Answering Your Disneyland Genie Plus Frequently Asked Questions (2024)

We love saving time (and money!) in theme parks. Since Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ launched at Disneyland, we've been bringing you answers to the most frequently asked questions. Genie and its associated paid products (Disney Genie Plus and individual Lightning Lane) work a little differently at Disneyland compared to Disney World, so we decided to give our Disneyland Genie Plus FAQ its own post to simplify this information for Disneyland visitors. If you're looking for Genie+ answers for a Disney World trip, hop over to our Disney World Genie FAQ post as it will be more hopful and accurate for your visit (and it will cover all the updates).

We've got answers to some of the most common inquiries below in our Disneyland Genie Plus FAQ, including the latest changes regarding park-hopping and when you can reserve Lightning Lanes for your second park. If you've already got the basics down, then hop over to our top tips and strategies post. And if you're going with your frog squad, use these additional tips on navigating Genie+ with large groups. We frogs got it down — no need to rub the lamp!

Genie+ had a price increase on Oct. 11, 2023, for all purchases going forward. The new starting price is $30 per day. If you already purchased tickets at the old price, you are good to go. We always recommend purchasing Genie+ tickets early to lock in the lowest rate and protect against price increases.

Disneyland Genie and Genie Plus FAQs: A Basic Overview and How to Purchase

What is Disney Genie?

Disney Genie is a FREE planning tool available in the Disneyland app. You can use this new technology to guide you through the theme parks with tips to help you reduce time in lines, discover Disney magic and take the guesswork out of planning your day. You can learn more about all that's included in the Disney Genie service in our guide to Genie at Disneyland.

How do I prepare to use free Genie planning services?

Before your trip, tap My Day on the home page, then select the date of your visit and hit Get Started. This will take you through your top picks. It allows you to select attractions, entertainment, dining and enchanting extras to put in your itinerary. Then you can select Disney Favorites (such as Pirates, Star Wars, Heroes or Princesses), Park Interests (such as parades or fireworks, slow rides or thrill rides) and Dining Interests. If you want to display height requirements or accessibility info, you can select those tabs. Then you can view your itinerary under the Tip Board on the day of your visit.

You can opt not to use this free service and stick to your own park plan. We find the Disney Genie sometimes suggests rides or paid services that are not of most interest to us so we stick to our tried-and-true park plans. But if you are unfamiliar with the parks or unsure of what to do, you can turn to Genie's itinerary guidance. Our thoughts are that Genie can help you find the shortest wait times so you can get on the most rides, but they may not always be the rides you most want to go on. You can always swap out a ride or restaurant that doesn't fit your interests.

What is Disneyland Genie Plus?

Genie+ is a paid skip-the-line service that allows guests to enter through a special line called the Lightning Lane (think of the former FASTPASS Return Entrance) rather than the standby line. Not all Disneyland attractions are available with Genie Plus, which we'll get into below. This add-on is toadally optional. All rides continue to operate with a standby queue (and sometimes a Single Rider line) at no additional charge. An additional benefit to Genie Plus at Disneyland is that all PhotoPass photos are included for the day!

How much is Genie Plus at Disneyland?

Genie+ at Disneyland costs $30 and up per person, per day (20 percent discount for Magic Key holders). Tadpoles under 3 years old (who do not require an admission ticket) do not need to purchase Genie+ to go with their party. (To get the lowest price on Genie+, purchase a ticket loaded with Genie+, as the price to purchase in-park can vary each day.)

When can I purchase Disneyland Genie Plus?

If you want to use the service for your entire trip, you can purchase multi-day tickets with Genie+ in advance for Disneyland. (Psst ... save some green by purchasing through Undercover Tourist!) If you purchase Genie+ tickets, you'll have access to the service for every day of your visit. Plus you'll lock in the absolute lowest price for the service.

The turnstiles at the Monorail count as a park entrance.

It's alsotoadally fine if you want to use it only on certain days or decide you want to use it once you're at the park and can assess if you think it's worth getting. You can purchase regular, multi-day tickets and then add Genie+ day by day on each day of your trip via the Disneyland app. You can only purchase it once you have entered a theme park for the day. Just note that same-day purchases are variable in price — the best way to lock in a discount is to purchase in advance.

