Disney Genie+ rolled out on October 19. Through my D23 Gold Membership, I was able to sign up for a free day to experience it. It’s $15 per person per day. This is a replacement for the Fastpass+ system, which was free to use. If you’re not using Genie+, you will only have the option for standby lines at the attractions.

I wasn’t able to get to the park until after 3 PM because it was a Tuesday and I had to work my regular job. Theme Park MoJu isn’t a paying gig, so priorities.

The app seemed clunky and a bit confusing. But I guess most new things are when you’re trying to figure them out and get used to them. I found myself frustrated on more than one occasion. And I found that I was spending an awful lot of time on my phone trying to make things work, more time than I like to spend on my phone when I’m in a park. Hopefully Disney is listening to user feedback and will make improvements.

As I began to write this article, I was going to grab some screen shots of the app. But it’s not working and I can’t get what I need. Go figure. I’ll provide you with what I have from the other day.

Before I was able to get to Magic Kingdom, I opened the app and found the photo filters. Some were working from home when they should have only worked in the park. There were others that I couldn’t see, so I thought they were ones for in-park. When I was in the park, some of the filters weren’t working at all even though they should have. And I found that at least one of them was missing from what I had previously been able to see. Some of the filters are park specific, so I’m happy that I was able to get the Ratatouille video even though I never stepped foot in Epcot. Be aware that you are only able to access the filters if you’ve paid for Genie+ for any given day.

There is a filter that shows your inner villain, one with bubbles, one with glitter, and a few others.

You can use filters for Cinderella’s castle that bring you to the past. 1970 when the castle was under construction, 1971 when Magic Kingdom opened, 1996 for the 25th anniversary when it became a birthday cake, and 2021.

With Fastpass+ a thing of the past, you will use Genie+ to make reservations for the Lightning Lanes. You can have one at a time and they are subject to availability. The reservation is for one hour and you must use it in the time frame allotted. So no showing up early or late. Some attractions have an additional purchase beyond the Genie+ choices. The prices will vary by attraction and will be different based on popularity or season. When I was at Magic Kingdom on the day of rollout, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was $10 per person for one ride. There’s no way in hell I’d pay for it, but that’s me. Some of you may find that it’s worth it to you if you’re on your once-in-a-lifetime trip or are willing to spend $10 a person to shorten your wait time.

I used Genie+ to make three reservations for Lightning Lane access. Again, this was a Tuesday after 3 pm, so results will vary. The first use was for Peter Pan’s Flight. When I arrived the standby time was 65 minutes. I entered the Lightning Lane at 5:16 and was aboard a pirate ship at 5:18. With this queue, there was only one party ahead of me. My next use was for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with a standby queue of 60 minutes. That queue had a decent amount of people in it, but nothing crazy. I was mining in six minutes. The third and final reservation was for The Haunted Mansion which had a standby queue of 55 minutes and only one party ahead of me. I was volunteering to become the thousandth happy haunt in about two minutes.

In the end, I think a purchase of Genie+ is going to be a decision you’ll make based on your finances or frustration with long queues. If you’re a family of four, it’s going to cost you $60/day. If you’re at Walt Disney World parks for five days and use it for each, that’s $300 to shorten wait times and use filters. With some rides being an additional fee per person. Genie+ was sold out on the first day. I don’t know how many they will be selling per day, but I’m sure it’s limited. Knowing what Disney is about now, which is money, I’m sure they’re selling as many as they can get away with without those who’ve purchased them being upset that they aren’t getting their money’s worth.