Genie Plus: What is it and is Disney Genie Plus worth it?

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Is Disney Genie Plus worth it?

There are some key differences between what’s included and not included in Genie Plus if you look at Disneyland vs Walt Disney World.

I’m a current Magic Key Holder for Disneyland, and as a San Diego girl, I grew up going to the park. My husband acts annoyed when our daughters and I constantly geek out over Disney, but he’s secretly obsessed too.

This is my Genie Plus review where I dive into all of the details, tips, and tricks I’ve used myself at Disneyland and California Adventure. You will know exactly if you want to buy Genie Plus and how to use it.

Don’t worry- for the Walt Disney World guests I’ve done my research for my own future Disney World vacation. Plus, I’ve picked the brains of some Disney blogger and travel agent friends of mine to get the full scoop on Florida’s Disney Parks.

Check out our Instagram for the full recording of our IG Live on Walt Disney World and Disneyland Genie Plus. We go over all our likes, dislikes, and comparisons in a fun conversation.

My goal is for you to feel confident about buying or not buying Genie Plus for your Disney vacation. You’ll see it really depends on specific details about you and your upcoming trip.

What is Genie Plus?

Is Disney Genie Plus worth it?

Is Disney Genie Plus worth it at the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort? 

To answer that question we need to understand what is included in Genie Plus, what is not included in Genie Plus. You also need to understand how a Lightning Lane selection can help your Disney experience.

Genie Plus is the new version of Disneyland’s FastPass service and Max Pass system.

If you purchase Genie Plus for the day, it allows you to skip the long line, and use the Genie Lightning Lane entrance for a much shorter line.

Often this can be the difference between a 60-minute wait vs. a 15-minute shortcut.

You can get your Genie Plus added to discount Disney tickets or Vacation Packages through our affiliates at Get Away Today. They have amazing customer service and help you plan if you want. They also price match and price watch, so you know you’re getting the best deal.

How Does Genie Plus Work?

Genie Plus is used on the Disney Park App. To use it you need to know when to make reservations.

Literally, click on the Lightning Lane selection on your app, then scan your park ticket or MagicBand at the Lightning Lane entrance to the ride. That’s it! It’s really quite simple.

The struggle people have is whether or not it’s worth the purchase and the timing of when they can book a new ride.

You can select a new Genie Plus Lightning Lane every 2 hours of after using your current Lightning Lane selection, whichever comes first.

The big ticket rides such as Indiana Jones and Space Mountain are selected quickly, pushing their next fast pass window to later in the day. This makes stacking Genie Plus possible. 

You book a Lightning Lane for later in the day and then 2 hours later book another Lightning Lane. This way you can hold more than one on your phone at a time. If you don’t book them soon, you might miss out on an opportunity to use Lightning Lane for these rides.

How to use Disney Genie Plus

To use Disney Genie Plus, go to your Disneyland App or My Disney Experience App. From there you can click on the Tip Board.

From there you can scroll to the ride you want and click Lightning Lane. If that ride is an Individual Lightning Lane such as Rise of the Resistance, it will have an extra cost listed.

When creating how to use Genie Plus Disney really made it as user-friendly as possible. Anywhere you view a ride or attraction on the app, there’s a button with the Lightning Lane information.

When in doubt, just click on the ride on the map and then choose Lightning Lane from there.

Disney Fast Pass Rules

• Book another ride after 2 hours or after redeeming your current Lightning Lane
• Book as early as 7 am (Walt Disney World) or after entering the park (Disneyland)
• Individual Lightning Lanes purchases don’t affect your Genie+ Lightning Lane selections
• Arrive at your Lightning Lane within the time shown on your app
• Cancel your Lightning Lane if you won’t use it
• You can only use Lightning Lane once per ride per day

Disney Genie Plus Tips

• Rope Drop
• Cancel Lightning Lane if standby is a short line
• Check Times
• Link all tickets to one account
• Battery Pack

Disney Genie Plus only lets you use Lightning Lane once per ride. 

