Long gone are FastPasses at Walt Disney World and here to stay is Disney's Genie+ at Disney World. This program was released on October 19th, 2021 after the start of the 50th anniversary celebration. Genie+ is a multi-level helper tool that aids with fast-pass like line jumping, tips and tricks, customizable day by day itineraries, and more. Many guests may be now wondering: how to buy genie+ at Disney World?
And also, is Genie+ even worth the hype? What about the price? Let's work things out together.
How to Find and Purchase Genie+ at Disney World
Genie+ is fairly easy to locate! On your smartphone, you can download Disney World's official app, MyDisney Experience. Then you can create an account and link any of the members in your party together. On the home page of the app, there is a banner suggesting Genie+. You will see the button to summon Genie+ if you have already purchased it. If you have not, then the app will tell you how much it will cost for your day and offer the option to purchase it.
My home page on MyDisney Experience (MDE) with the Genie+ option.
If you do not see the Genie+ banner on your homepage, you can tap on the small plus icon at the bottom of the screen and then click the Genie+ tab. This will then take you to the Genie+ information page.
Clicking on the ‘+' symbol at the bottom of the screen will open this window.
You can then click ‘View my Genie Day'.
Once you are on the Genie+ information screen, you will see a ‘Tip Board' tab as well as a ‘My Day' tab. These are both accessible whether you buy Genie+ or not, but the ‘Lightning Lane' experiences are not offered to users with just the free version. Lightning Lanes are ‘skip the stand-by line' passes that you can book only when purchasing Genie+.
For most attractions at every park, you will see a stand-by queue and a Lightning Lane queue. Free Genie vs. Paid Genie+ will determine which line you and your party will use! Lightning Lanes grant access to jump the lines once at each ride that you can book. Remember, Genie+ must be purchased once a day. If you want to have it every day of your vacation, you must buy it every day. However, Genie+ can be used whether you are going to one park or park-hopping, which is awesome!
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Genie+ Disney World Tiers
As you will see when locating Genie+ on the MyDisney Experience app, there are two different offerings to choose from. One option is the free version, Disney Genie, where guests can utilize a complimentary day-planning service. The costly version is the more popular version, Genie+!
PSA on Individual Lightning Lanes:
While Lightning Lanes are offered with a purchased day of Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes are offered to any park guest whether they have purchased the add-on or not. Individual Lightning Lanes are Lightning Lanes available at an extra cost that varies by day. These are for new and popular attractions around the parks. Even if you purchase Genie+, an Individual Lightning Lane will still cost the extra fee. You can purchase one per day, and they can (and will) sell out. Guests can find these offerings under their tip board and can purchase them starting at 7am if staying on property, and park opening if staying off-site.
Using Disney Genie
If you are using the free version, Disney Genie, your tip board will show attraction wait times for the park that you select. Under select attractions, they will show both the wait times and the ‘Lightning Lane' options. However, those Lightning Lanes are not bookable from the free version. Clicking ‘View Details' under any attraction will show you the current wait, estimated wait over the course of the day, and whether or not a Lightning Lane is offered for the ride.
Also offered with Disney Genie is the ‘My Day' tab. Under this tab, you are able to get a personalized recommendation on how to go about your day! To use this, select your park and what your favorites or must-sees are. This includes attractions, shows, parades, and dining! Once you select your favorites, your day will populate with a recommended schedule. You do not have to follow this and it might not be the best fit for your party, but it definitely is useful! This tab will tell you suggested times to wait in queue lines, best times to dine, and more.
Using Genie+ at Disney World
After you have purchased Genie+, you are able to access possible Lightning Lanes to book. Keep in mind that attractions may run out of Lightning Lanes, so be sure to prioritize what you want to see. All park guests are able to start making their Genie+ reservations at 7am. You can only purchase for that day on that day, so be sure to wake up early and purchase Genie+ if you want it!
To make a reservation for a Lightning Lane, you want to be under the ‘Tip Board' tab of the Genie+ information page. The Lightning Lanes will display the next available time underneath the attraction. When booking lightning lanes, there is a rule that after booking your first one, you must then wait 120 minutes to book another. In my personal experience, the best way to maximize the beginning of your Genie+ day is to book a more popular attraction at 7am, rope-drop another big attraction, and then grab some breakfast to make that 120 minute window go by quicker! Once your 120 minute window has passed, you can book a second Lightning Lane even if your first one is later in the day. You can immediately make another reservation after scanning into an attraction as well.
Using Genie+ gets easier as the day goes on. However, I will say, one not-so-great part of Genie+ is that you will constantly be on your phone which you may have figured out when I explained how to buy genie+ at Disney World. This can cause a lot of attention to be taken off of being in the moment. If you are looking to get as many Lightning Lanes as possible and get your money's worth, it is a lot of refreshing phone screens, booking and cancelling, and just glueing yourself to the phone for a while. Despite this, I do really like Genie+!
Genie+ Costs How Much?!
