless magical moments.

Disney Genie

Now, we’re gearing up for yet another milestone: We’re excited to share that the previously announced Disney Genie service will launch on October 19 at Walt Disney World Resort!

Available for all of our guests right in the My Disney Experience app, the complimentary Disney Genie service offers new features that let you create your best Disney day. These features include a personalized itinerary creator that effortlessly and smartly maps out an entire day inspired by the things you tell us you love – helping you make the most of your park time so you can have more fun.

Similar to a navigation app on your phone, Disney Genie continues to update your itinerary from morning to night as the day changes, so you can stay spontaneous and go with the flow – whether you need a nap, encounter an unexpected rain shower or want to take a detour for a Mickey ice cream bar.

Many of you have asked about how this cool new technology works. Behind the scenes, the app is capable of magically evaluating thousands of possible itineraries in seconds – so you don’t even have to think about it! Disney Genie puts guests at the center of the experience by prioritizing ways to:

• • • Reduce time in lines while keeping in mind your top picks
    • Pace your day with experiences you’ll enjoy – and haven’t already done yet
    • Build around your existing plans like dining reservations and Park Hopper® preferencesDisney Genie uses our 50+ years of knowledge and expertise in how guests visit our parks to make the experience better for everyone.

Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane A la Carte Attractions

With this launch, we’ll also be introducing the Lightning Lane entrance. Available for purchase through our Disney Genie+ add-on at more than 40 attractions – or individually, “a la carte” at some of our most highly demanded attractions – the Lightning Lane entrance can save you time waiting in line. See below for a first look at the list of current attractions with Lightning Lane entrances.

Disney Genie service will come at a later date for Disneyland Resort, so stay tuned to for future updates! You’ve never had a friend like this.

Sample Pricing

Disney also released today information about sample pricing for individual a la carte purchases. Prices will vary by date, attraction, and park. Disney has stated that throughout the year, prices may be lower on some days and higher on others, based on demand. This is no different than how resort prices and even ticket prices fluctuate. Below is a chart with sample pricing provided by Disney.

RELATED ARTICLE: Disney Genie – Top 16 Q & A About the New Service Coming to Disney World this Fall

by Chad and Cindy Nykamp

In August 2019, at D23 Expo 2019, details were unveiled by Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Bob Chapek for “Disney Genie,” a new digital offering that promises to enhance the way you plan for and experience a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. Originally set to debut in late 2020, the service is coming a year later on October 19, 2021. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion on what the new service offers, so we’ve compiled answers to many of your most asked questions. Learn more below.

1 – Is the My Disney Experience App Being Retired?

No. The Disney Genie planning tools will be built into the My Disney Experience App.

2 – What is Disney Genie?

Disney Genie is a new digital planning service that will be available to guests at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort within the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps. Disney Genie is complimentary and is designed to give guests more “flexibility” and give guests tools to “help you make the most of your visit.” Tools include giving guests customized itineraries and suggestions based on interests and top picks. Other features include forecasted wait times, experience tip board, dining tip board, and guests can ask the app questions to get information.

We’ve seen demos of these new tools and we have to say we’re impressed. We do believe these complementary tools will improve the average guest’s experience and make for a better vacation. We encourage all guests to check out the new tools at launch and use the recommendations as it makes sense for your family.

3 – What is Disney Genie+?

Disney Genie+ is a paid upgrade that includes everything in Disney Genie along with additional services and benefits. The biggest benefit of Disney Gennie+ is access to Lightning Lane (formerly the Fast Pass line, more on this later) on select attractions, allowing guests to save time by skipping the standby line. Please note, not all attractions will be available for this service. Other benefits of Genie+ include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort. Pricing at Walt Disney World is $15 per ticket per day.

4 – Can I Purchase Genie+ on Only Certain Days of My Trip?

If your tickets or passes are not included in a vacation package, Genie+ can be added on a day-by-day basis. When purchased with tickets or a vacation package ahead of time, Disney Genie+ is purchased for the length of stay (all days of a multi-day visit). However, you can wait and purchase on the day of the visit, which would be for a single day.

