In 2021 Disney Fast Pass ended and was replaced by Disney Genie+. While you can avoid waiting in lines with Disney Genie+ and the Individual Lightning Lanes there is a learning curve to use them and it’s a little complicated but no worries! Read on to familiarize yourself with this new system to make the most out of your next Disney Trip! 

So first things first, What is Disney Genie+? If you purchase Genie+ you can get much shorter wait times for some rides by paying additional fees per ride (using the “lightning lane”.) You access Genie+ in the My Disney Experience app

What is a Lightning Lane at Disney World?The Lightning Lane is a separate line (aka “queue”) at some of the each attractions or rides.The Lightning Lane requires a reservation to use this queue and the wait time will be much shorter than the regular “standby” line. For most attractions, the wait will typically be less than five minutes if you purchase the lighting lane for that attraction. 

How do the Lightning Lanes work at Disney World? First, there are two different types of Lightning Lane attractions at Disney World. 

One called the Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions allows you to use the Lightning Lane at more than 40 attractions across the four parks right off the bat. The second type are called the Individual Lightning Lane attractions which you pay a fee at each of the 8 most in demand attractions and it doesn’t matter if you Genie+ or not.

In order to use the Genie+ Lightning Lanes, you will need to purchase Genie+ for that day which is $15 per person, per day at Walt Disney World.  There are two ways to purchase Genie+. 

The first is when you buy your park ticket directly from Disney you can add Genie+ during checkout. Alternatively, you can add Genie+ one day at a time in the My Disney Experience app starting at midnight for that upcoming day. This gives you more flexibility based on how busy the parks are when you visit in case you don’t want to buy the Genie+.

You can reserve your Genie+ Lightning Lane ride selection at 7am every morning, after you make sure you have your park ticket, park reservation, and Genie+ all ready to go. You do this by opening your My Disney Experience app, you’ll see at the very top where you can tap “My Day” or “View My Day”.Tapping this will take you to Disney Genie where you can make your Lightning Lane selections.  However, the easiest way to make Genie+ Lightning Lane selections is through the Tip Board. Once you are in the Tip Board you’ll see all of your options for Genie+ Lightning Lane selections. You start each day only make one Genie+Lightning Lane reservation and you can make your next Genie+ Lightning Lane selection either when you check-in for your current selection or after 120 minutes have passed since you made your current selection.For example, if at 8 am you get a spot in the Lightning Lane at 3 pm for Slinky Dog Dash, you won’t have to wait until 3 pm to make another selection.You’ll be able to make another selection 120 minutes later at 10 am.  So you can “stack” several Genie+ Lightning Lane selections for later in the day if you keep track of the 120-minute rule. The only time the 120-minute rule doesn’t work is if you make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection before the park opens. Then you would have to wait for 120 minutes after the official park opening time to make another selection. So, if you are smart and make your first selection at 7 am when the Genie+Lightning Lane first lets you make the reservation on the app but the park doesn’t open until 9 am, you’ll have to wait until 11 am to make another selection. Or until you use that first selection. Also, just as a side you can park hop and use Disney Genie+ so you can plan this into your day as well.

So I’m sure you are wondering if Genie+ is worth buying and if it is necessary for your vacation. The quick answer is that Genie Plus ISN’T needed at every park and during every time of year. Genie Plus is almost always needed and really helpful to have at Magic Kingdom. 

The reason for this is that there are so many attractions at Magic Kingdom that the Genie+ Lightening Lane pass works with and you will get your money’s worth. Days you might not need it are rainy or cold days during a less busy time of year. 

As for Hollywood Studios you’ll get a lot of use out of Genie+ as well for these rides in particular: Millennium Falcon, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Midway Mania, Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and the Hollywood Tower of Terror.  Note if you are visiting with very young children who can’t go on most of these rides, you’ll probably not want Genie Plus at Hollywood Studios.  Genie Plus is only really helpful at Epcot and Animal Kingdom during the busiest times of the year. 

Here are the most popular Genie+ Lightning Lane rides you want to make sure to grab first. At Hollywood Studios it is  Slinky Dog Dash. For Magic Kingdom make sure to get Peter Pan’s Flight first and then Jungle Cruise.  The most popular Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions at Epcot are Soarin’ and Test Track. And lastly at Animal Kingdom are Kilimanjaro Safaris and Nav’i River Journey are the first you want to grab here.

Now let’s talk about Individual Lightning Lanes not to be confused with Genie+ Lightning Lanes. Remember you do NOT have to buy Genie+ to buy Individual Lightning Lane selections! The price of Individual Lightning Lane attractions depend on the day you are visiting – for example, the price is higher during peak seasons and on weekends. In general, the cost of Individual Lightning Lane selections ranges from $7 – $15.

Here are the average costs for the Individual Lightning Lane selections:

• Seven Dwarves Mine Train (Magic Kingdom) –$11
• Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom) – $8
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios) – $15
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Hollywood Studios) – $9
• Frozen Ever After (Epcot) – $10
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Epcot) – $10
• Avatar: Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom) – $12
• Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom) – $7

If you are staying at an on-property Disney resort, you can start buying Individual Lightning Lane reservations at 7 am the day of your visit. If you aren’t staying “on property”, then you will have to wait until the park opens. Keep in mind that you can only purchase two Individual Lightning Lane selections each day.  To find out what time the parks open during your visit, check out this Disney World calendar. In order to purchase reservations for Individual Lightning Lane attractions you also need to go to the My Disney Experience app and in both the My Day and Tip Board sections you’ll see the option to purchase Individual Lightning Lane for eligible attractions.

When it is time to use your Lightning Lane reservation just head to the attraction and look for the entrance to the Lightning Lane queue. You will be asked to scan either your park ticket, Magic Band, or Magic Mobile pass on your phone. Once you are checked in for your Lightning Lane reservation and you can make another selection right away in the app. 

As you may have noted, Genie+ and the Lightning Lanes have many rules you need to be aware of in order to get the most out of using them. Here is a quick summary list of all of the Disney Genie Plus rules and Individual Lightning Lane rules: 

• You can’t make more than one Lightning Lane reservation per attraction per day. This applies to both Genie+ Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane attractions!
• You can only purchase two Individual Lightning Lane reservations per day.
• You can begin making Genie+ Lightning Lane selections at 7 am the day of your visit in the My Disney Experience app. 
• If you are staying at an on-property Disney resort, you can purchase Individual Lightning Lane passes starting at 7 am the day of your visit. If not, you will have to wait until the official park opening. 
• You can make another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection after you check-in for your current selection OR after 120 minutes have passed since you made your current selection. 
• You don’t have to purchase Genie+ in order to purchase Individual Lightning Lane
• You can purchase Genie+ for the day starting at midnight. Just be sure to have it added before you go to make your first reservation at 7 am. 

Finally, here is the list of the attractions with Genie+ Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes:

Magic Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain

Genie+ Lightning Lane Attractions:

• 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
• Monster’s, 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

Epcot

Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After

Genie+ Attractions:

• Soarin’
• Test Track Presented by Chevrolet
• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Hollywood Studios 

Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Genie+ Attractions:

• Slinky Dog Dash
• Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
• Toy Story Mania!
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• 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!
• MuppetVision 3D
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Animal Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Attractions:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest

Genie+ Attractions:

• Nav’i River Journey
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Dinosaur
• Festival of the Lion King
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Feathered Friends in Flight
• The Animal Experience at Conservation Station