Genie+ & Lightning Lane
Genie+ & Lightning Lane
"Is it easy? No. Do I like it? No, I don't. But do I do it? Yeah, I do."
- Michael Scott, The Office
(Cheers to whoever first used that quote to describe Genie+, you were right on the money there!)
This week we cover Genie+ and Lightning Lane, how to use them and whether or not they're worth the price! Now, I'll start with this note: I may not be the best authority on Genie+ since we have only been once since it was introduced at Disneyland. I have, however, talked to people who have used it many times, and I've watched a LOT of YouTube videos from people who know more than I do (check out FreshBaked's YouTube for good, up-to-date information about Disneyland! This is not an ad for them, just me sharing where I get a lot of my information from!)
Stay tuned at the end for a run-down on how to use PhotoPass, as well as information on Rider Swap passes, which will be super important for parents of young kids!
The difference between Genie & Genie+
Genie is Disneyland’s free system of planning out your day. In theory, it is supposed to have you select the things you most want to do - rides, shops, dining, etc. - and then help you plan out the perfect game plan using current wait times, Genie+ return times, and mobile ordering windows to help you get the most out of your day.
In reality, it’s a joke. The #1 rule is don’t trust anything Genie says haha!
There really isn’t a rhyme or reason to the Genie planning system, and it doesn’t take either your desired activities or wait times into consideration. My best guess is that it’s really just trying to evenly distribute guests throughout the park. Not helpful in the slightest.
The Genie+ system is completely different, and honestly I have no idea whatsoever why they have the same name. Let’s get into what Genie+ and Lightning Lane have to offer!
What are Genie+ and Lightning Lane?
Genie+ is the new version of MaxPass, which was the new version of FastPass. And if all of that sounds like a foreign language to you, let me break it down! Genie+ is a collection of rides that have been given a certain amount of "fast lane" passes. Each day, every member of your party can add the Genie+ service to their ticket. This costs around $30 per person, per day, and that number can fluctuate on busy days - at the time of writing this, the price was up to $35 per person. Throughout the day, you can reserve time slots for popular attractions that typically have longer wait time. During your allotted time, you head to the attraction and use the Genie+ entrance which acts as a fast lane, usually skipping a large section of the normal line. This allows you to get on the more popular rides quicker and skip the long waits!
Lightning Lane works the same, but instead of being included in the Genie+ system, it is a very small collection of popular rides that have an "a la carte" pass that you can purchase separately. (See, these two should be Genie & Genie+. Whoever named these things must have had a great time coming up with the most CONFUSING assortment possible.) Again, this is per person, per day, per RIDE. You can only do two of these rides a day, and at the time of writing this, there are only two attractions available in Lightning Lane: Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland, and Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure. Something to keep in mind is that the price tag on these rides can be a bit hefty. Disney uses flex pricing which means that they change the price depending on how busy the park is, but from what I understand, Rise is usually around $25 per person, and Racers is usually around $18-20 per person.
Is it worth the price?
Unfortunately, yes. I say "unfortunately" because we did not get the same value out of it that we used to get with the MaxPass system. The MaxPass system was basically the same thing as Genie+, but you got to do each ride as many times as you wanted throughout the day rather than just once, and all rides that had a “fast lane” were included - none of this extra "a la carte" business with Lightning Lane. Much like the original FastPass did, Genie+ also creates longer lines for standby riders, since Genie+ riders are prioritized. Some rides that had relatively short lines before Genie+ came along now have painful wait times. (Looking at you, Little Mermaid!)
Am I ranting? Yeah, a little. So what do you get out of Genie+, and why is it worth the price tag? If you are someone who lives nearby and goes to the parks regularly, Genie+ actually might not be worth it for you, because you can always wait to ride something another day when the line is short. However, if you are like us, and you are only vacationing for a few days every couple of years, then you want to be able to hit as many rides as possible - which means standing in lines for as short of a time as possible. As I said before, Genie+ riders get priority. It may be that the very existence of Genie+ is what creates the long lines that make Genie+ necessary, but necessary it is regardless. A good way to get your money's worth out of the program is to make sure you ALWAYS have something booked! As soon as you scan in to your ride, hop onto the app and grab a pass for the next one. Unfortunately, since you can only get one pass per ride each day, you might have to land hop a little bit (something we typically try to avoid!), but it's worth using it as much as possible.
