Disney World’s Paid Fastpass+ Replacement
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
Disney World
Lightning Lanes
& Virtual Queues Explained
There is a lot of confusion surrounding Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues in Disney World. More so since Disney announced sweeping changes to the service starting on July 24th. This page is my complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane guide for Disney World. 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.
The details below now refer to changes being made to the service starting on July 24th. 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 buttons below.
Navigating This Guide
Pay one fee to access multiple attractions throughout Disney World with shorter queue times than the standby lines.
Certain attractions are excluded from the Multi-Pass service. To access these you need to pay a one time fee to ride.
Some attractions do not have a traditional standby line and instead, utilise a virtual queueing system.
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
Disney Genie
Industrial Engineering The Disney Way
What Is Disney Genie & How Does It Differ From Lightning Lane?
Disney Genie is 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 Lane is the physical manifestation of the paid component of Genie in the parks. Attractions taking part in the service will have 2 queues, a standby line and a Lightning Lane. When your reservation time is announced you make your way to the Lightning Lane queue and tap in to enjoy your experience with less queueing than the standby line.
What Changes Have Disney Made To Lightning Lane?
A July 2024 update to the Genie and Lightning Lane service ripped it up and put it back together in a more user-friendly way while changing names.
The need to be on the app at 7 am every morning to secure slots along with thousands of other visitors is gone. A much-requested time slot feature has been introduced into the new Multi-Pass service and payments for multiple services can now be done in one transaction instead of separately.
Disney has clearly been listening to criticism of the service and is trying to make it more user-friendly but only if you’re a US or Canadian citizen because many of these features, frustratingly, are currently geo-locked to these countries because of “factors” outside of Disney’s control.
Check out the Lightning Lane Attraction Pre Selection section for more information.
Complete Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide
Disney Genie & 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 very same systems) 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, 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 their hearts. They are a business and Disney Genie is a very slick shop front 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 is one paid component of the Disney Genie service It was formerly called Genie+ before being changed because people were getting confused with how it differed from the free Genie service.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes select attractions at all of Disney’s main theme parks (water parks are excluded). 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 packes include this service as standard. If you purchase a US ticket this will be an extra cost 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). See the attraction list below for 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. Please see the important conditions regarding attraction pre-selection
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 amount 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.
There is no longer a time limit on new reservations but each person may only hold 3 Multi-Pass selections at a time.
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 in Disney World.
All parks in Disney World will have at least one Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction this is not part of the multi-pass offering. To skip the normal (or virtual) 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 crowds on the day
- Ability to pick a specific return time to fit around your plans
- You can book Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions in different parks on the same day ahead of your visit
- Each ticket holder can have a maximum of 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions per day
- Because of the popularity of these attractions, you can only purchase an attraction Lightning Lane Single Pass once per day
Virtual Queues In Disney World
Some attractions may proove 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.
- 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 that have Extended Evening Hours at select theme parks and only on select days
Shoud 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.
DOWNLOAD NOW, PLAN LATER
LIGHTNING LANES & VIRTUAL QUEUES
Click one or all of the items to download these free-to-use planning tools. The full guide gives a little history and knowledge of how Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues work in Disney World, it’s a great springboard if this is your first visit. The overview is a snapshot of attractions by park to help you fill out your schedule of pre-reservations.
Guide .
What are Lightning Lanes, how do they work and how can you get the most out of them on your visit? All the answers are here and more!
Schedule .
Map out your reservations of Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queueson an easily editable Exel spreadsheet.
Overview .
A list of attractions alphabetically and by park so you can separate Lightning Lane Multi-Pass from Single-Pass and Virtual Queues.
Lightning Lane Attraction Pre-Selection Information
A July 2024 update to Disney Genie introduced one of the most requested features since the paid-for service was released. Unfortunately, complicated data privacy and tax laws mean you may need to jump through one or more hoops to access the service.
From July 24th Disney World visitors purchase and then pre-select up to three Lightning Lane Multi Pass attractions and up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions per day. The window in which you have to do this depends on where you ill be staying.
As well as attraction pre-selection the update changes how attraction reservations are handled while you are in the parks.
The convoluted 2-hour window for selecting new attractions is now gone. Each ticket holder can only hold 3 attraction reservations at a time. Once you scan into an attraction you can select another one in the app or at an information point in the parks. Attraction reservations now come with timed reservation windows allowing you to plan your day more efficiently. You can modify any of your plans in the app subject to attraction availability.
Lightning Lane Attraction Pre-Selection Bandings
Attractions are split into two bands. The only exception is Animal Kingdom which has no bandings.
Band 1 Attractions – Make one selection from band 1 attractions.
Band 2 – Your final 2 choices or all 3 if you wish can be from the attractions on this list.
Lightning Lane Attraction Pre-Selection From The UK
Lightning Lane Pre-Selection has been confirmed by Disney to only work within the My Disney Experience app and only within the USA or Canada. The app uses the GPS chip in your device to verify your location for attraction pre-selection purchases. A VPN will not let you circumvent the geo-restriction for this type of purchase. Instead, you will need to install a GPS Emulator.
Onsite Hotel Guests
Guests staying in Disney owned hotels and some select partner hotels will be able to make attractions pre-selections from 7 days in advance of their trip for up to 14 days.
Off-Site Hotel Guests
Visitors staying in any other accommodation will be able to make attraction pre-selections 3 days in advance of their trip for up to 3 rolling days.
