For months, we’ve been keeping an eye out for any updates about Disney’s FastPass system, getting your thoughts about a paid FastPass option in Disney World, and more.
Fastpass Kiosks in Magic Kingdom
Today, Disney announced that FastPass+ and MaxPass are being discontinued in Disney World and Disneyland, and new paid services will be replacing them in the future. With one of the services, you’ll actually be able to pay to get a return time (and utilize a Lightning Lane) for select attractions. But, why might you want to do this, and how would you do it? We’re breaking down the information you need to know here!
Why You’ll Pay for Individual Rides
Even after Disney introduces the new paid ride services, you’ll be able to utilize the traditional standby queue system or virtual queue system (for those rides that offer that service). If you want to, you’ll also be able to pay for the Disney Genie+ service, which will allow you to select the next available time to arrive at certain attractions and use that attraction’s Lightning Lane (a.k.a. FastPass Lane). You’ll be able to make these selections one at a time, throughout the day.
BUT, Disney is also introducing a 2nd, NEW, paid service — Individual Attraction Selection.
The FastPass kiosks have been out of use for a while!
With this service, you’ll pay to schedule a time to ride select, high-demand attractions. When your return time arrives, you’ll go through the “Lightning Lane” (a.k.a. the FastPass Line) and skip the standby line. You’ll pay for this service for each individual ride separately. This is similar to the individual paid FastPass system introduced at Disneyland Paris.
Why would you want to use this Individual Attraction Selection service? Well, first of all, this will be utilized for very popular attractions that likely have long wait times or are difficult to ride.
FastPass kiosks for Matterhorn at Disneyland
Second, the rides that will be available through Disney Genie+ will be DIFFERENT than those available through Individual Attraction Selection. Said differently, the attractions available through Individual Attraction Selection will NOT be available for you to select a return time for through Disney Genie+.
So far, Disney has said that Disney Genie+ will include over 40 rides in Disney World and over 15 rides in Disneyland. The rides available through that service will include Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Tomorrowland
But, as we noted above, the rides that will be available through Individual Attraction Selection are different. At this point, Disney has indicated that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure Park, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT will ALL be part of the Individual Attraction Selection offering.
That means that you’ll still be able to wait in the standby line for Seven Dwarfs if you want to ride the attraction. But, if you want to skip the standby line, you’ll need to buy an Individual Attraction Selection.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
For Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, guests will still be able to join a virtual queue for the rides at no additional cost (or, “Boarding Groups,” as it’s called for Rise of the Resistance). But, if they want to skip the virtual queues and standby lines, they’ll be able to purchase an Individual Attraction Selection for these rides and hop into the Lightning Lane when their scheduled return time is available.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Note, however, that guests will only be able to pay for up to 2 Individual Attraction Selections per day.
How You’ll Pay for Rides
Guests will be able to book their desired Individual Attraction Selections without purchasing Disney Genie+. In other words, you can simply have your regular ticket, and add on this Individual Attraction Selection option to it for an additional fee (without paying for other services).
You’ll purchase each of these attraction selections as a separate transaction. Note, however, that you will be able to select multiple members of your group for 1 transaction. So, for example, if you want to purchase an Individual Attraction Selection for Rise of the Resistance for your group of 5, that’s one transaction.
Will YOU join the Resistance?
You can, however, purchase up to 2 Individual Attraction Selections per day. If you want to purchase a second Individual Attraction Selection that would be a separate transaction.
For these Individual Attraction Selections, guests will make the selections on the day of their visit. Guests at Walt Disney World can make their selections when the park opens.
If, however, you’ll be staying at a Disney-owned and operated hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, or Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort, you’ll actually be able to make your selections a bit early. For those select guests, selections can be made at 7AM.
Cars Land
We’re on the lookout for more information about when these selections can be made at Disneyland.
Our understanding is that you will be able to make these Lightning Lane selections for different parks. So, for example, even if you start your day in Magic Kingdom, you’ll be able to book an Individual Attraction Selection for a ride in EPCOT (just ensure that you have a ticket with Park Hopping abilities that will allow you to visit the other park). Still, across all parks, you’ll only be able to purchase 2 Individual Attraction Selections (in total) for 1 day.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Disney Genie is built into My Disney Experience and the Disneyland App. It’s our understanding that Individual Attraction Selection would be available through those apps too, but we’ll be sure to share any updated information we find on that.
That’s a basic break-down of the information we know at the moment regarding Individual Attraction Selection. We’ll be on the lookout for more information and share that with you. If you’re looking for more information about Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and even Individual Attraction Selection, be sure to check back with us and check out some of our other posts.
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Will you pay for this Individual Attraction Selection service in Disney World or Disneyland? Tell us in the comments!
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Umm one thing the DFB reporter failed to mention is how much do you pay for an Individual Attraction Selection? $30,$40 or more? Why make that a seperate tier of payment? Why Disney? You should have just made everything fit into Genie + including the high demand rides and not made a second payment tier in the Individual Attraction Selection. That is seen as nothing but a money grab. Fortunately this is all optional and sounds increasingly unpopular I give it a year before it is scrapped.
