Disney Lightning Lane Premieres This Month

If you saw our prior article about Genie+, this is a follow-up to it that will delve into what the Disney Lightning lane actually is. First and foremost, this is part of the new system designed to replace the Fastpass system of ole. The Fastpass system had been stopped when the parks closed in early 2020 and were not brought back when the parks started to reopen. Fastpasses were both a good and bad aspect of planning a Disney trip. One of the biggest criticisms was having to pick out 3 rides 60 days in advance. But the offset was that you were guaranteed 3 rides during your trip.

Lightning lane and Genie Plus will completely alter how the FastPass equivalent will work. The changes in the system make it a little easier for Annual Passholders that may travel on a whim compared to the family that has been planning a trip for 2 years. The reported goal of the changes is to decrease wait times across the parks as well as provide a change of pace with visitations to the Disney Parks. It is unclear whether this will have the intended effect that they are hoping for. But will provide a change in dynamic around the park. With both the Genie Plus and individual lightning lanes, this could mean an added cost to your Disney Park ticket. 

When does the Lightning lane start?

Both the Genie Plus and Lightning lane will make their debut on October 19th, 2021! 

How is this different from Genie Plus?

It is unclear why the names differ as they are essentially part of the same system. Genie Plus is the ability to schedule times for a majority of the rides for an added cost, one at a time, similar to fastpasses in the past. With Genie Plus you purchase the ability to book the select attractions for the cost of $15 per person per day but also the add ons. This will be part of the My Disney Experience app.

Lightning lanes also have individual passes. Meaning you can also buy lightning lane individual attractions through the app. This is without buying the Genie Plus upgrade. There will be other benefits that come along with the Genie Plus but not all the details have been released. Lightning lane is the individually purchased rides at each Disney Park. These are the rides that are not available through the Genie Plus upgrade. You can buy one, the other, or both each day of your stay.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

What rides will be available for lightning lane through Genie Plus?

Animal Kingdom

  • Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King
  • DINOSAUR
  • Feathered Friends in Flight!
  • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Naʻvi River Journey
  • The Animation Experience

Epcot

  • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Mission: SPACE – Green
  • Mission: SPACE – Orange
  • Soarin’
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk with Crush

Hollywood Studios

  • Alien Swirling Saucers
  • Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage
  • Disney Jr. Dance Party
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
  • Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular – Returning December 19, 2021
  • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
  • Muppet*Vision 3D
  • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
  • Slinky Dog Dash
  • Star Tours
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • Toy Story Mania!

Magic Kingdom

  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Haunted Mansion
  • “it’s a small world”
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Mad Tea Party
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
  • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Splash Mountain
  • The Barnstormer
  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Tomorrowland Speedway
  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

When can I make my first selection?

Guests who are purchasing the Individual lightning lane or Genie Plus can make their first selections at 7 am the morning they are going to the park. 

How many times can I use Genie Plus or Lightning Lane?

There is no limitation reported on how many times you can use the Genie Plus to select times for the rides throughout a given park. However, there is a limitation on the number of times you can select the same ride. Disney announced that guests will only be able to use Genie Plus to select 1 time per each ride per day. Meaning that if you get a time for Haunted Mansion at 9 am, you will have to wait until the next day to get another time for Haunted Mansion. 

Photo Courtesy of Disney

What is the cost per Lightning Lane individual attraction?

It is important to remember that you will only be able to make 2 individual attraction purchases per day. The cost per attraction will vary from day to day depending on several factors, including how busy the parks are. Disney has not disclosed all of the determinations but the prices are likely to vary a bit. 

There are some estimates that have been circulating around. It can make it difficult to determine it at this point if you are on a budget. The averages that have been seen so far in previews have been between $7 to $15 per person per ride. However, you do not need to buy Genie Plus to buy the individual Lightning Lane attractions. For a family of 4, the max per day that you could expect to pay $120 if you were to opt for 2 individual attractions from the list below. 

Animal Kingdom

  • Expedition Everest
  • Flight of Passage

Epcot

  • Ratatouille
  • Frozen Ever After

Hollywood Studios

  • Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway
  • Rise of the Resistance

Magic Kingdom

  • Seven Dwarves Mine Train
  • Space Mountain

Are you looking forward to this? What do you think of the changes? Is this something you would get during Let us know in the comments!