

Summary
The Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ services launched Dec. 8, 2021, at Disneyland (and had already been let out of the bottle at Walt Disney World Resort several weeks ahead). We frogs hopped right on it and have been regularly testing these services out since the launch dates. Things operate slightly differently at Disneyland and there are new updates from time to time. We're breaking it down with all of the deets on the Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane services for the Happiest Place on Earth. (Psst ... you can save some green on Disneyland Genie+ tickets through Undercover Tourist!)

There are three major parts to the Disney Genie service, and they are all different despite having similar names or using similar ways to access rides:
- The free Disney Genie service (the planning tool within the Disneyland app)
- An optional paid Disney Genie+ service to make ride reservations to skip the lines for the majority of popular attractions at the theme parks (replaced MaxPass)
- The individual Lightning Lane service for high-demand rides that aren't included in Disney Genie+ service for an additional cost to skip the line
You can use all of them, some of them or none of them. But these represent some of the newest tools you might use to maximize your time at Disneyland.
The Genie+ service continues to evolve, and the latest updates include changes to pricing. As of Oct. 11, the price of Genie+ for ticket add-ons has increased from $20 to $25 per person, per day (it remains a flat rate). However, for same-day Genie+ purchases, the price now varies by date, starting at $25. We've seen it hit $30 on holidays and busy Saturdays, but it could go up even higher. Magic Key holders continue to receive a 20 percent discount for same-day purchases. WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure is now included with Genie+ instead of being an individual Lightning Lane selection.
We know it's a lot to digest, but that is what we are here for. We hear all the time from people who heard that guests now have to pay for Disneyland rides on top of park admission, and that is not true. Every ride and attraction at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure is still included in the cost of admission. You do not have to pay extra to ride any ride. But the lines leading up to the rides are also included in the cost of admission. If you want to pay to skip the standby line and use the Lightning Lane (what we used to call the FASTPASS return entrance), then you now have options to pay to access attractions faster. You know that saying, "time is money?" Disney Genie+ service is the epitome of that. On a busy summer day at Disneyland, we waited in no lines except for a few Fantasyland rides that are not part of Genie+. When you use Genie+ it's like operating without the crowds because you can skip the lines for popular attractions.
Radiator Springs Racers is often at least a 90-minute wait. If this is a must-do ride for you, then it may be worth it to you to purchase the Lightning Lane service for it. If you're a huge Star Wars fan but the Force isn't with you when you encounter long waits for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance on your trip of a lifetime, then buying an individual Lightning Lane selection for this ride certainly buys you more time in the theme park. BTW, we created a post just for how to get on Rise of the Resistance with the shortest wait (including options that won't cost you), so definitely check that out!
The newest ride at Disneyland — Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (open as of Jan. 27, 2023)— has individual Lightning Lane as well as a free virtual queue. It has no standby line.
You're not paying to ride, but you might want to opt to get on the rides faster, and that's where the paid options come in. Disney Genie+ service offers Lightning Lane access to about 20 attractions. If you compare the $25+ (per person) cost against any other theme park's skip-the-line option, you'll find that Disneyland comes in way cheaper than all the others. Magic Key holders get a 20 percent discount on Genie+.
Keep in mind that the majority of rides at Disneyland do not offer Lightning Lane service. So if your family isn't ready for thrill rides or has members subject to height requirements, you'll find many experiences that don't even have Lightning Lane service and aren't included in Disney Genie+ service.
Many rides have only a standby line, so Disney Genie+ service may not be worth the added cost for you, especially if you only have small children. Check the Tip Board in the app to see the full list of rides and whether they offer just a standby line or both a standby line and Lightning Lane to help you make your decision about purchasing the Disney Genie+ service. When you customize the free Disney Genie tool, you can tell Genie to show you height requirements as well. We also have a hopful guide to Disneyland height requirements.
Our Guide to Disney Genie Service at Disneyland
We love to skip the lines, but we also love to save money, so we will be weighing the benefits of saving time versus spending more money in the parks. As we continue to use Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane services at Disneyland, we update our FAQ post and add new tips to help readers navigate this new terrain and help people decide if these new tools are toadally worth it to them and also how to get by without spending another penny to stay on budget.
