Disney Just Announced Big (Welcome) Changes To Genie+ & Lightning Lane

Despite its nickname of the Most Magical Place on Earth, Disney World can sometimes be anything but. It's hot, crowded, and often involves lots of long lines to get onto rides and attractions. In 2021, Disney introduced a new way you could skip those long lines with the introduction of Lightning Lanes — effectively replacing the former FastPass system. There are two ways to use Lightning Lanes: purchasing Disney Genie+, which allows you to select attractions throughout the day to use a Lightning Lane for. Or, an Individual Lightning Lane, which also comes at a cost but is just for entry into one single popular attraction.

There are lots of rules and regulations to the cost and how they work, but we don't need to get into all of that just yet. That's because Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes are about to change in a big way starting later this summer.

The New Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Beginning July 24, 2024, Disney Genie+ will officially rebrand to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Along with the new name, there will be some notable changes to how the Multi Pass works.

Instead of only being available to purchase the day of, like Genie+, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass will be available to buy and select up to three rides up to seven days before your visit for those staying at a Disney World Resort hotel (or other select locations). At the seven-day mark, you can buy and select passes for every day of your trip for up to 14 days. For those staying off-property, you can begin to purchase and book three days in advance.

So, it’s not FastPass... but it’s close.

How Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Lightning Lanes Work

The new Lightning Lane Multi Pass system will utilize two different groupings, Group One and Group Two of attractions. For three of the four parks (not including Disney's Animal Kingdom), you can choose one ride from Group One and two from Group Two for your first three selections. Here's a full list of the groupings:

Magic Kingdom

Group One:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Group Two:

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Haunted Mansion
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• “It’s a Small World”
• Dumbo The Flying Elephant
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey’s Philharmagic
• Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor
• The Barnstormer
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Journey of the Little Mermaid

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Group One:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• Slinky Dog Dash

Group Two:

• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Star Tours: The Adventure Continues
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play and Dance!
• Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Muppet*Vision 3D

EPCOT

Group One:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Soarin’ Around the World

Group Two:

• Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk With Crush
• Disney Pixar Short Film Festival

The cost of Lightning Lane Multi Pass will stay the same, with surge pricing fluctuating depending on the park you choose and the crowd levels expected for the day. For example, visiting during Christmas week will cost significantly more than visiting on a weekday in mid-August.

Single Lightning Lanes

Single Lightning Lanes will be a bit different. Currently named Individual Attraction Selections, these are the most popular rides at each of the four parks that are not available as part of Disney Genie+ (or Lightning Lane Multi Pass, soon enough). Instead, they are available a la carte for a price that fluctuates based on the day you’re visiting. You’re allowed to purchase up to two of these per day.

Beginning July 24, this will change from being available the day of to being available prior to your trip. Similar to Lightning Lane Multi Pass, the Single Lightning Lane selections can be bought up to seven days in advance for those staying on the property or three days for those staying off the property. The rides will remain the same, and they are:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom
• TRON Lightcycle/Run at Magic Kingdom
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT
• Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

What You Need to Know When Planning Your Trip

OK, so those updates may seem like a lot to parse through, but here’s the TL;DR:

• Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Lightning Lane to debut July 24, 2024 (the former is replacing Disney Genie+)
• Both will be available on the My Disney Experience app
• Starting July 24, both can be purchased seven days in advance for the length of your trip when staying at a Disney World Resort (or three days when staying off-property)
• Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows up to three experiences in one theme park in advance (one from Group One, two from Group Two)
• Lightning Lane Single Pass allows purchase of up to two selections per day
• Trips that begin prior to the start date will be able to use the new system starting July 24

Unfortunately, yes, the system still costs money, so no change on that front. But the ability to plan your trip out in advance is a huge win for us Disney fans who didn’t love having to be on our phones the entire trip. So, overall, the update is a welcome one for making your Disney trip a little less stressful.