How do I purchase Genie Plus at Disneyland?

There are a few ways to purchase if Genie+ is not included with your tickets. Make sure you download the latest version of the Disneyland app to see all the options.

You will see a purple bar under the My Day tab with a link that says, More Magic for $ (the actual price can vary). This is a good option if you want to edit your party and only want to purchase for some members of the party. You can deselect people here. If you do not see your whole party, tap Edit Party to bring up the rest of the names of guests who have entered the park.

Another easy way to purchase is under the Tip Board. There's a button near the top that says Purchase for Today. That method should allow you to edit the party as well.

You can also purchase at the top of the home page in the app.

Do not purchase under a Genie+ attraction. You'll see the LL distribution time and Book Experience. When you tap that box, it will walk you through purchasing Genie+. This will automatically select all people linked to your app who are in the park. You cannot edit the party through this method, so we don't really recommend it. It also does not automatically book that attraction. You need to go back in and select that attraction after purchasing. It's an easy mistake to froget to book the ride!

Do I have to be in the park to use Genie Plus at Disneyland?

While you have to enter a theme park to activate Genie+, you do not have to stay in the park. Once you have entered a park for the day, you can leave and make Lightning Lane selections from anywhere — Downtown Disney, your hotel room or a restaurant. Of course, you'll have to hop back into the park in time to ride! We like to hop into the park before character dining in the hotels so we can start using Genie+ to line up our first ride or two in advance.

Keep in mind that all party members need to have entered the park if they want to be included in any Lightning Lane reservations with the rest of the group. When park hopping at 11 a.m., we generally try to book lightning lanes for the second park we will visit as soon as we can. (While still in the first park.)

How does Disneyland Genie Plus work?

Genie+ allows guests to skip the line at the included attractions, once per ride per day. You can begin making your Genie+ reservations once you have entered the park for the day. These reservations can be made through the Tip Board in the Disneyland app at Disneyland. The Tip Board has a new location, BTW. Both the Tip Board and the My Day headings are found by tapping the LL Rides, Shows & Lightning Lane Entry box. One big change for people who have used MaxPass or FastPass is that you can only book a particular ride once per day.

You can make your selections across both of the theme parks if you have a Park Hopper ticket. When park hopping, you'll have to watch the Tip Board to see what time a Lightning Lane is available. In order to select a ride in the other park, its distribution time must be at 11 a.m. or later.

Which Disneyland attractions are included with Genie+?

There are about 21 attractions included in the Genie+ service at Disneyland. But that number can fluctuate due to refurbishments and during Halloween Time, when you can book Guardians twice, once for each version of the ride. As of Jan. 22, 2024, Haunted Mansion is closed for a refurbishment. During that time, Pirates of the Caribbean is temporarily included with Genie+.

Disneyland Genie Plus and Individual Lightning Lane Selection Process FAQs

How do youselect a time window for a Genie+ ride?

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Whenever you are eligible to make another Lightning Lane selection with Genie+, you can scroll through the list of rides on the Tip Board and scan for rides with "LL Disney Genie+" and the start time that is being distributed at the moment. Tap Book Experience. To select a ride in the other park, tap Change Park at the top. When park hopping, keep in mind that you can only select rides for your second park that have distribution windows that start at 11 a.m. or later.

The next window could be as soon as five minutes later or hours away. You cannot choose specific time windows far in advance to suit your schedule. Times are offered as first available on a rolling basis. Click on Book Experience. The next page will confirm the arrival window, show you if you have any overlapping plans and you can adjust your party, if needed, before you officially book it. Pay attention though because sometimes the times shift before you complete your selection, and your actual start time is later or even earlier. Make sure that time works for you — but if needed, you can always modify the time once you book it.

One challenging part of the Tip Board is that it sometimes defaults to Disneyland Park, so when you go to make a reservation in Disney California Adventure, you may have to change the park at the top. If you know what you want, sometimes it's easier to use the search feature (magnifying glass) in the app to type in the name of the ride you want and get the Lightning Lane that way.

How soon can you make another Genie+ ride selection if you can only get one at a time?

