Replacing the long standing Fastpass system at Walt Disney World and soon to be Disneyland is Disney Genie. Disney Genie was first announced at D23 Expo 2019 as a new way to experience the parks. After months of no news on the project many thought maybe it was not coming.

Disney Parks closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and this would end up being the last time we saw Fastpass in action. When Walt Disney World and Disneyland reopened guests could only use standby lines as a way to experience their favorite attractions. As things progressed Disney made the announcement that Disney Genie was finally coming and coming in a big way.

Disney Genie is just a base level of an all new service within the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World and eventually the Disneyland app at Disneyland resort. Also part of this new service is Disney Genie+ which costs $15 per day per person not including tax. And in addition to that, Individual Lighting Lane attraction purchases are available for certain attractions. You can visit some of our previous articles for more details on pricing and aspects of the system.

Disney Unveils Details to All New Disney Genie Service at Walt Disney World and Disneyland

To recap before I get into my review of Disney Genie, Disney Genie is included with the My Disney Experience app and free to use. Disney Genie+ is an additional fee of $15 per person per day. Individual Lighting Lane purchases are for select attractions and very based on the attraction and time of year.

Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Frozen Ever After
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Now as for my usage of Disney Genie. I want to note that I did not use the free Disney Genie option. I did check on it from time to time on the My Disney Experience app but I did not utilize the suggestions it gave for my park touring. If I was not using Disney Genie+, I was using wait times on the app and my personal preferences to decide what to do next. I purchased Disney Genie+ for two days of my recent trip and did not park hop either day.

Day one with Disney Genie+ was at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you are buying Disney Genie+ for one individual day you can do so beginning at midnight but cannot make your first Genie+ selection until 7 a.m. If you are staying as a Disney Resort Hotel guest, you also have the added benefit of early entry of all four theme parks beginning 30 minutes before scheduled opening. On my studios day I did arrive early to take advantage of this. My first Lightning Lane selection with Genie+ was Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at roughly 10:15 A.M. Here are the attractions I could’ve chosen from:

• 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 – Returning December 19, 2021
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
• Toy Story Mania!

When I arrived at Hollywood Studios during early entry I went to Slinky Dog Dash first and waited roughly 20 minutes in that standby line. After leaving that attraction it was no long early entry time and I decided to wait for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway which was another roughly 20-25 minute wait. Soon enough it was finally time for my first Lightning Lane usage and I walked right on vs. waiting in the roughly 50 minute standby line. Once I had tapped in I made sure to book another pass right away. My next Lighting Lane was quickly after at Star Tours. Standby was posted at I believe 20 minutes and with Lightning Lane I walked right on. Again, once tapped in I booked my next attraction which would be Toy Story Mania. This attraction was not right away though and in between I did single rider for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. For this I waited maybe 10-15 minutes.

It would turn out that Toy Story Mania would be the last Lightning Lane I would use at Hollywood Studios. I could’ve gotten Tower of Terror, Alien Swirling Saucers, or MuppetVision 3D at really any time but did not want too. Being a solo traveler using this at Hollywood Studios for just myself did not seem all that necessary. If I was with my family or a larger group I could see the benefits. I was really able to utilize single rider and early entry to my benefit. I also did not stay at Hollywood Studios from park open to park close.

One suggestion similar to Fastpass I would make is to keep checking the tip board from Disney Genie on My Disney Experience throughout the day. People will cancel and change their selections which can free up a time or attraction you may want.

