Disney Genie & Paid Lightning Lanes To Replace FastPass at Disney World

Changes are on the horizon once again at Walt Disney World. The Walt Disney Company announced yesterday that it will be discontinuing its FastPass reservation system in favor of its new Genie service. Yes, friends, free FastPass+ is permanently retired.

Be prepared for your next Disney vacation. In order to make sure you have the most fun possible, here are five practical Disney World planning tips.

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Big news, Right? Yes and no. We knew that Genie was on the horizon. What we weren’t sure is how it will work. Now we have a little more detail thanks to the information released on The Disney Parks Blog. The new Genie and Genie+ will be introduced sometime this fall. No word yet on an official launch date.

So what is Disney Genie?

The complimentary Disney Genie service will be built into My Disney Experience and Disneyland App. With this new program, guests will have a personalized itinerary feature that will recommend attractions, dining, and entertainment according to their interests. The new FREE Genie service will help maximize your day. So you can definitely plan the “Best Day Ever”.

Changes are on the horizon once again at Walt Disney World. The Walt Disney Company announced yesterday that it will be discontinuing its FastPass reservation system in favor of its new Genie service. Yes, friends, free FastPass+ is permanently retired.

Here are some details about Genie From The Disney Parks Blog:

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.
The Disney Parks Blog

What is Disney Genie+

Paid Lightning Lanes To Replace FastPass+ at Disney World

Now that FastPass is in the Disney Vault, What’s next? Well, for one thing, the cost of going to Walt Disney World is about to change…again. Ka-Chow! The new Lightning Lane option will give guests the option to access more than 40 rides and attractions throughout the parks for an added cost to the Disney World ticket price.

Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You 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). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. 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.
Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.
The Disney Parks Blog

Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of your visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, great for those who love the Park Hopper option. Attractions continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue at certain attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – to maximize flexibility.

Traditional Standby Lines at Walt Disney World Will Still Be Available

Note that even though this new system is being introduced, traditional standby queues, as well as virtual queues, will still be available. So, if a Guest does not want to pay for access to Disney Genie+, they can still wait in a traditional standby line to ride attractions at the theme parks.