2024 is right around the corner, and it’s bringing a lot of changes with it.

We know to expect new attractions in the new year, but there are also lots of changes that are coming, especially to Genie+. If you’re thinking of taking advantage of the paid skip-the-line service in 2024, here’s what you need to know.

First things first — if terms like Genie+, Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes sound like a foreign language to you, you’re going to want to grab our cheatsheet right here!

Disney Genie+ has been controversial since its introduction in October 2021. It was the replacement for FastPass+, a free service. As you might imagine, charging for something similar to a service that was once free was not a popular decision for Disney World fans. But beyond the price, one of the biggest complaints about Genie+ has been the amount of time you have to spend on your phone scheduling Lightning Lanes during your day in the park. This is very different than FastPass+, which allowed you to book some of your rides before your vacation.

Right now, you have to buy Disney Genie+ and book your Lightning Lanes on the day of your visit. But in May 2023, Disney announced that it plans to make changes to the service in 2024. “We have heard from guests that they would like ways to plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit, and we want you to know we are working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024,” Disney said in a blog post. It’s important to note, though, that Disney still hasn’t revealed just yet when they’re planning to implement this change.

Keep in mind, too, that we don’t know the details of what Disney is planning. With FastPass+, you could make SOME of your plans in advance of your trip, but not all of them, so that could also be the case with this anticipated Genie+ change.

Park Hopping Changes

Another BIG Disney World change will also affect the way you use Disney Genie+ in 2024, and that is the change to park hopping rules. Starting January 9th, 2024, if you have a ticket that allows park hopping, you will be allowed to hop between Disney World parks at any time. Right now, you cannot park hop until 2PM, so being able to hop much earlier in the day could change the way you use Genie+ and buy Individual Lightning Lanes.

As of now, you can buy Disney Genie+ on the morning of your park visit, and the price can vary based on the park you are buying it for, as well as by the day. Disney uses a “surge pricing” model, so on more crowded days and in more crowded parks, the price is higher. There is also a “multi-park” option for Genie+, and when the park hopping rules change, that option will become a lot more attractive.

Because you will be able to hop at any time, you could potentially select Lightning Lanes at multiple parks and hit all your favorite rides in one day! Just keep in mind that you need to leave PLENTY of time to travel between park and make your Lightning Lane reservation time. We recommend at least an hour — and that’s if you are already at the front of the park. Think about it — if you’re at the American Adventure Pavilion at the back of EPCOT, it could take you 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the front of the park, then you could wait 20 minutes for a bus to Animal Kingdom, that bus ride could take an additional 20 minutes, and then you may need another 15 to 20 minutes to get into your second park and walk to Expedition Everest for that Lightning Lane. That all could go faster, but it could be an 80-minute trip, so leave yourself time!

Virtual Queue Changes

Another change to how you get on rides in the new year could come via virtual queues. Right now, you can join a virtual queue for two rides — TRON: Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT. There are two virtual queue drops per day — at 7AM and 1PM. And typically, you can only join the 1PM Virtual Queue for a ride if you are inside of the park.

So, if you’re at Hollywood Studios, and you plan to hop to Magic Kingdom, right now you probably won’t get a virtual queue for TRON because you can’t enter Magic Kingdom and therefore get a VQ until 2PM — and if they are released at 1PM there’s usually enough demand for them to be gone by 2. Once the park hopping rules change, if Disney keeps these same virtual queue times, you could hop before 1PM and have a better chance of getting a virtual queue for these rides — rather than needing to shell out more cash for an Individual Lightning Lane time to ride them. 

It’s important to note that Disney has not officially given us an update or detail for Disney Genie+ changes, and we don’t yet know how virtual queues could change with the park hopping change on January 9th. But what you can be sure of is that DFB will be in the parks in 2024, testing out all of the strategies and keeping you updated on any changes! 

These are 10 big changes that will affect Disney World ticket holders in 2024 

Are you planning to use Genie+ on your vacation? Tell us in the comments!

The post Don’t Forget that Genie+ Is CHANGING in 2024 first appeared on the disney food blog.