Disney World’s Paid Fastpass+ Replacement
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
Welcome to my complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane guide for Walt Disney World in Florida. If you are visiting Disneyland in California, some of this will be relevant to you, but please remember the service operates slightly differently in Disneyland.
If this is your first time visiting Disney World, I highly recommend reading the whole article to give you a better understanding of the queueing systems in use. However, if you have been before and want to jump to what’s new with Lightning Lane, please use the navigation links.
Disney Genie
Single Pass Lightning Lanes
Multi Pass Lightning Lanes
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
What Is Disney Genie & How Does It Differ From Lightning Lanes?
Disney Genie is now the collective term for a bunch of technology developed by Disney that crunches a ton of data in the background to give every visitor a personalised itinerary based on the preferences they make in the My Disney Experience app. Itineraries can change throughout the day depending on a huge number of factors, including crowd levels and ride breakdowns, to name a few.
Lightning Lanes are the physical manifestation of the paid component of Genie in the parks. Participating attractions will have 2 queues, a standby line and a Lightning Lane. When your reservation time arrives, you make your way to the Lightning Lane queue and tap in to enjoy your experience with less queueing than the standby line.
Disney World Lightning Lane Costs
Multi-Pass
One payment for multiple attractions using an app-based reservation system. Attractions are subject to availability. You may only hold 3 reservations at any one time. Pre-Select 3 attractions before you arrive.
Premier-Pass
One payment for access to each attraction listed in Multi-Pass and Single-Pass offerings. Prices vary by park and date. You may only purchase 1 Premier Pass per person, per day and you can only use it in one park (no park hopping).
Single-Pass
A one-time ride on the top attraction(s) in any park, using an app-based reservation system. Attractions are subject to availability. You may only purchase 2 single passes per person, per day, which can be in any park.
Disney World Multi-Pass Lightning Lane Tiers Explained
Disney Genie – Industrial Engineering The Disney Way
Everyone who purchases a ticket to Disney World (or Disneyland in California, as they use the same system) will be able to access Disney Genie through the My Disney Experience App and online once they have set up an online account.
Disney Genie is the collective term for a whole bunch of industrial engineering that Disney has invested in over the last 5+ years. The system analyses thousands of itineraries and suggests the best itinerary to maximise your time in the parks. When you create an account, you will be able to tell the system which attractions, or types of attractions, you would like to experience. The system will take your choices into account when suggesting your itinerary.
Itineraries can change throughout the day, just as things happen; you could change your mind about an attraction, or add one in that wasn’t originally on your list. Attractions can close suddenly for technical reasons. Genie takes into account all of these factors and thousands more before dynamically altering your itinerary to maximise your fun.
Make no mistake, though, Disney isn’t just doing this out of the kindness of its heart. Disney Genie is a very slick shopfront for their paid Lightning Lane service.
Disney Genie will highlight how much more fun you can have if you purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass and/or a Lightning Lane Single Pass. It very clearly and ever so subtly plays on your FOMO (fear of missing out), thus increasing the chances of you purchasing multi-pass for the day or a single-pass to guarantee a ride on one of the most popular attractions in the park.
The base Disney Genie service includes all the following:
- Free service for all ticket holders
- Personalised itineraries & tip board
- Restaurant wait lists, check-in & reservations
- Mobile food ordering
- Attraction wait times
- Virtual queue at select attractions
Lightning Lane Multi Pass – Formerly Genie+
Lightning Lane Multi-Pass includes select attractions at all of Disney’s main theme parks, but not water parks. On the day, you can select attractions across any of Disney’s theme parks as long as your ticket includes park hopping; all standard UK ticket packages include this service. If you purchase a shorter-duration US ticket, this will be an add-on to the base ticket price.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes the following:
- Single daily charge per ticket holder (price varies by park and day)
- Access to most, but not all, Lightning Lane queues (subject to availability). My downloadable guide has a full list of participating attractions in each park
- Not instant access, but usually much less queueing than standby lines
- Disney Photopass AR Lenses to enhance your memories
- Unique audio experiences to add to your day
- Available on the day and in advance from 7 days before your visit (3 days if staying offsite).
