DisneyGenie+ (Genie+) is a great system that lets you make your theme park visit easier and more fun. Disney Genie+ service can be found in the My Disney Experience mobile app. Disney Genie+ does have a cost. This service allows you the opportunity to use these Lightning Lane entrance at select attractions and experiences at the Walt Disney World theme parks. (The former FastPass+ queues.) On average, Guests can experience 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using Disney Genie+. Keep in mind, that is if the first selection is made early in the day.
Guests are able to enjoy ride one attraction or see one show using the Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrance once per day. If you’d like to experience the attraction again within the same day, you’ll need to use the standby line.
Disney Genie+ varies in pricing, based on the date the Guest is visiting, much like theme park tickets currently do. Pricing is lower on less busy days and it will cost you more to use the Disney Genie+ service on busier, peak days.
Disney has also introduced individual park pricing for those looking to take advantage of Disney Genie+. Guests at Walt Disney World will now be able to purchase Disney Genie+ based on how they want to visit. This means that Guests will be able to purchase for either a single-park option OR they can choose a multiple-parks option. In addition some Walt Disney World theme parks may offer lower pricing for Disney Genie+ than other parks.
This means that say Guests who are only visiting, say Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day will only need to purchase the service for that specific park. But, let’s say that you are Park Hopping. So, you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom in the same day; you’ll then need to purchase the multi-park option for Disney Genie+.
Experiences may vary by date and are subject to change or closure. There’s limited availability for experiences. Also they may not be available at all on the date of visit. Or it is possible they are not available at the specific time you are looking for.
Also, in order to be able to use Disney Genie+, Guests will need to have valid admission. They will also need a Theme Park reservation for the same Park and same date. Park reservations are limited, subject to capacity and availability, and specific dates or Parks are not guaranteed.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Disney Genie+ Tips and Strategies
Getting the most out of both Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes first involves preparation. For Genie+, you definitely want to have completed your purchase before you try to make your first booking or at midnight the day of.
At 7 a.m., everyone is able to start making their first Genie+ reservation. Guests staying at select Walt Disney World resort hotels can also begin making Individual Lightning Lane reservations at that time. You will want to start choosing your attractions as close to 7 a.m. as possible.
To fully maximize your Lightning Lane usage, you will also want to make any additional selections as soon as possible. If your first selection was made inside that 2 hour line, you can make a new selection as soon as your final entry scan is complete.
(So if you make your first selection at 11:00 a.m. for a ride on Dinosaur with a return time to the attraction of 12:30 p.m., you’ll actually be able to make your next Genie+ selection at 12:30 p.m., after you scan through the final touch points.) To optimize the number of attractions you’ll be able to see, you’ll want to start booking your next Genie+ attraction AS SOON AS you scan through that final touch point.
If your first Genie+ selections are more than 2 hours in the future. Because at that time, Guests will want to be ready on the My Disney Experience app to make another selection, 2 hours after making their first selection. (So if you make your first selection at 7:00 a.m. for a ride on Dinosaur with a return time to the attraction of 10:00 a.m. Even though you’ve not ridden the attraction, you’ll actually be able to make your next Genie+ selection at 9:00 a.m.)
How to Purchase
Same Day of Visit:
Available for single-day use for existing ticket holders or Annual Passholders. Purchase via Disney Genie service in the My Disney Experience mobile app.
What Are Individual Lightning Lane Attractions?
Guests will need to purchase access for Lightning Lane entrances individually for the most popular attractions. Guests may purchase and select an arrival window one at a time for up to 2 of these attractions a day. (If available.) This option is available for all Guests, no matter whether you’ve already purchased Disney Genie+ or not. The pricing varies by attraction, and can even vary by day. Guests will find out the cost of the Individual Lightning Lane access in the My Disney Experience app on the day of their visit. To purchase, you can do so within the Disney Genie service Tip Board or My Day itinerary in the app. This must be done on the same day of your visit.
Guests of a Disney Resort Hotel will be able to make their first purchase starting at 7:00 AM on the day of their visit. This option is available to Disney Resort hotel Guests and Guests of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green. All Other Guests will be able to make their first purchase when the park opens.
You can find out more details about the Disney Genie+ system, Lightning Lanes, and Individual Lighting Lane Attractions in our Lightning Lane Guide.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Disney Genie+ Attractions
Currently, Individual Lightning Lane attractions are:
Currently, Disney Genie+ is available for the following Animal Kingdom rides, shows, and experiences:
- Na’vi River Journey
- Dinosaur
- Expedition Everest
- 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
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurer’s Outpost (Mickey and Minnie meet and greet)
Tips for using Disney Genie+ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
General Strategy
With the changes and new attraction opening at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Genie+ strategy for the park will be in flux and will require Guests to make hard decisions on what is most important to then. Guests will have to really think about which attractions you would like to experience in this park. The attractions for Animal Kingdom Disney Genie+ that will save you the most time are generally Na’vi River Journey, DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safaris. If you plan on arriving right when the park opens, you can usually head straight to one or two of these and use Disney Genie+ on the others. (Though if you do want to visit Pandora – The World of Avatar, our suggestion would be to get to the park to ride these attractions first and make your Disney Genie+ reservations for others in the park.)
Pandora – The World of Avatar
For those looking to ride one of the Pandora – The World of Avatar attractions, Guests will likely want to purchase the Individual Lightning Lane option for Avatar Flight of Passage. They will then want to choose a Disney Genie+ option for Na’vi River Journey.
Groups with Small Children
When visiting the Animal Kingdom with small children, your Pandora – The World of Avatar attraction should be Na’vi River Journey, as it is accessible for all ages. As far as your remaining Disney Genie+ choices go, Kilimanjaro Safaris should still be a priority choice. After that your best bet is probably the Adventurer’s Outpost, Festival of the Lion King or Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond.
Thrill Seekers
For thrill seekers visiting the Animal Kingdom who would like to visit Pandora – The World of Avatar, you will want to choose Avatar Flight of Passage. Expedition Everest is definitely a solid next choice. (Bonus Tip: schedule this Disney Genie+ reservation first and then head straight there when the park opens and you can ride twice back to back). Dinosaur is a natural choice, and then Kali River Rapids.
Shows
Disney’s Animal Kingdom features several fantastic shows, and you may choose to schedule one with a Disney Genie+ reservation. If you do so, there are a few things you need to know as you are planning the rest of the day.
First, the Disney Genie+ time listed for the show will be your arrival time, not the show time. For example, you may have Disney Genie+ time of 10:35 a.m.- 10:50 a.m. for Festival of the Lion King. This means you need to arrive between those times and will get seating for the 11:00 a.m. show. The show then lasts 30 minutes. So even though your Disney Genie+ time ends at 10:50 a.m., you will be busy until 11:30 a.m.
Second, this shorter Disney Genie+ time allows you to schedule your Disney Genie+ closer to each other, allowing you to schedule additional Disney Genie+ reservations more quickly.
Other Tips
As an extra help, Guests are able to use the My Disney Experience app to check your My Day itinerary or Tip Board to see when you’re eligible to make another selection.
For quicker access to select attractions and entertainment, when using Disney Genie+, you should choose the next available attraction arrival window.
If you are booking those Disney Genie+ reservations later in the day, you can also “stack” reservations close to each other. This means that you can experience numerous attractions in quick succession. Be sure you give yourself enough time to experience the attractions and travel to the next.
Guests are also able to book a Disney Genie+ reservation for a park that they have not yet park hopped to. So if you are planning on hopping, you can make a reservation for an attraction in the park you’re planning to hop to before you begin your travel to save time upon arrival.