Another perk to Genie+ is free PhotoPass! Now I will say, PhotoPass is definitely worth the cost! Around the park, you will see Cast Members in brown vests holding cameras. They are there to take your pictures in front of iconic landmarks, or with the Characters they are hanging out with! They will often add touches of magic to your photos, so pose however they tell you to - it's worth it! These are called "magic shots", don't be afraid to ask for them! You might find the pose of everyone staring at their kid's outstretched hand a little odd, but you just might find Tinkerbell standing there in the final picture! Typically, you would need to purchase your photos for the day in order to download and keep them, but with Genie+, they can be downloaded right to your camera roll at no additional cost! You will also be able to scan your ride photos on the few rides that take your picture. Note: you will only have 30 days to download the pictures before they disappear, so don't delay!! I'll include instructions for how to use PhotoPass at the bottom of this post if you aren't sure how to work that feature!
Is Individual Lightning Lane worth it? For us, it's only worth it once per trip. Both Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs regularly have long lines, and it was worth it to be able to skip the line to ensure we got to ride each ride at least once. You can try to rope drop these rides (meaning get to the parks EARLY, and as soon as the parks open you head straight to these rides), or, you can wait and hope you get a shorter wait time later in the day. Keep in mind, though, that the passes for these two rides go quickly in the mornings, so you don't want to miss out if you don't find short lines the first couple days of your trip! We were willing to pay to ride once, and after that we decided we could take our chances with the lines. I have heard that since our trip, Rise of the Resistance actually has a less daunting line that might be worth the wait rather than spending your money, but check the wait times and decide for yourself!
How to use it!
It's all done in the app! The Disneyland app isn't the easiest to navigate, so I recommend getting familiar with the app before you get to the park! Begin by making sure your whole party has all your park tickets linked! At the bottom right of the app, press the three bars, click "Tickets and Passes", and then "Link Tickets & Passes". Once you link everything, anyone in the party can see and scan all tickets for the whole group, and will be able to schedule Genie+ and Lightning Lane for everyone at the same time, ensuring everyone gets the same time slots and has access to their passes for the day.
To make Genie+ and Lighting Lane reservations, go to the bottom of the app, and push the + button. At the bottom of the pop-up menu, select "Book a Lightning Lane Entry". This will take you to your Tip Board. This is the place where you can see wait times for all attractions! (You can also access this page by clicking on the three bars at the bottom right, and selecting "Tip Board".) To make finding Genie+ times easier, enable the filter that says "Show Only Disney Genie+ Lightning Lanes". You will now be able to scroll through all attractions that offer Genie+ or Lightning Lane, and see all the return times. Remember, that once they sell out, they are gone for the day, so you want to keep an eye on return times throughout the day. If they are going quick, you want to snag one early!
To select an attraction, you will want to click on the "LL Disney Genie+" option under the ride you want. It will walk you through a few steps, including selecting who in your party you want to make reservations for. Because passes can go fast, your final time might be a little later or earlier than you originally selected, either due to others finishing the process first, or someone canceling their earlier timeslots at the same time you snagged yours. It's confusing sometimes, but you just gotta roll with it! Something important to remember: you can only hold one attraction at a time, so plan accordingly! Now if Haunted Mansion Holiday or Space Mountain are filling up fast, and you can't get on until 7 PM and it's only 10 in the morning, don't fret! You can book a new pass either once your previous one is used/expired OR two hours from the time of booking, whichever comes first. So grab those late Genie+ passes! Then set a 2-hour timer, and at noon, start looking for your next pass.