To use a Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, each ticket holder must reserve a timed return reservation in a virtual line using the My Disney Experience App.
There is no limit to the number of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass attraction reservations you may use in a day. As soon as you tap into one experience, you may choose another attraction from those available. Each person may only hold 3 Multi-Pass selections at any time.
When pre-reserving your 3 attractions ahead of your visit, you may only choose one attraction from tier 1; the remaining 2 can be from tier 2, or you may choose all 3 attractions from tier 2 if you wish.
Lightning Lane Single Pass – Formerly Individual Lightning Lane
Lightning Lane Single Pass is the new name for Individual Lightning Lane attractions. These are the most popular attractions in Disney World.
All parks in Disney World will have at least one Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction, not part of the multi-pass offering. To skip the normal queue for these attractions, you must purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass, which is good for one ride at a specific time and day.
Lightning Lane Single Passes have the following features:
- One-time access to specific attractions excluded from the Multi-Pass service
- The Price is dynamically set according to the crowds on the day
- Ability to pick a specific return time to fit around your plans
- You can book up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions per day
- Single Lightning Lane passes can be in any park, but you can only ride each attraction once per day. To experience the same attraction more than once, you will need to join the standby line
Lightning Lane Premier Pass – All The Convenience Without The Hassle
Disney has been listening to feedback since the Lightning Lane service launched. A constant criticism of the service is the need to pre-book ride slots which frequently fill up fast. Visitors want to ride without having to book or having to fit their plans around available slots. Disney’s answer is Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
Lightning Lane Premier Passes have the following features:
- One-time access to every attraction from Multi-Pass & Single Pass services
- The Price is dynamically set according to the crowds on the day
- No need to book a time slot, simply turn up and enjoy the attraction
- Only available at one park per day. Park hopping is not allowed with a Premier Pass.
- Despite the high prices, you are still only allowed one go on each attraction using the Lightning Lane. If you wish to ride again, you need to use the standby line.
Virtual Queues In Disney World
Some attractions may prove so popular or troublesome that Disney may feel the need to limit capacity to provide a better experience for guests.
Virtual Queue attractions require you to check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit to register your interest in an attraction. There are 3 possible times that new passes will be made available, but Disney can release tickets at other times depending on the attraction. The usual times are:
- 7 am – you do not need to be in the park
- 1 pm – You will need to be inside the theme park
- 6 pm – only for Deluxe hotel guests who have Extended Evening Hours at select theme parks and only on select days
Should you be successful, you will be given a boarding group and a notification in the app on the day when it is your boarding group’s turn to join the queue.
Virtual queue attractions do not offer a standby line on the day. If you cannot get a boarding group for a virtual queue attraction, you will not be allowed to ride.
Lightning Lane Attraction Pre-Selection
Lightning Lane prices and availability are listed in the My Disney Experience app on a 3-week rolling basis.
You can only book Lightning Lanes when your reservation window opens, which is determined first by where you stay and then by your ticket type.
If you are staying on-site, you may book Lightning Lanes from 7 days before your check-in date. If staying elsewhere, your reservation window will open up 3 days before your ticket start date you chose when booking your tickets.
The booking duration is determined by your ticket type. Dated tickets, including the UK 7- or 14-day tickets, can book up to 14 days of passes from the time the reservation window opens.
Your first day will always be someone’s last day, so if attraction availability is not showing earlier in your trip, try looking for a date further out. You can only pre-reserve Multi-Pass attractions in one park ahead of your trip.
Single-Pass attractions are a separate purchase and can be bought in conjunction with or instead of a Multi-Pass ticket. You are allowed 2 Single-Pass attractions per person per day, and these can be in any park.
Download my free guide for more information, tips and tools on booking and using Lightning Lanes in Disney World.
Pre Booking Process
Pre-booking Lightning Lanes can only be done in the My Disney Experience app, not the website. Once you have an account set up, with tickets or reservations linked, you can book your Lightning Lanes when your reservation window arrives.
You will be asked to select your park and date. Single-Pass attractions for the park are displayed, Multi Pass can be selected on the next screen.
