undercover tourist genie plus disneyland

11 Advanced Strategies & Tips to Maximize Lightning Lane on a Disneyland Trip

By: Author Leslie Harvey

Posted on Published: August 19, 2024

Share this!:

Several years ago, the Disneyland Resort in California unveiled a replacement for FASTPASS and MaxPass for guests seeking ways to shortcut long attraction lines. Initially known as Disney Genie+, this service recently got a name (but not a rules) change in July 2024: Lightning Lane. Technically, there are actually two Lightning Lane products at Disneyland: Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP) and Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP) .

Confused yet? If you are still a beginner to Disneyland strategy, the system and nomenclature may still seem pretty complex. So you should start with my Guide to Lightning Lane at Disneyland for all the beginner tips and frequently asked questions. If you’ve mastered the basics and are ready to take your Lightning Lane usage to the next level at Disneyland, that’s what this advanced guide is for.

I first tested out Lightning Lanes at Disneyland nearly three years ago (back when Lightning Lane Multi Pass was called Disney Genie+). I successfully and easily maxed the system out on my first try, riding all 19 attractions on it at the time in a single day, plus many more. While that isn’t always possible on busy days or even desirable for many guests, what a lot of Disneyland visitors want to do is to make the most of their Disneyland day. And Lightning Lanes are great for that!

I picked up ton of tips and tricks from that challenge about how to get maximum value. And I’ve continued to test the limits of the system on many subsequent Disneyland visits, even as Disney has made subtle changes to the rules. The last time I went with my entire family at Disneyland, we rode over 40 attractions in less than two full park days!

Anyone who wants to prioritize riding attractions should keep reading for all these advanced tips, secrets, and hacks that go into making a great overall strategy. While this post mostly contains tips for maximizing Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Disney Genie+), I’ve also included tips for the sold-separately Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions, since there is overlap between how those two systems operate.

And I won’t forget about all the attractions that don’t offer either type of Lightning Lane. There are quite a few of those any Disneyland guest will want to ride too. The key is in knowing when to best fit those into your plans.

So let’s dive in to the advanced Lightning Lane lesson for Disneyland.

Editor’s Note : Some of the images in this post still contain the Disney Genie+ branding instead of Lightning Lane Multi Pass. The systems are identical in terms of how they operate at Disneyland so the advice is all still good!

(Trips With Tykes uses affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through links in this post. See our full disclosure policy linked in the menu at the bottom of this site.)

Advanced Tips & Tricks for Disneyland’s Lightning Lane (formerly Disney Genie+)

1. rope drop.

While Lightning Lanes are a valuable tool, not every ride at Disneyland have them (unlike Walt Disney World’s version of Lightning Lane which includes nearly every attraction of note). To ride some of the beloved classics like Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, or Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland, you’ll still need to utilize standby lines. And I’m guessing you don’t want to stand in long standby lines!

The best option to hit some of these rides with shorter waits is to ride them first thing in the morning before the crowds arrive. And to do this, you need to be at the front of the “rope drop” crowd.

Most of the time, the park gates open exactly 40-45 minutes before official park opening time. So, for an 8:00 official park opening time, cast members start scanning tickets about 7:15am. You want to be queued up in the esplanade for the parks by that time. On busy days, you may want to be 15-30 minutes earlier than that! Be sure to leave plenty of time for bag check and security.

Early Entry Effect

If you have the early entry benefit given to on-property hotel guests and have made reservations for the park offering early entry that day of the week, you will be able to walk past the rope drop crew and ride a limited number of open attractions 30 minutes before everyone else. So use every minute to its full advantage!

If you aren’t eligible for early entry, never fear. Rope drop is still a smart strategy. So few guests are eligible for early entry that lines aren’t really made long by it (except for the one constant choke point at Peter Pan).

Sample Rope Drop Touring Plan

I employed a rope drop strategy the day I rode 19 Genie+ (and 26 overall) attractions in a single day, beginning my morning with rides that didn’t have Lightning Lanes. From 8-9am in Disneyland park, I hit these attractions in this order:

• Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
• Alice in Wonderland
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
• Jungle Cruise

I then also rode Pirates of the Caribbean standby around 9:40 am after using a Lightning Lane Multi Pass (then Genie+) return time for Indiana Jones nearby.

Other Reasons to Rope Drop

An additional reason you really should rope drop (or at least arrive pretty early to the parks) is because you cannot start booking rides with either Lightning Lane product at Disneyland until you have entered a park for the day. Late risers can still find plenty of value in the system. But the later you arrive to the parks, the later you will find popular attractions offering return times. This means more dead time in your overall day waiting for your next reservation time to open up.

There’s one final reason to consider rope dropping even with Lightning Lanes. Disney limits you to one ride on each attraction per day via the Lightning Lane. If you have a favorite you want to repeat more than once in a day, the early morning hours are a great time to ride via a short standby line. Save your Lightning Lane booking opportunity for that ride until later in the day when standby lines are longer and ride for a second time in a single day.

2. Make a morning mad dash

After you’ve made the most of short early morning standby lines, the rest of the morning should be all about quickly progressing through several attractions available with Lighnting Lane Multi Pass. The LLMP system is best and most flexible in the mornings because the return times offered for most rides are often fairly immediate. This means you can often walk from Lightning Lane to Lightning Lane earlier in the day. Later in the day, some rides will have return times pushed out farther in advance.

