What’s the deal with Disney Genie?

Recently, Disney revealed a new service to help their guests optimize their park experience. The service will be contained within the My Disney Experience App, and will be available for use Fall 2021 (no exact date has been set yet).

What exactly is Disney Genie and all that is included and new? Let’s look at what we know:

*DISNEY GENIE (FREE)

Disney Genie is essentially a free portion of the My Disney Experience app that will plan your day for you. Prepare to have your own virtual assistant that will help you with personal itineraries, virtual queues, and dynamic forecasted suggestions and wait times. Basically, Disney is taking over 60 years of data and some amazing technology to help you plan your day and improve the overall guest experience.

The idea is that you can tell Genie what rides you want to go on, what shows you are interested in, what you want to eat, and the Genie will create a personalized itinerary after taking your preferences into consideration. The itinerary can change based on what is actually happening at the parks- pretty cool!

This free portion of Disney Genie is available to use for all guests with a My Disney Experience account. However, there are also paid offerings within the app that could also improve your experience.

*Genie+ (PAID, $15 Walt Disney World, $20 Disneyland – per person, per day)

Both Disney’s FastPass+ in Disney World, and MaxPass in Disneyland are being discontinued and will be replaced partially by a Lightning Lane service, and partially by Genie+. Let’s look at Genie+ first.

Genie+ is a service that will include many of the former Fast Pass attractions. The full list of included attractions has not yet been released. There will be more than 40 WDW attractions and more than 15 Disneyland attractions on the list.

Certain headliner, popular attractions will not be included in this service—attractions named include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Radiator Springs Racers. Those attractions will be included with Lightning Lane, the pay-per-use service.

When using the Genie+ service, it will work very much like the former MaxPass system. You use your app to book a return time to skip the line at the included attractions. Guests may hold one Genie+ pass at a time, and can continue to book attractions throughout the day.

There are a few other extras included as well. Disneyland guests will receive unlimited PhotoPass downloads, while Disney World guests can use augmented reality lenses, and audio experiences (more info to come).

One big difference is that annual passholders/Magic Key holders will not be able to purchase Genie+ with their pass purchase. These guests will have to pay per day for the use of the Genie+ features, just like other guests.

*Lightning Lane (PAID, Cost undetermined)

Lightning Lane is the new name for the FastPass Queue in the Parks. This feature allows you to schedule an arrival time at up to two attractions that have Lightning Lane but are not included with the Genie+ service. It allows to skip the line and have quicker access to select attractions –some examples given would be Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Radiator Springs Racers, but a full list has not been released. Essentially, Lightning Lane allows you to pay per attraction for an appointment to cut to the front of the line.

Disneyland Paris recently began a similar pay-per-attraction program. The pricing is dynamic, it can change based on current park conditions, attraction, and date. Rides in Paris can be between $7-$9 a person, but no pricing has been announced for Lightning Lane yet.

What do we think about the new service?

I am crossing my fingers that it is a positive change.

I think that Genie has the possibility to make everyone’s Disney experience a little more magical. If Genie works the way they say it will, anyone can plan a Disney vacation to maximize their time on their budget. I know there is a lot of disappointment around having Fast Pass no longer free to all guests (and the hefty price tag will price some guests out of the paid options)- but depending on how well Genie does its job, guests would be guided to things they would enjoy that don’t require long wait times and help them maximize their time. The fact that it is dynamic and changes as the day goes on means that problems (like ride closures) can be figured in, and Genie can change plans for you.

For a guest that only has a couple days at the parks, the Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane options would allow them to do more of what they want for a short trip- they just have to pay extra for it. I like the idea of those that come to Disney just to ride Rise of the Resistance would have a way to guarantee the ability to do so. The option to purchase Lightning Lane/Genie+ the day of your trip, means you can wait and decide if you need to spend the extra cash that day- you can use it when you need it, skip it when you don’t.

Here’s hoping that the technology works seamlessly and that guests overall have a better experience. As we visit the Parks and use this new system later this Fall, we will keep you posted on our thoughts and tricks for making Genie work for you.