geni and Genie+ services were introduced by Disney in late 2021 in an attempt to assist the visitors to plan their time at Disney parks efficiently. The services are supposed to be a better and more efficient way of getting the services and there has been some confusion over the difference between Genie and Genie+.
What is Disney Genie? Disney Genie on the other hand is a complimentary service that is available to all visitors through the My Disney Experience. Genie works like a virtual assistant and you can let it know your preferences and concerns so that it can recommend how your day in the park should look like.
Some key features of Disney Genie include:Some key features of Disney Genie include:
Personalized daily itineraries: Specifically, share the attractions you want to visit, type of food you fancy, arrival/departure time, and more with Genie and get a personalized tip board for the day.
Real-time updates: Throughout the day, Genie will keep updating recommendation based on the current wait time and other factors.
Attraction forecasts: Look at how long others have estimated they will wait to help you decide on how long you are willing to wait.
Dining reservations: Book your dining reservations or check availability through Genie.
Virtual queues: For highly popular attractions such as the Rise of the Resistance, Genie informs you when boarding groups for virtual queues are open for joining.
So in conclusion, Disney Genie is a complimentary offering that helps you plan your vacation through an application.
What is Disney Genie+? For a fee, Disney Genie+ service helps you to get into the Lightning Lane in more than 15 attractions in each of the parks per day. Typically, the entrance of Lightning Lane has much shorter wait time for standby than the standard queue line.
Some key things to know about Genie+:Some key things to know about Genie+:
Pricing: It is $15 per guest per day at Disney World and $20 per guest per day at Disneyland. Visitors with specific types of tickets and Magic Key passes are entitled to a discount.
Attraction eligibility: Genie+ can be applied to virtually all of the attractions, including the majority of the new ones; however, one cannot use Genie+ for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. A few top destinations are excluded from the list.
Reservation windows: You can only choose one Lightning Lane entry at a time and, for the next entry, it can be done after you avail your previous choice or when 120 minutes are up.
Availability: Lightning Lane entry times are often published throughout the day, but access to some of the most popular experiences can fill quickly.
Thus, in its essence, Genie+ is an additional paid service that makes it easier to gain priority access through a shorter wait list of many prominent attractions.
Main Differences between Genie and Genie+. There are several distinctions between these two services:There are several distinctions between these two services:
Cost: Disney Genie is complimentary. Lightning Lane benefits are available at an extra cost of per-guest fee per day on top of the Genie+ cost.
Personalization range: Genie offers suggestions about each phase of your vacation, while Genie+ mere focuses on Lightning Lane attraction openings.
Scope: Genie can also book dining and provide attraction prediction as well and is not just a navigation service for the parks. Its capabilities are much broader.
Pay per ride: Among them, only Lightning Lane and a la carte Individual Attraction Selections invite you to pay. Disney genie has no features for people to pay for.
Attraction availability: Compared to Genie+ there are more limitations since some of the main attractions are not included in Lightning Lane. Genie has details about all the attractions.
Ease of access: Genie planning involves checking the mobile app frequently to input information and wait for recommendations. Genie+ is rather designed for easier, more spontaneous reservation access.
Hence, while Genie is designed to enhance the planning of trips overall, Genie+ is a proposed paid tier for flexibility to lower wait times for attractions on a large scale.
Should You Buy Genie+? Tips for Deciding However, due to the extra cost over a Disney trip, deciding whether to buy Genie+ is not that easy. Here are a few tips on factoring it into your plans:Here are a few tips on factoring it into your plans:
Do you plan to come during the peak crowds? If so, it means that the more the consumers spend time waiting, the more value the Lightning Lanes are offering to them.
Are you having young children at home or any physical challenges such as a disability or the like? The shorter waits can be significant if you require more frequent stops.
Over how many days will you be in the parks? Extended stays may warrant a one-day only Genie+ purchase to help manage the experience.
Are your have-to-visit sites qualified? See which attractions have options for using Lightning Lane before proceeding.
Do you nap during the day?: Yes/No Despite this, you can still use Genie+ during the morning and evening.
Conduct a self-assessment of your group’s values and Disney park timeline. Paying to eliminate waits will benefit some guests greatly but provide little to guests who are obsessed only with price. Get the best of both worlds by combining Genie and Genie+ experiences.