On a Disney vacation, time is money. When you visit, it’s understandable that you don’t want to spend most of your time waiting in lines. You want to enjoy as many rides, attractions, and shows as possible! Both Disneyland and Disney World can become very busy. Large crowds tend to form around warmer months, school breaks, special events, and holidays.
Luckily, there is a service offered at both Disneyland and Disney World that gives Guests the opportunity to skip the regular lines and join a prioritized line instead. This service is called Disney Genie+. When using Genie+, Guests are able to avoid the longer lines, schedule their day, and have priority access to select rides and attractions.
As someone who frequently goes on Disney vacations, I have a lot of experience using Disney Genie+. In this article, I’m going to go into further detail about what Genie+ is, how to use it, and how much Disney Genie+ costs. I will also address the differences between using Genie+ at Disneyland and using it at Disney World.
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Cost of Disney Genie+
It’s important to note that the cost of Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are separate. You can purchase Genie+ without purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes. Likewise, you can choose to not purchase Genie+ and are still able to purchase Individual Lightning Lanes. You can also purchase both if you’d like. The cost of Genie+ differs between Disneyland and Disney World so we’re going to look at both of them separately.
Disneyland Genie+ Cost
The cost of Genie+ at Disneyland starts at $30 per person, per day. This is generally the standard price for Genie+ at Disneyland, but it has fluctuated slightly around busier times and we've seen peak prices around $35 per person, per day.
Disneyland Genie+ Includes:
- Priority access to select rides and attractions through Lightning Lanes
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital downloads for the day
- Disney PhotoPass Lenses
- Audio Tales
Disney World Genie+ Cost
The cost of Genie+ at Disney World is not so simple. However, at Disney World, you can often see lower prices. Each day, Disney World sets a price for Genie+ for each park. That means Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom all have their own Genie+ cost. There is also a Multiple Parks option where you can purchase Genie+ for all of the parks which is essentially a Genie+ Park Hopper option.
For Genie+ at Disney World, we’ve seen prices as low as $15 per person, per day and as high as $39 per person, per day. Usually you will find that Genie+ is priced the lowest for Animal Kingdom, then EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom at the highest price. So far, we’ve usually seen the Multiple Parks Genie+ option priced the same as Magic Kingdom.
Disney World Genie+ Includes:
- Priority access to select rides and attractions through Lightning Lanes
- Digital downloads of select Disney PhotoPass attraction images
- Disney PhotoPass Lenses
- Audio Tales
Cost of Individual Lightning Lanes
The price of Individual Lightning Lanes is about the same between Disneyland and Disney World. At both parks, the price of Individual Lightning Lane tends to range from $12-$26 per person, per ride. The price will differ depending on the popularity of the ride, time of year, and crowd levels.
Remember, the cost of Individual Lightning Lanes pays for access to ONE ride or attraction ONE time.
Will You Be Using Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes?
A day at Disney can be greatly impacted by the use of Genie, Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes. Will you be using any of these services? While Disney Genie is of course free, sometimes the cost of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes deters Guests from using them. The service is also very confusing to some aside from just how much Disney Genie+ costs.
Both of these points are valid. The cost of Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes can add up quickly. Especially when you’re paying for a whole group of people. The system is also understandably confusing to first-time users.
However, I find this service to be a wonderful tool once you understand your way around it. Yes, again, it can get very pricey rather quickly. But as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, time is money when you’re at Disney. To me, I find it worth it to pay the cost of Disney Genie+ and receive the benefits they provide. I’d rather pay to get multiple rides and attractions done throughout the day than to pay for a Disney vacation and end up standing in lines for most of it.
Do I wish it was cheaper? Sure. Would I rather have a free service like the previous FastPass system? Of course. But this is where we’re at in the world of Disney vacations and we just have to make the best of it. Ever since Genie first came out, my family has used it and has had tremendous success getting everything done. When you use Genie, Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes intermittently, you can have a fantastic day at Disneyland or Disney World! It is best to just plan the cost of Disney Genie+ into your day.
Disney Genie Service
Disney Genie is a new service that was rolled out just a few years ago. You’ll be able to find this service on your Disney Parks mobile app. Disney Genie is made up of three components: Genie, Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes.
Disney Genie, in itself, is a free service. Genie was essentially made to help you plan your most efficient Disney Day. Within Genie, you’ll be able to select your favorites and customize your preferences for all things related to the theme parks. Then, just as if you rubbed a magic lamp and made a wish, Genie will create a customized day just for you!