If you want to go on Space Mountain more than once and want to avoid an hour or longer wait, there’s a trick.

Rope Drop (get to the park before it opens) so you can be one of the first on that ride- no long wait! Now you can still use your Lightning Lane for it later in the day.

If you don’t need the Lightning Lane because the standby line isn’t long, cancel it so you can get a different Lightning Lane now and still use it for that same ride later.

Check your times. You can book another Light Inc Lane as soon as you use your current one, or 2 hours later- whichever comes first.

You also need to check return times for big-ticket rides such as Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. The Lightning Lanes will fill up quickly for the day, so if you don’t book them early you might get a 9 pm return time when it’s not even noon yet.

Link all your tickets to one account so it’s easier for one person in your group to get Lightning Lane for everyone. That same person can quickly swipe & scan when it’s time to line up!

The app takes up a good amount of power. Check your phone battery and charge it as needed. 

What is Disney Genie?

A quick little side step before we get into all of the Disney Genie Pass details: what is the Genie service and how does it connect to Genie Plus?

Genie is FREE and is already on your Disneyland app.

It’s more of a guideline to the wait times of the park, and it gives suggestions of when lines might be shortest at what time.

You answer a short questionnaire for the Genie service to know what kind of Disney experience you are looking for on that visit, then the suggestions displayed will tailor themselves to your input.

Don’t they already have wait times on the Disneyland app map?

Yes, they do, BUT this Disney Genie service is tailored to your preferences.

As mentioned before, Disney Genie also gives suggestions based on predicted times the lines will be shorter. 

Is Disney Genie worth it? 

On a busy day even with the free Disney Genie’s guidance of where to go and when you still need to pay to actually get into the Lightning Lane (Fast Pass) line for the attraction you want.

But, yes, it is worth it to use Disney Genie for suggestions if you’re not sure what to do next.

What is Lightning Lane?

Lightning Lane is the term for the previous Fast Pass lane. 

The Disney park rides included in Genie Plus can help you determine your own answer to our initial question: is Disney Genie Plus worth it at Disneyland or Walt Disney World for your visit?

Disney Lightning Lane is the shorter line you can pay to go into, cutting your wait time down by a lot on those busy 1 hour-plus wait time days, and typically improving your overall Disney experience. 

You can access a Genie Lightning Lane by buying Genie Plus OR purchasing an A-La-Cart Lightning Lane pass for an individual attraction or ride.

The entire process is scanning Genie Plus on the phone for Lightning Lane access, or scanning your Magic Band.

Genie Plus Lightning Lane

Any rides included in Genie Plus will allow you access to those ride’s Lightning Lane queues. Please see “Genie Plus What’s Included?” (the next section) for a full list of rides included in Genie Plus.

You have to purchase Genie Plus (or get a freebie pass if a ride breaks down on you) to access this line shortcut route.

A-La-Cart Lightning Lane

When people ask about Genie Plus versus Lightning Lane, they are talking about the a-la-cart Lightning Lanes. These rides can not be accessed by Genie Plus. 

You can only use the Lightning Lane for these rides if you pay for it separately (with or without already having Genie Plus- it’s completely separate).

These are the “big ticket,” currently-most-popular attractions.

You can get a full list of the rides needing separate Lightning Lane purchases under “Genie Plus What’s Not Included” right after we jump into what is included…

A-La-Cart Individual Lightning Lane purchases for Walt Disney World are limited to 2 per day. 

A perk of staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel is that you can purchase your individual Lightning Lane as early as 7 am. Other guests need to wait until the park opens.

What’s Included in Genie Plus at Disneyland?

Ok, let’s get into what Genie Plus Disneyland actually includes. 

With your purchase of Genie Plus, you get Lightning Lane access to certain attractions, unlimited PhotoPass digital downloads, and additional behind-the-scenes audio soundbites.

• Lightning Lane Access to Select Attractions 
• Unlimited PhotoPass Digital Downloads
• PhotoPass Lenses (camera filter)
• Behind-the-Scenes Audio Soundbites

It does not matter if you have a park hopper pass or a single Disney park ticket, rides from both parks are included. You just won’t be able to select or use a Lightning Lane selection for a California Adventure attraction if your ticket is only for Disneyland.

