Disney theme parks are known for their magical experiences. Yet, navigating through the parks can sometimes feel less than enchanting. Enter the Disney Genie+ Service, a tool to enhance your park visit. But change is on the horizon.
Disney Genie+ will be replaced by the new Lightning Lane passes starting July 24th, 2024, at Walt Disney World. This shift promises to streamline the guest experience even further.
This article will delve into what this change means for your next Disney adventure.
Understanding the Transition from Disney Genie+ to Lightning Lane Passes
Disney Genie+ was introduced as a replacement for the former FastPass system. It offered features like experience suggestions and photo features.
Now, Disney is transitioning to the Lightning Lane pass system. This new system is designed to improve the guest experience by reducing wait times. It consists of the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which will replace the Disney Genie+ service, and the Lightning Lane Single Pass, which will replace individual Lighting Lane entries.
The change aims to provide more flexibility and options for park guests. It's part of Disney's ongoing commitment to leveraging technology to enhance the park experience.
Understanding the differences between the new Lightning Lane passes is crucial for planning your visit.
What are the Lightning Lane Passes?
Lightning Lane passes are a paid service that allows guests to skip the regular queue for select attractions.
There are now two Lightning Lane options, Multi Pass and Single Pass, or guests can purchase both. This service is available through the My Disney Experience app. It integrates with virtual queues for a seamless experience. One of the new updates of the system is that guests can now make Lightning Lane plans before their vacation begins. Previously, guests could only make Lightning Lane selections during their vacation, and new selections would need to be made every day. Now, guests can book Lightning Lane passes for multiple days throughout their vacation, all in one day.
The Lightning Lane Multi Pass offers guests the most variety when it comes to attraction and experience selection. With this option, guests can choose up to 3 multi pass experiences and their correlating arrival windows in a theme park. Similar to Disney Genie+, once you and your party have arrived at the park and redeemed your first multi pass experience, you will be able to make an additional experience selection. Included with this pass, guests will receive digital photo downloads that capture their experience at select attractions.
Disney's second pass option, Lightning Lane Single Pass, provides a more limiting experience. Guests can still save time in line, but the Lightning Lane Single Pass only lets guests redeem this feature for one of the most in-demand attractions that are not available through the Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Only two single passes can be purchased per day.
Here are some key features of the Lightning Lane passes:
Lightning Lane passes can be purchased days in advance of your visit to the park
Choose your attractions or experiences, including their times prior to purchasing
Park Hopper is compatible with the Lightning Lane passes
Varying prices by date, attraction, and park
Integration with virtual queues
Pricing and Availability of Lightning Lane Passes
The cost of Lightning Lane passes is not fixed. It can change based on the date, attraction, and park.
Always check the latest prices and availability on the My Disney Experience app. This ensures you have the most accurate information.
Virtual Queues and Standby Lines: What Remains the Same
Despite the new system, virtual queues are here to stay. They will continue to be used for the most popular attractions.
Guests can also use the standby lines. This is an option for those who do not wish to purchase Lightning Lane passes.
In essence, Lightning Lane is an additional service. It does not replace the existing queue options.
What Does It Mean: Lightning Lane Passes Impact
Overall, Lightning Lane passes should help improve your experience at the parks by allowing you to plan and select attractions and arrival times in advance, ultimately eliminating the stress of having to make selections during vacations at 7 AM through the My Disney Experience App. There will be some differences in the passes, which may take time for guests to understand, but Ask The Mouse is here to help. One key feature about the two passes to note is that by purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, guests will not have access to Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions unless you purchase both passes. Select attractions and experiences will be eligible with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Additionally, guests can only utilize the Lightning Lane entry for single pass attractions if they have purchased a Lightning Lane Single Pass.
How does this affect Park Hopper? Once a guest redeems a selection for a multi pass experience, they will be able to choose another multi pass experience in either of the four theme parks. This means that if you redeem your Frozen Ever After experience in EPCOT and have a Park Hopper, you can go to either of the other three parks and redeem another multi pass experience.
Here is a list of Lightning Lane Passes for each of the Walt Disney World theme parks:
EPCOT
You may select one experience from this group:
Frozen Ever After
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
Soarin' Around the World
Select two experiences from this group, or simply choose all three experiences from this group:
Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Mission: SPACE
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush
Magic Kingdom
You may select one experience from this group:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan's Flight
Space Mountain
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Select two experiences from this group, or simply choose all three experiences from this group:
The Barnstormer
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Haunted Mansion
"it's a small world"
Mad Tea Party
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Pirates of the Caribbean
Tomorrowland Speedway
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
Hollywood Studios
You may select one experience from this group:
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Slinky Dog Dash
Select two experiences from this group, or simply choose all three experiences from this group:
Alien Swirling Sauces
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
Muppet*Vision 3D
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania!
Disney's Animal Kingdom
You may select up to three experiences from this group:
DINOSAUR
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Festival of the Lion King
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue...and Beyond!
It's Tough to Be a Bug!
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Na'vi River Journey
At Disney's Animal Kingdom, the only attraction that can be redeemed through a Lightning Lane Single Pass is Avatar Flight of Passage. Simply put, if you are interested in saving time in line with this attraction and other attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom, you will have to purchase both a Lightning Lane Multi Pass and a Lightning Lane Single Pass.
Planning a Disney vacation can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Contact us to ask your travel-related questions so you can plan with confidence and enjoy your magical vacation.
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