Linda, it's a pleasure to welcome you to planDisney.
It won't be long until you're hopping on a magic carpet and riding to The Most Magical Place on Earth. I'm sure the excitement is building day by day. With the
50th Anniversary Celebration currently taking place, you'll be in awe of all the EARidescent excitement.
There are so many magical attractions at Walt Disney World. I understand why you're eager to avoid long wait times so that you can enjoy as many of them as possible. Unfortunately, the old FastPass+ service has been discontinued. However, something new has taken its place. As Walt once said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” The new Disney Genie service is one of those "new things." Let me do my best to briefly explain what the Disney Genie service is and how it all works.
You can think of the entire Disney Genie service in terms of 3 magical wishes (and no, before you ask, you can't ask for more wishes):
Wish #1 —
Disney GenieEach and every Guest is able to access this complimentary service using the My Disney Experience app. This new feature can help you plan your itinerary for the day by considering what's important to you. It even updates and optimizes your plans based on ever-changing wait times. So if there are certain attractions, shows, or meals you want to experience, then you can tell Genie and he'll use his powers to create a flexible plan for you.
Wish #2 —
Disney Genie+This is similar to the old FastPass+ system. However, unlike the old system, you have to purchase this new service. By purchasing Disney Genie+ you basically upgrade your park ticket to include "phenomenal cosmic powers." These powers enable you to select Lightning Lane entrances at over 40 attractions throughout the Theme Parks. These entrances allow you to skip the regular standby lines and get on the attractions quicker. Starting at 7:00 a.m. on the day of your visit, you'll be able to make your first Lightning Lane selection. Once you enjoy that attraction, or two hours after making your selection (whatever comes sooner), you can then make another Lightning Lane selection. You can keep doing that throughout the day until there are no more Lightning Lane selections available.
Wish #3 —
Individual Lightning Lane EntrancesIndividual Lightning Lane entrances are available for some of the more high-demand attractions in the Theme Parks. These attractions usually have longer wait times. However, you can purchase Individual Lightning Lane entrances to bypass the regular standby line. You can use this service with or without purchasing Disney Genie+. However, even if you have Disney Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes do cost extra. The cost of each Individual Lightning Lane varies by attraction. You can book up to two Individual Lightning Lane entrances per day per Guest.
Wow, that's a lot to digest!
Linda, I think purchasing Disney Genie+ and/or Individual Lightning Lane entrances would serve you really well if getting on lots of attractions or avoiding long wait times is a priority for you.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have an enchanting trip, Linda. Please don't hesitate to stop by planDisney again if you have any other questions.
ChEARS,
Mike