The strategy? Book, tap, book. And by that, I mean book an attraction with a return time that is hopefully close to immediate. Go to the ride, tap into the Lightning Lane, and immediately book your next attraction. Go to that attraction, tap in, and book again.

I know this may sound exhausting, but mornings are when most guests (especially eager kiddos!) are usually most excited about attractions anyway. You’ll get a lot done with minimal waits and can then take the afternoons and evenings at a more leisurely pace enjoying entertainment, food, and more.

3. Prioritize Lightning Lane attractions likely to “sell out” earlier

Not all attractions on Lightning Lane Multi Pass are created equal. Some are not that popular and will almost always offer you a return time that is just minutes later. Some are much more in demand. These will book up as the day goes on, initially offering delayed return times and eventually selling out for the day at some point (sometimes as early as the afternoon).

The key to efficiently maximizing LLMP is to prioritize the rides in the morning that most often will offer delayed return times later in the day. Booking an attraction that doesn’t have a return time until an hour or two later will mean lots of dead time when you can’t be booking other LLMP attractions (since you have to wait to book your next ride until you’ve either redeemed your LLMP booking or two hours have passed, whichever comes earlier). You don’t want to hit this wall until as late in the day as possible.

LLMP Ride Booking Priorities in Disneyland Park

In Disneyland park, the rides to prioritize booking in the morning before their return times get too late are (in this rough order):

• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Space Mountain
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Big Thunder Mountain

During Halloween Time and the Disneyland Holidays , Haunted Mansion Holiday usually vaults close to the top of that list. I found last fall that it essentially was toss up between booking it or Indiana Jones first. (Note: Currently in 2024 while construction is happening, however, Haunted Mansion Holiday is not offering LLMP and is instead using a Virtual Queue.)

“it’s a small world” holiday also operates uniquely on LLMP during the Holidays period. It return times usually won’t move that fast in the morning. Instead, demand escalates quickly and the ride sells out speedily as soon as the after-dark return times start being offered. Everyone wants to see that ride’s holiday lighting at night!

LLMP Ride Booking Priorities in Disney California Adventure

In DCA, prioritize the following:

• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
• WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
• Soarin’

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! has a special ride overlay in the evenings during the Halloween Time season that compresses its LLMP availability. But the hack is that you may be able to get return times for both versions of the attraction if you plan carefully!

Lightning Lane Single Pass Ride Booking Priorities

Lightning Lane Single Pass (formerly known as individual or paid Lightning Lane) attractions sell out as well, but things have evolved quite a bit in the last several years. It used to be the case that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was reliably the first ride to sell out most days long before any LLMP attraction. That is no longer the case, however, especially on mild to moderate crowd days. Check out my guide to riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance without the wait for all the updated strategies there.

The other paid Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, usually tends to have pretty instantaneous return times except on the very highest crowd days.

Of course, as time goes on, the popularity of attractions will change yet again. The changing of park hours can affect the demand curves as well. The site Thrill-Data is an amazing resource you can use to keep an eye on these trends. It offers a “Lightning Lane Availability Map” where you can see how quickly LLMP reservations run out for each ride each day. (I keep an eye on this regularly to inform many of the tips in this post when I’m not in the parks!)

4. Take advantage of grace periods.

When you make a reservation to return to an attraction via the Lightning Lane, you are given a 1-hour time window to return. But in reality, Disney’s computers give you an automatic grace period on either end of this window – 5 minutes early and 15 minutes late when the scanners will work and recognize your reservation. Use this full 1 hour and 20 minute time window to your advantage when needed!

When might this be most helpful? Some times, the return times you are booking might be a little bit later than the speed at which you are jumping from attraction to attraction (especially as the day goes on). Use the 5 minutes early grace period to your advantage to keep things rolling more speedily. As soon as you tap into the attraction 5 minutes before your window starts, you are eligible to book your next ride, further speeding things up.

The grace period that allows you to be 15 minutes late at the end of your window can be strategically helpful as well. For example, say you sit down to lunch at 12:45pm and book an attraction to park hop to next. LLMP might give you a return window for 1:00-2:00 pm. As you finish your meal and start walking to the other park, 2:00 rolls around and your Lightning Lane expires. Never fear!

The expiration time makes you eligible to book a next attraction as you are walking – do that. But then continue on to the attraction you had first booked. You have until 2:15 pm using the 15 minute grace period to return to that ride as well. Doing this gives you the advantage of booking that next attraction up 15 minutes earlier than you might otherwise have been able, likely securing an earlier return time so you can keep moving.

5. Plan strategically for lack of cell service.

Although things have certainly gotten better the last few years, cell data at Disneyland isn’t available everywhere. Disneyland’s WiFi can be very spotty in places. You may not always be able to get service to book your next Lightning Lane attraction if you are in an indoor queue. Plan accordingly.

I found that it’s best to “pull over” past the Lightning Lane scanners (not blocking other guests of course) as soon as you scan in to an attraction’s Lightning Lane. That’s where you should book your next ride before you enter a ride building where you may lose coverage.

You really need to plan for this challenge if you are trying strategically to time booking a paid Lightning Lane Single Pass for a specific time of day. Rise of the Resistance can run out of times quite quickly in the middle of the day. If you are deep in the queue of Soarin’ or Indiana Jones for a key 20-30 minutes where there is zero service, you might well miss the chance to book the time you want.

6. Park hop for maximum value.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass now includes up to 22 attractions across both parks at the Disneyland Resort. It might sound like a lot, but they are not split equally. Disneyland has up to 13, while California Adventure has just 9. Remember – guests cannot repeat riding an attraction with LLMP in a single day. That means ambitious ride-loving guests can actually pretty easily max out every LLMP attraction in a single day in a single park – particularly in DCA.

