Disney Genie and Lightning Lanes Info

If you are unfamiliar with Disney Genie and the new Lightning Lane system, "Why don't you just ruminate while I illuminate the possibilities?"

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Disney Genie and Lightning Lanes: Everything You Need to Know

The ways at Walt Disney World have changed. As always, it met resistance and complete submission practically all in one day.

Of course, everyone hated the idea of paying for "Fastpasses". But it turns out they hate the idea of waiting in standby even more!

All joking aside, the new Disney Genie service does a very good job of crowd management.

Although it's not necessarily marketed that way, the purpose it serves is making a more streamlined and productive park experience for the guests that use it.

If you are unfamiliar with Disney Genie and the new Lightning Lane system, "Why don't you just ruminate while I illuminate the possibilities?"

Wish #1 Disney Genie-- The Free Version

The first enhancement we get with the My Disney Experience app comes free.

Disney Genie is a tool that helps guests make the most efficient use of their day. It makes suggestions based on your interests and the standby wait times.

It guides you toward meal options and is very effective at dispersing crowds to keep wait times more reasonable.

Disney Genie also serves as a virtual concierge. It makes your reservations for you and offers both real-time and projected wits for all attractions.

This means you can use Disney Genie knowledge to plan your day whether you use Genie's suggestions or plan your own route.

Wish #2 Lightning Lanes

Fastpass is gone, never to return. Instead, we now get Lightning Lane, probably named for the lightning-like zap of the Genie's magic pointing finger.

Lightning Lanes operate similarly to Fastpass but the rules are different. You don't make your selections prior to the day of your park visit.

If you are a Disney resort guest, you can select your first Lightning Lane reservation at 7:00 am no matter which park you have on your itinerary.

As mentioned, these Lightning Lanes are not free. You must pay for them. There are two ways to get Lightning Lane reservations.

The most prominent attractions in each Disney park are only available for a la carte purchase.

The price varies by date depending on the expected demand, but it can be around the same price as the whole Genie+ package. Genie+ offers all other Lightning Lanes that are not specifically excluded for a flat rate of $15 per person, plus tax.

What Lightning Lane does is reserve your spot in line so you can skip the standby wait. It functions just like Fastpass.

The key difference is that the complimentary Disney Genie system helps make both lines more efficient so you are less likely to experience artificially backed up queues in either lane.

Individual Lightning Lanes can only be purchased twice per person per day. and you cannot use Lightning Lane for the same attraction twice.

Wish #3 Genie+

Genie+ is where you will get your unlimited Lightning Lane reservations. "Uh, almost. There are a few, uh, provisos, a, a couple of quid pro quos..." To make another reservation, you must do one of the following:

Redeem your reservation by entering the Lightning Lane queue for your selected attraction within the reservation window.
Cancel the reservation.
Wait two hours and make another reservation.

You can also stack reservations by overlapping the return windows. This allows you to go from one ride to the next later in the day.

However, the two-hour wait period between reservations does apply. When making Lightning Lane selections through Genie+ I recommend focusing on in-demand rides rather than entertainment.

Lightning Lane for shows with scheduled times has little merit compared to the shortening of a long standby line for continuously running attractions.

Especially those with lower capacity that take more cycles to move through the line.

Genie+ is more than just Lightning Lane access. It's got bonus features!