How to Use Genie
In order to utilize the Disney Genie Service, you’ll first need to download the Disneyland Resort app (for Disneyland) or the My Disney Experience app (for Disney World). It’ll be beneficial to have these apps downloaded for your Disney vacation whether you plan to use Genie or not. There are many useful tools within the apps such as online check-in, ticket access, mobile food ordering, wait times, previews of your PhotoPass photos, reservation booking, and more!
In order to use both of these Disney apps, you’ll need to first make a Disney account (if you don’t already have one). You will then need to log into the app with your login credentials. In order to begin using Genie, you’ll need to make sure that you have valid park admission and theme park reservations. Disney World is no longer requiring theme park reservations for most Guests.
Plan Your Genie Day
When customizing Genie, you will select which attractions, entertainment, and dining experiences you prefer. You can then select more specific options within those categories. Genie will then use your selected preferences to make recommendations based on your likes and interests.
How to Customize Genie Preferences:
- In your Disney app, under “Get Started with Disney Genie!”, you will click the “Get Started Now” button.
- It will then bring you to a page that explains the process in three easy steps. Those steps read as follows:
- Share which attractions, entertainment, and dining experiences are important to you.
- Sit back as Disney Genie considers the possibilities and crafts the ultimate itinerary to save you time.
- Need to adjust your plans? No problem! You can swap out Disney Genie’s recommendations on the fly.
- You will then select the day of your visit as well as which park you will be at. Your options will be Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure if you’re visiting Disneyland. If you’re visiting Disney World, your options will be Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
- Next, you will confirm your party. On this page, you will want to select anyone in your group who you want to include in your plans.
- Finally, you will be taken to the page where you make your selections. Again, it will pull up all of the attractions, entertainment, and dining options that are available for that park. You can make up to 10 selections within each category. But don’t worry! As the app stated, you can customize your selections throughout the day if you need or want to.
- Before Genie starts planning your day, you will be taken to one final page. On this page, it will ask if you want to see extra details about the experiences. You can select if you’d like to see Height Requirements and/or Accessibility information.
- After you’re done, Genie will create your day! You will then be given a recommended itinerary for your day based on the selections that you just made.
What is Genie+?
Genie+ is Disney’s version of a FastPass service. This is a paid service that will grant you priority access to select rides and attractions while skipping the regular stand-by line. When using Genie+, you will select which ride or attraction you want to go to and also select a specific timeframe of when you want to go there. When you arrive at the ride or attraction during your selected time window, instead of going into the regular stand-by line, you will head to the priority line which is called a Lightning Lane.
There are select rides at Disneyland and Disney World that are part of Genie+. These rides are ones that have Lightning Lanes and are available to be booked through the Genie+ Service.
Disneyland Genie+ Rides and Attractions
- Disneyland Park
- Autopia
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
- Haunted Mansion
- Indiana Jones™ Adventure
- “it’s a small world”
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Pirates of the Caribbean (Temporarily Included For Lightning Lane Selections)
- Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
- Space Mountain
- Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
- Disney California Adventure Park
- Goofy’s Sky School
- Grizzly River Run
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
- Incredicoaster
- The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
- Soarin’ Over California
- Toy Story Midway Mania!
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Disney World Genie+ Rides and Attractions
- Magic Kingdom
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
- Meet Princess Tiana and Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Space Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
- EPCOT
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Frozen Ever After
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE – Green
- Mission: SPACE – Orange
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Hollywood Studios
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play & Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
- Toy Story Mania!
- Animal Kingdom
- Festival of the Lion King
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
- Na’vi River Journey
- The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
Using Genie+ at Disneyland and Disney World
Upon opening the Disney app, you will need to head to the Genie section. Once you’re there, you will see two sections: Tip Board and My Day. The Tip Board is where you’ll be able to see and book available experiences, while the My Day tab shows what experiences you already have booked. Your My Day tab will show more than just booked Lightning Lanes. It will also show any dining reservations that you’ve made as well as any Enchanting Extras that you may have booked!