MaxPass was worth it to us. We are finding Disney Genie+ service worth it as well, especially for people on a trip who want to do as much as they can in the shortest time. But it is a little more limited than MaxPass. People who do not use Genie+ are at a disadvantage and may find themselves waiting in longer lines, watching Genie+ users skip ahead of them.
We find ourselves taking it day-by-day and strategizing our Genie+ purchase based on our plans for the day. On a recent visit when we had Early Entry because we stayed at a Disneyland hotel, we did not get Genie+. Instead we focused on the other rides without Genie+ and rode the Genie+ rides during Early Entry or shortly after park opening. We focused on other experiences, such as dining, seeing shows, watching a parade and meeting characters. If we have a big thrill ride day ahead of us, we get Genie+.
Disney Genie service is available at both Disneyland Parks and Walt Disney World Parks, and we'll do our best to cover all of the details for using it at Disneyland here in your one-stop shop for Disney Genie service. For advanced tips and more answers to common questions, hop over to our Disneyland Genie+ FAQ. There are several differences between the Disney Genie+ service at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, so we'll be focusing on the Disney Genie service at Disneyland (including Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane services) to keep things simpler for Disneyland visitors.
To be honest, we find that we can get a lot more done through Genie+ at Disneyland than at Disney World for several reasons. There are fewer people in the parks. Plus, people cannot select any Genie+ Lightning Lanes or individual Lightning Lanes until they have entered the park that day. That slows down the distribution by a lot. There are no people with priority access to make selections before the parks open. You don't have to wake up early to book a Lighting Lane at 7 a.m. You still have many choices throughout the day. And the individual Lighting Lanes do not sell out as quickly at Disneyland. Whew! It's a huge relief. Plus, having PhotoPass photos at Disneyland on Genie+ is a toadally awesome perk.
We frogs were MaxPass and FASTPASS masters at Disneyland, and now we consider ourselves Genie+ Lightning Lane masters as well. Disney Genie+ service is similar to MaxPass but there are a few differences. We'll go through the process and our tips and tricks below.
And keep hopping back — we'll continue to update as we hop about the parks, learn more and strengthen our tips and strategies! Our Disney Genie Service FAQ is another great resource.
When Did Disney Genie Service Launch?
Disney Genie service at Disneyland launched Dec. 8, 2021!
What Exactly Is Disney Genie Service?
Disney Genie service (Genie without the plus) is a FREE tool in the Disneyland app. It's kind of like an app within the app. You can use this new technology to guide you through the theme parks with tips to help you reduce time in lines, discover Disney magic and take the guesswork out of planning your day. Disney Genie service can alert you to short attraction lines or tell you when it's a good time to mobile order. But it only does this if you set it up to do it.
The Disney Genie service includes a personalized itinerary and recommendations feature that will map out your entire day. To launch it, just let Disney Genie know what you want to do under the "My Day" tab by tapping "Get Started Now" and selecting attractions, entertainment, dining and enchanting extras (such as building a lightsaber). You can personalize your day even more by selecting general interests you may have, such as thrill rides or entertainment. Change your mind? Disney Genie can handle that and readjust your itinerary to include what interests you while you are on the go. You can view your favorites and suggestions in one place on the "Tip Board" tab. You can also request to see height requirements and accessibility when planning out your day. If you do not set up Genie, you'll just see an alphabetical list of rides and wait times on the Tip Board.
Disney Genie service allows for flexibility. If you like to be spontaneous and go with the flow, Disney Genie will update your itinerary as you go. It displays current and projected ride wait times and helps you pick the best time to ride (kind of like what your favorite frogs have been doing for years to help readers maximize time and follow proven park plans based on our extensive experience in the parks).
If you don't like a suggestion, you can do a Swaperoo to swap recommendations. You can also remove specific attractions from your planning so they won't show up for the rest of the day. You ain't never had a friend like Disney Genie!
You can start planning your trip ahead of time with Disney Genie service, but you'll need to purchase tickets or Magic Key passes and link them to the Disneyland app first. Once you make your theme park reservations, you can start selecting your interests for each day of your visit. We recommend playing around with it at home before your visit so you can get comfortable with it and don't have to spend precious park time figuring it out.