You can make your next Genie+ ride selection once you've scanned in at the Lightning Lane entrance of your first ride. For example, we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as our very first Genie+ ride of the day. After redeeming it at the Lightning Lane entrance, we were able to get a Genie+ selection for Haunted Mansion in line before we even boarded Big Thunder.

Alternatively, you can book the next ride if you cancel the first one or reach the end of the ride window (even if you have not redeemed it yet). Also, if the first ride breaks down and you receive a Lightning Lane - Multiple Experiences pass, it releases you from that first ride so you may immediately make a new ride selection for the original ride or a different ride. What's great is that it can be redeemed for other rides in the parks! We love these Multiple Experiences passes so much that we gave them their own post!

If you select a ride that is more than two hours away and cannot remember when you are eligible to select a new ride, here's how to check. Go to reserve a new ride. A message will come up under Confirm Your Party that says, "It's too soon for this Guest to make another Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane selection. They'll be eligible starting at ..." Set an alarm so you can remember to book your next ride ASAP. At the top of the Tip Board, it may also tell you when you are eligible to book. It's not always accurate for us though, especially if we have people in the party with differing plans.

Can you book more than one experience?

You can only make one Genie+ selection at a time, but you can hold overlapping Genie+ selections if you choose a ride window that is more than two hours away. You just have to wait two hours before booking the next ride. Keep in mind that you can also purchase an individual Lightning Lane selection that overlaps with a Genie+ selection.

But what if my Genie+ return time window is more than two hours away?

As we mentioned before, you can only select the next available time. So, if it's a particularly busy day, you might find that, when you're looking at noon, the next available time for a popular ride could be 6 p.m. Snag it anyway! Your ability to make Genie+ selections will be frozen for two hours, but starting at 2 p.m., you can make another Genie+ selection for another ride. If that ride is more than two hours away, then, at 4 p.m., you can make one more, and so on. Go eat lunch and see a show, and you'll be ready to choose another ride in two hours.

If for some reason you change your mind, or you want to see if something better pops up, use the "modify" tool to select a new time or a different attraction. Doing this does not restart the clock on your two-hour window. When you cancel, it does restart the clock, so use "modify" whenever possible.

Speaking of individual Lightning Lane selections, is that process different?

At Disneyland, which differs from Disney World, the individual Lightning Lane selections are also offered at the next available time (although the time can jump around and is not always sequential). If you know you want to purchase individual Lightning Lane for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, but you're starting in Disney California Adventure, you can purchase in the morning, but here's the catch. You have to wait to purchase until you see that the ride has a start time that is 11 a.m. or later.

Like Genie+, you can only book individual Lightning Lane selections once you have entered a theme park that day.

How does Genie+ work if you're park hopping?

This part is optional, but you can let Genie know that you're park hopping by setting up Genie and then going to the My Day tab and scrolling down to Plan for your next park. Select a park and which hours you plan to hop and stay in the other park. That way, Genie can make recommendations based on your park hopping plans.

You can make a Genie+ and an individual Lightning Lane selection for your second park while you're still in your first park. Just watch the ride you want in the Tip Board and wait until its distribution time says at least 11 a.m. or later and then select it.

What if I change my mind?

You can now modify an existing Genie+ selection. You can select a later time for the same ride or choose a different ride in the same park. While doing that, you can also edit your party size to add or drop someone. You can also cancel and reserve a different time or attraction, but we recommend modifying a plan instead because it allows you to consider your options and does not reset or affect your eligibility period before making another ride selection. It's the safer way to go and will wreak less havoc on your plans.

If you simply want to remove some party members you can hit Cancel to remove certain members of your party. We suggest that you need to be certain about canceling a reservation because the next available time window for that ride could be much later in the day or even unavailable! You can check the Genie+ availability status for the current time window being offered before you cancel.

If you cancel or modify a Genie+ reservation, did you use your only chance for that ride?

No! While you can only use Genie+ access once per ride, you can cancel or modify it if you wish to change your arrival time.

If you miss your window, you can cancel it to rebook that ride.

Can you be early or late to your Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane reservation?

The arrival windows have a little wiggle room. You can scan in five minutes early, and arrive up to 10 or 15 minutes late (depending on the attraction).

