Genie+ is Gone! NEW Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Single Pass at Walt Disney World
A comprehensive guide to the Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass at the Disney Parks.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP) and Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP) is replacing Genie+. Everything we thought we knew about strategies and planning ahead for Walt Disney World vacations has officially changed! A bit dramatic, perhaps. But, also true. Genie+ is gone! You heard right. We have an all-new system to learn. But this time, I firmly believe this is a great change, one that we will all benefit from, and one that will be around for the long run. So I think it will be worth the invested time and energy to learn and embrace the new system.
The best part is we’ll be taking the best of FastPass+ (remember how much fans loved it!) and the best of Genie+ and merging them together. This will result in a much better Guest experience – the very reason Disney made changes! The only caveat, it comes with a price. While you will see the new process is very similar to pre-booking like the old FastPass+ system, it is no longer free. The pricing structure we’ve become accustomed to with Genie+ will stay.
We all knew this was coming. Disney made an announcement last May teasing changes coming to the Genie+ system. They stated “We have heard from Guests that they would like ways to plan with Disney Genie+ service and Individual Lightning Lanes (ILL) selections before the day of their park visit, and we want you to know we are working on it….” That was the one and only time Disney mentioned an upcoming change.
And well, here we are! Boom, just like that the changes went into effect on July 24, 2024, a little over a year after the only announcement. All of this is designed to provide YOU, the guest, with more flexibility and convenience; LLMP and LLSP will allow for quicker access to popular attractions, reducing wait times and maximizing the fun. Sounds great, right?
So how does it all work? Let’s get to it and I’ll share with you all we know so far in this frequently asked questions guide.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- How do Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Day differ from Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes?
- What are the 3 BIGGEST changes to these passes?
- How many pre-arrival attraction selections can be made with Lightning Lane Multi Pass?
- How many pre-arrival attraction selections can be made with Lightning Lane Single Pass?
- When can you book Lightning Lane Passes?
- What are the booking windows for “other” Walt Disney World guests such as Annual Passholders?
- Which Walt Disney World Resort hotels qualify for early Lightning Lane booking?
- How does the tiering system work when booking selections?
- How much does Lightning Lane Multi-Pass cost?
- Can I purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass on the same day in a single transaction?
- Are traditional stand-by lines still an option?
- Can I use a Multi-Pass and Single Pass on the same day?
- Will there be enough availability throughout the day?
- Will international guests be able to pre-book Lightning Lanes?
- Will there still be a two-hour or 120-minute rule for booking another Lightning Lane?
- Can I book a Lightning Lane on the same ride more than once a day?
- Will you still be able to stack your Lightning Lanes for a late-day park arrival?
- Can Lightning Lanes be modified?
- Do you have to buy a Lightning Lane pass for every day of your park visit?
- Final Thoughts
How do Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Day differ from Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes?
Lightning Lane Multi Pass will replace the Disney Genie+ service as we’ve known it the past 2+ years, and Lightning Lane Single Pass will replace the individual “à la carte” Lightning Lane entry for theme park visits.
What are the 3 BIGGEST changes to these passes?
- You can make Lightning Lane plans before you arrive for your Walt Disney World vacation – this is such an amazing change. I was a super big fan (as many were) of the old FastPass+ system where you could pre-book 3 rides before you even stepped foot into the parks. It was such a relief to know that no matter how the day went, there were at least 3 rides or shows that we would be able to ride/see. I’m a planner, so this was a big deal!
- You can choose your experiences/rides and return times before purchasing LLMP – this is huge! As we know, when purchasing Genie+ (at 7am!), you had to complete the purchase before knowing what attractions were available to you for the day. This added a lot of unnecessary stress because you didn’t even know if you’d be able to book the attractions you wanted to ride. Now, you can see availability before you even hit the purchase button. That’s a big deal!
- You can book for multiple vacation days (up to 14 days), all in a single day – if you are familiar with booking dining reservations at Disney, this will make sense to you. As soon as your booking window opens, you’ll be able to book for the length of your stay up to 14 days. No more getting up at 7am in the morning and stressing about buying Genie+ and booking attractions while the rest of your family sleeps!
