How to Use Genie+ at Disneyland
Is Genie+ worth it at Disneyland?
Genie+ is the new version of FastPasses for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This guide will focus on Genie+ at Disneyland Park and California Adventure. It can seem overwhelming to learn how to use it if you’ve never done it before, but don’t worry, we’ll walk you through everything including how to get it and use it at the parks. And if you have any experience using Genie+ at Walt Disney World, you’ll be happy to know it is even easier at Disneyland!
What Is Genie+?
Genie+ is the premium tier of the new Disney planning service — Disney Genie. Regular Disney Genie makes suggestions for what rides, shows, dining, and other activities you may want to do throughout your day at the park. If you purchase Genie+, you’ll still get the planning suggestions, but you’ll also be able to book Lightning Lanes for rides and avoid waiting in the long standby lines. You can book a Lightning Lane for each ride once per day. You can still ride attractions multiple times if you want to, but you’ll have to wait in the standby line after you’ve used your Lightning Lane.
How Do I Get Genie+ for My Disneyland Trip?
The easiest way to get Genie+ for Disneyland trips is to purchase it when you buy your tickets. You can do this when buying directly from Disney and from some third-party sellers as well. It is essentially one of the ticket tiers you can get (i.e. 2-day, 1 park per day, with Genie+), so just pay attention to what type of ticket you select. You can also use Genie+ at both parks if you have a park hopper ticket, just make sure to only select Lightning Lanes at your second park that are for 11 a.m. or later since that’s the earliest you can park-hop at Disneyland.
If you didn’t buy Genie+ when you bought your tickets, that’s okay! You can purchase it at any time before your trip or even once you’re already at the park (as long as there is availability). To do this, open the Disneyland app and look for the purple “Disney Genie+ Service” banner.
Genie+ usually costs $30 per person per day, but it can fluctuate if the demand is higher. Buying it as early as possible allows you to lock in the lowest price and ensure that you’ll have access if it ends up selling out for the day you’re visiting.
Where Do I Make Lightning Lane Selections?
There are a couple ways to easily access Genie+ from the Disneyland app. The first way is the “Upcoming Plans” section on the home screen of the Disneyland app. There is a “My Day” link that will take you directly to the Disney Genie Service section of the app. You can also get there from the menu screen by clicking the “Rides, Shows & Lightning Lane Entry” tile. The first time you get into the Genie service area, it will ask you a few questions about which park you are going to, who is in your party, and things you want to do during your park day. After you finish filling out the questions, it will show you the generated Disney Genie plan for your day in the “My Day” tab. You’ll want to switch over to the “Tip Board” tab to make all Lightning Lane selections. There is a convenient toggle at the top of the page that allows you to show only Disney Genie+ Lightning Lanes, since there are some rides that don’t have Lightning Lanes at all.
When Can I Make My First Lightning Lane Selection?
To make your first Lightning Lane selection, you have to physically enter one of the parks. Once you’ve entered the park you’ll be able to make your first selection of the day. There is no option to make selections before entering the park like there is at Walt Disney World if you are a resort guest.
The time slot you can select for the Lightning Lane will always be the next available time. There is no way to book a Lightning Lane further out than the time that it offers you. You can refresh the Tip Board and sometimes get an even earlier time, but it is pretty common to see return windows that start five minutes or less from when you are booking it at Disneyland, which is very different from how the Disney World Genie+ experience usually goes.
How Often Can I Make Lightning Lane Selections?
After you scan into your first Lightning Lane, you can immediately book another one. If you happen to book a Lightning Lane that is more than two hours away, then you’ll be able to book another Lightning Lane exactly two hours after you made your last selection. There is a nice banner at the top of the Tip Board that will show you when that two-hour mark is when you can book again.
Just keep in mind that if you scan into your Lightning Lane before the two hours are up, you will immediately be able to book again. So, it’s a good rule of thumb to try to book Lightning Lanes before that two-hour window, so you can get more Lightning Lane options faster — and more bang for your buck.
How Do I Use My Lightning Lane Bookings?
When you get to the ride, look for the sign that says Lightning Lane. At the Lightning Lane entrance you will need to scan your Disneyland park ticket barcode, so make sure to have it pulled up in the Disneyland app. You’ll insert your phone face-up into one of the available slots and once it turns green, you’re good to go! There will sometimes be a short wait in the Lightning Lane queue after you scan in, but it shouldn’t be too long. Don’t forget to book your next Lightning Lane selection while you’re waiting!
What Rides Have Lightning Lanes at Disneyland Park?
At Disneyland, there are 13 rides that have Lightning Lanes you can book with Genie+. There are also some rides that have Individual Lightning Lane selections available. These rides will have an additional cost per person and are not included in the Genie+ price.
Disneyland Park Rides With Genie+ Lightning Lane:
Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Hyperspace Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones™ Adventure
“it’s a small world”
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Pirates of the Caribbean
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
Disneyland Park Rides With Individual Lightning Lane:
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Disneyland Park Rides With No Lightning Lane:
Alice in Wonderland
Astro Orbiter
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster
Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Jungle Cruise
King Arthur Carrousel
Mad Tea Party
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pinnochio’s Daring Journey
Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
What Rides Have Lightning Lanes at Disney California Adventure?
At Disney California Adventure, there are nine rides that have Lightning Lanes you can book with Genie+. There are also some rides that have Individual Lightning Lane selections available. These rides will have an additional cost per person and are not included in the Genie+ price.
Disney California Adventure Rides With Genie+ Lightning Lane:
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!
Incredicoaster
The Little Mermaid - Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Soarin’ Around the World
Toy Story Midway Mania!
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Disney California Adventure Rides With Individual Lightning Lane:
Radiator Springs Racers
Disney California Adventure Rides With No Lightning Lane:
Golden Zephyr
Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
Jessie’s Critter Carousel
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
Pixar Pal-A-Round - Swinging and Non-Swinging
Silly Symphony Swings
What Rides Should I Prioritize When Picking Lightning Lanes at Disneyland Park?
At Disneyland Park, the most popular rides with Lightning Lanes are Hyperspace Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. No matter what order you book these in, you should be able to get to all attractions with Genie+, so don’t stress! Just try to pick the earliest Lightning Lane for your first selection, so you can get an earlier return time for your next selection.
What Rides Should I Prioritize When Picking Lightning Lanes at Disney California Adventure?
Unless the park is super busy, you’ll likely get through every ride you want to go on with Genie+, so don’t stress too much about the order you pick them in. If you are looking for some prioritization advice, the Lightning Lanes that are most popular at Disney California Adventure are Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, Toy Story Midway Mania!, and Soarin’ Around the World.
What Other Benefits Do You Get With Genie+?
The most exciting secondary benefit of Genie+ at Disneyland is that it includes PhotoPass. This means in addition to your ride photos, you can get pictures taken with any PhotoPass cast member and you will be able to download them from your Disneyland app without paying extra. This is a nice benefit that is not available at Walt Disney World.
Disney Genie+ also includes special Disney PhotoPass lenses with augmented reality effects and Audio Tales that provide behind-the-scenes fun facts about the parks.
Is Genie+ Worth It?
In our opinion, Genie+ is worth it, simply because of all the time you’ll save not waiting in standby lines. Even if the park isn’t too busy, it is much more enjoyable to just walk straight onto a ride than to wait in the standby line. I do tend to avoid paying for the Individual Lightning Lanes though because those can be pretty expensive for only one ride. And, with all your extra time, waiting in one or two long lines doesn’t seem too terrible.