This is especially true if you don’t want to ride every attraction offered on the system. For example, not everyone loves riding the water rides in the winter. So Grizzly River Run may be off the table. Additionally, some families may have kids tall enough for some thrill rides but not all of them.

All of this means you’ll likely get a lot more value and likely ride a lot more if you have a Disneyland park hopper ticket in combination with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. This opens up 22 attractions to you each day – not just 13 or 9. (Note that Disneyland currently allows park hopping starting at 11:00am. LLMP only allows guests to book rides in the other park once the return time for a ride offered to all guests is 11:00am or later.)

Of course, park hopper tickets cost more than one park per day tickets – a flat fee of $65-75 extra per ticket depending on length. But if you are choosing between a 2 day vacation with park hopper tickets and Lightning Lane Multi Pass vs. a 3 day one park per day vacation without it, savvy guests can probably get more rides done in those two days with the park hopper option and LLMP in my opinion. And the costs are about the same.

7. Stay up late!

If you aren’t an early bird rope dropper, there is a lot you can accomplish in your overall strategy on a late Disneyland night. Disneyland park stays open until midnight many times of year and DCA is often open until 10pm. If you have older kids or are on an adults-only trip, this is a great time to ride as lines get shorter. Now that Magic Key (annual pass) capacity is more controlled with the current Disneyland reservations system , the evenings don’t get as crushed with locals as they did in the past.

While the most popular attractions will be out of LLMP return times at this late hour, that won’t matter – you will already have prioritized and completed those, right? This is the best time to repeat more popular attractions you already rode with LLMP using the standby lines. It’s also a smart time to fit in rides on attractions that don’t have Lightning Lanes. Just don’t plan on riding Rise of the Resistance at this hour – it closes early before the park does (currently at 10:00pm, but check this time before your trip because it changes).

8. On a Tight Budget or Longer Trip? Buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass for just one day.

If you are taking a multi-day vacation, you may not want to purchase LLMP every single day of it unless you are really all about the rides or repeating the same attractions multiple times. Paying $30+ per person per day is way beyond what the budgets of many Disneyland guests can handle!

LLMP is such an efficient system that I really think most non-locals should use it at least one day of a vacation. For that reason, if you are on a tight budget, I highly recommend designating just one day of your trip as a Lightning Lane Multi Pass day. This will be a day you prioritize rides and get a lot of value out of the system.

Make sure you schedule this day for one where you know you will be able to get an early start and be able spend a lot of time in the parks. Leave the character meals, food festivals, entertainment, etc. for other days when you aren’t paying for LLMP. If you have a park hopper ticket, it doesn’t matter if you have a reservation to start in Disneyland or in DCA for the morning. You’ll get a ton of value out of LLMP starting in either park and then hopping (see #6 above).

If you don’t have a park hopper ticket though, I recommend using LLMP for a Disneyland park day. With just 9 attractions in DCA on the system (5 of which have height minimums), most guests simply won’t get as much value out of a DCA day with LLMP. Disneyland has a wider variety of attractions that meet all interests on the system.

9. Do LLMP and LLSP on Different Days

The Disneyland systems have two different types of upcharges that many guests may be considering – Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass for 2 additional select attractions. If you are trying to get the most for your money, it’s probably smart to spread out all these upsell purchases over different days – assuming you even plan to buy all of them of course!

If you were to buy a couple of paid Lightning Lanes on a single day, you might run out of time to complete all the attractions you want on LLMP. This is particularly true if you have a park hopper ticket where up to 22 attractions are available to you. In that case, it might be a better use of money to designate one day as your LLMP day and then wait to pay for paid Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions on other days of a multi-day trip.

10. Mix & Match

If you are in a larger traveling party, Lightning Lane Multi Pass offers some flexibility in its ability to pool and share reservations. If someone in your party isn’t interested in (or tall enough for) a given attraction, another person in your party can use their reservation window for that ride.

This potentially allows some members of your group to double up on the same attraction in a single day. In the case of my family of 4, that means my husband and daughter could ride Matterhorn twice (my son and I don’t like it) by riding it the first time with their own LLMP booking. Then they can ride again with the LLMP bookings that my son and I can also make for that ride and don’t want. Simply scan the person’s tickets that correspond to the booking (either physical or the barcode in the Disneyland app or borrow their MagicBand+ if you’ve purchased those).

11. Maximize Multiple Experience Passes

Last but certainly not least is my favorite hack in the Lightning Lane system: Multiple Experience passes. I saved the best for last for those of you still hanging in and reading until the bitter end!

So how do you get a Multiple Experience pass? When a ride you’ve booked with LLMP breaks down during your reservation return window, the Disneyland app automatically converts the reservation into a Multiple Experiences pass.

These passes are incredibly flexible. First, the system (usually) lets guests make an additional LLMP booking immediately upon this pass being issued. The result is that this can speed up and reset the LLMP clock for you.

Second, these passes give you a lot more options for what you can ride. You could use these passes to ride the attraction you originally booked when it opens again – the most straightforward use. Or you can save the multiple experience passes and redeem them to ride something else you prefer more. You can even use these passes to double up and return to a ride you already experienced via Lightning Lane that day.

You can further redeem them any time until park closing. And they are valid in both Disneyland and DCA if you have a park hopper ticket.

