Tag: Genie+

Walt Disney World to End Advanced Sales of Genie+

Starting next month, Walt Disney World guests will no longer be able to buy  Genie+ ahead of their visits, the company announced today.

In the announcement, Disney stated that beginning June 8, the service will only be available for purchase for guests on the day of visit via the My Disney Experience app. It was previously offered for pre-purchase as a park ticket add-on.

Guests who have already made an advance purchase of Genie+ for 2022 dates will not be affected.

In the announcement made on the Disney Parks Blog the Disney said –

We’re focused on delivering the best possible guest experience, and this adjustment will help manage the incredibly strong demand our guests have shown for Disney Genie+.

Why is Disney doing this?  Your guess is as good as anyone’s, because Disney has not officially stated why.

There is speculation though from Disney observers.

One possible reason could be that this update raises the possibility of Disney offering variable date-based pricing for Genie+ and giving them more flexibility in managing sales of the Genie+ service.  Though from a practical standpoint, having advance sale does not preclude this, though by not having advanced sales, Disney does have more flexibility of when having to decide on any variable pricing.

It was noted that a notable change in language today indicates that Genie+ is “subject to availability.” Limiting sales of Genie+ would give Disney help with improving attraction availability for those guests who purchase Genie+.

Some Disney observers have heard that Disney has been exploring the possibility of offering discounted Genie+ to some categories of guests. Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Members have been a couple of groups who have felt that they should have some level of Genie+ included with their pass, or at least offered at a discount.

Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ Service Coming to Disneyland Resort on December 8th

Late yesterday Disneyland Resort announced that the Disney Genie service will be available at the Disneyland Resort beginning tomorrow December 8th.

The Disney Genie service will be built right into the existing Disneyland app, the service will offer new features to help guests create their best Disney day. All guests will need to make sure that they’ve downloaded the latest version of the Disneyland app and they need to make sure that their notification and location services are turned on so that they can get the most out of the app’s features.

At the Disneyland Resort the service will include:

Complimentary Disney Genie Features

The key part of the Disney Genie service are features like a personalized itinerary creator inspired by the things you tell Disney what you love, helping guests make the most of your park time so you can have more fun! Just tell Disney Genie your favorite things such as foodie experiences, must-do attractions, Super Heroes or princesses; experiences that make your Disneyland Resort day special, and Disney Genie does all the work to suggest fun options tailored to you.

The Disney Genie service will also offer other great features like a personal tip board to see your favorite attractions and dining options in one central place, and forecasted future attraction wait times, helping you predict the best time to visit during the day.

These features are designed to help guests spend less time waiting in line, enjoying more of what they love. The Disney Genie service will even work around your existing plans, even dining reservations!

Disney Genie does all the work behind the scenes and and will update your itinerary continually from morning to night so you can stay spontaneous and make the most of your time in the parks!

Ability to Access the new Lightning Lane Entrance

If guests have been to the Disneyland Resort recently, they may have noticed some new signs being installed for Lightning Lane entrances at a number of popular attractions. The Lightning Lane offers the convenience of saving you time waiting in line. Guests can access the Lightning Lane entrance for select attractions two ways:

1) Disney Genie+ service.

Disney Genie+ will be available for $20 per ticket per day, and allows guests to select the next available arrival window for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrances at a variety of attractions, one at a time (subject to limited availability; limit one Lightning Lane selection per experience each day).

Disney Genie+ will also include unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from the day, as well as fun new audio experiences that let you discover the parks in cool new ways, through fascinating fun facts and behind-the-scenes insights.

Disney Genie+ service will be able to be purchased in the Disneyland app after guests have entered the park and have linked their park ticket. After December 8, guests will also be able to choose to purchase Disney Genie+ prior to their visit when you the park ticket is purchased. Guests can begin making Lightning Lane arrival window selections as soon as they enter a theme park!

AND/OR

2) Individual Lightning Lane Entrance Selection.

This new “a la carte” option allows the individual purchase of Lightning Lane entrance arrival windows for some of the most popular attractions: Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure park, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+).

Pricing for the “a la carte” option will vary by date and attraction. Be sure to check the Disneyland app on the day of your visit for the latest pricing for each available Lightning Lane attraction entrance arrival window. If you choose this option, you may purchase the next available arrival window, one at a time, for up to two (2) attractions per day upon entering a theme park.