When you’re ready to use your first Lightning Lane selection, you’ll go to the Tip Board. The Tip Board has two sections within itself: “Experiences” and “Dining” (at Disneyland) or “Attractions & Shows” and “Dining” (at Disney Word). The “Dining” tab is where you can make reservations, check into restaurants, join walk-up lists, and place mobile orders. The “Experiences” tab, or “Attractions & Shows” tab, is where you’ll be able to see estimated wait times, select arrival windows for Lightning Lanes, join virtual queues, and purchase Individual Lightning Lanes. For Genie+ usage, the “Experiences” tab, or “Attractions & Shows” tab, is where you’ll want to be.
The process of using Genie+ is pretty much the same at both Disneyland and Disney World, BUT there are some slight differences aside from just the Disney Genie+ cost.
Disneyland Genie+ Steps
Purchase Genie+
- If Genie+ wasn’t pre-purchased with your trip, you will need to purchase it before booking any Lightning Lanes
- You can purchase Genie+ as soon as you enter one of the parks (Disneyland or California Adventure)
Make a Lightning Lane Selection
- After purchasing Genie+, you can then select your first Lightning Lane
- Your first Lightning Lane cannot be booked until you are in the park
- To book a Lightning Lane, you must go into Genie, select the Tip Board, make sure you’re on the Experiences tab, and then select which ride or attraction you want to book a Lightning Lane for. After you pick a ride or attraction, you’ll simply select the time window in which you want to arrive at that ride or attraction, and then complete the booking of the Lightning Lane.
Use the Lightning Lane
- To use the Lightning Lane, you’ll head to the ride or attraction that you booked. You’ll need to arrive at this ride or attraction within the time frame that you selected.
- Once you arrive, you will head to the queue that says “Lightning Lane”. You will need to scan in with a mobile device or MagicBand+ in order to enter the queue.
When can you book your next Lightning Lane?
The time of your next available Lightning Lane selection will be displayed at the top of your Tip Board. The reasoning for the time shown will be because of one of these three reasons.
- You’ve used your current Lightning Lane
- As soon as you’ve scanned into your current Lightning Lane selection, you can then head back to Genie and book your next experience.
- Your current Lightning Lane expired
- Under the circumstances that the Lightning Lane that you had booked expires, you will then be able to book a new experience.
- A Lightning Lane will expire if you did not arrive at the ride or attraction within the timeframe that you selected.
- It’s been 120 minutes since you’ve booked your current Lightning Lane
- If 120 minutes has passed and your current Lightning Lane hasn’t been used or expired, you will be able to book an additional Lightning Lane.
Disney World Genie+ Steps
Purchase Genie+
- Genie+ can be purchased as early as 12:00am on the day that you are visiting the park(s)
Make a Lightning Lane Selection
- If you're staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you can make your first Lightning Lane selection at 7:00am on the day of your visit. If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel, you can make your first selection when the park opens.
- To book a Lightning Lane, you must go into Genie, select the Tip Board, make sure you’re on the Attractions & Shows tab, and then select which ride or attraction you want to book a Lightning Lane for. After you pick a ride or attraction, you’ll simply select the time window in which you want to arrive at that ride or attraction, and then complete the booking of the Lightning Lane.
Use the Lightning Lane
- To use the Lightning Lane, you’ll head to the ride or attraction that you booked. You’ll need to arrive at this ride or attraction within the time frame that you selected.
- Once you arrive, you will head to the queue that says “Lightning Lane”. You will need to scan in with a mobile device, MagicBand, MagicBand+, or a Key to the World card in order to enter the queue.
When can you book your next Lightning Lane?
The time of your next available Lightning Lane selection will be displayed at the top of your Tip Board. The reasoning for the time shown will be because of one of these three reasons.
- You’ve used your current Lightning Lane
- As soon as you’ve scanned into your current Lightning Lane selection, you can then head back to Genie and book your next experience.
- Your current Lightning Lane expired
- Under the circumstances that the Lightning Lane that you had booked expires, you will then be able to book a new experience.
- A Lightning Lane will expire if you did not arrive at the ride or attraction within the timeframe that you selected.
- It’s been 120 minutes since you’ve booked your current Lightning Lane
- If 120 minutes has passed and your current Lightning Lane hasn’t been used or expired, you will be able to book an additional Lightning Lane.
Individual Lightning Lanes
There is also an extension of Genie+ where instead of paying to have priority access to multiple rides and attractions, you pay for priority access to individual rides and attractions so factor that in to the Disney Genie+ cost. Since you’re paying for a single experience, you are booking an Individual Lightning Lane. Again, you pay PER RIDE. Individual Lightning Lanes are usually in place for the most popular rides and attractions within the parks.