Javier, the writer didn’t mention is because Disney hasn’t released the information. Pricing will depend on the attraction, the Park, and the attraction according to Disney.
Charles, you can purchase them at the same time, yes.
David, thanks so much for your kind words.
To answer your question about checking in: I would say yes. I can’t 100% say it will work for you to get your Genie+ Lightning Lane passes at that time, but it’s worth the effort to try, I think. If you’re not able to grab passes at 7AM, and if you know what time you want to ride Flight of Passage, I would suggest grabbing your Genie+ selections when the Park opens that day (probably 9AM or so). Does that suggestion make sense?
If your whole group is planning to purchase Individual Attraction Selections (for popular rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Rise of the Resistance), you will each be able to purchase two IAS per day (total of 14, as you said). Genie+ (which is different than IAS) will allow you to select Lightning Lane return times one at a time each day that you’ve purchased Genie+. In theory, you would be able to grab one after another after another for 40+ attractions across all four Parks — no limits.
Please let me know if these answers need any clarification. Happy to help!
Caron, because the Individual Attraction Selections will allow you to gain entry to the really popular rides via the Lightning Lane with a specific return time, I don’t think you’d need to use DAS for Individual Attraction Selections. When it comes to Genie+, I think that would be the same; since with Genie+ you’ll also select specific return times, as long as all members of your party have Genie+, you can use the Lightning Lane (just as you used to use the FastPass lane for DAS). The My Disney Experience app is going to have DAS features when it is updated in the fall (supposed to appear the same time as the basic Disney Genie features), and with DAS in the app you’ll be able to get your DAS return times for rides with a similar wait time to the older system (when you had to go to the actual ride to get the return time, then come back when it was time). Just a note in case the app DAS features are confusing or don’t sound like something you want: Disney says its retaining the current DAS card system as well, so you aren’t forced to change over to the app version. Let me know if all this helps.
Alicia: Please see my response in this thread! I hope it helps!
Cheryl, that’s a question, for sure. The speed with which Boarding Passes/VQ typically disappear seems like it would complicate things. But until the system is out, we can’t be sure. We will try this and report.
Bob, I expect you’ll pay with a card in My Disney Experience, since Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections will be in the app. But until the service is launched, that’s just a guess. We will report and have step by step how-tos when things get going.
Paul, everything you said is correct.
I plan to do this ONE day of my family of 7’s trip in October BECAUSE I want to make sure we can do ROR & SM since the last 3 visits we have been there we have been unsuccessful getting ROR either times. HUGE disappointment. I’m not allowing that anymore. Sorry!
“How and why you’ll pay […]”
Well, you’re already wrong, because I won’t be paying. Anyone who does pay is an enabler of Disney.
with this new system that replaced fast pass including the new pay per ride, will you still have to make park reservations?
Franacie, Disney Park Pass reservations are still required, yes.
Disney charge enough for the parks and they want extra money to ride the rides. They are getting money hungry.At this rate I will never able to afford to go. I use to be able to go at least four times a year but not no more. Because it got too expensive.
I’m seriously disappointed with Disney Executives for this choice. Requiring payment for parking was bad enough, now paying for fast-passes is just pure greed for a billion dollar company. Disney vacations are already MASSIVELY expensive for families. I’ve been a lifelong fan, going yearly as a child, then bringing my own kids, and finally enjoying the parks as an older adult. It’s been several years since I last went and was really looking forward to going once Covid settles down, but I feel like someone sucked all of the oxygen out of the world. To do this just before their 50th anniversary… what an incredibly bad choice.
I won’t be purchasing them, we are canceling our trip, no magical express, masks, no events or tours, higher prices on everything, park reservations, restricted park hopper, and now this. Why would I pay more for everything there for half the experience? Walt always said never replace something unless the thing you are replacing it with is better or as good as the original! None of the above is! I hope many more cancle and they see the error of their way.
Just curious, what about handicap access? Wheelchair bound and scooter guests? Sounds like we are cut out completely. How sad. 😥
Judith, if you’re referring to Disability Access Service, that will remain available and receive some enhancements. If not, let me know what your specific concerns are, and I’ll try to clarify things.
Does anyone know when this will begin? We’ll be there october 4th and I’d like to plan for that week 🙂
Sheila, no word on Disney regarding a start date — just Fall 2021.
I’m asking if the handicapped people in wheelchairs and scooters must go through regular lines. It’s not easy for an adult disabled with cerebral palsy to be in lines like they are talking about. Before, they let us pass through due to the obviously handicap issues.
Judith, the Disability Access Service will still be available for those who wish to use it, but those in wheelchairs and ECVs can — without DAS — receive a return time (to use the FastPass/Lightning Lanes) so that they don’t have to navigate the Standby line. The Genie+ changes have not affected these policies to my knowledge. Also, as far as I know, any attraction that had handicap accessibility or loading areas will retain those.
Can you pay for genie plus and or main attraction rides with a Disney giftcard?
Ian, I don’t believe Disney has released this information. My expectation is that, since you can load Disney gift cards in My Disney Experience, you’ll be able to apply them. For now, though, that’s really just my best guess. When Genie launches, we’ll share all the details.