Day two of Disney Genie+ was at Magic Kingdom. I did not make it to Magic Kingdom in time to utilize early entry. Here are the attractions I was able to choose from for my lightning lane selections:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Splash 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

My first Lightning Lane selection on my Magic Kingdom day was Pirates of the Caribbean. However that was not the first experience I did. Upon entering the Magic Kingdom I did meet Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater which was a five minute wait. This option is not currently part of Lightning Lane and is standby only. It is quite possible this will be added in the future. I also was able to ride Space Mountain after that with only a ten minute standby wait. Space Mountain is only available with Individual Lightning Lane purchases not with Disney Genie+. My Pirates selection was not until roughly 10:30AM and upon entering I did make my next selection for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad did offer my first break down experience. When it was my return time for the attraction it was down and this prompted an anytime experience selection similar to what would happen with Fastpass. I could return later to Big Thunder if it was operating again or choose anything from the list above. I saved that for later in hopes Big Thunder would return. I instead booked a new selection for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. After riding that Big Thunder was back open and I used my anytime pass for that. I did book a new pass for Dumbo the Flying Elephant but never actually used that selection. I was able to ride Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid with a 10 minute wait in standby. My last Lighting Lane selection I booked on this day was Jungle Cruise for the evening which saved me roughly an hour standby wait.

Again I could have booked several of the attractions above throughout the day but given my touring style I did not feel the need. As a frequent visiter and a solo traveler I do not always do everything I possibly can. This obviously is different for those who come only once a year or once every few years. Weather also played a role on this day as it did rain in the afternoon and evening which made outdoor attractions harder to do.

Of the two parks I used Disney Genie+, I found it more beneficial at Magic Kingdom given that there are more attractions in this park to choose from than the others. I could’ve definitely done more than I actually did with Genie+.

Now at Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom I did not purchase Disney Genie+ but I did utilize Individual Lightning Lane. At Epcot I used Lighting Lane for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure which cost me $9 plus tax. I was able to select from several different time frames for my ride but once set you cannot change. $9 for one person certainly does not seem like much but I can see how its a big pill to swallow if you are a family of four or larger. I do not regret this purchase for my first ever ride on this attraction but I would not make this purchase again.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I was not able to visit for a full day and did not make it in time for early entry so I purchased Lighting Lane for Avatar Flight of Passage which cost $14 plus tax. The attraction is a favorite of mine and one I like to do as often as possible. If I was under different circumstances I would not have made this purchase but I felt it was worth it in my situation. I would do this again if I deem necessary. If you have never been on Flight of Passage I do think it is worth it to consider this option rather than buy Disney Genie+ for the day at Animal Kingdom. I was able to ride Expedition Everest eight times this day using the single rider line and had little wait for Kilimanjaro Safari and Dinosaur as well.

I do not see value for a solo or even a larger party to use Disney Genie+ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That could also change though if you are park hopping. You can use Genie+ to park hop. If you start your day at Animal Kingdom and then move to say Magic Kingdom at night, I could very much see the benefits in getting Genie+. The only other attraction I would consider buying an Individual Lighting Lane for is Rise of the Resistance. This attraction is one of the hardest ones to get on given the waits and popularity. Again though, it would not be an every time thing for me.

I do want to touch on two more features of Disney Genie+ in AR Photo Lenses and Audio Tales. These two things are included with your Disney Genie+ purchase and allow guests to take special photos with filters like you may find on Snapchat or Instagram but are exclusive to the My Disney Experience app. Audio Tales are special audio segments with fun facts and more while you’re in the park experiencing the may details. Neither of these made the $15 more with it either.

So overall, I was not overly impressed with Disney Genie+. As a solo traveler I won’t be using it again soon. I will utilize single rider and park touring options such as early entry or late night rides. I will however consider Individual Lightning Lane options going forward based on the situation I am in. I think the biggest problem in all of this is these shorter wait special access lines used to be free and included with park admission as part of Fastpass. Now basically the same service is an added charge. That doesn’t sit well with many people. The added benefit for me is not there. I fully expect changes and adjustments to be made with Disney Genie going forward. Many guests in the parks were using it and trying to navigate with it. Confusion on certain aspects definitely seemed to be the biggest issue and hopefully Disney fixes that with time.

If you are looking at Disney Genie+, I think you need to really look at how you want to experience the parks. You also should think about how often you go. For me, the park veteran, its not of value. If I was a family of four on my first visit, I can see how it would be more valuable. Each situation is different. You can definitely still have a great experience without waiting in three hour long lines all day without purchasing Disney Genie+.

What do you think of Disney Genie and have you tried it out yet? Let us know!