Goodbye Genie+
It has definitely been a week for Disney announcements! First Halloween at Disneyland, then Christmas at Disney World, and now Genie+ is changing at both parks.
Though this was announced a couple of days ago, I took some time to research everything that is published so far to understand what we will be working with come July 24.
Disneyland
At Disneyland, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane will essentially just be renamed. You will be able to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass with your Disneyland package for the full length of your ticket as you can now or on the day of use. You’ll still be able to start making your selections as soon as you enter the park on your day of use.
Individual Lightning Lane will now be Lightning Lane Single Pass. It can be purchased when you enter the park and up to 2 selections can be purchased per day.
There are no changes to how this system currently works. You’ll just need to get used to the new terminology.
Disney World
At Disney World, Genie+ and Lightning Lane are being renamed and modified to be similar to the old FastPass system. Genie+ will be Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Individual Lightning Lane will be Lightning Lane Single Pass.
You can find my detailed guide here, but here are the highlights as we know them now:
These are both paid options and will be priced similarly to how Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are priced now.
You can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and/or Single Pass 7 days in advance for Disney resort guests and 3 days in advance for non-resort guests.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to make up to 3 selections per day prior to your trip - up to 14 days. With single pass, you can book up to 2 selections per day for the length of your trip.
Multi Pass will be a tiered system at all of the parks except Animal Kingdom. You’ll make up to 1 selection in Group 1 and the remaining selections from Group 2. Group 1 are in higher demand than Group 2.
After redeeming your first Lightning Lane, you can select your next selection from either group.
Both Multi Pass and Single Pass let’s you choose your time and not just the earliest available.
You can make an additional Multi Pass selection as soon as you redeem one until there is no availability left.
You can only make your 3 selections at one park in advance. If park hopping, you can start making selections at other parks after redeeming your first Lightning Lane.
My initial thoughts about the changes coming this summer to Lightning Lanes:
We will now be able to plan in advance which is a great thing. We can also make selections for all the days of the trip which cuts down on the stress day of at 7am.
With how this system is set up, we should be able to snag even more Lightning Lanes throughout the day depending on how busy the parks are that day. Being able to have 3 selections at once at all times until availability runs out feels like an advantage over the current system.
I like being able to purchase this in advance because I’ll know the cost before going on my trip. It won’t be a surprise each morning while at Disney World.
There will be tricks and hacks for this system just like Genie+ now. We’ll need to try it out and use it first.
So What Does This Mean for Planning Services?
I will begin offering Lightning Lane planning for my booked Disney World clients starting in August - it’s still early, so I’m still ironing out exactly how this will look. The service will be available for clients who have 5-night trips or more to start. I will contact current clients with eligible trips about 2 weeks before their trip to determine if they are hoping to purchase Lightning Lanes and make plans. All other clients will receive best tips and practices with helpful planning tools as the new service debuts, and we learn more about the ins and outs of these new services.
I’ll be in the parks in August to test out the new systems so that I can better serve you! We will need to play around with the options to come up with the best ways to use these tools given the pre-planning element and the change to day-of options. Trust that I won’t steer you wrong.
Fall and Holiday Discounted Stays
Disney also dropped 2 money saving offers for this fall and winter:
Save up to 30% on rooms for stays most nights from November 24 to December 25, 2024 (we almost never see the last half of December discounted!)
Enjoy other savings for stays most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 6 to November 21, 2024
For already booked clients, I applied these discounts to their eligible stays and saved on average just over $500/trip. Most stays do require at least a 4-day park ticket, but the park hopper is added on at no extra cost.
October through December is a popular time to visit Disney World due to Halloween, the Holidays, and school breaks. These savings will help make a fall or winter trip possible for many families. Take advantage of the savings while they are still available.
If you haven’t booked yet, request your FREE, no obligation quote and let me help plan your trip at no extra cost to you.
