In case your summer plans include a late summer stopover at Disney World, first of all, lucky you! (and smart you, since the park will raise prices in 2025). And second of all, you’ll want to know about a few changes happening to the Lightning Lane and Genie+ services. The park announces that it’s taking into account guests’ desire to do planning ahead of the actual visit, so that the day is mapped out and there isn’t time lost to pulling up the phone and deciding what to do.
A few name changes are meant to simplify things for us: the Genie+ service will now be called Lightning Lane Multi Pass, while the existing Lightning Lane Pass will now be called the Lightning Lane Single Pass. We’re sad to see the name “genie” go because it makes us think of Aladdin, but honestly, it does make more sense. And don’t worry: the free features of Genie service will still be available in the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps, both of which have been upgraded over the last year to be more user-friendly.
Next, you can make your Lightning Lane plans before hitting the physical park, so you know you’ve got them and don’t have to worry. Similarly, you can choose experiences and time before you purchase, and you can book your Lightning Lane passes for multiple vacation days, all in a single day. You’ll be able to book up to three days in advance.
Here’s the nitty gritty, all of which takes place on July 24 and thereafter:
The multipass: you can make up to three selections in advance, including the times. When you’re actually at the park, you can use the My Disney Experience app to add on any others.
The single pass: it will work the same as previously, but now you can purchase in advance.
You can purchase a single and a multipass, since some of the most popular rides are not available on the multipass.
Staying at a resort hotel? If you’re booked at a Disney Resort hotel (or other select hotels doing this offer), you can plan your Lightning Lane passes up to seven days in advance for your entire stay (up to 14 days), an extra four days over other guests who aren’t staying in resort hotels. You can also reserve dining and other experiences through this advance purchase window.
Lightning Lane will combine features from the current services and the previously offered FastPass+ service, so you can plan ahead and enjoy the day instead of planning at the moment. For more details, see the Disney World website.