You can only hold one Lightning Lane and one A-La-Cart individual Lightning Lane at a time. In order to get your next one, you must use your current Lightning Lane pass, or wait 2 hours before selecting a new one (if your return time is much later in the day from your previous selection).

Note: you can only use Lightning Lane once per ride per day. This is one of the main grievances of guests who remember the old Disney FastPass system where it didn’t matter how many times you snagged a fast pass for the same ride.

For example: if you use your Disneyland Genie Plus Lightning Lane on Toy Story Mania in the morning, you will have to wait in the regular stand-by line if you want to ride Toy Story Mania again later that same day.

Keep in mind all rides are subject to closure at any point in time for fixes, refurbishment, holiday changes, etc. We try to keep this post as up-to-date as possible, but check your Disneyland app on the day of your Disney park visit for the most accurate list of available theme park attractions.

Astro Blasters at Disneyland, the beginning of the ride with an Emperor Zurg mural to the left and the line to the right.

Disneyland Rides Included with Genie Plus

• Autopia (32” Height Requirement)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (40” Height Requirement)
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Any Height)
• Haunted Mansion (Any Height)
• Indiana Jones Adventure (46” Height Requirement)
• It’s a Small World (Any Height)
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Any Height)
• Matterhorn Bobsleds (42” Height Requirement)
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (38” Height Requirement)
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (Any Height)
• Space Mountain (40” Height Requirement)
• Splash Mountain (40” Height Requirement)
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue (40” Height Requirement)

Disney California Adventure Rides Included with Genie Plus

• Goofy’s Sky School (42” Height Requirement)
• Grizzly River Run (42” Height Requirement)
• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! (40” Height Requirement)
• Incredicoaster (48” Height Requirement)
• Monster’s, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! (Any Height)
• Soarin’ over the World (40” Height Requirement)
• Toy Story Midway Mania! (Any Height)
• Ariel’s Undersea Advenutre (Any Height)

In my opinion, the Lightning Lane for most of these attractions makes a big difference. 

Rides like Autopia and Toy Story Mania have a lot of switchbacks in their queues. 

Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and the Matterhorn are all very popular, faster rides and in completely separate locations. 

You might be able to rope drop (get there before the Disney park opens) Indiana Jones and then get to Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain before the lines get too long, but a Lightning Lane is needed to have a quick line for all of them.

Same for California Adventure attractions. The fast ones have lines that grow very long very quickly, so if they are all on your list then get Genie Plus for the Disney Lightning Lane feature.

Haunted Mansion and Star Tours are slower rides, but not rides you want to wait an hour for. Star Tours might have a decent ebb and flow of line length throughout the day. Haunted Mansion gets a very long queue, especially during the holidays with the Nightmare Before Christmas layover.

Walking through a giant version of Boo’s door as the entrance to the Mike & Sulley ride at California Adventure.

What’s Included in Genie Plus at Walt Disney World?

Genie Plus works the same way at Walt Disney World as it does at Disneyland, but there are some key differences.

Disney World Genie+ includes:

• Lightning Lane Access to Select Attractions 
• Select Attraction PhotoPass Digital Downloads
• PhotoPass Lenses (camera filter)
• Behind the Scenes Audio Soundbytes

You need to select a single-park or multi-park Genie Plus option at Walt Disney World. At Disneyland, there’s just one version of Genie Plus even if you just have a single park ticket.

Starting at 7 am, as a Walt Disney World guest you can book your first Lightning Lane. Although your 2-hour wait for another Lightning Lane won’t start counting until the park opens.

Unlike Disneyland, Walt Disney World Genie Plus does NOT include all PhotoPass photos. It does include some of the ride photos.

Genie Plus Disney World rides and attractions are listed below per theme park.

