How to use Genie+ at Disneyland

Genie+ is the new system the Disney Parks use to reserve rides, kind of like the old Fastpass or MaxPass system.  Last year, Disney announced that they would be doing away with Fastpass and MaxPass permanently and Genie+ would be the replacement. To be honest, when I first heard about Genie+ I was a little bummed.  I didn’t want a new system because I loved Fastpasses!  But now having used and tested Genie+, I can officially say it is really awesome!  Keep reading to find out how to use Genie+ at Disneyland!

Genie+ is available in both Disneyland and Disney World, but this post is just covering the Disneyland version.

Like I said, I was sad when they rolled out Genie+ because I thought Fastpass was so easy to use and I knew it like the back of my hand.  I didn’t know how to use Genie+ and even up until the day I was in the parks I had no idea.  So my hope with this post is to make it as easy for you to understand as possible.  Because it really is super easy and user friendly! And it will save you SO much time!

In this post, I will cover everything you need to know about Genie+ such as what it is, how to use it, how much it costs and more! Please know that information is constantly changing and I will update this post as updates roll out.

Disney Genie vs. Genie+ vs. Lightning Lanes

There are 3 different ways to use Disney Genie. Here is a brief rundown of what each one means.

Disney Genie:

A free service in the Disneyland app that allows you to plan your day according to your top priorities and location in the parks. And helps you avoid longer wait times when possible.

Disney Genie+:

A paid service in the Disneyland app that allows you to skip the standby lines and use the Lightning Lane (faster line) for certain attractions instead.  Think of it like the old Fastpass, where you get a ticket, come back within a certain time frame and skip the standby line.  Only now it’s all done on the app.

Individual Lightning Lanes:

A paid service in the Disneyland app that allows you to purchase a Lightning Lane (faster line) for 2 attractions between the 2 parks.  Prices range from $7-$20 per person, per ride depending on availability and demand. Available with or without Genie+ purchase.

 

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Disney Genie

Here is a more detailed description of what Disney Genie is. Disney Genie is a free planning tool in the Disneyland app. Anyone can use it anytime and it doesn’t cost you a thing.

Disney Genie is used to guide you through the parks and tell you the best rides or attractions to go to next to avoid long wait times. You can select favorites and it will prioritize those rides or attractions to help you make the most of your day. It displays current and projected wait times for rides so you can make the most of your time in the park and avoid the long lines.  However, unlike Genie+, it doesn’t allow you to skip the regular standby line.

Disney Genie can help you make a personalized itinerary and can readjust your itinerary if you decide to be spontaneous and do something else instead.

Once you have purchased your park ticket and made your park reservation, you can start selecting your favorites for each day.  There is no need to wait until you’re in the park! It is not mandatory to use Disney Genie but it sure can help you make the most of your Disney day!

 

Disney Genie+

Here is a more detailed description of Genie+ at Disneyland. With Genie+ you can select from 12 rides in Disneyland and 7 in California Adventure that allow you to skip the regular standby ride and hop into a faster line knows as Lightning Lane.  If you are familiar with the old Fastpass it is very similar as in you make a reservation for a ride and when it’s time for your return window, you get into a faster line that gets you on the ride much quicker.

Genie+ is now starting at $25 per day, per person.  If you want to use the Lightning Lane for everyone in your group, everyone has to have Genie+. You can purchase Genie+ when you purchase your Disneyland tickets or when you arrive in the park for the day.  I did it with my ticket and it was so easy!  As soon as I showed up to the park, it was ready to use.

The one downside with Genie+ is that you can only reserve one ride at a time.  So if you reserve Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and your return time is 2pm, you can head over and ride Big Thunder Mountain anytime between 2-3pm.  However, you cannot reserve another ride until you have used your current Genie+ reservation or 2 hours has passed since you made the reservation.

And you can only use Genie+ one time on each ride.  So if you want to ride a ride multiple times, you will have to wait in the standby line if you’ve already used your Genie+ reservation.

One of the biggest tips I have for you is to use the Genie+ for rides that have the soonest return window.  If you make a reservation for a ride that is displaying the return time as hours away, you won’t get to ride anything using Genie+ until you use your reservation is used or you wait 2 hours. And you could lose precious time when you could be using Genie+ for other rides.

If you are in Disneyland, you can make a reservation for a ride in California Adventure if you have a park hopper.  I did it and it was so easy! However, you can only make a reservation for a return  time later than 11am if you are hopping parks.

