Disney Genie+ Explained: How It Works and How to Use It at Walt Disney World

When you book a trip to Walt Disney World, Disney Genie+, a paid service that lets you reserve ride times through the My Disney Experience app to skip regular lines. Also known as Disney Lightning Lane, it replaced the old FastPass+ system in 2021 and is now the main way families save time on popular rides. It’s not free, but for many visitors, it’s the difference between spending hours waiting and squeezing in five major attractions before lunch.

Disney Genie+ works by letting you select one ride at a time from a list of eligible attractions. Once you scan in and ride, you can immediately book another. It covers most rides—Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Avatar Flight of Passage—but not the biggest ones like Rise of the Resistance or Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which require separate Individual Lightning Lane, a pay-per-ride option for the most in-demand attractions, priced dynamically based on demand. You can buy Genie+ for each day of your park visit, starting at $15 per person, but prices go up during holidays and peak seasons. It’s smart to check the app the night before to see which rides are likely to have the longest waits, then plan your first selection wisely.

Many people don’t realize Genie+ also includes unlimited digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos taken by park photographers and on select rides. That’s worth the price alone if you’re planning to take lots of pictures. And if you’re staying at a Disney resort, you can start booking your Genie+ selections at 7 a.m. each day—30 minutes before other guests. That early access can land you on the most popular ride before the park even opens.

It’s not magic, but it’s close. Families who use Genie+ correctly often walk out of the park having ridden more than twice as many attractions as those who just wait in line. You don’t need to buy it every day. Skip it on slow days. Use it on weekends or during summer when lines stretch past the gift shops. And always check the app’s real-time wait times—they update every few minutes. If a ride you booked has a 10-minute wait when you arrive, you can skip it and book another right away.

Some travelers think Genie+ is only for big families or first-timers. But even solo visitors or couples who want to maximize their time use it. One couple we talked to saved nearly four hours over three days by using it smartly—enough time to eat a leisurely dinner, take a nap, and still catch the fireworks. It’s not about spending more money. It’s about spending your time better.

Below, you’ll find real tips and breakdowns from people who’ve used Disney Genie+ at every level—from first-timers who thought it was too confusing to seasoned visitors who’ve mastered the system. You’ll learn when to buy it, which rides are worth it, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to use it alongside free tools like the Disney app’s standby queue tracker. No fluff. Just what works.