To get started with the free Disney Genie service (you can do this part at home in advance of your visit):
- Tap the three horizontal lines on the bottom of the app and select "My Genie Day."
- Tap "Get Started Now."
- Select the date for which you would like to plan. The calendar shows all of your park reservation days.
- Select your party (if there are people linked to you that you don't want to plan for, deselect them).
- Follow the process to choose your must-do attractions, entertainment and restaurants.
- Select your top 10 Disney favorites, park interests and types of dining interests.
- Select if you want height requirements and accessibility (super helpful if you use a wheelchair or have other needs) to be displayed.
- Scroll down and tap "Get Genie+ for Today" if you want to purchase the paid service (you can only purchase once you have entered the park).
Doing this is not mandatory, but inputting your plans and interests makes it so that Disney Genie tailors its suggestions to fit in the attractions, shows and restaurants that most interest you that day. It won't offer suggestions unless you input plans and interests.
For the most part, we still use the Disneyland app the same way we always did. We don't rely solely on Disney Genie service to tell us when to mobile order food or to find dining locations. We use mobile ordering the normal way so we can see all our choices. Disney Genie service only offers a sampling of choices. But we could see that a first-time visitor might like the app to narrow things down and make suggestions.
Keep an eye on your tip board. It tends to default to Disneyland Park. At the top of the Tip Board, you can tap "Change Park" to access Disney California Adventure.
One of the biggest improvements to Disney Genie service joining the Disneyland app is having the showtimes of the performances you want to see on the Tip Board. For example, Disney Genie brought an early showing of the parade to our attention. Since we always seem to miss the Dapper Dans, we selected them as under Entertainment and each performance was highlighted as it approached. At Disney California Adventure, it can let you know when Spider-Man is getting ready to jump over the buildings. With so much going on, these alerts can help you catch all the entertainment that is important to you.
The Power of Disney Genie+ Service
For a daily cost, Disney Genie+ service allows guests to select attractions and bypass the standby line, utilizing the Lightning Lane entrances. It's time to update our lingo — FASTPASS and FastPass+ entrances have been rebranded! Selections are made one at a time for that day. You can make your first selection after entering the park that day.
So how does Disney Genie+ service compare to MaxPass at Disneyland? The overall system is similar to the old format and still includes all of the PhotoPass downloads from the day. However, the pricing depends on how you've purchased Genie+. You can purchase tickets preloaded with Disney Genie+ at Disneyland (for a flat rate of $25 per person, and sometimes even less though Undercover Tourist!) or upgrade in the app on the day of your visit after you have entered a park (pricing varies by date starting at $25). Once you pay the fee and have entered a park, you can make Lightning Lane selections for Disney Genie+ rides. The list is pretty similar to the same rides that were available on FASTPASS, with a few differences.
One of the biggest differences is that you can make a Lightning Lane selection only one at a time. You may make your next selection once your current Lightning Lane arrival window has ended or you have redeemed it or two hours have passed since you booked, whichever comes first. (You can book again if you cancel a ride or if your ride breaks down and you receive a Multiple Experiences pass). With MaxPass, it was easier to stack them up. There are a few exceptions we will get into.
Disney Genie+ Service at Disneyland at a Glance
- Pricing starts at $25 per person, per day. You can purchase a ticket with Disney Genie+ (for a flat rate of $25 per day) or purchase it in the app after entering a theme park that day (price varies by date).
- Grants faster access to 20 attractions using the Lightning Lane entrance.
- Guests can make one reservation at a time throughout the day, once they have entered the theme park for the day.
- Once the initial selection is redeemed or the arrival window has ended, guests can make another selection up to park closing.
- Guests can redeem a Lightning Lane by scanning a phone, park ticket or a MagicBand+.
- Guests who make a selection that is more than two hours away from the time the selection was made can make another selection two hours after making the selection.
- Unlimited PhotoPass is included.
- All guests may book return times for the Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane services when they enter the park for the day.
- Selections can be made across theme parks for park hoppers (but only after a ride's distribution window reaches 1 p.m. when hopping)
- Standby (and Single Rider) lines remain free.
- Includes classics such as Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but also new rides such as Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-man Adventure.
- Audio experiences tailored to specific locations throughout the lands.