Magic Kingdom Rides Included with Genie Plus

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
• Disney Festival a Fantasy Parade
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Haunted Mansion
• It’s a Small World
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Meet Ariel at her Grotto
• Meet Princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Mickey at Toon Town Square Theatre 
• Mickey’s Philharmagic 
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor 
• Peter Pans Flight 
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space 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

Genie Plus at Magic Kingdom is worth it, especially if you want to have shorter lines for the princess meet and greets. It includes a huge mix of rides with various height requirements.

The best thing is that Disney Genie Walt Disney World’s cost is typically the same for the multi-park and Magic Kingdom. 

Magic Kingdom is a bit further away from the other Disney World Parks, but you won’t lose out on money by purchasing the multi-day Genie Plus instead of one just for the Magic Kingdom.

EPCOT Rides Included with Genie Plus

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

Is genie plus worth it for Epcot? Well, the cost is lower for this Disney World Park than for Magic Kingdom. Most of what’s included are shows and a few attractions. 

Take a look at the list and if most of it is on your to-do list, Genie Plus would be worth it on a busy day.

Hollywood Studios Rides Included with Genie Plus

• Alien Swirling Saucers 
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play and Dance 
• For the First Time in Forever: a Frozen Sing-Along Celebration 
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
• Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway
• MillenniumFalcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet Vision 3-D
• Rockin Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours: The Adventures Continue 
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania

Is genie plus worth it for Hollywood studios? There are a lot of amazing rides included in this Genie Plus pass.

If you think the wait times will be over 30 minutes (so basically summer, holidays, and weekends), then get Genie Plus.

Animal Kingdom Rides Included with Genie Plus

• Festival of the Lion King 
• Dinosaur 
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… And Beyond 
• It’s Tough to be a Bug
• Kali River Rapids 
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventures Outpost 
• Na’vi River Journey 
• The Animation Experience and Conservation Station

Is Genie Plus worth it for Animal Kingdom? 

This Genie Plus pass includes some rides, some shows, and some character meetings. Think about if you’re traveling during holidays or school vacations. 

If you don’t think it will be too crowded and you really just want to walk around the Animal Kingdom, a Genie+ Fast Pass may not be necessary.

Genie Plus What’s Not Included?

An Individual Lightning Lane selection is purchased per person per day, and it is NOT included in Genie Plus.

That’s right, these particular, high-demand rides are NOT included in Genie Plus.

It does not matter if you have Genie Plus or not, the rules are the same when purchasing these Genie Lightning Lane ride line shortcuts.

You can only buy up to 2 of these individual Lightning Lane “a-la-cart” purchases per day and only have 1 active at a time (i.e. you need to use one before you can buy another).

Disneyland Rides not Included in Genie Plus

These are separate individual lightning lane purchases.

Disneyland Rides Separate Lightning Lane Purchase

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (40” Height Requirement)

Disney California Adventure Separate Lightning Lane Purchase

• Radiator Springs Racers (40” Height Requirement)
• WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure (Any Height)

I would like to note that Star Wars Rise of the Resistance is not an attraction that is easily rope-dropped (getting to the park before it opens in the hope of being first in line).

There is no running allowed in any Disney park, but many guests will “walk with purpose” as quickly as they can to cram into the queue. If you like the adrenaline rush of speed walking to beat a crowd and waking up early, then it is possible to rope drop Rise of the Resistance.

If that doesn’t sound like what you enjoy, then definitely invest in the individual Lightning Lane purchase for Rise of the Resistance. Even if you are not a hard-core Star Wars fan, this attraction is absolutely amazing, immersive, and impressive.

Spider-Man Ride at California Adventure. Peter Parker explains to the group what they need to do.

Walt Disney World Rides not Included in Genie Plus

These are separate individual lightning lane purchases for Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom Rides Separate Lightning Lane Purchase

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• TRON Lightcycle

EPCOT Rides Separate Lightning Lane Purchase

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Hollywood Studios Rides Separate Lightning Lane Purchase

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 

Animal Kingdom Rides Separate Lightning Lane Purchase

• Avatar Flight of Passage 

Magic Kingdom Genie Plus is worth it for the park, but would I spend extra money on an Individual Lightning Lane? 