Unlimited Photo Pass downloads are available with Genie+ at Disneyland so make sure you get all of the pictures you want from the awesome Disneyland photographers!

 

Individual Lightning Lanes

Here is a more details description of Individual Lightning Lanes. There are 2 rides between the 2 parks that you have to purchase a Lightning Lane for. This is not included in your Genie+ purchase. However, you can purchase these rides even if you don’t purchase Genie+ for the day.  If you want to ride them using the Lightning Lane, you have to purchase them or use the standby line or single rider lines (if offered) for free.

The 2 rides with Individual Lightning Lanes are Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland and Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure. Wait times were not bad for Rise of the Resistance  when I was there so I didn’t purchase any additional Lightning Lanes.  And I used a single rider line for Radiator Springs Racers.  However, if there is a ride that is really important to you, and the line is astronomical, you could consider purchasing the additional Lighting Lane.

Are you confused yet? Haha!  I will explain a little bit more how to use it. And once you get in and start using it, you will really get the hang of it quickly. I promise!

Rides with Genie+ Lightning Lanes

 

Disneyland Park Genie+ Attractions: 

• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Haunted Mansion/Haunted Mansion Holiday
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• It’s a small world
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (closed until 2023)
• Space Mountain and Hyperspace Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

 

California Adventure Genie+ Attractions: 

• Goofy’s Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Guardians of the Galaxy/Guardians After Dark
• Incredicoaster
• Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Webslingers

A few more Genie+ at Disneyland tips

• You can link your entire groups itineraries together so only one person has to go on and make the reservation for the entire group instead of doing it one by one.
• If a ride breaks down during your Genie+ return window, you may receive a Multiple Experience Pass! That will allow you to use your pass for most of the rides in the park, even if you’ve already used it on a ride. Tap redeem on your app and it will show you your ride options. You can use that pass until the end of the day and continue to make reservations for other rides.  If the ride that broke down, opens back up, you can make a Genie+ reservation for that ride again!
• Your Genie+ selections can overlap with your Individual Lightning Lane selections, but not with another Genie+ reservation unless your 2 hour reservation window has passed.
• Genie+ Lightning Lane selections can sell out so make sure you get your most important rides in before the return window disappears.
• Individual Lightning Lane reservations can sell out too. So if you want to ride one of the 2 rides, make sure you purchase them before they sell out.
• Before purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane, check the line and make sure it’s not too long.  I almost spent $20 on Rise of the Resistance but decided to check the line first.  The wait time said 40 minutes but there was no line.  I decided to go for it with standby and walked right on the ride.  Don’t always rely on what the wait time says it is.  Sometimes it is very inflated.
• If a Genie+ reservation is more than 2 hours away, you might want to snag it anyways.  You will have to wait 2 hours before making another reservation but chances are if you wait, it could be gone.  Use that time to go on rides not offered through Genie+ and when your two hours is up, start reserving again.
• If you make a Genie+ reservation and change your mind or need to change your return window, you can cancel the reservation and make another one for the same ride later.

How to use Genie+at Disneyland

 

Step 1: Open your app. Click on 3 horizontal lines in the bottom right corner.

Step 2: Click on Tip Board in the top left corner

Step 3: Scroll down until you see the ride you want.  You will see a standby line time and a Genie+ return time. It was 4:43pm and the return time for Soarin’ was 5:05pm which is not bad at all.  Click on the one you want to book experience.

Step 4: This is the next screen you will see. Make sure all of the details are correct such as ride, redeem time and your party.  If there are multiple people in your party, it will display that here. Click continue. 

Step 5: My reservation is made.  When it is time for you to ride, click redeem on this screen. If you close the app and go back in, this is on your home screen. 

Step 6: When you get to the ride and click redeem in your app, this is the screen that will pop up.  Go to the Lightning Lane line (clearly marked) and scan the barcode and you’re good to go!

 

Overall, I had a great experience using Genie+ and highly recommend it if you want to get a lot done in a day or it’s busy.  There will certainly be times of the year when it’s not even necessary because crowds are low but you will have to play that by ear.

If you have any questions at all, I would love to help answer them.  I know all of this information can be overwhelming! If you’re interested, I have created a Disneyland Vacation Planning Facebook Group where I will answer any questions you have regarding Genie+ or anything else Disney related.  I would love to see you over there!  Click here to request access: Disneyland Vacation Tips Facebook Group

 

I hope that helps you learn how to use Genie+ at Disneyland before your next trip!  I know it sounds confusing but it really is so much easier than it sounds.  Promise!  Good luck!

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