Disney’s replacement for its iconic FastPass program is set to launch at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park this Wednesday, the company said Monday.
The debut of Genie, Genie+ and “Lightning Lane” — a new secondary lane that will allow guests to bypass the traditional standby line — comes after Disney announced earlier this year that it would permanently retire FastPass and MaxPass and replace it with the new programs.
While Genie is a free tool that helps guests build a daily itinerary, Genie+ will be priced at $20 per day and is required for guests to use the Lightning Lane on certain attractions.
Select Individual Lightning Lane attractions will be available for “a la carte” purchases and will not be included in Genie+. Those rides include Radiator Springs Racers and the new Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure park, as well as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland.
Genie+ is similar to MaxPass, a paid service previously offered at the Anaheim theme parks where guests could book FastPass times on mobile devices.
Using the previous system at Disneyland, guests could obtain a paper FastPass at select attractions. MaxPass, which launched in 2017, introduced the ability for guests to reserve FastPass times without obtaining a paper ticket, offering convenience of scheduling attractions in the Disneyland app.
Similar to MaxPass, Genie+ will include PhotoPass downloads and audio experiences. However, unlike MaxPass, Genie+ will only let you redeem one Lightning Lane per experience each day.
Genie+ can be purchased after you have entered the park and scanned your ticket. Tickets purchased after Dec. 8 can be added prior to your visit. All Lightning Lane reservations must be made after entering the theme park.
According to Disney, all attractions will continue to offer a traditional standby line or, in some instances, a virtual queue.
“Disney Genie listens to the preferences that guests share with us to help design their best day and deliver an experience that’s made just for them,” Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Product, said in a statement earlier this year. “Pairing incredible technology with more than 60 years of expertise about how our guests visit the parks, Disney Genie will personalize their Disney day, allowing guests to spend less time planning and waiting and more time doing the things they love.”
Guests can select their favorite attractions or characters, and Genie will “map out an entire day” while updating “your plan, so you can go with the flow as the day changes,” Disney said in a news release.
Genie, Genie+ and Lightning Lane launched at Florida’s Walt Disney World in October.
At Walt Disney World and Disneyland, all previous versions of FastPass have included a free option. With the exception of private VIP tours, this marks the first time Disney has offered a paid alternative to the traditional standby queues at its domestic parks.
First introduced in 1999 at Walt Disney World, FastPass began as paper tickets that had a return window for attractions. Disney World added FastPass+ and the ability to select attractions and return windows through My Disney Experience in 2013.
Paper FastPass at Walt Disney World ended in 2014. In 2017, MaxPass was launched at Disneyland.
When the parks closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both FastPass and MaxPass were suspended.