5 Quick Facts About Disney’s New Genie and Genie+

After almost a week of Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes being active in Walt Disney World, we have some key facts that we think Guests heading down to Walt Disney World soon should know about the new offerings. Again, this is only after a few days of the system being in place, so we will be learning so much more as the days continue, but we wanted to provide some quick tips and information about it to help those heading down soon on their Disney Vacation. We have some other suggestions HERE on how you can shorten your wait times with this new system.

Use the Free Options

Genie+ and Lightning Lanes have been getting a lot of press, but don’t forget that along with these pay-to-use features; there is a completely free feature as well. Disney Genie is a free service that will help Guests during their Disney World vacation. Disney Genie provides free touring suggestions as Guests are in the theme Park, helping them navigate without Genie+. The system will provide suggestions on when to visit different attractions and prompt with food options that could fit the dining goals of the Guests. We like the dining option that provides table service suggestions when there are still reservations available during the day. Start the day before by choosing your must-dos, and then allow Disney Genie to make suggestions. There is also an interactive forecasted wait time feature that will allow Guests to see what predicted wait times would be throughout the day for different attractions. Even though Genie+ and the paid features are stealing the spotlight, we think that the free Disney Genie has a lot to offer for Guests, and we look forward to seeing if Disney will continue to add more features moving forward.

You Don’t Book Early

Guests that have been around Disney World for a while have gone through many adjustments when it comes to booking fastpasses, then fastpass+ and now Genie+. Many have been used to booking three FastPasses at a theme Park anywhere from 60 days prior to arrival. This was a way for Guests to know ahead of time what they would be experiencing and typically what they would be doing. Many Guests enjoyed knowing this information ahead of time and having three secured attractions before evening arriving at Disney World. Genie+ is a different ball game. Guests aren’t able to book their Genie+ reservations in advance. Instead, those staying on Disney property can book their first attraction at 7 am through the app, whereas regular Guests can do so when the theme Park of choice opens. This can be somewhat stressful as you aren’t sure what your day will look like until the morning of. Genie+ does lookout for conflicting reservations, but since you can only book during the day, it can be hard to know exactly what your theme Park day will look like.

You Can Hold Two Genie+ Reservations… Sort Of

As we mentioned before, most veteran Guests are used to having three FastPass reservations to start and then being able to book one rolling one afterward. With Genie+, Guests are only allowed to book one at a time- sort of. If Guests book a Genie+ reservation for a ride later in the day- such as if they snagged a Slinky Dog Dash Genie+ for 7:30 pm at noon, they aren’t stuck not being able to book any more Genie+ reservations until after they ride Slinky Dog Dash. Instead, Guests can book another Genie+ either after tapping into their ride or after 2 hours. So in our example, these Guests would be eligible to book another Genie+ at 2 pm. This system could work out well if you are heading back for a pool break or have a dining reservation that you won’t be riding during anyway. It might take some strategy to figure out how to do this the best, but we know it could be helpful with visiting a theme Park with Genie+.

Not All Rides Are Included

Another big fact regarding Genie+ is extremely important for Guests traveling to Walt Disney World to know, so they aren’t surprised. In each of the four theme Parks, two rides are part of the Individual Attraction Selection. These are typically the most popular attractions in each theme Park.

Magic Kingdom:

Space Mountain

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

EPCOT:

Test Track

Frozen Ever After

Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Rise of the Resistance

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

Expedition Everest

Flight of Passage

These rides that aren’t part of Genie+ require an additional purchase to ride using the Lightning Lane. The cost currently ranges from $5 to $15 per person per ride. It is not required that Guests purchase Genie+ to use the Individual Attraction Selections.

Have Fun With Filters

Finally, don’t skip out on the filters that come with a Genie+ purchase. Guests that purchase Genie+ are given access to a variety of fun filters. It is somewhat like Snapchat filters, but seeing the 25th Anniversary castle or Mickey hugging Guests has been fun. It would be fun to do while waiting in lines or waiting for food.

These are just a few facts about the new Genie and Genie+ offerings that we know after a few days of being used in Walt Disney World. We are sure that we will have more tips and tricks in the future to stick with us!