The only limit? Ride blackouts. If the ride you originally booked is a less popular one (like Monsters, Inc. or Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters), the Multiple Experience pass you get won’t work for every ride. Some of the top level thrill rides will not be included as locations where you can redeem the pass.

But if the ride you had originally booked was a top tier attraction, however, you unlock many more choices in both parks. Paid Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions will be blacked out, but all other Lightning Lane attractions are usually available. The passes are also ordinarily valid at many attractions in DCA (but not Disneyland) that aren’t even part of LLMP. So they can be a way to get express entry onto a few rides that normally have no Lightning Lane option.

The bottom line? Scroll carefully when you see a Multiple Experiences pass in your Disneyland app to check where the pass is valid and where it can save you the most time in line.

While you’ll probably get one or two of these passes on a Disneyland vacation just due to regular breakdowns even if you aren’t trying, there is a way to try to get more of these passes. When a ride has broken down, it’s sometimes still possible to book a return time with LLMP on it for a near immediate return time. Minutes later if the ride remains down, the pass will convert to a Multiple Experience pass. Lather, rinse, repeat…. if you know what I mean.

Caveats about Ride Breakdowns

Just be aware that when rides break down (especially when more than one), the whole LLMP system can get a little out of whack.

A breakdown can lead to long Lightning Lane return times for that attraction when it comes back up as all guest with several hours worth of passes rush to use them. If your return time window isn’t ending imminently, don’t stand in these kinds of lines. Come back later if at all possible when things die down.

On very busy park days, watch for the butterfly effect. For example, if Indiana Jones goes down, a lot of guests in that line tend to flood the nearby Pirates line with their passes. This probably isn’t a good time to redeem yours at Pirates either. And it’s a really bad time to be in the Pirates standby line. Move away from the breakdowns! A lot of guests won’t take the extra steps to get physically away from the choke point. You should not make that mistake.

Final Thoughts

Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly known as Disney Genie+) at Disneyland has turned out to be a pretty solid successor to Fastpass and MaxPass for guests willing to pay (increasingly more) for the privilege. Return times are ample and available and there are easy hacks and tricks to get even more bang for your buck with careful planning.

Where to Book Your Disneyland Vacation & Save Money!

Save big on your Disneyland vacation with trusted Trips with Tykes partner, Get Away Today. Get Away Today sells park tickets at a discount, helps you find great deals at both on-property and off-property hotels, and provides expert customer service from representatives who visit Disneyland all the time.

For park tickets, don’t purchase direct from Disney and pay more! Book discounted Disneyland park tickets from Get Away Today here . Tickets purchased now are valid through December 31, 2025. Both park hopper and single park per day tickets are available, as well as tickets that include Genie+.

To take advantage of hotel and other package discounts from Get Away Today, explore and book Disneyland vacation packages here . Be sure to use code TYKES10 for $10 in additional savings.

Current Get Away Today Specials & Deals :

• Summer 2024 3 Day Ticket Deal : Super-discounted 3 day tickets valid for visits June 10 through September 26, 2024 (including on non-consecutive days). Choose weekday only or all days of the week as well as a 1 park-per-day or park hopper ticket. Prices start at $50/day per child and $83/day per adult. Normally this kind of a deal is available only to SoCal or California residents in summer, but this year it’s open to all!
• Extra Day Free Tickets : Get 5 days at Disneyland for the price of 4 with this extra day free special for longer vacations.
• 3rd or 4th Night Free : available at select Anaheim area hotels exclusively through Get Away Today bookings (can be combined with all ticket discounts).

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

dance-studios

Sunday 15th of September 2024

"Awesome tips! Maximizing Lightning Lane can definitely make a Disneyland trip more enjoyable and efficient. Planning ahead and using these advanced strategies can save so much time. Do you have any recommendations for the best rides or attractions to prioritize with Lightning Lane?"

graciespringhill

Wednesday 28th of August 2024

"These strategies are a game-changer for anyone heading to Disneyland! The tips on maximizing the Lightning Lane experience are incredibly detailed and practical. I’m sure they’ll make a huge difference in how smoothly the trip goes. Thanks for sharing these advanced insights!"

Tuesday 21st of March 2023

Let’s say you scan in at 7:30am and immediately make a LL selection for Indiana Jones for an 8:00am return time (park also opens at 8:00am). However, you continue to modify the Indy reservation backwards to 10:15am. Would you be able to book another LL at 9:30am (ie, 2 hours after you originally reserved the LL), or would you have to wait 2-hours (10am) from the actual 8:00am park opening to reserve your next LL pass (similar to how Genie+ works at Walt Disney World)?

I’m thinking a strategy would be to get the LL for Indiana Jones, spend the first 1-2 hours of the day riding Fantasyland-vicinity standby lines, reserve a second priority LL at 9:30am (say, Space Mountain), and then continue with standby rides until wait times start to jump around 10am. At that point, I can probably swing by Space Mountain (make anther LL afterwards) and then hoof over to Adventureland for the Indiana Jones reservation.

Saturday 19th of February 2022

This post and the basic one about Genie, Genie+, and individual lighting lane were SO helpful!!! Definitely the best I've read and I've been looking a lot to try to get all of my questions answered. Thank you so much for being so thorough!

Wednesday 12th of January 2022

Great article, Leslie! I heard the “plug” on the podcast and had to come over for the full list. I always appreciate your detailed advice.

How Can I Add Disney Genie Plus to My Tickets: A Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding Disney Genie Plus

Disney Genie Plus is an upgraded experience available for purchase in addition to your park ticket. It allows you to select the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences.

