Disney World’s Genie+ is CHANGING to Lightning Lane Pass

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On June 25th, 2024, Disney World announced that Genie+ is changing to a new system called Lightning Lane Pass. It’s very reminiscent of the old Fastpass+ system, where you could reserve 3 attractions in advance before your trip, except that was free. This change will officially kick in July 24, 2024.

Let’s cover the basics of how this new Lightning Lane Pass system will work. But let’s also compare what’s new and what’s the same, what this means for sensory sensitive kids, and the benefits and issues with this new system.

How Lightning Lane Pass Will Work

First, if you’re newer to the world of Disney park planning, there are some attractions at Disney World with both a standby lane and a Lightning Lane. As the name implies, the Lightning Lane will get you onto an attraction faster than the guests who are waiting in the standby lane. This change in the system is referring to how you can gain access to the Lightning Lane.

To put it simply, there will be two types of Lightning Lane passes.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP)
Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP)

LLMP includes the attractions that are currently part of Genie+.

LLSP includes the attractions that are currently part of the “Individual Lightning Lane” (ILL) selections. It will still be an a la carte paid option.

Guests staying on-site at a Disney World resort will be able to purchase their LLMP and/or LLSP 7 days in advance, whereas guests staying off-site will be able to book 3 days in advance. The booking window will open at 7AM EST.

Once it’s paid for, you can make three (3) advance selections for one park.

Your LLMP selections will be based on a tiered system, except for at Animal Kingdom. Attractions at the parks will divided into tier 1 and tier 2 categories. You will then be able to choose one attraction from tier 1 and two attractions from tier 2. These are your advance selections that you have BEFORE you start your vacation.

Magic Kingdom as an Example

For example, Magic Kingdom’s attractions will be divided like this:

Lightning Lane Single Pass

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
TRON Lightcycle / Run

Lightning Lane Multi Pass Tier 1 (choose 1 in advance)

Lightning Lane Multi Pass Tier 2 (choose 2 or ALL 3 in advance)

Non LL Attractions

Astro Orbiter
Casey’s Jr Splash n Soak Station
Character Meets
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Hall of Presidents
Liberty Square Riverboat
Prince Charming Carrousel
Swiss Family Treehouse
Tom Sawyer Island
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Walt Disney World Railroad
Enchanted Tiki Room
Country Bear Jamboree

Once you’re on vacation, you can use the My Disney Experience (MDE) app to book another Lightning Lane once you’ve tapped into one of your advance selections. Every time you redeem one of your LLs, you are unlocking another one to book, based on what’s available. You can hold up to 3 LL reservations at a time.

For LLSP, on the other hand, you can only book up to two (2) per day. Remember, these are your a la carte options where you are paying per person to ride that particular attraction only.

What’s Staying the Same

Paid Service

It’s still a paid service to use the Lightning Lane. While a lot of this looks like the old Fastpass+ system, THAT was free. And this is not.

Varying Price

Just like Genie+, it looks like the price will vary by park and by date. At this point, it appears the price will vary between $15-$39 per day per person, but we’ll definitely keep our eye on it.

LLSP Attractions

The attractions available to purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass are the same as the Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) ones. So, for Magic Kingdom this means: TRON and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. For EPCOT, this is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. For Hollywood Studios, LLSP can be purchased for Rise of the Resistance. LLSP at Animal Kingdom will be for Avatar: Flight of Passage.

Virtual Queues

Another thing that’s staying the same is: virtual queues. There will still be the 7am and 1pm drops for the virtual queue attractions, which are currently Guardians of the Galaxy at EPCOT and TRON at Magic Kingdom.

Only One LL per Attraction

Genie+ allowed guests to book a Lightning Lane for an attraction once per day. This isn’t changing with the new Lightning Lane pass system. Once you’ve booked it, you can’t book it again. If you’d like to ride again, you’ll need to wait in standby.

What’s DIFFERENT

Pre-Planning

Obviously, the biggest change is that this is offering the opportunity for guests to plan AHEAD and book attractions in advance. That was one of the biggest criticisms of Genie+. So being able to book attractions either 7 days (onsite) or 3 days (offsite) in advance will be considered a plus to some. So, good-bye to the 7AM wakeup call to get your phone and grab your first Lightning Lane with the Genie+ system.

Disney Resort Guests Advantage

Another difference is that this gives Disney Resort guests a major advantage. If you’re a local visiting the parks for the day or staying at an offsite hotel, your Lightning Lane options will probably be slim pickings. Genie+ had everyone on an even playing field for Genie+ attractions, although Disney Resort guests did have an advantage for Individual Lightning Lane attractions.

Tiered System

Genie+ didn’t operate with a tiered system, but now Lightning Lane Multi Pass will, except for at Animal Kingdom. Fastpass+ also had tiers for which attractions you could book. The more popular rides are usually in tier 1, while the attractions that typically don’t have long waits are in tier 2.

Maximum of 3 LLs at a Time

Just like the old Fastpass+ system, you can hold a maximum of THREE Lightning Lanes at a time. Gone are the days of stacking Lightning Lanes with Genie+, since there was no limit on how many attractions you could book as long you followed the 120 minute rule. This does NOT mean you can only use Lightning Lane for three attractions for the whole day. You can book another one once you’ve scanned into one of your existing LLs.