Honestly, probably for TRON. I’ve heard so many things about it, I would have to go on that ride while I was there. Especially since I don’t know when I’d be back at Walt Disney World again.

Is Disney genie plus worth it for Epcot if you really want to ride Cosmic Rewind? 

That depends if you are ok with an additional cost for this separate Lightning Lane. You do not need Genie Plus to purchase an a-la-cart individual Lightning Lane. Again, I would totally spend extra money on this ride if I couldn’t Rope Drop it.

What’s the difference between Genie Plus at Disneyland and WDW?

First, you need to be in the correct app.

Disneyland uses the Disneyland App, and Walt Disney World uses the My Disney Experience App

Both Disney Resorts vary in which rides are included with Genie+ and which are separate a-la-cart purchases or not included at all.

The big difference between attractions available with Genie+ is Walt Disney World also includes select meet and greets and shows in their Lightning Lane options.

Disneyland only includes select rides, but Disneyland wins when it comes to PhotoPass.

Both Florida and California Disney Resorts include PhotoPass filters. 

This is similar to social media apps when you can take a picture or selfie with your phone and have a fun Disney-themed addition to it. It’s like your own Magic Shot photo or video.

Disneyland includes every PhotoPass photo with Genie Plus. All the Disney Photographer pictures, magic shots, and ride photos are included as digital downloads.

Walt Disney World Genie+ only includes select PhotoPass ride downloads.

You can add Genie Plus to your Disneyland ticket at the time of purchase or wait until you enter the park to buy it for the day.

Walt Disney World only currently allows Genie Plus purchases to be made on the day of your visit one day at a time.

Disney Genie+ Plus Photo Pass

Both parks include at least some Photo Pass picture downloads with your purchase of Genie Plus.

In California, all of your attraction photos and Photo Pass pictures are included in Genie+. 

In Florida, only the attraction photos are included as digital downloads with Genie+. If you want the Disney Photographer photos (which I highly recommend!), then you will need to purchase a Memory Maker PhotPass.

Magic Key Holders in Disneyland California already have PhotoPass included in their annual pass, so your extra incentive for Genie+ is the PhotoPass Lenses. 

They are like Snapchat filters and add a background to your selfie or change what you look like. You can also take a video. My favorite has been watching Tinkerbell and her Fairy friends change my daughters’ hair color!

I’m sorry, Florida Magic Key Holders. If you didn’t add the optional PhotoPass Package to your annual pass, you will still not get full access to all of the PhotoPass photos with Genie Plus. Genie Plus will give you digital downloads of your ride photos though!

Florida Disney World Genie Plus guests do get the PhotoPass Lenses though! Seriously, it’s way more fun to use these filters than I thought it would be!

The best part? You get to use some of the filters at home! PhotoPass Lenses are good for 45 days after you use Disney Genie Plus (specifically until 5:59 am on day 45).

Disney Genie+ Plus for Magic Key Holders

California Disneyland gives all of its pass holders 20% off their Genie Plus purchase.

The Florida Disney Parks offer up to 20% off select merchandise purchases, but as of July 2023 this does not include a discount on Genie Plus.

I think a discount on Genie Plus for pass holders is a great idea! Since we go so often (to make that pass worth it!), we don’t always care about getting on *every* ride. However, on busy days when we do want our Disney Day to be more ride focused, we definitely buy Genie Plus.

With our Beleive Key, we went to Disneyland on the 4th of July weekend. It was hot and crowded- not the combination you want for waiting in line. 

By purchasing Genie Plus, we were able to ride all the attractions we wanted without waiting for more than 20-30 minutes on any of them!

Oh- and please don’t be that person who we overheard complaining about how Lightning Lane isn’t Lightning fast. 

First of all, Soarin’ Over the World always has a lag right before they switch out the full theater. Second- would you really rather be at the back of the hour-long standby line or wait 15 minutes? Some people…

When and How to Buy Genie Plus

The Disney Park Apps (Disneyland App and My Disney Experience) make it easy to buy Genie Plus.