What Is Disney Genie+

Disney Genie+ is a paid service that enhances your visit to Disney parks. For a predetermined price per ticket per day, you can choose arrival windows for attractions that offer the Lightning Lane entrance, bypassing regular standby queues.

Disney Genie Plus vs. FastPass+

Disney Genie Plus is an evolution of the former FastPass+ system. Unlike FastPass+, Genie+ is not included with your park admission and must be purchased as an add-on. It offers similar benefits in terms of reducing wait times but through a more flexible, day-of planning approach.

Purchasing Genie Plus

To enhance your visit to Disney parks, consider adding Disney Genie Plus to your tickets, which allows you to choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance.

Adding Genie Plus to Tickets

To add Disney Genie Plus to your existing park tickets, follow these steps:

• Download the official Disney app on your smartphone, available for iOS and Android.
• Log in with your Disney account credentials; if you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one.
• Link your park tickets to your Disney account by entering the ticket ID or scanning the barcode.
• Select ‘My Disney Experience’ followed by the ‘Disney Genie+ Service’ option.
• Purchase Disney Genie Plus for each day you want to use it; you can do this on the same day of your visit.

Disney Genie Plus can be added to single-day or multi-day tickets and even annual passes.

Cost of Genie Plus

The cost of Disney Genie Plus varies:

• Single-day ticket : The price for adding Disney Genie Plus to a single-day ticket is $15 per ticket per day.
• Multi-day ticket : When purchasing for multiple days, add Disney Genie Plus at the same rate of $15 per ticket per day for each day you wish to have the service.
• Annual Pass : Annual Passholders may be offered different rates or packages; inquire for specific pricing.

Prices are as of the knowledge cutoff date and are subject to change, always check the latest prices on the official Disney website.

Booking Lightning Lane Entries

Adding Disney Genie+ to your theme park experience enables you to reserve access to Lightning Lane entrances at certain attractions. This significantly reduces your wait time, allowing you to enjoy more of your park day.

How to Reserve Lightning Lanes

To start securing Lightning Lane entrances, you must first have valid theme park admission and a park reservation for the same day. With these prerequisites met, proceed as follows:

• Open the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone.
• Select ‘Disney Genie+ Service’ from the main menu.
• Choose ‘Get Started’ and purchase Genie+ if you haven’t done so with your ticket.
• Upon completion, tap on the ‘Create Your Tip Board’ to view eligible Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions.
• Make your Lightning Lane selections by clicking on the ‘Book Experience’ option next to the desired attraction.

Remember, your reservation gives you a one-hour window to arrive at the Lightning Lane entrance for the attraction.

Timing Your Lightning Lane Reservations

Strategically planning when to lock in your Lightning Lane entries can maximize your time in the parks.

• You can make your first Lightning Lane selection at 7 AM on the day of your visit if you’re a resort hotel guest, or when the park opens if you’re not staying on property.
• Bookings are limited to one selection at a time.
• After redemption or once the arrival window passes, secure your next Lightning Lane entry.

For Individual Lightning Lane attractions not included with Genie+, separate purchases are necessary:

• One individual Lightning Lane selection can be made at a time.
• The number of purchases per day for these attractions is restricted.
• Prioritize popular attractions as their return times may fill quickly.

Maximizing Park Experience

Genie Plus is a service designed to enhance your visit to Disney parks by providing a customizable itinerary to optimize your enjoyment and minimize wait times.

Using Genie Plus Effectively

First, download the My Disney Experience app ; it’s your gateway to accessing Genie Plus features. Next, select the attractions and experiences you’re interested in. Genie Plus will then craft a custom itinerary for you. Always check the Tip Board on the app to see current wait times and Genie Plus availability for attractions; this allows for real-time adjustments.

• Reserve Access to attractions as early as possible in the day; this ensures a broader selection of experiences.
• Review your itinerary first thing in the morning , and book reservations for your top attractions to reduce waiting in lines.
• Use the app throughout the day to adapt your plans based on updated wait times and experience availability.

Tips and Tricks for Genie Plus

To fully leverage Genie Plus, remember to keep an eye on the app’s Tip Board. This is crucial for skipping longer queues and getting the most out of your time.

• Prioritize popular attractions early to ensure access.
• Refresh the Tip Board frequently to catch new reservation opportunities as they become available.
• Alternate between attractions with shorter wait times and those booked with Genie Plus to maximize your time efficiently.

Disney Genie Plus Limitations

While Disney Genie Plus offers streamlined access to attractions, it’s important for you to be aware of its restrictions and potential drawbacks before adding it to your tickets.

Restrictions and Limitations

Disney Genie Plus has specific limitations . You cannot use it for every ride and the availability of attractions is subject to change. For instance:

• Some high-demand attractions may not be included.
• Reservation times are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, hence you may not get your desired time slot.
• Only one Genie Plus selection can be made at a time; you must use your current selection or wait two hours before making a new one.
• Access to certain rides might require joining a virtual queue or using the standby line due to capacity.

Pros and Cons of Genie Plus

The pros of Genie Plus include skipping long lines and efficiently managing your park day. Conversely, the cons might include:

• Additional cost on top of your regular ticket.
• The need for constant app check-ins, which could disrupt your park experience.

By recognizing these constraints, you can better determine if Genie Plus is worth adding to your Disney experience.

