How Will Disney's New Genie Service Affect Rider Switch

Genie+ is here! Here’s what you need to know if you want to combine Genie+ with Rider Switch.

Genie+ Has Arrived

Genie+ has debuted, replacing the old free FastPass+ (Walt Disney World) and MaxPass (Disneyland) systems. As the day unfolded, our KTP Writing Team learned a lot about the ins and outs of the new service.

For those who are new here, Genie+ is a paid feature available for purchase for $15 (plus tax) per person per day at Disney World and $20 per person per day at Disneyland. It allows you to view and choose the next available time to reserve the use of the Lightning Lane entrance for select attractions.

Rider Switch

The whole thing has left a lot of travelers curious about the same question. How will this service interact with Rider Switch?

Rider Switch is a free service (one of the few things that still is free). It ensures you won’t have to wait in the same line twice if someone in your party cannot or does not want to ride an attraction with the rest of the group.

Most commonly, Rider Switch is used for parties traveling with young children who do no meet the height requirement for various attractions. It can also be utilized by parties traveling with a dear one who does not want to ride or cannot ride and is unable to wait alone while the rest of the party experiences the attraction.

Typically, the party visits a cast member at the attraction entrance. The Cast Member provides a return time for the waiting guest and one other guest in the party.

After group one rides and returns to wait with the party member who is not riding, the second pair of riders uses the Lightning Lane to bypass the standby line. This way everyone in the party who wants to experience the attraction can do so, and no one waits alone.

Rider Switch and Genie+

So what does the new Genie product mean for Rider Switch? Today, the team discovered that guests who have a Genie+ return window can still use Rider Switch.

The same holds true for Individual Lightning Lane Selections (ILLS). A ride on these select attractions can be purchased a la carte at a set per person price.

Rider Switch will work the same way that it has in the past. One person waits behind with the guest who is not riding. Then that person and one other guest from the party ride via the Lightning Lane when the first group finishes.

You do need to be certain of one thing. Every member of the party who wants to ride must have a Genie+ or IILS reservation.

The End of a Loophole

Will this Iconic Disney Attraction Be Forced into New Theming? — Credit: Disney

This presents a small caveat for guests who at one time learned to manipulate Rider Switch in their favor. In the time of Fastpass+, some guests realized that not every member of the party had to have a Fastpass to use Rider Switch.

Often times, the person who planned to wait with a child would book a ride for the small child to enjoy. He/she would then use Rider Switch to get a return time for the ride the rest of the party was experiencing, making it a two-for-one deal.

Disney began to crack down on this loophole, and some guests found headliners required every member of the party had to have a Fastpass. However, Disney inconsistently enforced this policy.

You should know that the introduction of the Genie service has brought this loophole to a full and complete stop. Remember, in order to use Rider Switch with Genie+ or ILLS, every member of the party who wants to ride must have the attraction booked.