Open the app, click on the bottom right hamburger (3 stacked lines), then choose My Genie Day.

From there you can be on either the Tip Board or the My Day tab and see a clear call to action to buy Genie Plus.

The Walt Disney World app will ask you which type of Genie Plus you are purchasing: multi-park or individual.

Disneyland only has one option and will list that day’s price on the “buy Genie+” button.

When you buy Genie Plus depends on which state you’re visiting. There are some different rules for Disneyland and Walt Disney World on how soon you can purchase Genie+.

Buying Genie+ for Disneyland 

When can I buy Genie+ Plus for Disneyland?

In California Disneyland Resort allows you to buy Genie Plus at one set cost as an add-on to your ticket.

You can get this Genie Plus ticket directly through Disneyland or at a discount with Get Away Today.

The catch is that it has to be added every day if you buy a multi-day ticket.

To get Genie+ only one day out of a 3-day ticket, you need to buy Genie+ on the day of your reservation after you have scanned into the park.

You can start using Genie Plus as soon as the park opens.

Buying Genie+ for Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World does not allow you to purchase Genie ahead of time.

You must buy each day one at a time on the day of your reservation. The good thing is that, unlike Disneyland Resort, you don’t have to wait until you enter the park. 

You can buy Genie+ for Walt Disney World as early as 12am on the day of your theme park visit.

You can start booking Walt Disney World Genie Plus rides at 7 am, but individual Lightning Lanes at Disney World are only available as early as 7 am for Disney Resort Hotel guests. 

Everyone else needs to wait until the park opens for these separate a-La-cart purchases.

Genie Plus Cost

The cost of Genie Plus is $25-$40 per person per day as of 2023, depending on the day and season.

It definitely adds up, BUT Genie Plus is also totally worth being able to skip the long lines. See the next section for our Fast Pass & Max Pass comparison where we compare how much the old MaxPass and Disney FastPass system was and what was included.

An individual Lightning Lane selection that is not included in Genie Plus costs around $12-$40 per ride per person (2023 prices).

Disney Genie Plus cost on the busier days, holidays, and weekends will be more expensive. A slower, off-season weekday will be closer to the cheaper option.

Disneyland Genie+ Cost Example 

Friday, 6/30/23

Disneyland & California Adventure: $25 

Walt Disney World Genie+ Cost Example 

Friday, 6/30/23

Multiple Parks: $25

Magic Kingdom: $25

EPCOT: $18

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $22

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $16

When can I buy Genie Plus and Lightning Lane?

You can buy Genie Plus with your Disneyland Ticket purchase ahead of time.

However, the individual Lightning Lane selection purchases not included with Genie Plus will only be available for purchase on the app after you enter the park.

You can buy either in the app on the Itinerary page or Disney Genie Service Tip Board.

It is the same service and the same cost whether or not you have a park hopper ticket.

Is there a Discount on Genie+?

Magic Key members (season ticket holders) do have a discount on Genie Plus services.

The only other way to save is to bundle Genie+ into a discounted vacation package with a certified third-party travel agency.

You won’t get a discount on Disney Plus, but you will save on theme park tickets and your hotel stay!

Check out our partners at Get Away Today for a quote. They price match, offer a layaway plan, and have excellent customer service.

Genie Plus vs. Fast Pass and Max Pass

Let’s get into a bit of a comparison.

If you think about it, Max Pass at Disneyland was $15 per person per day, then they increased it to $20 per person per day.

Of course, Disneyland had a free option which was to physically walk to each ride, scan your park ticket, and get a free Fast Pass.

That’s pretty much it.

• Fast Pass = free, but you need to walk to each ride to get it, then walk back to redeem.
• Max Pass = $20 per person per day, buy with ticket or on app, use on app, included PhotoPass Photos
• Genie Plus = $25-$30 per person per day, buy with ticket or on app, use on app, includes PhotoPass Photos & select audio experiences, can only use once per eligible ride per day
• Lightning Lane = $12-$25 per person per ride for 3 select rides at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, can only use for 2 rides per day

Do I Miss the free paper FastPass?