How many pre-arrival attraction selections can be made with Lightning Lane Multi Pass?
When you purchase Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you will choose up to 3 attractions (all 3 attractions must be in the same theme park), in advance of your visit. You’ll also be able to select a time slot that works for your itinerary.
Here’s the best part (and where it differs from previous iterations), once you scan into your first selection on the day of your visit, you can immediately book another attraction. You do not have to wait until you use all 3 before booking another selection. Your next selection can also be in any park you choose. So if you plan to park hop, you will be able to book an attraction in that park. All this means that you will be able to keep a rolling number of 3 rides booked all day long. Pretty awesome if you ask me!
For example, you are starting your day at Magic Kingdom and you book all 3 attractions at Magic Kingdom. Once you scan into attraction #1, you can immediately book another selection. Later in the day, you plan to hop to EPCOT. So your 4th selection may be Soarin. And so on, and so on.
How many pre-arrival attraction selections can be made with Lightning Lane Single Pass?
You may purchase up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass selections per day. This is similar to the former system, except now you’ll be able to purchase and secure a time to ride on one of the most demanded attractions in advance.
For example, you can purchase Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios on the same day and in advance. That’s pretty awesome!
When can you book Lightning Lane Passes?
Guests staying on property at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel (and several other select hotels) will be able to pre-book Lightning Lane passes up to 7 days in advance, for the length of their stay (up to 14 days). Off-property guests can pre-book up to 3 days in advance. You won’t have as much of an advantage as on-property Guests, but this is still a great perk.
Guests can purchase Lightning Lane passes for days they have valid theme park admission starting at 7:00 AM Eastern Time on their first day of eligibility.
What are the booking windows for “other” Walt Disney World guests such as Annual Passholders?
In most cases the answer is 3 days in advance. But this can vary based on admission type:
- Guests with date-based theme park tickets (which require the Guest to choose a start date at the time of purchase) can purchase 3 days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket.
- Guests with other ticket types (group tickets, military tickets, any non-traditional date-based ticket) can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
- Annual Passholders can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
In all these cases, there has been no mention of continuous pre-booking as in the other categories. We’ll have to wait and see if Disney updates the rules for these types of tickets. As of now, it seems you will have to book on a day to day basis.
If you are an Annual Passholder, but staying at Walt Disney Resort hotel, you will get the advantages of staying on-property and be able to pre-book 7 days in advance.
Which Walt Disney World Resort hotels qualify for early Lightning Lane booking?
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Gran Destino Tower
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
As well as the following third-party hotels:
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green Resort
How does the tiering system work when booking selections?
Harkening back to the old FastPass+ system, Disney is re-introducing tiering to the selection process. There will be select attractions from each park in Tier 1. These are usually the most popular or new rides in the park. Tier 2 will consist of the remainder, less popular attractions.
Guests can initially choose ONE Tier 1 attraction and TWO Tier 2 attractions, exactly like it was for FastPass+. The only difference here is once you scan into your first selection at the park, you can book ANY attraction or show in ANY park from Tier 1 and 2 selections. There are no restrictions or limitations.
Here are the current Tier 1 and Tier 2 Multi Pass attractions in each park (always subject to change):
Magic Kingdom
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- The Barnstormer
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
Single Pass Attractions (purchase separately from Multi Pass)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
EPCOT
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Single Pass Attractions (purchased separately from Multi Pass)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Hollywood Studios
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play & Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
- Toy Story Mania!
Single Pass Attractions (purchased separately from Multi Pass)
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Animal Kingdom
There are no tiers at Animal Kingdom.
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- 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
- Naʻvi River Journey
Single Pass Attractions (purchased separately from Multi Pass)
- Avatar Flight of Passage
How much does Lightning Lane Multi-Pass cost?
Prices for Lightning Lane Multi Passes vary by date and theme park. Prices for Lightning Lane Single Passes vary by date and attraction. Beginning July 24, 2024, you’ll be able to view prices in the My Disney Experience app.
