Disneyland Genie + Review

Hey, y’all! Today’s going to be a longer one as I’m going to do a deep dive on everything Disneyland Genie +! It seems like a lot of people still have questions on whether or not its worth the cost, and even just how it works in general. So lets get started!

What is the Disney Genie?
To start, there is a difference between the Disney Genie and the Genie +. The Disney Genie is the new itinerary service in the Disneyland App. It is completely free and will show all of your plans including hotel reservations, dining reservations, and even entertainment suggestions based on your preferences for your trip. Now, Genie + is an add on feature to this that is $20 per day per person. After you add on Genie + (this can be done when you purchase your ticket, or once you’re in the park), you will be able to make lightening lane (the new name for the fast pass) selection. Just like the fast pass, the lightening lane will give you a time slot to go on the ride. This is all done through the app now and you will no longer receive a paper fastpass ticket. When it’s your turn to ride, you will scan your lightening lane code from the app. Once you have scanned your code and entered the line, you will be able to select another lightening lane selection.
There are a few rides you can’t use the Genie + feature on. These are the more popular rides such as Rise Of The Resistance, Radiator Springs Racers, and Web Slingers. For those, you will have to purchase individual lightening lane passes. Each ride has a different price depending on its popularity. For instance, Radiator Springs was $7 per person, while Rise of the Resistance was $20 per person. These prices are for one ride only.

My Review
My mom and I used the Genie + service and we purchased individual lightening lane passes during our visit in December of 2021. We went the weekend before Christmas, which is always a very busy weekend. I know this service is an added expense on an already expensive vacation, but to streamline your trip and get on as many rides as possible, I would not recommend it more. The app itself is very user friendly and we had no issues with it at all.

We went to Disneyland and CA Adventure on a Friday and Saturday. Fridays are normally a slower park day and on that day we were able to pick Genie + selections and immediately walk on the ride. We were able to hit so many of the rides we wanted to go on early on that we even had time to go back to our room and take a nap halfway through the day! Once you scan and enter the line, usually the line is not more than 5 minutes long, so everything moves very fast. Now on Saturday, the park was busier. Our average wait time between selection and actually being able to use our lightening lane was around an hour, but it allowed us to go do other things while we were waiting instead of wasting that time in the line.
For the individual lightening lane passes, we did get one for Rise of the Resistance and one for Radiator Springs Racers. Rise of the Resistance was pricey at $20 per pass, but it was a ride I knew I wasn’t going to be happy with my trip if I didn’t go on it. We got through the queue within 10 minutes (parts of the queue have story lines that make it longer) and didn’t have to sit and wait at all during that time. For me, it was worth it, but I know it wouldn’t be for everyone. For Radiator Springs, it was $7 per person, and I would say if your kids are old enough, definitely just go through the single rider lane instead. It was only a tiny bit longer of a wait for single rider and single rider is free.
All in all, I think if you’re trying to get the absolute most out of your trip, Genie + is definitely worth it!!

The Cons
I couldn’t chat about Genie + without also acknowledging that it does have some small cons. Many were upset that it completely replaced the free fastpass service, so now those that don’t want to pay are stuck waiting in lines all day on top of the ever increasing cost per ticket. I completely understand the frustration, especially for those with large families.
There has also been a rumor that Disney is inflating stand by wait times to encourage more people to purchase Genie +. I cannot confirm or deny this rumor as I didn’t wait in any of those stand by lines, but just keep that in mind when deciding if you want to spend the money on it. Even with that, I think you would still get on the rides quicker with Genie + than if you waited standby.

Have any more questions about Genie + or anything else Disney Parks related? Comment below or shoot me a DM on Instagram!

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