Not when going with kids. It only made sense if you were willing to backtrack & speed walk in circles to each attraction.

I would take everyone’s tickets, beeline to Thunder Mountain while everyone got in line for Space Mountain, get the free Disney FastPass tickets, and then rush back to Space Mountain.

On the way to redeem our Thunder Mountain FastPass, I would repeat the process with the next big ride.

With kids, I can’t just splinter off from the group like that, and I don’t want to. You pay for the convenience of using your phone, just like with Disneyland’s MaxPass.

Keep Moving Forward.

Genie Plus Backlash & Glitches 

Disney Genie Plus backlash has been a bit stronger in Florida than in California.

No matter where you are, Genie Plus is not without its growing pains.

We booked a Lightning Lane through Genie Plus, with a confirmation screen. However, when we went to actually use it, there was nothing there.

The cast member was kind enough to let us in any way, but I do recommend you screenshot your confirmation pages for Lightning Lane (and your mobile food orders while you’re at it).

It never hurts to save any kind of confirmation. Technology isn’t always perfect.

What happens if a ride breaks down on you at Disneyland? Or an attraction at Disneyland breaks down before you can use your Lightning Lane?

The cast members currently have the ability to give you and your party a “freebie” pass. This works like a Lightning Lane with or without a Genie Plus purchase, and it is good for most other attractions.

Pirates of the Caribbean broke down right before we were going to get in line. After some talking with the cast member, he was very nice and gave us the “free lightning lane” pass on our app.

We could use it for when Pirates opened again (if it was able to reopen the same day), or use it on another ride (just not the a-la-cart options mentioned above).

Turns out Pirates opened back up relatively quickly, so we were able to use the pass for that ride.

Of course, since the attraction had just reopened, the line was short and we could have just waited in the standby line and used our freebie on another ride… but hindsight is foresight, right?

The Disney Genie Plus backlash is mostly about how much extra planning and scheduling you have to do. 

If you want Genie Plus, you need to buy it the morning of your visit for each individual day. 

Someone in your group has to wake up at 7 am to book your first Lightning Lane, especially if you want to use it on a popular ride earlier in the day.

Genie Plus Virtual Queue

The virtual queue was set up for Disney Park’s phased reopening after closing in 2020. For a while, a virtual queue option was mandatory to ride Rise of the Resistance and WEBslingers.

As things progressed closer to a pre-2020, Disney experience, Disney took away the virtual queue option. If it comes back, we will update this post to include the newest details of the Disney Park virtual queue.

Genie Plus Is it Worth It?

Short answer?

Yes.

Longer answer?

Genie Plus is sometimes not worth it, but overall Genie Plus is totally worth it.

What do I mean?

Ever since Disneyland reopened after closing in 2020, the crowd traffic and wait time predictions have been off.

A random Tuesday was busier than a Friday before a holiday weekend in January.

Attraction wait times are shorter- and longer- than they appear on the app.

So, if you know you’re going to a Disney park on a day that is expected to be busy, buy your Genie Plus ahead of time with your ticket purchase. It’s one less thing to worry about. You might end up not needing it, but a 10-minute wait from Lightning Lane is still better than a 20-minute stand-by queue. That peace of mind is worth the price to a lot of people.

If you really don’t want to give in unless you’re absolutely sure the wait times are going to be an hour long, then just wait and buy Genie Plus on the Disneyland App once you are in the theme park.

By rope dropping some of the rides that have long lines, then using Genie Plus to skip most of the attraction lines later in the day, you can ride your favorites more than once without the super long wait.

Just be sure to take full advantage of the PhotoPass to make it extra worth it. You can check the app for typical Disney Photographer PhotoPass locations. Ask them for a magic shot if they don’t bring it up themselves.