It’s important to note that guests can select one, both or none of these options.  Attractions will continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue may be used at select attractions. Check the Disneyland app for attraction queue status.

Walt Disney Announces Genie+ Launch Date Along with Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane Details

Walt Disney World announced today that Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane will launch at Walt Disney World on October 19th.

As a reminder, Disney Genie is a new digital service which is part of the My Disney Experience app that is designed to plan your day at the Walt Disney World theme parks, including a personalized itinerary that maps out the entire day based on your preferences. There is no cost to use Disney Genie.

Disney Genie+ is an option within the Disney Genie service that makes the former FastPass line available at select attractions, now called Lightning Lane. The introductory pricing for this option will be $15 per ticket per day. Certain headline attractions are not part of Genie+, and Lightning Lane access at those attractions will require an Individual Attraction purchase.

The pricing for Individual Attraction purchases will vary by date, attraction and park. For example, the Lightning Lane entrance to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be $9 per person on October 19 and $11 per person on October 23. As another example, on both those dates, Lightning Lane entrance to Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain will be $7 per person, while Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be $15 per person. Throughout the year, prices will vary by days. This option may be purchased at up to 2 different attractions each day.

As part of the announcement Disney has provided the full listing of all the attractions that will offer Lighting Lane access at Walt Disney World.

Lightning Lane entrances will be available through two options.

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections – Guests can select arrival windows for Lightning Lane entrances that are available at more than 40 attractions and entertainment across all 4 theme parks, one at a time throughout the day for $15 per ticket per day.

Individual Lightning Lane Selections – Lightning Lane entry will be available for purchase individually. Guests may purchase and select an arrival window one at a time for up to 2 attractions a day. This option will be available for all Guests—with or without Disney Genie+ service.

Here is the complete list –

Magic Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Space Mountain

Disney Genie+ 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

EPCOT

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

  • Frozen Ever After
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

  • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Mission: SPACE – Green
  • Mission: SPACE – Orange
  • Soarin’
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

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

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

  • Alien Swirling Saucers
  • Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
  • Disney Jr. Dance Party
  • 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
  • Slinky Dog Dash
  • Star Tours
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

  • Avatar Flight of Passage
  • Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections

  • 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

Disney Announces Disney Genie Service for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort

Ever since Disney’s Genie project was announced at the 2019 D23 Expo, Disney fans have anticipated and speculated about what it would be.  Yesterday Disney finally took the wraps off and revealed how it plans to reshape the Walt Disney World theme park experience.

Disney announced that Disney Genie will be part of the My Disney Experience app and will arrive at Walt Disney World and Disneyland in this fall.

Disney Genie will include a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more,  just tell Disney Genie what you want to do and it will do the planning for you.

Here are some key features –

  • Get Itinerary Updates from Morning to Night: Disney Genie will continue to update your itinerary throughout your day, so you can be more spontaneous and go with the flow.
  • Find Your Favorites at a Glance: Create your very own personal tip board to instantly see your favorites. It will display current AND forecasted future wait times, helping you predict when you might experience quicker entry to attractions.
  • Enjoy More Flexibility and Fun: Disney Genie brings existing planning features together in one place. Join a virtual queue at certain attractions, make dining and experience reservations, mobile order food at many locations, get help from a virtual assistant and more.

There will be two other options for enjoying the theme parks, through a queue that Disney is calling Lightning Lane (formerly the FastPass queue) that is designed to save guests time in line.

Genie+ will be available at Walt Disney World for $15 per person per day ($20 per day for Disneyland Resort), and will include access to the Lightning Lane (previously the FastPass line), for one attraction at a time, with a designated arrival time. In addition, top tier attractions not included in Genie+ will be available for individual purchase at a price not yet announced. Speculation is that Disney could be charging between $4 and $24 per person, per ride, depending on the category of attraction.

Guests can make one selection at a time, throughout the day, from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). If you have visited Disneyland Resort in recent years, this option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories, augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.

Most attractions that were previously part of FastPass+ will be included in the flat-rate Genie+, but top-tier attractions and new attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will require an individual purchase for Lighting Lane access.