Lightning Lane works a little differently. You CAN hold both a Lightning Lane AND Genie+ pass at the same time. You want to book those Lightning Lane passes ASAP, because Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers both tend to sell out very early in the morning. Get to the parks early so you can get through the gates as the park opens, and as soon as you pass through those turnstiles, get on the app and try to get your Lightning Lanes. If you are through the gates before official park opening, just keep refreshing the page until it allows you to purchase. Keep in mind that you will only be able to get passes for the park you are in, unless you have a Park Hopper ticket. Park Hopper tickets will allow you to get Genie+ and Lightning Lane for both parks, but note that times for the other park will not start until 11:00 AM, since that is the earliest you can park-hop. If you miss out on getting your Lightning Lane passes in the morning, keep checking it throughout the day. Someone may decide to cancel their pass, or sometimes Disneyland will release more passes later in the afternoon around 12-1:00 PM. It's always worth checking on!
Once you have your Genie+ or Lightning Lane pass, take note of the return time. You will be given an hour time slot to return to the ride. There is generally a short grace period if you are running late, but don't push it too far, or your passes will expire and they might not be able to let you through the Genie+ queue! (Believe me, we have definitely been the out-of-breath speed walkers trying to make our way through Galaxy's Edge in time to use our passes!) There are no penalties for letting your passes expire, but you don't get the ride back to try again later (unless you cancel it rather than letting it expire), and you don't get your money back on Lightning Lane! Once at the queue, a Cast Member will scan your passes which will show up in your Disneyland App. You can find them in "Future Plans", and they will also typically pop-up for you when you open the app during your time slot! Once scanned, your passes will disappear, and you will be eligible to make new Genie+ reservations!
Rider Swap Passes!
If you are a parent traveling with young kids, then something else to keep in mind is a pass called the Rider Swap Pass. This pass is for groups who have guests that don't quite meet the height requirement on a ride (typically parents with little kids!) This pass makes Disneyland a little easier for parents, so no one has to miss out on a ride when you just don't have time for both mom and dad to wait in that long Space Mountain line separately, while the other parent waits off the ride with their child. If someone in your group falls into this category, head to the Cast Member at the beginning of the attraction's line (taking the little rider with you), and ask for a Rider Swap Pass! They will add a pass to your account that will be similar to a Genie+ pass (but this one is free!) Here's how it works: Parent #1 will go stand in line for the ride, along with anyone else in the group that meets the height requirement. Parent #2 waits off with the littles that couldn't ride. When Parent #1 finishes their ride-through, Parent #2 will get to head back to the Genie+ entrance, along with two other guests! (Yes, that means a lucky two riders will get to ride twice, a feature my brothers loved on our last trip with our toddler!) Parent #2 and guests will get to go through the shorter Genie+ line, making the second ride-through much quicker! And, as a bonus, this doesn't just apply to standby lines. If you already have Genie+ tickets, then everyone gets to stand in the Genie+ line twice, giving you double the speed!!
Need a quick run-down on how to link PhotoPass?
In the Disneyland App, go to the three bars at the bottom right of the screen, click on "Photos" and then "Link Photos" at the top right. Sometimes a photographer will give you a physical PhotoPass card if you don't have your phone available for them to link your pictures. You can scan in your card here, enter an Attraction ID for ride photos (see pictures below), show your PhotoPass code to photographers to have PhotoPass linked directly to your app, or link the pictures from a group member's pass! Any photographer will be able to walk you through the steps as well, so don't be afraid to ask!
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| Be sure to take note of your ride code (circled in yellow) and link it to your PhotoPass in the app! |
Clear as mud? We know the process can be complicated, so leave us any questions you have in a comment below, and we will try to answer as many as we can!
As always, if you have any tips, tricks or questions you would like to submit to our blog, feel free to send us an email at enchantedpumpkinblog@gmail.com! And don't forget to follow us by hitting "Subscribe" at the top of the page!
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-Lindsay Prout
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