- Added in fall 2022, Disney PhotoPass lenses are now in the Disneyland app. Some of these augmented reality lenses are unique to Disneyland.
Disneyland Park Disney Genie+ Attractions:
- Autopia
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
- Haunted Mansion and Haunted Mansion Holiday
- Indiana Jones Adventure (Make this Lightning Lane a priority.)
- “it's a small world” and its holiday version
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (reopens March 8, 2023)
- Space Mountain and Hyperspace Mountain overlay (Make this Lightning Lane a priority.)
- Splash Mountain
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Disney California Adventure Disney Genie+ Attractions:
- Goofy's Sky School
- Grizzly River Run
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! (Make this Lightning Lane a priority.)
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark (During Halloween Time you can book for both versions on the same day when available.)
- Incredicoaster
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
- Soarin' Around the World
- Toy Story Midway Mania (Make this Lightning Lane a priority.)
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
How Do I Get Disney Genie+ Service?
- Before Your Visit — You can purchase Disney Genie+ as an add-on to a ticket at Disneyland. If you want to purchase in advance, buy a ticket with Disney Genie+. Save some green through Undercover Tourist! We sell multi-day Disneyland tickets with Disney Genie+ at Disneyland Resort! That's the best way to lock in the very best price. Ribbit!
- Same Day of Your Visit — Existing ticket holders and Magic Key holders may purchase through the Disneyland app after entering a theme park. This is also the route you would take if you only want to use Disney Genie+ service for certain days but not your entire trip, or as a last-minute decision. Look under the "My Day" tab for the purple bar with a "Get Disney Genie+ Services" link. You can also purchase at the top of the Tip Board in the blue bar. Now that Genie+ is offered at a variable price same-day, the only way to lock in that Genie discount is to purchase in advance.
Previously, Disneyland annual passholders could add MaxPass for a flat rate for the year. No Magic Key add-on for the year has been announced at this time, however, Magic key holders do get a discount for themselves. If a Magic Key holder is purchasing for a mix of Magic Key holders and regular ticket holders, they will have to complete the purchases in separate transactions as the discount only applies to the Magic Key holder.
How to Use Disney Genie+ Service at Disneyland
All of the Disney Genie services live within the Disneyland app at Disneyland. You'll want to update to the latest version of the Disneyland app before your visit. The top of the home page will show your plans. Tapping the "My Day" link takes you to the Disney Genie service homepage. Here, you can purchase Disney Genie+ service (if you have not done so already) and begin planning for your day.
Remember, Disney Genie+ selections can only be made once you've entered the park that day. Lightning Lane windows are offered as the next available times only. Each experience can only be used with Disney Genie+ once per day, so once you ride an attraction with Disney Genie+ service, you won't be able to book another Lightning Lane selection for that ride (but standby is always an option if you want to go again!). This differs from MaxPass and FASTPASS when we could book the same ride more than once after riding.
The exception is Guardians of the Galaxy during Halloween Time. You can book a Lightning Lane for the morning regular version as well as for the Halloween version, Monsters After Dark in the same day! Lightning Lane reservations for Monsters After Dark open late morning to early afternoon for after 3 p.m. The Monsters After Dark version starts at 3 p.m.
If you arrive at the park before other members of your party, you'll want to save rides you want to ride together with Disney Genie+ for when they arrive. There is an exception if your ride breaks down. Your Lightning Lane selection will turn into a Multiple Experiences pass to be used on a variety of rides (including the ride that just broke down). The waiting period to book a new ride is immediately lifted and you can choose a new ride or the one that broke down.
Making selections. In the app, once you've chosen your attraction, you will select your party, which will automatically select anyone with a valid ticket and park pass reservation. You can edit your party members at this time if need be. (If you do not see all party names listed tap the "edit" button to pull up the full list of names and select the ones who want to ride.) Then, you can choose which attraction you would like to use for your first Disney Genie+ experience. The arrival windows will be for a one-hour period, so you can arrive at the Lightning Lane during that time. Some party members can split off to make their own plans.
Once your arrival window has started and you scan your Lightning Lane barcode (or park ticket or MagicBand+) into the reader at the attraction's Lightning Lane entrance and the light turns green, you are free to book your next Disney Genie+ selection.