Rides and Attractions

When adding Disney Genie Plus to your tickets, you gain expedited access to select rides and attractions across the four main parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Understanding which rides are eligible and their popularity will enhance your park experience.

Eligible Genie Plus Rides

Begin your day by reserving access to certain rides and attractions in each park. Here is a breakdown of eligible attractions in each park that offer the Genie Plus option:

Magic Kingdom

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Space Mountain
• Spaceship Earth
• Mission: SPACE
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Hollywood Studios

• Toy Story Mania!
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Animal Kingdom

• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Expedition Everest

Popular Rides and Attractions

After securing your Genie Plus selections, consider timing and popularity. Visit highly sought-after attractions early in the day or later in the evening to avoid long wait times. These include:

• Magic Kingdom : Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain are some of the most coveted attractions.
• EPCOT : Test Track and Soarin’ Around the World often see higher demand.
• Hollywood Studios : Slinky Dog Dash and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance are top picks.
• Animal Kingdom : Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey in Pandora – The World of Avatar attract significant attention.

Familiarizing yourself with the listed attractions and strategizing based on popularity will maximize your enjoyment of Genie Plus.

Park Hopping with Genie Plus

Combining Disney Genie Plus with your Park Hopper tickets enhances your experience as you move between parks, ensuring a streamlined and enjoyable park time.

Genie Plus and Park Hopper Tickets

When you add Disney Genie Plus to your Park Hopper tickets, you maximize your opportunities for enjoying attractions across multiple parks in a single day. Initially, purchase your Park Hopper tickets, which allow you to visit more than one Disney theme park after 2 p.m. each day of your ticket. Next, through the My Disney Experience app or Disney website, add Genie Plus to your tickets before you visit your first park of the day.

To make the most out of your park-hopping experience with Genie Plus, follow these steps:

• Confirm Your Ticket Type : Ensure your existing tickets are Park Hopper eligible. Genie Plus can only enhance your experience if park hopping is allowed.
• Purchase Genie Plus : Buy Genie Plus ideally before your park day starts. You may add Genie Plus for each day of your ticket or selectively for days you plan to park hop.
• Plan Ahead : Before you arrive, familiarize yourself with the list of available attractions within each park and decide on your must-dos.
• Start Early : Make your first Genie Plus reservation for an attraction at the park you plan to visit first. Reservation windows open at 7 a.m. for Disney Resort hotel guests and at park opening for other guests.
• Keep Timing in Mind : As you can only hold one reservation at a time, schedule your subsequent Genie Plus selections around the time you plan to switch parks.
• Monitor Queues : Use the My Disney Experience app to keep an eye on wait times. This helps you decide the best times to move between parks and utilize Genie Plus selections accordingly.
• Be Flexible : Park hopping combined with Genie Plus selections requires adaptability. Ride wait times and reservation availability can change throughout the day, so have alternative plans ready.

Remember, with Genie Plus, you can reserve access to select attractions, entertainment, and experiences. Your park time is further optimized by minimizing waits in lines, giving you more freedom to enjoy multiple parks efficiently. Enjoy your magical park-hopping journey with Disney Genie Plus.

Additional Paid Options

Disney Genie+ Service offers you the ability to enhance your park experience with additional purchase options. These options allow for more customized planning and a streamlined park visit.

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

Your Disney Genie+ upgrade includes the option to purchase Individual Lightning Lane selections. This a la carte service lets you select high-demand attractions that are not included with the base Disney Genie+ experience. To make these separate purchases:

• Open your Disney app once you are inside the park.
• Navigate to the My Disney Experience section.
• Select the Individual Lightning Lane attraction you wish to access.
• Confirm and make your purchase.

Prices for Individual Lightning Lane selections vary by date, attraction, and park. These are separate from the Disney Genie+ service fee and must be purchased individually, providing a more tailored experience. Lightning Lane selections are subject to availability and are limited in quantity each day.

Disney Genie Plus and Your Disney Experience

Disney Genie Plus is a convenient service that enhances your experience at Disney Resorts by helping you plan your trip, make dining reservations, and use the My Disney Experience mobile app to streamline your visit.

My Disney Experience App

Download the My Disney Experience App to start your journey. This app becomes your digital hub for your Disney vacation, allowing you to manage reservations and access your Disney Genie service. First, ensure your tickets are linked to your Disney account. Next, navigate to the Disney Genie Plus section within the app. From there, select ‘Get Disney Genie+ for Today’ and follow the prompts to purchase for your party.

Planning with Disney Genie

Plan your Disney trip effortlessly with Disney Genie. This feature offers customized itineraries and updates that keep your preferences and interests in mind. Make your dining reservations using the app, and for an easier meal-time experience, take advantage of mobile ordering at select restaurants. Disney Genie can also help you with reserving access to select attractions and experiences, allowing more time to enjoy the magic.

Photography Services

When you add Disney Genie+ to your ticket, you gain access to Disney PhotoPass benefits, allowing you to capture your memorable moments throughout the parks with convenience and ease.

Disney PhotoPass and Genie Plus

Disney PhotoPass service lets you enjoy unlimited digital downloads of your Disney photo captures. When you have Disney Genie+, you can download these photos from your day in the park at no extra charge. Here’s how to make the most of your Disney PhotoPass experience:

1. Connect Your Ticket: First, link your Disney Genie+ service to your Disney account. This integrates your ticket and the PhotoPass benefits.

2. Locate Photographers: Find Disney PhotoPass photographers throughout the park. These professionals are stationed at iconic spots and character encounters ready to take your photo.