5 – I’m An Annual Passholder. Is Genie+ included in my pass? Will I Receive a Discount on Genie+?

Unfortunately, no. Disney has confirmed Genie+ will not be included as an annual pass benefit. Disney has also confirmed that annual passholders will not receive any discount on the Genie+. Passholders can choose to pay for Genie+ at $15 a day per person.

6 – Lightning Lane? That Sounds Like a Paid FastPass. So What’s Happening with FastPass+?

Yes, it sounds a lot like paid FastPass because it is. Disney has confirmed that FastPass+ is being retired and will not come back. Lightning Lane is replacing FastPass+ and, in many ways, will function just like FastPass+ with guests being given a specific one-hour time window to experience the attraction. Please note guests that who purchase Lighting Lane access will not have unlimited access to Lightning Lane lines. Guests must book specific return windows, one attraction at a time, within the app.

Access to Lightning Lane for the majority of available attractions is included in Genie+. Lightning Lane access at Disney’s most popular top-tier attractions (such as Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, etc.) are NOT included in Genie+. Lightning Lane access for Disney’s most popular attractions can be purchased on a per-ride basis for an additional fee by guests using either Disney Genie or Genie+ (more on this later).

In the past, FastPass was a fantastic benefit that allowed guests to choose three attractions each day to skip the line. This option was free to all guests and a huge selling point for Disney on how they differentiated themselves from other parks. Guests wanting to skip the line no longer have the option to do so without paying an extra fee.

7 – When Can I Make My Lightning Lane Selections?

Guests will no longer be able to plan out their vacations 30-60 days in advance as they did with FastPass+. With the new system, all guests can make their first Lightning Lane selection (for non-top-tier attractions, more on this later) at 7 am on the day of their visit within the My Disney Experience App. After that, guests can make one selection at a time, based on availability. With FastPass, guests staying at Disney World hotels got early access to FastPass selections. It was a major benefit to staying on property.

8 – How Many Genie+ Selections Will I Receive a Day?

After you enjoy your first Lightning Lane experience, you can make another selection. In this way, it is similar to the original FastPass system when guests would receive one ticket at a time at the entrance to an attraction and get another after that FastPass was used. After using a Lighting Lane pass for an attraction, guests can check available boarding times for other attractions in the app and make their next selection.

Do note that you will be assigned the next available window to come back to that attraction. If your wait time is over two hours, a Disney spokesman shared with us that the system will let you make another Lightning Lane reservation after two hours. So, if it’s 12 noon and you are assigned an attraction at 4:00 pm. At 2:00 pm, you’ll be able to reserve another attraction. You don’t have to wait until after the 4:00 pm attraction to make another selection.

There is no word on how many attractions guests can expect to visit using the Lightning Lane option, as this will be based on crowd levels and availability. There is no guarantee of a certain number of attractions, such as three with the old FastPass+ system. Like FastPass and FastPass+, the number of Lightning Lane attractions guests can fit into a day will vary wildly depending on crowd levels and the number of guests purchasing the service. We’ll have to wait and see how it all works when it is available.

9 – What Lightning Lane Attractions Are Included with Genie+?

Here are the confirmed Lightning Lane attractions that are included with Genie+:

Magic Kingdom

• • • 1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
      2. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
      3. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
      4. The Haunted Mansion
      5. “it’s a small world”
      6. Jungle Cruise
      7. Mad Tea Party
      8. Magic Carpets of Alladin
      9. Mickey’s PhilharMagic
      10. Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor
      11. Peter Pan’s Flight
      12. Pirates of the Caribbean
      13. Splash Mountain
      14. The Barnstormer
      15. The Many Advenutres of Winnie the Pooh
      16. Tomorrowland Speedway
      17. Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid

EPCOT

• • • 1. Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
      2. Journey Into Imagination with Figment
      3. Living with the Land
      4. Mission Space – Green and Orange
      5. Soarin’ Around the World
      6. Spaceship Earth
      7. Test Track
      8. The Seas with Nemo & Friends
      9. Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• • • 1. Alien Swirling Saucers
      2. Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
      3. Disney Jr. Play and Dance
      4. Frozen Sing-Along
      5. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
      6. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
      7. Muppet*Vision 3D
      8. Rock ‘n’ roller Coaster
      9. Slinky Dog Dash
      10. Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
      11. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
      12. Toy Story Mania

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

1. 1. 1. 1. A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King
         2. Dinosaur
         3. It’s Tough to be a Bug!
         4. Kali River Rapids
         5. Kilimanjaro Safaris
         6. Na’vi River Journey
         7. The Animation Experience
         8. Feathered Friends in Flight!

