When it comes to purchasing Genie+, guests may consider several variables before hitting the “buy now” button.
- Am I visiting the parks at a time when I expect there to be larger than normal crowds?
- Do I plan to spend enough time in the parks today in order get my money’s worth?
- Do the attractions that I value most offer lightning lanes?
- Will early entry and/or extended evening hours allow me to experience popular attractions with lower crowds outside of normal park hours?
- Is the price for the service for my entire travel party within my budget?
If the answer to most or all of these questions is “yes,” then you will likely find success with Genie+ by reserving lightning lanes and avoiding some long lines during your visit to the Walt Disney World Parks. Since the ability to book lightning lanes is not included in the base price of each ticket, purchasing this service is optional and, frankly, not always necessary. With all things considered, the paid service does work more efficiently in some parks than others. In which parks does Genie+ work the best?
1. Magic Kingdom
Genie+ works very well in Magic Kingdom. Since there is a large number of attractions that offer lightning lanes, the number of guests utilizing Genie+ are well-dispersed allowing higher availability of lightning lanes and low wait times in lighting lane queues. Reservations for lightning lanes for a few attractions, such as Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Haunted Mansion, often become unavailable in the afternoon, so if those are on your must-ride list, it’s a good idea to prioritize those when making reservations. Otherwise, lightning lane reservations for most of the attractions are available well into the night, allowing purchasers of Genie+ to use the service through park closing.
2. Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is another park in which Genie+ is well-worth its value. While the number of attractions that are available for booking lightning lanes is less than at Magic Kingdom, the reservations you are able to make save valuable time allowing you to experience more in your day. Prioritizing attractions that often run out of lightning lanes is key to having success at using Genie+ here. Be sure to book Slinky Dog Dash first or immediately after purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, as Slinky Dog Dash is often the first to completely book for the day. While lightning lanes for shows can allow you to be seated first and closer to the stage, if you plan to ride all of the attractions at Hollywood Studios, you will want to focus your bihourly reservations on rides rather than shows.
3. EPCOT
Similar to Hollywood Studios, using Genie+ in EPCOT can save park-goers a lot of time. With popular attractions like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, and Test Track, guests could easily spend over an hour in each of the before-mentioned queues on any given day and even more during peak holiday seasons. However, if you are taking advantage of the 30-minute early entry by staying at a Disney Resort or Disney Villa or are visiting on a day when there are deluxe evening hours, it is possible to enjoy all of the attractions at EPCOT without long wait times and spending the extra money for Genie+. Attractions like Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Spaceship Earth, and even Soarin’ Around the World often have wait times under 30 minutes for much of the day. In addition, while I believe that EPCOT is the best place to meet characters, none of the meet-and-greet locations have the option for a lightning lane, so there is a lot of demand among users of Genie+ in this park for the most popular and thrilling attractions. If you have the budget for Genie+, it can help you in EPCOT, but with strategic planning of doing the most popular rides at park opening and right before park closing, you can enjoy other attractions, characters, and all of the amazing entertainment at EPCOT without spending the extra money.
I have left off Disney’s Animal Kingdom from the list of best parks in which to utilize Genie+. While it can eliminate a few longer wait times, on most days, it just does not allow you to get your money’s worth. Lightning lanes for the many shows at Animal Kingdom are not necessary since each theater seats thousands. Prioritizing Kilimanjaro Safari earlier in the day since the queue closes a few hours before park closing allows you to head to Asia, Pandora, and DinoLand U.S.A. later in the day to knock out the other signature attractions in this park.
When you visit Walt Disney World, be sure to consider all of the factors of your park visit before spending the extra money on Genie+. In which parks do you find Genie+ works best? Tell us in the comments below!
Featured Photo: Emily Murray.
Written by
Shelley Wehler
Contributing Writer
Shelley is a stay-at-home mother of two girls living outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Her love of all things Disney has grown even more as she sees the magic come alive through the lens of her young daughters. She spends her free time keeping up with the latest in Disney news and daydreaming of her next trip to the parks!