3. Pose and Smile: When you spot a PhotoPass photographer, join the queue if there is one, then pose for your pictures. They will scan your MagicBand or park ticket to link the photos to your account.

4. Access Your Memories: After your photos are taken, they will appear in the Disney app. From there, you can download and share them as you please, thanks to your Genie+ service.

• Bonus Tip: Look for Magic Shots. PhotoPass photographers can add special effects to your photos, like Disney characters and other magical surprises.

By using Disney Genie+ along with the PhotoPass service, you ensure every laugh, scream, and smile is captured. Remember to download your photos before they expire, typically within 45 days from the date they were taken.

Theme Park Strategies

Before you add Disney Genie+ to your tickets, it’s crucial to develop effective strategies to maximize your time and enjoyment at the parks.

Crafting Your Park Itinerary

Prepare your itinerary by selecting must-see attractions and experiences based on your interests. With Disney Genie+ service in places like Florida and California, prioritize the attractions that typically have longer queues. Use the tip board feature on the Disney Genie service in the Disney app to monitor wait times and make strategic decisions.

• Review virtual queues for popular attractions. Some experiences may require joining a virtual queue, which can be done through the Disney app.
• Utilize the audio tales available in the app to enhance your park experience with entertaining stories related to the attractions.
• Plan your itinerary around shows and performances to ensure you don’t miss top experiences.
• Book experiences in advance for certain attractions and dining, where available, to save time.

Remember to check the tip board repeatedly throughout the day to adjust your itinerary as needed. Incorporate down time to rest, especially in the heat of Florida or California, to recharge for more adventures. Make effective use of Disney Genie+ by reserving access to attractions, thereby reducing the time you spend in the queue.

Hollywood Studios Itinerary Plan: Your Guide to a Perfect Day

Animal Kingdom Itinerary Plan: Optimizing Your Adventure-packed Day

Typhoon lagoon water park itinerary plan: maximizing your visit with strategic planning, blizzard beach water park itinerary plan: your guide to a perfect day.

First-Time Visitors Walt Disney World Itinerary Plan: Your Essential Guide

Hollywood Studios Genie+ Priorities & Lightning Lane Ride Ranks

Hollywood Studios is the second-best park for buying Walt Disney World’s Genie+ service. Lightning Lane line-skipping access is available at 15 attractions in DHS, and many are headliners or popular thrill rides. This guide ranks all in terms of time-saved and how quickly they book up. ( Updated October 22, 2023 .)

For our Late 2023 update to these rankings, we want to start with a pretty positive update: Genie+ is easier  at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. For a long time, Slinky Dog Dash booked up within seconds of 7 am, other rides moved fast starting at 9 am, and it could be difficult to score a worthwhile third Lightning Lane of the day–nevermind good 4th or 5th selection.

To be sure, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still tough and requires savvy strategy. On peak season days, the above dynamic still exists. However, on moderately busy days (6/10 to 8/10 on the Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar ), it is much easier. Slinky Dog Dash can last for hours, not seconds or minutes, and most other attractions have availability through midday. So long as you choose in the correct order, it’s now possible to score Lightning Lane selections for just about every high-priority attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With that update out of the way, let’s turn to what you need to know about Genie+ at DHS, and cover the best order to make your ride reservations…

The goal is to give you the tools and info you need to create your own DHS itinerary with Genie+, rather than relying on our recently-updated 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes Plan . Or, you can utilize “a best of both worlds” approach, consulting that pre-made plan and the rankings here so you understand the why of it, and can adjust the itinerary to account for your Advance Dining Reservations, preferred stage showtimes, Fantasmic Dining Packages or standby , whether you want to minimize walking distances, etc.

As indicated above, crowd levels can heavily impact how an actual day at DHS plays out. To a lesser extent, weather, ride closures, stage showtimes, and more can also impact how things play out. As such, a sample itinerary cannot be replicated step-for-step with the exact same Lightning Lane time slots, etc. This equips you to put together your own dynamic plan of attack for using Genie+ in DHS.

Of course, this assumes that you want to ‘pay to play’ and will use the Genie+ paid FastPass option rather than simply doing standby lines. In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, that’s our recommendation. If you want to know the basis for that suggestion, see My Day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Using Genie+ with Peak Season Crowds . That illustrates just how tough DHS can be even with strong strategy–it’s a brutal park no matter what your approach.

Additionally, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all of the foundational need-to-know info about this replacement for free FastPass+. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.

Alternatively, if you’re thinking about skipping Genie+ at DHS, that’s possible, too. Our 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Itinerary covers how you can accomplish everything even if you’re staying off-site and don’t want to spend anything extra on Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes.

If you are staying on-site and don’t want to buy or otherwise hassle with the Genie+ service, the one thing we highly recommend is Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios . (Not to overwhelm you with planning resources, but having an idea of how a day at DHS is likely to play out will help you tremendously!)

As one final (we swear) note before we delve into the rankings, we should note that this offers ride priorities for Lightning Lanes via Genie+ and not Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) , which is pay-per-ride . The only ILL attraction is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Previously, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was also an Individual Lightning Lane ride, but that’s now a permanent part of Genie+ at DHS.

We are not keen on buying a la carte front of line access, so we recommend doing this attraction either first thing in the morning (if you’re eligible for Early Entry) or towards the end of the night. On busy days, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is potentially worth paying for ILL access–it’s the only ride at Walt Disney World we’d even consider paying for that, and even that depends upon crowd levels and wait times.