There are only a select number of rides and attractions at both Disneyland and Disney World that have Individual Lightning Lane access. Keep in mind, you are only allowed to book two Individual Lightning Lanes per day.
Disneyland Individual Lightning Lanes
- Disneyland Park
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Disney California Adventure Park
- Radiator Springs Racers
Disney World Individual Lightning Lanes
- Magic Kingdom
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
- EPCOT
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Animal Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage
How to Use Individual Lightning Lanes
To book Individual Lightning Lanes, you essentially use the same process as if you were booking regular Lightning Lanes.
Individual Lightning Lane Steps
- Make an Individual Lightning Lane Selection
- Individual Lightning Lanes can be booked
- when you enter a theme park (for Disneyland)
- at 7:00am (for Disney World Resort hotel Guests)
- when the park opens (for Disney World Guests who are not staying on property)
- To book an Individual Lightning Lane, you must go into Genie+, select the Tip Board, make sure you’re on the “Experiences” tab or “Attractions & Shows” tab, and then select which ride or attraction you want to book an Individual Lightning Lane for.
- Once you select the ride or attraction, the process slightly differs between Disneyland and Disney World.
- At Disneyland, the app will provide you with the next available time that the ride or attraction is available. You will not be able to choose a timeframe for this experience.
- At Disney World, you will be able to select a time frame of your choice, just like when you’re booking regular Lightning Lanes.
- Individual Lightning Lanes can be booked
- Pay for your Individual Lightning Lane
- Your Individual Lightning Lane will not be booked until you complete the purchase.
- After your Individual Lightning Lane is purchased and booked, you will be able to view it on the My Day tab.
- Use the Individual Lightning Lane
- To use the Individual Lightning Lane, you’ll head to the ride or attraction that you booked. You’ll need to arrive at this ride or attraction within the time frame that you selected (or was given to you).
- Once you arrive, you will head to the queue that says “Lightning Lane”. You will need to scan in with a mobile device, MagicBand, MagicBand+, or Key to the World card in order to enter the queue.
- When can you book your next Individual Lightning Lane?
- There are no specifications on when you can book another Individual Lightning Lane. You can book them whenever you’d like throughout the day. But remember, you can only book two for the entire day.
Now you know all the ins and out on using Disney Genie+ and how much it costs!
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Disney Genie+ Cost Q&A
How much is the Disney Genie Plus?
The price of Disney Genie+ varies between Disneyland and Disney World. At Disneyland, the cost of Genie+ is usually $30 per person, per day. We have, however, seen it around $35 per person, per day during busier times of the year. At Disney World, the price of Genie+ varies depending on which park you're visiting. However, the price of Genie+ at Disney World has ranged from as low as $15 per person, per day to $39 per person, per day.
Is Disney Genie Plus worth the extra money?
Once you have familiarized yourself with the service, Disney Genie+ can be very beneficial and worth the extra money. Genie+ allows Guests to enter prioritized lines at rides and attractions. This means that they can skip the regular stand-by lines and avoid long waits. Essentially, by using this tool, Guests are able to experience more rides and attractions within a single day rather than spending time in long lines.
What is the difference between Genie Plus and Lightning Lane?
The difference between Genie+ and Lightning Lane is that Genie+ is the service that you're using while a Lightning Lane is the expediated line that you'll be entering as a result of using the service. As a service, Genie+ give you the opportunity to book Lightning Lanes for select rides and attractions at a specific time. You will then go to the ride or attraction at that specified time and enter the Lightning Lane. The Lightning Lane is not only a shorter line, but it is also prioritized over the regular stand-by line.
How many rides can you book with Genie Plus?
The amount of rides that you're able to book with Genie+ will depend on how you use the app and go about your day. On Disney's website, it estimates that Genie+ will grant Guests quicker access for about 2-3 rides. However, I find this total to be extremely low compared to my personal experience. I use Genie+ every time I'm at Disneyland or Disney World and I'm able to get almost every ride and attraction done each time. This does reflect how my park days go and may differ from yours. Personally, I'm at the parks when they open and I stay until they close. I also use a combination of short regular stand-by lines, Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes. When you become comfortable with the service and how to maneuver it, you can get many experiences done in a single day.
Does Genie Plus sell out?
Yes, Genie+ does sell out. However, this is more common around very busy times such as around holidays.
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