When Orlando’s Walt Disney World parks reopened following pandemic closures, they no longer offered the line-skipping program – FastPass+. Temporarily freezing the program is one of the many changes the parks made during the pandemic. The complimentary program, which started in 1999, allowed guests to make reservations for rides, attractions, shows, and character greetings. And on rides and attractions, it gave guests the ability to bypass standby lines and enter special Fast Pass queues, now called Lightning Lanes via Genie+, that sped them to the heads of the lines.
In December of 2022, WDW introduced Disney Genie effectively replacing FastPass+. So, let’s unpack Disney Genie and Lighting Lane Replace FastPass – How to Get the Shortest Wait Times at WDW Orlando.
What in the Disney World is Genie+?
Disney Genie+ is the newest in line skipping options. It resembles a program used by Disneyland in California called MaxPass. Disney Genie+ costs $15 a day per person at Disney World.
Genie+, which can be accessed through Disney World’s My Disney Experience, allows guests to choose the next available times for participating attractions on the days of their visit. Then, it allows guests to use special Lightning Lane entries to skip the standby lines.
With Genie+ guests can listen to audio recordings about the attraction they’re waiting for. The Genie also includes augmented reality PhotoPass “lenses” that let the guests take enhanced images.
Unfortunately, Disney World guests can no longer make reservations up to 60 days in advance as they once did with FastPass+. The new service only allows guests to make their first reservation at 7 AM on the day of their visit. Also, making more than one reservation at a time, as we once did with FastPass, is out.
Individual Access to Disney World Attractions
Disney is also giving guests the oppertuni9ty to buy individual Lightening Lane reservations for up to two high traffic attractions per day. Rides include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure.
The cost of a given attraction depends on its popularity and the time of year. For example – prices can range between $9 for Epcot’s Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and $15 for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – above the cost of park entry.
What Other Perks Come with Disney Genie+?
Guests can input a list of their preferred Disney them park rides and the Genie service will produce suggested itenteraries, gratis. The app also lets users know current and expected wait times which helps them plan their itenerarries more effectively.
The service also allows users to place dining orders for quick service restaurants, reservations at table service restaurants and join Virtual Queues for rides. The Disney App even offers a virtual assistant to answer questions and provide access to live assistance where necessary.
The idea of paying more money at the Disney parks, for something that was once included in the price of admission hasn’t set well with a lot of Disney fans. But this new Genie service may very well make the Disney World experience more enjoyable.
Among the positives the Disney Genie Service could offer is to cut out a lot of the preplanning hassle of the former Disney FastPass+ reservation system. The hope is that this will return some spontaneity to Disney Vacays.
There is also this – by replacing the free FastPass programs with the paid Genie+ system, fewer guests will likely opt to join. What this could mean is that fewer people will be so obviously jumping lines which may reduce overall wait times in the standby lines.
Other Disney World Information
Still planning your Disney trip? Be sure and check out How to Get the Most Out of Disney’s Epcot as well as the Best Time of Year to Visit Disney World Orlando, Florida.
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