According to Walt Disney World, guests can expect similar pricing to Genie+ when Lightning Lane Multi-Pass launches. Genie + averaged $25-30 per day. I don’t think Disney is going to vastly change the cost, at least at the beginning of the new process. Of course, I do suspect that prices will adjust (and probably increase) at peak times, including popular holidays like Christmas. Expect to pay more during those times. And remember, there is a cap on how many they will sell in a day. After all, they have to limit the amount otherwise it would defeat the purpose. If you recall, FastPass and FastPass+ used to sell out or book up too. It wasn’t unlimited.
Can I purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass on the same day in a single transaction?
Yes. You can purchase all Lightning Lane passes for your travel party for the same day in a single transaction (subject to eligibility).
Are traditional stand-by lines still an option?
Yes, of course. Traditional standby lines are still available at most attractions and experiences. From time to time, a “virtual queue” may be used for a limited number of our most highly demanded attractions. When the virtual queue is in place, a standby queue will not be available.
Can I use a Multi-Pass and Single Pass on the same day?
Yes. You may purchase one Lightning Lane Multi Pass (which allows you to hold up to 3 Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections at once) and/or up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Passes per day. All subject to availability, of course.
Will there be enough availability throughout the day?
Only time will tell on this one, but I think just like FastPass+ and Genie+, additional timeslots became available throughout the day. Keep in mind also that Guests change their plans and modify reservations throughout the day, so things open up. I think Disney will manage attraction “inventory” accordingly to make purchasing Multi Pass valuable to all Guests. Let’s face it, if it’s not managed correctly and Guests don’t find the value, they won’t buy it. That’s not what Disney is aiming for.
Will international guests be able to pre-book Lightning Lanes?
Unfortunately, as of right now, only the US and Canada can pre-book Lightning Lanes. This has to do with regulatory issues, namely in-app purchases that prevent international guests from being able to use this service. However, if you book your holiday with a travel agency such as Mickey Travels, they will have the ability to pre-book your selections for you. Consider using their FREE services for booking your next trip and they will be able to pre-book your attractions ahead of time so all of your reservations are made before you even step foot inside a park.
Will there still be a two-hour or 120-minute rule for booking another Lightning Lane?
No. That’s a thing of the past. For all intents and purposes, the 3 attraction rolling rule replaces the 120-rule. This is a good thing!
Can I book a Lightning Lane on the same ride more than once a day?
No, just like with Genie+, there are no ride repeats. You can only book one lightning lane one time per day. If you want to ride something again, you will need to choose another method such as virtual queue, stand-by, or Single Pass.
Will you still be able to stack your Lightning Lanes for a late-day park arrival?
This might be trickier than it was before, but it’s possible. You could make your selections for later in the day, but you do run the risk of not having many additional selections to choose from as many might be booked from Guests arriving earlier to the parks. This will need to be tested and tried first before we know for sure.
Can Lightning Lanes be modified?
Yes, just as you could with Genie+, Lightning Lanes can be modified in the My Disney Experience app.
Do you have to buy a Lightning Lane pass for every day of your park visit?
No, you can select the days you choose to purchase Lightning Lanes. The system is flexible to allow you to customize your schedule as you need.
Final Thoughts
I personally think this is a fabulous change to the Genie+ system. YAY for all the Type A planners that love to have everything in order before the vacation begins!
This new iteration taps into the best parts of the old FastPass+ system and Genie+ resulting in (what we hope to be) a first class guest experience. And although this system still costs money (the days of free FastPass are long over, let’s come to terms with that), this process now allows you to step into the magic with at least 3-5 attractions pre-booked and planned for each day of your visit. My stress level has already decreased!
We will have to see how this all plays out in real life over the next several weeks and months as Guests stress-test the system. I’m sure Disney will make adjustments and changes as necessary. But as I said at the beginning of this post, I do think this iteration is here to stay for the long haul. Only time will tell.
Serena and Louisa are in the park as I write this testing the new system. Stay tuned for more information and park strategies on how to make the best of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass.
Don’t miss our latest YouTube video sharing all the details on the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass!
Prefer listening to Podcasts? We got you covered! We dive deeper into this topic and others in our weekly news episodes on the Living by Disney podcast! Every Tuesday and Thursday we’re your one-stop shop for all things Disney World: planning, news, and real talk. Don’t miss it!
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