Disney Genie and Genie+ launched today and though some guests ran into technical issues, on the whole, the launch went fairly smoothly, with no widespread glitches or outages affecting these new offerings’ first day of availability at Walt Disney World. If you are planning on using the premium Genie+ Lightning Lane services (either the $15 multi-attraction Genie+ service or the individual attraction Lightning Lane upcharge), here are some important tips and tricks to keep in mind before hitting the “buy now” button:
1. You need to download the most updated version of My Disney Experience
Before your park day, it is essential that you download the most recent version of the My Disney Experience app. Depending on your phone setting you may need to manually download this from the Google Play/App Store. Once you’ve double-checked that your app is the most recent version, make sure you sign in and double-check that all of your travel party’s tickets and theme park reservations are displayed in the app, as you will need both in order to purchase the $15 Disney Genie+ service for a specific date in the future.
2. On-site hotel guests have a slight advantage when it comes to individual Lightning Lane purchases
All Walt Disney World guests who have purchased the $15 Genie+ Lightning Lane service in advance from the My Disney Experience app can make their first attraction selection at 7:00 AM on their park day. However, resort guests who are staying on-site will have a slight advantage when it comes to purchasing individual attraction Lightning Lane passes (which are available for attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and the Snow White Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) as they can make their first purchase starting at 7:00 AM on the day of their visit. All other guests will need to wait until park opening to purchase single attraction Lightning Lane passes.
While this is definitely a plus for resort guests, regular guests don’t have to worry about attractions “selling out” before park opening, as it looks like Disney releases additional availability for individual Lightning Lane attraction purchases after park opening so all guests have a chance to make their purchase (even if resort guests have access to some earlier times).
3. Genie+ attraction reservations can sell out even if the service does not
And though Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation times won’t sell out, we saw on day one that attraction access definitely will. As you might expect, one of the first attractions to sell out was Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which is the most expensive of the individual attraction Lightning Lane attractions at $15 per guest, and was unavailable by mid-morning. Soon after, Slinky Dog Dash, which is available as a Genie+ selection via the inclusive $15 plan was also out of bookable return times by the afternoon.
While these were the only two attractions that were unavailable by the late afternoon, we’d expect other attractions to sell out much faster during peak times, which is why, if you’re going to invest in either the $15 Genie+ plan or one of the individual Lighting Lane attraction upcharges, you’ll want to ensure that your number one selection is made first.
4. You can stack reservations for later in the day as long as you don’t mind waiting
And speaking of reservation timing, though Disney allows those who use the $15 Genie+ plan to make new attraction reservations as soon as they redeem a return time, those who book a popular experience like Slinky Dog Dash first for a return time later in the day will be happy to know that they won’t be locked out of making reservations for attractions while they wait. If you book an attraction for later in the day before the theme park opens, you’ll be able to book another attraction 120 minutes after opening, and then can book another one after that one is redeemed (or wait another 120 minutes if you have another attraction late in the day).
So for instance, if you book Slinky Dog Dash at 8:00 AM for a 2:30 PM return time, you will have to wait until 11:00 PM (two hours after Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens) to book a return time for another attraction. If you select an 11:30 AM return time for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and ride it immediately, you can then book a reservation for Toy Story Mania at 12:00 PM while still maintaining your 2:30 PM Slinky Dog Dash reservation.
5. Purchases should be made as early in the day as possible for full value
No matter whether you are interested in the $15 Genie+ service or the individual Lightning Lane attraction upcharge, you will get the most value out of these add-ons by purchasing early in the day. Technically guests can purchase the $15 Genie+ service at any point in the day (even 10 minutes before closing!), but if you haven’t purchased this service within an hour of park opening, we’d say it probably isn’t worth it as you’ll be stuck with later return times. Similarly, the individual attraction passes are best purchased in the morning, as you’ll have your pick of convenient return times to pick from. And considering you are limited to purchasing only two of these “a la carte” options per day, it is definitely in your best interests to secure the rides/times you want as soon as you can.
As with anything at Walt Disney World, we expect pricing and availability to change based on crowd levels and overall demand for this service. However, if you’re thinking about purchasing this service, it definitely helps to have a game plan before hitting the park so you can get the full value of the Genie+ and Lightning Lane upgrades.