Did you hear the news? MagicBands have arrived at the Disneyland Resort! You just tap the band to the circle. If you use your phone to redeem, you will slide the phone with the barcode into the slot.
Cancel or Modify if you cannot make your window. Keep in mind that if you cannot make your Lightning Lane one-hour window, you need to cancel or modify it. You can modify for a later available time for the same ride or a different ride in the same park. You can modify your party at that time if you need to add or drop someone. If you let it expire, your opportunity to select that ride with Disney Genie+ will be spent. You can cancel an individual if the entire party does not wish to cancel. Good news! If you modify, you do not change your eligibility window.
Like MaxPass, there is a little wiggle room if you arrive five minutes early or 10-15 minutes late. If you're worried that you'll miss the window, we recommend trying to modify to a different time. We learned the hard way that if you miss your arrival window, the attraction is still used up for Disney Genie+ access. So even if you never scan into the ride, the system will not let you book it again. If you cancel or modify instead, you can still make another selection for that ride later on (if available).
If you're in a long line to scan in at the Lightning Lane entrance (it happens) and your window is closing in on you, we recommend taking screenshots of your selections because the cast members know if the line is long and may work with you. That being said, don't push it. Try to arrive with enough time to scan in.
With MagicBand+, guests can leave the phone put away and redeem Lightning Lanes with a tap of the MagicBand+. But a phone is still necessary for booking Lightning Lanes.
Select rides in the second park when park hopping. There has been a change in how you select rides when park hopping. You can still book rides in the other park before you hop, but now you now have to wait for a ride's Lightning Lane distribution to be after 1 p.m. before you can select it. If you start your day at Disney California Adventure and Indiana Jones Adventure is a must-ride attraction for you, keep an eye on that ride in the Tip Board about mid-morning. Once that ride says 1 p.m. or later, you can tap "Book Experience" to reserve it, even if it's several hours away. You do not have to wait until 1 p.m. or until you hop to reserve rides in the second park.
In this screenshot, a person starting their day at Disney California Adventure could reserve Indiana Jones as of 10 a.m. but not yet Haunted Mansion. Actual distribution will vary per day. Then they could set their alarm for 12 p.m. and book another ride before hopping.
Take advantage of free PhotoPass Downloads. Disneyland guests can take advantage of included PhotoPass downloads from any day that Disney Genie+ is valid on the ticket. Our PhotoPass post has all the deets on how to use it. Here are the basics.
You can show your PhotoPass code to any PhotoPass photographer (or quickly tap your MagicBand+) and the photos will automatically appear in your Disneyland app. Be sure to ask for Magic Shots! Certain rides have on-ride photos. You can enter the code on the photo into the app. There is a slight delay before images appear.
Some people get Genie+ just for the photos. If you don't care about the Lighting Lane benefits of Disney Genie+ service, then you can just have one member of the party get Disney Genie+ service for the PhotoPass downloads and share the images with everyone else. You'll have 45 days to download the images onto your phone and computer.
Play with PhotoPass Lenses
Immerse yourself in the magic by adding Disney elements to your images. You can tap the "Disney PhotoPass Lenses" button to get started. You have to have purchased Disney+ for this feature to work in the park.
Individual Lightning Lane Service
Here is the newest and trickiest part of the new offerings: A couple of high-demand rides are excluded from the Disney Genie+ service. One is at Disneyland and the other is at Disney California Adventure. For these, you can make a la carte reservations, kind of like FASTPASS, but for a fee for each line that you skip. What we want to make clear is that you can still access these rides without paying anything extra. You can use the standby line, virtual queue (if activated) or Single Rider line, depending on what each ride offers.
Waits can be long at times. If you want to free your time in the park to enjoy other things, now you can buy your way in. Is the line for Radiator Springs Racers prohibitively long? Are your kids too young for Single Rider? Now you can pay a one-time fee to skip the line for the most popular rides. Pricing for this option varies by date, attraction and park. As of now, prices for individual selections will range between $7 to $25. Rise of the Resistance is usually $20 to $25 per person for individual Lightning Lane. Radiator Springs Racers runs a little lower in price but we have seen it hit $20.