If you're later than 15 minutes you have a few options:

You can bring your ticket(s) to the ride and see if they can accommodate you. The cast members may be able to let you through. If it's an instance that's out of your control (such as a different ride breaking down that caused you to be late), we suggest kindly explaining the situation, but it's up to the discretion of the cast members at the ride entrance.
You can tap x and reschedule the ride.

What if the ride that you have a Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane selection for breaks down in your window?

Individual Lightning Lane Ride Breakdown

Don't worry! There are certain recovery efforts that the cast members can implement in case this happens. For instance, if you paid for an individual Lightning Lane selection that you haven't used yet but it breaks down in your window, after a few minutes, you’ll see a change in your app under My Day that allows you to come back any time that day before the ride closes for the day (Rise of the Resistance closes early each day, so check the app). If you are unable to ride before you leave the park, you’ll automatically get a refund on your credit card about two to five days later.

We did make a discovery each day we booked an individual Lightning Lane that happened to break down. We had made our maximum purchase of two individual Lightning Lane rides for the day. But after the first ride broke down and became an all-day pass for the ride, it also lifted the restriction, allowing us to purchase a third individual Lightning Lane. That was when there were more than two options for individual Lightning Lane.

Genie+ Ride Breakdown

We’ve already talked about this a little, but if a breakdown occurs in your Genie+ Lightning Lane window, you’ll receive a Multiple Experiences pass under My Day. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. We love these — and hop over to our post to find out how you can utilize them to your advantage.

Does Genie+ grant you immediate access to the ride?

No. It definitely offers you a shorter line to stand in, but you will likely have some wait. Busier days mean a longer Lightning Lane wait than you might find on an off-peak day. We saw a big difference in using Disneyland Genie Plus on a quiet week versus a holiday week. We waited longer in the Lightning Lane during the holiday week and had fewer immediate Lightning Lane windows available to us. The lines to redeem Lightning Lanes are getting shorter now that MagicBand+ has come to Disneyland. It's a bit cumbersome for everyone to pull out phones, find the reservation and scan each code. MagicBands are faster. You can help make the line move quicker by not blocking other guests from accessing the areas to scan in while you wait for your party member to scan all the codes.

Miscellaneous Disneyland Genie FAQs (for Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane)

Is Genie+ different at Disneyland and Disney World?

Yes! Genie+ at Disney World varies per person, per day and only includes PhotoPass attraction photos (you'll still need to spring for Memory Maker if you want unlimited photos!). At Disneyland, Genie+ starts at $30 per person, per day and includes unlimited PhotoPass downloads. It's a $30 flat rate for purchasing Genie+ with tickets and can vary if purchasing in the park.

At Disney World, guests do not need to enter a theme park to start making selections and hotel guests can book individual Lightning Lanes at 7 a.m. There are no on-site hotel benefits at Disneyland. All guests must have entered a theme park to start making any Lightning Lane selections at Disneyland. We have found that individual Lightning Lanes do not sell out as quickly at Disneyland. Plus there is a greater variety of available Genie+ Lightning Lane selections throughout the day at Disneyland Resort. Both resorts offer augmented reality PhotoPass lenses with the purchase of Genie+.

Can I use Disability Access Service (DAS) with Genie+?

Yes. If you use DAS, you can make Lightning Lane selections as well as DAS selections, and the two types of reservation can overlap with each other. For rides with Lightning Lane, you're usually using the same shorter queue to access the rides anyway. Notify the cast members if you require any special assistance when scanning in with Genie+. The DAS has recently undergone changes at Disneyland that allow users to make DAS return time selections from their smartphone, which is so much easier than having to collect them in person from Guest Relations each time. Hop over to our Disneyland Disability Access Service post for the latest details.

Chances are you will not feel the need to pay more to use both systems, but if you do decide to spring for Genie+ to maximize time, use Genie+ for its included Lightning Lane rides and use DAS for the other rides (including the individual Lightning Lane options!).

Do Disney Resort Hotel guests get any perks related to Genie+?

While Disney World Resort hotel guests can make individual Lightning Lane reservations as early as 7 a.m. on the day of their visit, Disneyland Resort guests have no real advantage except that they are close enough to get into the park early without the hassle of driving and parking each day.

