Genie+ has changed so much in Disney World that you might be incredibly confused about just how to use the service. (And we don’t blame you!)

For those unfamiliar with it, Genie+ is the PAID skip-the-standby-line service that has replaced FastPass+. Generally speaking, it allows you to pay a certain amount to make a Lightning Lane selection for a participating ride and then use the Lightning Lane to skip the standby wait. But how and when you make those Genie+ selections, what rides are included in Genie+, the pricing for Genie+, and MORE have ALL changed in the past few years. And one more important change is on the way.

As a brief overview, Genie+ allows you to pay a certain amount (which varies based on the date and what park you’re buying Genie+ for or if you’ll be buying a multi-park option) to make Lightning Lane selections for participating rides, one at a time. When your Lightning Lane return time arrives, you hop in the Lightning Lane and skip the standby wait. You can then make another Lightning Lane selection, and so on.

Some of Disney’s most popular rides are NOT part of the standard Genie+ service though. To skip the standby lines or virtual queues at those really popular rides, you’ll instead need to use the Individual Lightning Lane Service, which allows you to pay for the chance to skip a ride’s standby line ONCE.

Those are the very basics of the system, so now let’s look at some of the ways it has changed.

Genie+ Changes That Have Already Taken Place

Genie+ was first introduced in 2021 at Walt Disney World but it looks VERY different than it did just a few years ago. It even looks different now than it did a few months ago!

This may not be a completely exhaustive list, but here’s a peek at just some of the MAJOR Genie+ changes that have been made recently:

• Various Dates — On various occasions, Disney has changed what rides are available through Genie+ versus Individual Lightning Lane, sometimes adding more rides to the standard Genie+ service.
• June 2022 — Disney removed the ability to buy Genie+ in advance of your trip. Now, ALL guests can only purchase Genie+ on the day of their visit (starting at midnight).
• August 2022 — Certain adjustments have been made in the past to Genie+ and how it interacts with Park Hopping, specifically impacting your ability to make certain selections at the park you’ll be hopping to in the afternoon.
• August 2022 — The Genie+ portion of the My Disney Experience app was updated to provide a notification of the 120-minute rule, more clearly indicating when you can book your next Lightning Lane.
• October 2022 — Disney introduced surge pricing for Genie+. Previously, the service was a flat fee of $15 per person per day. After the October 2022 update, that price could vary depending on the date. The pricing system has since changed again, which we’ll talk about in a second.

• December 2022 — Genie+ was updated to allow for modification of selections after they’re made (rather than requiring guests to cancel their initial selection and make a new one). This then impacted the 120-minute rule (which governs when you can make another Genie+ selection after making your first one) in a way that can be really beneficial if you use the modification option.
• March 2023 — Disney changed the system so that those who purchase Genie+ are now given free PhotoPass downloads of attraction photos taken on the day of purchase.

That leads us to two of our more recent changes. One of the biggest has been a change to Genie+ pricing. In June of 2023, Genie+ switched to park-specific pricing. The cost of Genie+ now not only depends on the date of your visit but also depends on what PARK you want to use Genie+ at. You can now purchase park-specific Genie+ options or a multi-park option, and the pricing can vary depending on which one you pick (Genie+ for some parks may be cheaper than others).

This has changed what happens if Genie+ sells out at a single park during your trip. With the old system, if Genie+ sold out in any park, it was impossible to purchase the service at all. But, under this new set-up, if Genie+ sells out at one park, it’ll make the multi-park option unavailable and the Genie+ park-specific option for the park where it has sold out. But you’ll at least still be able to buy Genie+ for OTHER individual parks where it has not sold out.

And finally, in August of 2023, Genie+ was updated to feature a helpful toggle switch. Now, when you’re scrolling through the Tip Board on the My Disney Experience app, you can toggle a switch “on” that limits your search to those rides that offer Genie+. That can help you more clearly see where the service is available.

That’s a LOT of changes. But there’s still one we’re waiting for more details about…

But There’s ONE We’re Waiting For…

There’s a MASSIVE Genie+ change coming in 2024. In 2023, Disney acknowledged that they’ve heard guests saying they wish they could “plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit.”

As a result, Disney shared that they’re “working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024.”

According to Disney, the goal is to “give you the opportunity to spend less time planning in the park and more time enjoying your visit with friends and family.”  It seems the overall goal will be to “simplify” your Genie+ experience.

Disney hasn’t shared just what those changes will be, but 2024 is RAPIDLY approaching so we’re really hoping to hear some updates soon. Based on what they’ve shared so far, it seems the changes could result in some ability to do a bit of pre-planning with Genie+ ahead of your trip.

In the days of FastPass+, guests were able to schedule 3 FastPass selections in advance of their trip. That may have given guests some sense of comfort knowing they at least had those 3 rides secured, and it may have taken some of the pressure off of planning in the parks (though guests could make more selections after those initial 3 were used up).

Could something similar be done with this update? It’s possible but not yet clear.

It’s also possible that the changes won’t just be limited to Genie+. Disney acknowledged that guests want to plan their Genie+ AND Individual Lightning Lane selections in advance. So perhaps there will be some ability to pre-select Individual Lightning Lanes for Disney’s most popular rides well ahead of your trip too.

Thus far, the details of those 2024 changes have not been revealed, but we are waiting for any and all updates. In the meantime, it’s crucial that you understand how the Genie+ system works, whether it’s worth it for you, and how to make the most of it. Check out our posts below for some help:

• Here’s when you DON’T need Genie+
• See our FULL page about the Genie+ service

And stay tuned for more news!

What changes would you like to see made with Genie+? Tell us in the comments!

The post Disney Genie+ Has Changed 9 Times — But We’re Still Waiting on ONE Big Update first appeared on the disney food blog.