Again, this cost is optional. If you have one day to spend at Disney California Adventure Park and the wait for your family's must-do ride is 90 minutes, you can assess what 90 minutes of your time are worth. Maybe getting those 90 minutes back means getting on three more rides or getting to take time to sit down and enjoy a nice table-service meal at Carthay Circle. Or maybe the wait is under an hour when you visit, so it's not worth it to pay to skip. If you're a frequent visitor, paying extra may not be in the budget since you can come back another time.
Our family members who are over age 7 always opt for the Single Rider line for Radiator Springs Racers. We know we will split up on the ride, and sometimes we get lucky and get to race each other on Radiator Springs Racers! But if you all want to ride together (or your tadpoles are too young to split up), then you can either stand in line for no cost or skip the line for a fee. We tested the Lightning Lane and Single Rider line on the same weekday, and the Single Rider line was faster. This may not always be the case on weekends or holidays. It might be worth checking out before you purchase.
You can pay to use individual Lightning Lane service for up to two of these attractions once per day. Also, you can pay to upgrade for up to two different rides per person, per day. You may purchase them one at a time (and purchase even if you're hopping to another park as long as the start of the distribution window is after 1 p.m. for that ride). You can purchase one right after the other if you like and do not have to use the first one before buying a second.
Individual Lightning Lane "a la Carte" options are available to all guests with or without Disney Genie+. You can purchase via the Disney Genie service in the Disneyland app at Disneyland on the same day as your visit. Once again, standby lines remain as options for individual Lightning Lane attractions.
Individual Lighting Lane selections can sell out quickly for popular attractions such as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. How early can you book? All guests must have entered a theme park entrance to begin booking, which was the case with MaxPass. They are released in order of first availability, which differs from Walt Disney World (where you can choose your window to ride for individual Lighting Lanes).
You can purchase individual Lightning Lane selections within the Tip Board or "My Day" itinerary. We were toadally surprised to see you can overlap your Disney Genie+ and individual attraction selections without any issue! Individual attraction selections may overlap as well. When you book, a notice will alert you if you have overlapping plans during that time, but it won't stop you from reserving. Give yourself enough time to make all your reservations, allowing for breakdowns, delays and time to travel between attractions. There is only a 15-minute grace period if you're running late.
Park Hopping and Individual Lightning Lanes
Here's a park hopping tip: You now have to wait for a distribution time to be at 1 p.m. or later to purchase an individual Lightning Lane for a ride in the other park before you hop. In the morning, you can purchase your Lighting Lane for the second park you visit once you have entered your first park of the day and the distribution time reaches 1 p.m.
Watch the Tip Board in the app to keep an eye on distribution times. If it is only distributing for, say, 10 a.m., when you tap "Purchase" it will not let you book yet. You have to wait until the first available time for the ride reaches 1 p.m., which is the time you can hop. Keep in mind that the distribution times can jump around a bit so keep checking back frequently. The times are not always sequential. The morning we visited Disney California Adventure, by about 9 a.m. we were able to reserve a 1:25 to 2:25 Lighting Lane for Rise of the Resistance. However, an hour later at 10 a.m. it was distributing for about 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. and we would not have been able to reserve at that time. So just keep checking if it's important to you.
Individual Lightning Lane selections at Disneyland
- Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure — The standby line and Single Rider line remain free.
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland — This ride has a free standby line (which can get long). But now you have another way to join the Rebellion faster (for a fee). This is the ride most likely to sell out of Lightning Lane on busy days.
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disneyland — This new (as of Jan. 27, 2023) Toontown ride utilizes a free virtual queue and a paid individual Lightning Lane. You can join the virtual queue (once per day for this attraction) and purchase an individual Lightning Lane.
The individual pay-per-ride options are subject to change. You should note that this a la carte option and Disney Genie+ service offer different attractions. You can use both services together or separately (or not at all). These cannot be modified if your plans change.
Tips and Tricks for Disney Genie Service
- For Disney Genie+ and purchased individual Lightning Lane services, you can only choose the next available timeframe for a show or attraction one at a time.