No Character Meet & Greets

Another difference is that none of the character meet and greets are included in the Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Previously, Mickey’s meet and greet in Town Square, the princess meet and greet at Fairytale Princess Hall, and a number of others were options when utilizing Genie+. It’s yet to be seen if this means you just can’t book them in advance and they will become options once you’re in the parks. Or, if they are not having Lightning Lanes at all for character meets. This would be a really important piece of information if your family’s priority is meeting a lot of characters.

Benefits of the Lightning Lane Pass System

Booking Lightning Lanes in Advance

The biggest benefit of this change is the ability to book attractions in advance. Getting to have those three rides to give a framework for your day is a big plus. This is especially beneficial if you have a highly sensitive or sensory sensitive child who gets anxious when they are in a new and unfamiliar place. I could definitely see how pre-planning in this way would help those who struggle with anxiety.

No More Daily 7AM Wakeup Call

Another benefit is that you no longer have do the daily 7AM Lightning Lane booking ritual on vacation, which was a necessity when using Genie+. If you’re a mom with sensitive kids who need a lot of support, this is one less thing for you to do in the mornings when you’re trying to get the day started at Disney World.

Advanced Pricing = Crowd Predictor?

I also think it’s going to be a game-changer knowing the price for Lightning Lane Multi Pass 7 days in advance. That’s going to be an important data point when it comes to crowd levels. Disney typically varies pricing for everything (tickets, hotels, Genie+) based on predicted crowds. With Genie+, we didn’t know the price until midnight of the day you were planning to use it, so it was more difficult to switch gears when it comes to park plans. So knowing this information ahead of time might actually help with figuring out how to schedule your park days to avoid the most crowded times.

Issues with the Lightning Lane Pass System

DAS Advance Selections Removed

One thing people are NOT talking about enough is that DAS (Disability Access Service) changed at Disney World a month prior to this announcement. They were “cracking down” on abuse of the system, and very much narrowing the scope for who qualified for this accommodation.

Old DAS System Including Advance Selections

The original DAS system allowed for two advance selection of rides when you applied for it ahead of time. DAS advance selection were actually REMOVED with this overhaul of DAS. And a month later, this announcement comes for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which is introducing advance selections for PAYING GUESTS ONLY. The timing of this cannot be a mere coincidence. It’s clear that Disney World is moving towards getting rid of any non-paying guests in the Lightning Lane, even if it means getting rid of necessary accommodations for those with disabilities.

I HATE that it seems like this free accommodation was taken away and instead moved towards an area where Disney can monetize it. And while it makes sense financially from Disney’s POV, it doesn’t sit well with me if Disney is supposed to be this inclusive, accepting, and welcoming place.

*Full transparency: our family has never used DAS, and has never qualified for DAS. I’ve done a video call with a cast member once to have a discussion on whether this was an accommodation that would be needed for our family but we determined that it was not necessary. I share this to let you know that I am NOT a disgruntled previous DAS user that is mad because it got taken away from me. I just think this money grabbing move by Disney is ethically wrong.

International Guests Excluded

Another issue is that international guests are being excluded from this new system. Anyone coming from outside the U.S. or Canada will not be able to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single pass until they actually arrive in the U.S. So if you’re coming from the U.K., you’ll need to cross the border a week before your Disney vacation to get you to a level playing field with U.S. & Canadian residents when it comes to booking your Lightning Lane slots.

Local and Offsite Guests at a Disadvantage

Locals and offsite guests will have a major disadvantage here. Clearly, Disney is adding perks and prioritizing guests staying at a Disney Resort. This is great if you’re staying at a Disney Resort, but that is not always an option for everyone. Especially if it’s more comfortable for your family to stay in an AirBnb or VRBO for a more home-like for your sensitive kiddos.

Cost

The cost is another issue. At this point, there is no indication of a price increase compared to Genie+. But that still means you’re adding another $15-$39 per person per park day. Being able to do this in advance does allow you to budget more effectively around it, instead of finding out the price the morning of. But I still don’t like that this is yet another expense on a Disney vacation, when you’re already shelling out a ton of money for tickets, hotels, and dining.

Overall, I don’t love this new system. There are a lot of issues right off the bat, but we’ll have to see once it officially rolls out. In the meantime, it’s important to remember that getting access to Lightning Lane is NOT the only way to avoid lines at Disney World

What are your thoughts on the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass / Lightning Lane Single Pass system at Disney World?

Find Community

If you need extra support and community from other parents of highly sensitive kids going to Disney World, I encourage you to join my Facebook group—“Planning Disney for Highly Sensitive Kids (and Adults too!)! You can ask all your questions and get feedback from a wonderful group of Disney-loving parents who are also looking to mitigate meltdowns and maximize the magic during their Disney World vacation.

FREE Disney Ride Planner Printable

Also, I wanted to remind you to download your FREE copy of my must-have Disney ride planner tool!

With my Disney Ride Planner tool, it will be such a breeze to keep track of which rides you want to avoid and which you want to try with your highly sensitive kids. It will make planning your park days SO much easier!

If you’ve found this article helpful, follow along with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to get my latest tips when it comes to doing Disney World and family travel in general with neurodivergent kids.

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Disney World’s Genie+ is CHANGING to Lightning Lane Pass