Park Hopping
Park hopping is still available but not on a pre-selection basis. Once you tap in to your first reservation you can select rides in any park that you want to hop to later in the day.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Pre-Selection
You are now able to select up to 3 attractions per day either 7 or 3 days before your trip depending on whether you stay on-resort or not.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Costs
The cost differs by park and by day depending on the demand.
Multi Pass Attractions
Most but not all attractions are included in Multi-Pass. All parks with the exception of Animal Kingdom have 2 tiers of attractions to spread the capacity and limit abuse by power users. You can choose 1 ride from tier 1 and 2 from tier 2.
A full list of Lightning Lane Multi Pass attractions and tier bandings for each park are below.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Tips
- You can only pre-select attractions in one park per day
- If you book attractions on behalf of others everyone must initially have the same reservations
- There will still be on-the-day availability but attraction capacity is finite so it will be reduced from what it has been with Genie+
- To book an attraction in another park for the same day you must tap into your first reservation
- You don’t have to pick a tier 1 attraction, you can make all three choices from tier 2 if you wish
- Pre-selection is only available in the My Disney Experience app and officially only within the US and Canada for now
- You can modify times and attractions once booked in the app. If you manage other people you can modify their reservations on an individual basis to another time or a different attraction
- On-resort guests can make up to 14 days of reservations. Off-site guests can only make reservations for 3 rolling days
Lightning Lane
Multi Pass
Formerly Genie+, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is the premium queue option for Disney World (and Disneyland where it operates slightly differently). The price varies by day and by park. Attraction pre-selection brings a whole new twist to planning your Disney World trip. Read on to find out more.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions
Pay A Daily Fee To Use Quicker Lines With Multi Pass
Click the tab below to see a full list of Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions organised alphabetically and in tiers by park.
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
- Sourin’ Around The World
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
- 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
- Millenium Falcon Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘N’ Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
Tier 2 Attractions – Choose 2
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty & 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 Adventure Continues
- 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
- 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
Remember
There are no attraction tiers in Animal Kingdom. Please make up to 3 choices from all available attractions from the list above
Lightning Lane Single Pass Pre-Selection
Each ticket holder is allowed to hold up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass reservations per day. Unlike multi-pass reservations, single-pass reservations can be pre-selected in multiple parks as long as your ticket has the required park hopper option included. All UK ticket bundles and packages include park hopping, water parks, and memory maker as standard.
Lightning Lane Single Pass Costs
The cost is dynamically set depending on the attraction and date. Pricing is available in the My Disney Experience app.
Single Pass Attractions
Each park has 1 or more single-pass attractions. Please see the list below for current participating attractions. They are typically the most popular in the park and will consistently have the longest standby line throughout the day. To skip the standby queue for these attractions you need to purchase a Single Pass reservation.
Lightning Lane Single Pass Tips
- Single-pass reservations are independent of multi-pass. You do not need to hold a Lightning Lane Multi-Pass to buy a Lightning Lane Single Pass reservation
- Single-pass attractions can only be purchased once per day
- Available to purchase 7 days before your trip if staying on-site and for up to 14 days of your stay
- Standard ticket holders can purchase 3 days in advance but only plan for up to 3 rolling days of reservations
- Single-Pass reservations are more limited in number per hour than multi-pass reservations. If you want to buy both book your single pass reservations before moving on to multi-pass.
Lightning Lane
Single Pass
Lightning Lane Single Pass is reserved for Disney World’s most popular attractions. They are not included in the multi-pass attractions selection and must be purchased separately.
Lightning Lane Single Pass Attractions
Buy Once, Ride Once On Disney’s World’s Most Popular Attractions
Click the tab below to see a full list of Lightning Lane Single Pass Attractions organised alphabetically by park. Remember that these attractions are not included as Lightning Lane Multi 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 Queues
Virtual queues are used by Disney World to limit guest numbers for newer experiences or those with unpredictable operating schedules. There are 2 reservation windows for virtual queues; 7 am (from anywhere) and 1 pm (you must be inside the park)
Virtual Queue Costs
Virtual queues are free to all ticket holders but places are limited in number
Virtual Queue Attractions
There are far fewer virtual queues in Disney World although Disney reserves the right to make any attraction at Disney World Virtual Queue only. Check below for an up to date list of virtual queue attractions.
Disney World Virtual Queue Tips
- Virtual queues are only available on the day of your visit
- Reservations open at 7 am and 1 pm in the My Disney Experience app
- Reservations book up very quickly, sometimes within minutes of being made available.
- If you cannot get a virtual-pass boarding group you will not be allowed to join a traditional standby line on the day
- If you are successful you cannot specify a return time, you are allocated to a boarding group and will be notified of your return time in the app
- A reservation is not a guarantee of being able to ride and not all boarding groups may be invited to join the queue
- Head to the attraction when you receive a notification. Late arrivals will not be accommodated
- You may only hold one virtual queue at a time
Disney World
Virtual Queues
New or problematic experiences may be added to a virtual queue list. Virtual queues are completely free to join but they replace a traditional standby line and help Disney to manage expectations.
Disney World Virtual Queue Attractions
Disney World’s Most Elusive Attrations
Click the tab below to see a full list of current Virtual Queue Attractions In Disney World. Virtual queue passes are free but book up within minutes or seconds of being made available.
Magic Kingdom Virtual Queue Attractions
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Tron Lightcycle / Run
EPCOT Virtual Queue Attractions
- Guardian’s Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
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