- When booking individual Lightning Lane selections, keep in mind that the person making the reservation will be the person paying. Everyone in the party will be automatically linked. If your party consists of individuals or groups who would need to pay separately, you'll want to edit the members of your party. The only caveat is that you could potentially end up in different time windows for your ride reservations, especially if it's a particularly busy day and times are getting booked quickly. If you want to ensure that everybody rides at the same time, then book together and have individuals send money via Venmo (or some other money-sharing app) to the purchaser.
- Purchase Genie+ under "My Day" or "Tip Board" to edit your party when purchasing.
- If a ride breaks down in your Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane window, you may receive a Multiple Experiences pass, which allows you to use the pass for most rides in the park, including many rides that do not offer Lightning Lane. (If you tap it anywhere but the Redeem button, it will show your options.) You have until the end of the day or ride closure to use it. You can immediately make another Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane selection (including for the ride that you had booked when it broke down). Ka-chow!
- You can only make one Disney Genie+ selection at a time, but you can have overlapping Disney Genie+ selections. How? There is a two-hour window before you can make another selection. Because you can only choose the next available time window, the window can start as soon as five minutes later or hours away, depending on the ride and crowds. At noon, for instance, you might find that the next time window is at 7 p.m. To avoid being tethered to only one ride for seven hours, your ability to make Disney Genie+ selections is "frozen" for two hours. So, at 2 p.m., you could make another Disney Genie+ selection, despite not going on the 7 p.m. ride yet. At 4 p.m., you could make an additional selection, and so on.
- Set an alarm so you know when you can book the next ride. If you froget when you booked, you can attempt to book another Lightning Lane. A message will pop up to tell you when you are eligible to book another.
- Your Disney Genie+ selections can overlap with your individual Lightning Lane attraction selections, so you can max out your day with more efficiency. Just make sure you don't miss your arrival windows.
- You can also ride Disney Genie+ attractions more than once by using the standby line and Disney Genie+ (or a Multiple Experiences pass).
- Park hopping? Disney Genie has got you covered. You can let the Disney Genie service know what time you plan on being at the next park. It will add suggestions throughout your day. You can book Lightning Lanes for the second park once the distribution time under the Tip Board reaches 1 p.m. for a particular ride.
- You can use Rider Switch with Disney Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane services. Read more about it in our Genie+ with a group post.
- You can use DAS and Disney Genie+ service and have overlapping windows.
- When using the Tip Board, select "Change Park" at the top to toggle back and forth between theme parks.
- Pace yourself with the Lightning Lane selections, especially at Disney California Adventure. You'll want to access some of the rides that don't offer Lightning Lane (such as Pixar Pal-A-Round, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters) in the morning when wait times are low.
- Modify rather than cancel your Genie+ plans so you do not restart the clock on your eligibility window.
Disability Access Service (DAS) Changes
Along with the Genie addition to the Disneyland app came positive changes for people with certain disabilities. If you have someone in your party with disabilities that make it difficult to wait in a standard queue, you know that the Disability Access Service (DAS) can be a trip-saver, but having to wait in line to set it up and getting return times can be cumbersome when dealing with special needs. Disney Genie service will be able to smooth out the process for you.
Eligible guests are now able to pre-register for DAS Advance via live video chat (there is a chat button on the page) between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. Guests can pre-register up to 30 days in advance of a park visit but no less than two days before arrival. The DAS participants may book up to two one-hour return windows for select experiences.
Once in the park, DAS users may select attractions directly in the app and are not limited to the advanced select experiences. Tap the three horizontal lines on the bottom right of the screen to get to your page. Scroll to the bottom to see the DAS button to start selecting.
The advance registration and app options are available in addition to the existing, in-person DAS program. The individual Lightning Lane selections, such as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, are not available through the DAS Advance system, but you can still use DAS at these attractions on the day of your visit. Visit Disney's Services for Guests with Disabilities pages at Disneyland.com for more details.
The people who use DAS can also use Disney Genie, Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane services to help streamline their day. The DAS return times can overlap with Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane services.
We're sure you have loads of questions about the Disney Genie service at Disneyland. Ask away in the comments below, and keep hopping back to this post for updates as we discover more about Disney Genie service while we continue to use it.
Related: Your Frequently Asked Questions About Disney Genie Service
Related: Our Top Tips and Strategies for Using Disney Genie Plus Service at Disneyland
Keep hopping!

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