How to Use Genie+ and Lightning Lane at Disney World 2023

Walt Disney World is packed year-round and doesn’t really have an off season. Who wants to spend hours waiting for a ride? Genie+ and Lightning Lane have been introduced to the parks as a modern day paid FastPass system, so families don’t have to wait in those long lines. Navigating these new features can be so difficult when you and your family just want to enjoy your vacation. Here is a guide to Genie+ and Lightning Lane to make the process easier to follow!

What Is Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane?

Disney Genie

Disney Genie is a free planning tool that you will find in your My Disney Experience app. Disney Genie helps you plan out an amazing Disney day according to what is most important to you. It lets you make choices including dining, attractions, shows, and more! You can select what is a priority for your family. It can give recommendations to help you get the most out of your day, and help you minimize the wait times on attractions. All of this is offered through the free Disney Genie area of the My Disney Experience app.

What Does Genie+ Include?

You have the option to purchase Genie+ for most rides in the parks to limit your wait times. This is one purchase that includes all of these rides: For more information, here are The 8 things you need to know about Genie+ and Lightning Lane.

Magic Kingdom:

  • 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
  • Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid
  • Space Mountain

EPCOT

  • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Mission: SPACE – Green
  • Mission: SPACE- Orange
  • Soarin’ Around the World
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk with Crush
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • 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
  • 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!
  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Animal Kingdom

  • Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King
  • DINOSAUR
  • Feathered Friends in Flight!
  • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Na’vi River Journey
  • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

What Rides Are Not Included in Disney Genie+?

The most popular rides are not included in Genie+ and are purchased individually. Instead, you can purchase individual Lightning Lane passes, up to 2 per day. The prices for Lightning Lane may vary based on the ride or time of year.

Here are the currently offered attractions you can use with Individual Lightning Lanes:

Magic Kingdom

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

EPCOT

  • Guardians of the Galaxy

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Animal Kingdom

  • Avatar Flight of Passage

How To Reserve Rides with Lightning Lane

First, you will need to download the My Disney Experience app and login. Make sure your app is updated in your phone’s settings or it may not work properly. You will also need to have your park reservations made in order to proceed.

  • Save

Genie+

Unfortunately you can no longer purchase Genie+ in advance. You will have to purchase Genie+ as early as midnight on the day you want to use it. If you want to book any Lightning Lane attractions, you will want to add Genie+ well before 7am.

To add Genie+ on the day of, you can click on the “Get Started” under my plans on the home page. If that does not appear, click the 3 horizontal lines in the bottom right-hand corner and then click the “My Genie Day” tab at the top of the screen. Next you will select “Get Started Now”. Here you will follow the prompts to purchase Genie+.

  • Save

Lighting Lane

All Lightning Lane reservations can be purchased the morning you want to use them, there is no option to purchase these ahead of time. If you have purchased Genie+ you can make your first Lightning Lane reservation at 7:00am. Guests staying on property, at the Swan & Dolphin, or Shades of Green will also be able to reserve a LL at 7:00am. All other guests can make their first reservation when the park opens. You are only able to purchase two Individual Lightning Lanes per day, and you cannot purchase the same ride twice. Make sure you are connected to everyone in your party before 7:00 (or park opening) to make the process faster to give you a higher chance of booking what you want.

To add a Lightning Lane reservation, you will tap the 3 horizontal lines in the bottom right-hand corner of the MDE app. Next, you will tap “Tip Board” and you will choose the park you are visiting that day. Find the ride you want to reserve and it should have a an LL option with a book experience option that you will tap. Then you will select the members in your party you want to purchase LL for. Follow the prompts to purchase the reservation.

Once you have booked a ride with Lightning Lane, you can make another selection after: You have exited the ride you have used your Lightning Lane reservation on

OR

You wait two hours after you have booked an attraction.

What this means is you can book a reservation for a ride later in the day, but you must wait two hours after you booked that ride to book another. For example, if at 9:00 am you book Jungle Cruise for 4:00-5:00, you don’t have to wait until you have ridden it to book another ride. At 11:00, two hours after you booked, you can book another attraction.

Using Genie+ or Lightning Lane and the DAS

DAS is the Disability Access Service at Disney World to accommodate guests who are unable to wait in line. This allows guests to receive a return time for a ride based on the current ride wait time, and you can only use one at a time. You are still waiting the same amount of time for the ride, you just aren’t standing in the line queue. You can still use Genie+ and Lightning Lane to skip the wait time even if you are using the DAS.

Is Disney Genie+ Service Worth the Price

The big question, is Genie+ worth the extra money on an already expensive vacation? The answer is different for every guest/family. If you are trying to go as inexpensively as possible, you may want to try other strategies in the parks. You can rope drop Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios instead of opting for Genie+ or Lightning Lane. Many rides have lower wait times in the mornings and in the evenings as well. If your family lives for the rides and attractions, you may want to consider purchasing the Genie+ or Lighting Lane options in order to ride as many rides as you can throughout the day. Especially during the busiest times of the year, Genie+ and Lightning Lane will definitely be recommended to get the most out of your vacation.

  • Save
Subscribe to Magical Guides!
Get updates on the latest posts and more from Magical Guides straight to your inbox.
Share via
Copy link