Like most things in Disney World, Genie+ pricing will vary by day, time of year, crowd levels, and more. From lowest to highest price per person per day, Genie+ can be anywhere from $15 all the way up to the maximum of $35 that we have been seeing lately.
The cheapest price you will see Genie+ for is $15 per person per day. You will mostly see Genie+ costing this much during super slow seasons like January, February, and late August to early September. While other times can definitely drop down to that minimal pricing, it usually stays on the pricier side.
On average, Genie+ will cost anywhere from $20-$29 per person per day. You can expect to mostly see this price throughout your trip unless you are visiting during super busy or super slow seasons. While this sounds somewhat reasonable for one person, it really adds up when buying for an entire family.
Let's talk about the newest (and highest) price of Genie+ per person per day. With the increase of crowds and the popularity of vacationing during the holiday seasons, Genie+ has seen a price point of $35. When thinking of using it during a packed day it seems justifiable, until you consider how fast Lightning Lanes will fill up with everyone purchasing the service. This price has been seen during Spring Break of this year, and at the time of this article being written, it is still set at $35 per person. We will probably continue to see this price point around days like Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and most likely the entire month of December.
Genie+ Tips and Tricks
Here are a few things to make your Genie+ experience a bit easier:
Invest in a FuelRod
Disney World offers $30 reusable chargers around the resort. This charger is reusable and can be traded in (for free) when a new one is needed. This doesn't seem vital, but if you're going to use your phone most of the day, it's great to have.
Scan and Book
As stated before, after your 120 minute window, you are able to make a second Lightning Lane. Once scanning into that, you can make another! Be sure to get on the app as soon as you have scanned in that way you can immediately book a new reservation.
Refresh, Refresh, Refresh!
Lightning Lanes update every few seconds with people that are booking and cancelling. If you don't see an attraction you want, refresh a few times and you might be able to score something great!
Think Smarter, Not Harder
Don't wait for an attraction you want to be available. This can make buying Genie+ not worth it. Instead, book whatever is open that interests your party in order to maximize the amount of attractions you get to ride!
Be Prepared to Walk
You might score a Lightning Lane at 3:15 on one side of the park and another at 3:30 on the opposite end. You will be jetting around in different directions at the parks. Come prepared!
Come with a Plan
As mentioned earlier, Lightning Lanes can run out. You don't need a minute by minute itinerary, but it's definitely a good idea to have a loose plan of some desired attractions and shows. This will help ensure that your party hits every must see!
Don't Stress
My biggest and most important tip. Attractions go down, weather changes, and some things will inevitably be missed out on. These things cannot be changed and that is okay! Do not go into using Genie+ expecting to see everything. Expect the unexpected and always have a backup plan!
Is Buying Genie+ at Disney World Worth It?
The answer to this question varies on a lot of things. Your trip length, your party size, the time of your visit, and what you are looking to see can all make or break the idea of Genie+. But at the very least, you need to know how to buy genie+ at Disney World!
Me Personally…
In my person opinion and experience, I think that Genie+ is worth the money. I am a young woman who is usually visiting with my fiancé or friends. I almost alway park-hop, and I take three to five day trips. For that dynamic, as someone who is always on the move when at Disney World, I can definitely justify spending the money on it for me and one or two other people. I find it easy to use, beneficial for me and my party, and able to grant me the ability to see almost everything that I want to during my visit.
I have used it during every trip since it has made its debut. Usually, I visit when crowds are moderate to low, so the price has always been $15-25 per person per day. I'm also splitting the per person cost rather than buying for an entire family which is a lot easier on my pockets.
How Many Attractions?
How much you are able to do will add to (or take from) the worth of Genie+. On Disney World's official website when they explain how to buy genie+ at Disney World, they say that two to three attractions can be entered via Lightning Lanes per day. I feel as though they are saying this for busy seasons to avoid backlash, because I have always gotten more than three attractions booked. A lot of this all depends on the park that you are visiting. For example, Hollywood Studios has a lot of big attractions, while Magic Kingdom has more quantity-wise. Therefore, you might only get three attractions in Hollywood Studios while getting five or six in Magic Kingdom.
The amount of attractions you will be able to book also depends on you and your party. If you're the family that likes to go from park open to park close, then Genie+ will be in your favor. If you like to take breaks at the hotel or stop and go slow, you might feel like you didn't get your money's worth. It definitely all comes down to a day by day basis, and that's okay!
That Being Said…
I think that if you and your party are willing to spend the money and know how to buy genie+ at Disney World, Genie+ is worth it! It assists in being a planner for your day, is very informative, and guarantees less wait times. Being a big fan of the old Fast-pass system, I had low expectations of Genie+. However, after I used it for the first time, I fell in love. While Genie+ does not guarantee absolutely no wait, it brings down the times by at least two-thirds of what the standby queues say.
I cannot always justify what the price per day is, but I go on vacation planning on spending money anyway. Why not spend it on something that will maximize my park time? Genie+ is not for everyone, but is most certainly something that every guest should consider.
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