Top 3 Reasons Genie Plus is Worth it

• Cut the Long Line Wait Times (by a Lot!)
• Peace of Mind on Crowded Disney Days
• PhotoPass Included (Disneyland only)
• Some Character Meets and Shows Included (Walt Disney World only)

Top 3 Reasons Genie Plus is Not Worth it

• Lines Might Not be Long on your Disney Day
• Cost Adds up for Large Parties
• You are Using Your Phone *

*I already use my phone for photos & videos, and now mobile food ordering. Also without Genie Plus, you are probably still using your phone to look at the map on the app or see Genie’s suggestions or play the interactive features throughout the park. So, I don’t think you are on your phone more than you would be without it, BUT people still complain about this, so I still included it.

To sum it up, Genie Plus: Yes or No?

• If you know you don’t want to wait in line, and the cost is not an issue, then buy Genie Plus ahead of time with your Disneyland Ticket.
• If you have the money, but you’d rather not buy Genie Plus if you don’t have to, then wait and buy it on the day of if lines end up being too long (but still have one person buy the PhotoPass, because it’s awesome).
• If you don’t have the money, don’t buy it and don’t worry. You’ll still have a magical time, it will just be a slightly different itinerary.

Believe me, I’ve done Disney on a budget and Disney on a splurge. Each experience is amazing. Different but amazing in their own ways.

Staying at a hotel nearby can help make your Disney experience smoother, but only a Disneyland resort hotel would be worth going back to during the day if you purchased Disney Genie Plus. 

The Grand Californian Hotel and Disneyland Hotel are so close that you can grab a snack in the concierge lounge while booking your next Lightning Lane then head back out to the Disneyland park.

If you’re planning a pool day or a shopping day outside of the theme park, a Genie Plus purchase would be best saved for a day you’re actually going into Disneyland. 

On the other hand, if you are doing a half day in Disneyland Park, then Genie Plus can definitely help you cram as many rides as possible into a shorter time frame. 

Just be sure to focus on a single park and not a park hopper if you’re taking a pool break at the Disneyland resort hotel.

Think about the type of Disney experience you want when visiting a Disney resort. What rides are must-do attractions on your list? What is your budget?

Is Disney Genie Plus worth it for you?

Is Genie Plus worth it for Disneyland? 

I think so if it’s a crowded day or anywhere near a weekend or holiday.

Is Disney genie plus worth it at Disney World? 

That depends on if you want to add another thing to your to-do list for the day of your visit. Again, if it’s a busy holiday season or vacation time, it may be worth the extra planning. It’s silly you can’t buy Genie Plus ahead of time for Walt Disney World.

If you have any follow-up questions about whether or not Genie Plus is worth it or any Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park questions, ask them in our Family Adventure Community.

Have a Magical Vacation!

FAQ

What is Genie Plus?

Genie Plus is the new FastPass system at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. You pay $25-$30 per person per day to get access to the Lightning Lane (FastPass line) which cuts your wait time down. It includes PhotoPass and select audio downloads within the parks.

What rides does genie plus cover?

Genie Plus covers 12 rides at Disneyland and 7 rides at California Adventure. 

Disneyland rides for Genie Plus include: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, It’s a Small World, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

Disney California Adventure rides for Genie Plus include: Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT, Incredicoaster, Monster’s, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue, Soarin’ over the World, and Toy Story Midway Mania.

Is Genie Plus worth it at Disneyland?

Yes, on your average day Genie Plus is worth the cost at Disneyland and California Adventure. If all wait times are less than 25 minutes, then it may not be worth it, but how often does that happen? Plus you get unlimited digital downloads of all PhotoPass photos and special behind-the-scenes audio throughout the parks.

How do you use Genie Plus at Disneyland?

Open the Disneyland App on your phone. Click on the 3 lines at the bottom for the menu, then click on “My Genie Day.” From here you will receive Genie’s free suggestions under “My Day”, and you also have the option to click “Get Disney Genie+ for Today. You can click on get Lightning Lane under the Tip Board tab, or click on the map icon to open the map, select the attraction, and click to get the Lightning Lane for that attraction.