Disneyland hotel guests have Early Entry access to one theme park every day 30 minutes before the parks open. But all guests can actually enter the park 30 minutes before park opening. Regular guests are stopped at ropes. Hotel guests can access rides with very short to no wait times 30 minutes before other guests. But all guests can make Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane selections as soon as they enter a theme park. The selections will be for when the park officially opens.

Does Disneyland have Wi-Fi?

Yes, but it's spotty and inconsistent. We often turn off the Wi-Fi and use our own data for better luck. This definitely makes using Genie+ harder on foreign travelers who might get more frustrated with the Wi-Fi signal.

What about Magic Key holders?

We have good news! Magic Key holders get a 20 percent discount on Genie+ just for Magic Key holders in the party. The price is automatically discounted when ordering in the app. But the discount only applies to Magic Keys if purchasing for a mix of ticket types.

Can we purchase tickets pre-loaded with Genie+?

Yes, you sure can! (You can still purchase pre-loaded tickets at Disneyland but not Disney World.) You can purchase Disneylandtickets with Genie+. In fact, purchasing ahead of time locks in the lowest rate and guarantees you have Genie+ in case it sells out that day.

Can I add Genie+ to my existing Disneyland ticket purchased through Undercover Tourist?

Yes! You can purchase Genie+ through the Disneyland app once you have entered a theme park.

I only want to add Disneyland Genie Plus on select days, for certain people in my party. Is this possible?

Yes. You can purchase it for just some members of your party. In fact, some families just get one Genie+ to get all the PhotoPass downloads. If you have small children who do not meet the height requirements for most thrill rides, you can save money by not getting them Genie+.

Note that if you are purchasing Genie+ in the app, you can also purchase at the top of the Tip Board. You can edit your party.

What if my teens want to split off and do their own rides?

You can easily split up and have individuals make their own Genie+ ride selections that differ from the rest of the group's plans. The people who want to split off from the group can either link their tickets to a separate account or just log into the same account as the others are using. It doesn't matter. When you go to book a ride, edit the party to just the people who wish to ride.

For example, if Mommy Frog and I want to ride Haunted Mansion, we would only select our two tickets when choosing the party for Lightning Lane. That allows Tad and his cousin or friend to select just themselves for Space Mountain or Guardians of the Galaxy. You just cannot have one person on two different Lightning Lanes. So if we added Tad to our Haunted Mansion, he would be unable to make a different selection unless he canceled his Haunted Mansion Lightning Lane.

Tad usually logs into our family account when he splits up. That way he can Mobile Order food through the app on our credit card. He doesn't realize that we can see where he is eating when Mobile Order notifications pop up or the Lightning Lanes for rides he is planning to ride appear on our phones. It's one way we can keep tabs on him. Even if he logged into a different account, we would still see his plans since he is also linked to our account.

The only time this gets tricky is if all the parties experience different ride breakdowns and acquire Multiple Experiences passes. Under My Day you would see everyone's Multiple Experiences passes listed. So you would have to be careful when redeeming those to use the correct ones since some are better than others. No stealing! If you tap them, you can see which tickets are included in that Multiple Experiences Pass.

If only a few members of the party wish to purchase an individual Lightning Lane for an attraction, again, they can edit the party before purchase.

We have a whole post detailing this scenario — and others! — you may encounter when using Genie+ with a group at Disneyland.

What if we don't see all the names when we select our party?

Sometimes there is a glitch that only shows you the tickets purchased on your account or when there is a mix of different types of tickets. If you are traveling with others and have linked all the tickets to your account and confirmed everyone has Genie+ but they still are not showing when you go to confirm your party for a ride, tap the Edit button. You'll see the rest of the names show up. We are not sure why that hoppens, but it hoppened to us a few times. A cast member says parties can get split sometimes. Just take extra care to edit and select your party whenever you make a Lightning Lane selection that day. That way you can make sure everyone who wants to ride is included.

Hopefully, our Disneyland Genie Plus FAQ answers some of your questions. What other questions do you have about Disneyland Genie? Let us know in the comments below!

Related: Our Complete Guide to Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ Services at Disneyland

Related: How to Use Disneyland PhotoPass+ to Make Magical Memories

Keep hopping!