10 – So Genie+ Doesn’t Include Everything? What are Individual A la Carte Lightning Lane Selections?

For top-tier (most popular) attractions such as Star War: Rise of the Resistance, Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, etc., guests can schedule a time to arrive at up to two attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance for an additional fee. These attractions are subject to limited availability and are NOT included with Disney Genie+. Do note you will be able to select a specific time for your individual Lightning Lane attractions.

Disney has released information about sample pricing for individual a la carte purchases. Prices will vary by date, attraction, and park. Disney has stated that throughout the year, prices may be lower on some days and higher on others, based on demand. This is no different than how resort prices and even ticket prices fluctuate. Below is a chart with sample pricing provided by Disney.

11 – When Do I Purchase Individual A la Carte Lightning Lane Selections?

Lightning Lane selections for the top-tier individual attractions will also be made on the same day of your visit and can be made across multiple theme parks (great for those who have the Park Hopper Option). Access to purchase Lightning Lane for the individual top-tier attractions will be available to all guests when the park that attraction is at opens. Guests staying on Disney World property will receive the benefit of early access to top-tier reservations and can make their purchases at 7:00 am on the day of their visit. Again, guests not staying on property will be able to purchase access when the park opens.

12 – What Are the Attractions Included in the Individual A la Carte Lightning Lane Selections Option?

Disney has confirmed a complete listing of the top-tier attractions that will be available with this option.

Confirmed Individual A la Carte Lightning Lane Attractions:

Magic Kingdom

• • • • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
      • Space Mountain

EPCOT

• • • • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Free Virtual Queue available)
      • Frozen Ever After

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• • • • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
      • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• • • Avatar Flight of Passage
    • Expedition Everest

13 – Do I Have to Purchase Genie+ to Purchase a Lightning Lane Pass for the Top-Tier Attractions?

No. To offer guests “flexibility” (Disney’s words, not ours), these two services are separate. Lightning Lane passes for the top-tier individual attractions can be purchased by any guest using either Disney Genie or Genie+.

14 – What If I Don’t Want to Pay to Ride?

Disney is still offering the standby queue for most attractions, and you do not need to pay extra. Simply get in line and wait. Do note that there are attractions that do not have traditional standby queues. At this time, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure offers only virtual queue access (still free) and Lightning Lane access (paid).

15 – When Does Disney Genie Launch at Walt Disney World?

The service will launch on October 19, 2021.

16 – Is it Just Me or Does This All Sound Really Complicated?

Yeah, it sounds that way because it is. In our opinion, Disney has made this way more complicated than it needs to be. Charging extra for FastPass was always going to be a very controversial change that will enrage the majority of Disney guests. Making the system complicated and charging extra on top of charging extra for the popular attractions will make the situation exponentially worse. Our hearts go out to the cast members that are going to have to explain a thousand times a day to angry guests, “Yes, you paid $15 extra per person for Lightning Lane but not for the popular rides. That’s only for the low to medium popularity rides that usually don’t have that bad of a wait anyway. You have to pay even more if you want to use the Lightning Lane for rides where it’s really important.”

PSA: Please, please, please be kind to the cast members. They don’t make these decisions. If you disagree with the Disney company’s decisions, there are appropriate channels to make your feelings heard. Mistreating cast members that are doing their best to make your visit as magical as possible is not the way to do it.

Just like you, we’re huge Disney fans, and we’re trying to make sense out of the changes. We’ll continue to learn more about the new services that are coming and pass our tips on to you. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter for continued news and updates!