Our friends at WDWMagic were nice enough to put together a list of FAQ’s regarding Disney Genie, here are some of the key questions –

1. What is Disney Genie?

Disney Genie is a new digital service that is part of the My Disney Experience app available at no additional cost. The service is designed to plan your day at the Walt Disney World theme parks, including a personalized itinerary that maps out the entire day based on your preferences. Disney Genie will display current AND forecasted future wait times.

2. What is Disney Genie+?

Disney Genie+ is an option within the Disney Genie service that makes the former FastPass line available at select attractions, now called Lightning Lane. At Walt Disney World, the introductory pricing is $15 per ticket per day. Certain headline attractions are not part of Genie+, and Lightning Lane access at those attractions will require an Individual Attraction purchase.

3. What are Individual Attraction Purchases?

Attractions not included as part of Genie+, such as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, will require an individual attraction purchase for access into the Lightning Lane. Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and is still to be announced. We have heard reliable speculation that puts pricing between $4 and $24 depending on date, attraction and demand.

4. If I don’t want to buy Genie+ or individual attraction purchases, can I still ride?

All attractions will still have a standby queue or a virtual queue. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will feature a virtual queue and Lightning Lane access only.

5. When does Disney Genie and Genie+ launch at Walt Disney World?

Disney Genie+ will launch in fall 2021; no specific date is available.

6. What is the difference between Genie and Genie+?

Disney Genie is the planning service that creates itineraries and is free for all visitors. Genie+ is a paid option to provide Lighting Lane access to certain attractions.

7. What is a Lightning Lane?

The Lighting Lane is the new name for the FastPass queue, and can be accessed via Genie+ at participating attractions, or via an Individual Attraction purchase at a limited number of high-demand attractions.

8. How much does Disney Genie cost?

The basic Disney Genie service is free to all guests visiting Walt Disney World.

9. Is Disney Genie a new app?

Disney Genie will be accessed via My Disney Experience, the existing Walt Disney World app available for iOS and Android.

10. When can I add Genie+ to my ticket?

Once launched in the fall, you will be able to purchase Genie+ for $15 ahead of your visit as an add-on or purchase on the day of your visit.

11. What attractions are available for Lighting Lane access via Genie+?

Disney has not yet provided a complete listing. However, from material released so far, the following will have Lighting Lane access as part of Genie+:

  • Astro Orbiter
  • Barnstormer
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle
  • The Haunted Mansion
  • it’s a small world
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Mad Tea Party
  • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
12. How many Disney Genie+ selections can I make?

You can make one selection at a time throughout the day. Once you use one, you can make another.

13. How many Individual Attraction purchases can I make?

You can schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance.

14. What attractions will not be part of Genie+ and require an Individual Attraction purchase?

Disney has confirmed that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will not be part of Genie+ and will require an Individual Attraction purchase for Lightning Lane access.

Although not yet confirmed, it is expected that the full line-up of Individual Attraction purchases to be Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Test Track, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Flight of Passage and Kilimanjaro Safaris.

15. Do I have to buy Genie+ before I can make an Individual Attraction Purchase?

No. Individual Attraction purchases can be made via Disney Genie without needing the Genie+ add-on.

16. When can I purchase Individual Attractions for Lightning Lane access?

Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can purchase up to 2 individual attraction selections for Lighting Lane access at 7am on the day of visit. Non-resort hotel guests can make a purchase when the park opens.

17. When can I make Genie+ selections?

At Walt Disney World, all guests can make the first Genie+ selection at 7am on the day of the visit via My Disney Experience.

18. Will Genie+ and Individual Attraction purchases be available during Extended Evening Hours and Early Entry for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests?

No, only standby lines will be in use during these times.

19. Do I have to purchase Genie+ for the entire length of my trip?

If purchased as part of a vacation package ahead of your visit, Genie+ is purchased for the entire length of the stay at $15 per ticket per day.
If not purchased ahead of time, Genie+ can be added on a day-by-day basis.

20. Can I pay to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure?

Yes. There are two options to access these attractions. You can join the virtual queue, which has no cost, beginning at 7am, or purchase a Lighting Lane entrance if available at the time.

21. How does Genie+ and individual attraction purchases work for Annual Passholders?

Genie+ can be purchased by Walt Disney World Annual Passholders on the day of the visit for $15 per day. No discounts are available.