If you are managing Lightning Lane bookings for other people, you must initially book everyone on the same attraction(s), but you can alter attractions and return times on a per-person basis after the payment has cleared.
Premier Passes are a separate option to Single-Pass and Multi-Pass, but the reservation windows remain the same based on where you are staying.
Remember that prices are paid in US$, so have a fee-free card linked to your Disney accoount.
Lightning Lane Pre-Booking
Disney World Lightning Lane Attractions
Below is a list of all Lightning Lane attractions broken down by park.
Multi-Pass attractions are also broken down into tiers 1 and 2. Remember, you can only pre-reserve 1 tier 1 attraction; your remaining 2 choices must be from tier 2. If you don’t want to ride a tier 1 attraction, you may choose all 3 attractions from tier 2.
On the day, once you scan into your first attraction, you may choose another straight away. There are no tiers on the day of your visit; all attractions (in any park if you wish to park hop) will be visible.
Some attractions may already be fully booked during the pre-selection process. This is particularly evident for Single-Pass attractions and Tier 1 Multi-Pass attractions, even some popular Tier 2 choices during particularly busy periods.
It’s always worth checking throughout the day, but be prepared to use the standby line if you want to ride.
Disney World Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Attractions
Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions
Tier 1 Attractions – Choose 1
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tier 2 Attractions – Choose 2
- 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
Remember
If you don’t want to pick a Tier 1 attraction you are free to make all 3 of your choices from Tier 2.
EPCOT Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions
Tier 1 Attractions – Choose 1
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Test Track
Tier 2 Attractions – Choose up to 2
- Disney And Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into Imagination With Figment
- Living With The Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas With Nemo And Friends
- Soarin’
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk With Crush
Remember
If you don’t want to pick a Tier 1 attraction you are free to make all 3 of your choices from Tier 2.
Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Attractions
Tier 1 Attractions – Choose 1
- Mickey And Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘N’ Rollercoaster Starring The Muppets
- Slinky Dog Dash
Tier 2 Attractions – Choose 2
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty & The Beast Live On Stage
- Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!
- For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
- The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Remember
If you don’t want to pick a Tier 1 attraction you are free to make all 3 of your choices from Tier 2.
Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Attractions
- Expedition Everest – Legend Of The Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends In Flight!
- Festival Of The Lion King
- Finding Nemo – The Big Blue… And Beyond
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Na’vi River Journey
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
Remember
There are no attraction tiers in Animal Kingdom. Please make up to 3 choices from all available attractions from the list above
Disney World Lightning Lane Single-Pass Attractions
Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Single Pass Attractions
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Tron Lightcycle / Run
EPCOT Lightning Lane Single Pass Attractions
- Guardian’s Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Single Pass Attractions
- Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance
Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Single Pass Attractions
- Avatar: Flight Of Passage
Disney World Virtual Queue Attractions
Virtual Queues are enabled by Disney on an ad-hoc basis for new attractions or those with unpredictable operating schedules.
Virtual Queues are free for every ticket holder, but space is limited, so Disney can manage expectations as it tightens operational procedures for new or extremely popular attractions.
Virtual queues are only available on the day of your visit, initially from 7 am. You must hold a valid ticket to book a slot. More slots are released later in the day, usually around 1 pm. For Bluey’s Wild World at Animal Kingdom, the second release of slots is at 10 am. To book the later slots, you must have a valid ticket and be inside the theme park.
Attractions operating virtual queues do not offer a traditional standby line. Without a virtual queue pass, you will not be able to ride. You can only hold one virtual reservation per day.
Reservations are no guarantee of being able to ride the attraction, and not all boarding groups may be called. You cannot reserve a specific time to ride; you will be notified in the app when your boarding group is being accepted into the queue.
Magic Kingdom Virtual Queue Attractions
- There are currently no virtual queue attractions in Disney’s Magic Kingdom
EPCOT Virtual Queue Attractions
- There are currently no virtual queue attractions in EPCOT
Hollywood Studios Virtual Queue Attractions
- There are currently no virtual queue attractions in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom Virtual Queue Attractions
- There are currently no virtual queue attractions in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Lightning Lane Multiple Pass, Single Pass & Virtual Queue
Frequently Asked Questions