Now, on with the show & ride rankings for Genie+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios…

The Best of Genie+ at DHS

1. Slinky Dog Dash – The obvious choice for your #1 Genie+ Lightning Lane selection and not just in DHS, but all of Walt Disney World. It used to be far and away the most popular pick, but lately, it has gotten some competition at EPCOT from Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Whether you’re starting at DHS or Park Hopping later, you’ll want to prioritize this early in the day, as this one books up fast–often within minutes of 7 am. For Slinky Dog Dash, we strongly recommend following our Speed Strategy for Genie+ Selections .

2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – Since returning from its multi-month refurbishment earlier this year, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (RnRC) has been the second most popular Genie+ Lightning Lane and has averaged the third highest wait time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (after Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash). That safely cements it as the #2 priority, which is the highest it’s ever been. While you’ll definitely want to snag it early if you’re relying upon Genie+ to skip the lines, RnRC frequently has a short wait the first hour of day. In fact, there have been times we’ve done it back to back with zero wait at the end of Early Entry and start of rope drop.

3. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – This is the secondary attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but it still averages a top 5 wait time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and is usually the second or third-fastest booking Lightning Lane ride reservation via Genie+. It shouldn’t be too difficult to secure this into the afternoon, so you have a little flexibility in booking this strategically depending upon your preferred return time and personal priorities.

4. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – Earlier this year, the “new ride smell” started wearing off Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The average wait time has been dropping, and the attraction is typically not in the top 5 wait times at DHS. There is some day-to-day fluctuation in this, but Runaway Railway is now typically the #4 or #5 priority Lightning Lane. Its family-friendly and all ages (and heights) nature makes it more appealing for a lot of Genie+ guests, but you shouldn’t have much difficulty scoring this one even in the early afternoon most days.

5. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – It has been an up-and-down year for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’s ranking. It shot up last spring, then plummeted towards the end of summer before quickly rising again in the winter. This dynamic was attributable to a lengthy “stealth” refurbishment that took each elevator shaft down, with a gap in between the downtimes. That meant that the attraction was effectively operating at half-capacity for about 4 months on two different occasions.

During those downtimes, Tower of Terror had the second highest wait time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios after only Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. It even beat out Slinky Dog Dash most dates! Suffice to say, when Tower of Terror has one elevator shaft down, it became the #2 Genie+ Lightning Lane priority. When operating at full-capacity, its ranking drops significantly.

We mention all of this for two reasons. First, you might see references to Tower of Terror’s increased Lightning Lane popularity or higher wait times elsewhere, or you might’ve been tracking that yourself over the course of the last several months. In any case, it’s no longer part of the equation. You can once again safely save Tower of Terror for your fourth or fifth selection.

Second, if you see Tower of Terror’s wait time spike on the day you visit–and it has the first to third highest-wait time in the park–you should move it up to the #2 priority, as there’s a good chance one of the elevators is down (again). Even post-refurbishment, downtime does happen!

5. Toy Story Mania – Every park has one attraction that “soaks up” Genie+ ride reservations, allocating a significant portion of its capacity to line-skipping. Toy Story Mania is definitely that for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Its standby wait time has spiked since Genie+ launched (making this a good use of the Lightning Lane), but there’s typically easy availability via Genie+ for Toy Story Mania throughout the day.

6. Alien Swirling Saucers – Based on average standby wait times alone, this is a smart seventh pick. Subjectively, most people are probably good to skip the Toy Story Land flat ride.

The Rest of Genie+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Star Tours — The Adventures Continue – This excellent Star Wars simulator can have decently long waits on the busiest days of the year, but most normal days, we’ve found Genie+ to offer almost no advantage here. Get it if you can, but don’t sweat standby.

Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight – There are a few deceptively popular meet & greets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This isn’t one of them. Unfortunately, Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight  is  the only one that offers a Lightning Lane. (Accordingly, we recommend doing Red Carpet Dreams and the Monsters, Inc. meet & greet earlier in the day or later in the evening.)

Stage Shows – Everything else at Disney’s Hollywood Studios–Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage, Disney Jr. Play & Dance, Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, MuppetVision 3D–is a show of some sort, or at least not a ride .

While Genie+ offers priority seating, which can amount to a better view, it’s typically not all that advantageous for shows. If you’re not going to Park Hop, you might consider using it for these shows, but there’s not a good way to put Lightning Lane reservations for these into your itinerary during the middle of the day. The opportunity cost of not booking one of the top 6 rides is too high. The vast majority of guests should simply do shows via the standby lines.

Ultimately, you should be able to knock out most attractions via Genie+ using Lightning Lanes on a good day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The biggest obstacle might be your first pick, as Slinky Dog Dash goes fast every single morning, especially during peak season.

You will miss out entirely on it if you’re not up and ready to make your first selection at 7 am. Other than that, you shouldn’t have much of a problem scoring slots for the remaining top 5 picks (except maybe Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run), so long as you’re willing to stay all day and don’t mind reservations in the afternoon.

On a bad day, you might not only miss out on Slinky Dog Dash, but also on another headliner or two in the top 5. Plan accordingly based on the crowds when you’ll be visiting, and also give yourself as many other advantages as possible–like Early Entry, rope drop, or staying late when crowds tend to die down at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Regardless of when you’re visiting, Genie+ will save you the second-most time at DHS, behind only Magic Kingdom, which earns that distinction because of its higher eligible attraction count. This is what makes buying Genie+ our recommendation for most people and on most days of the year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Even if it requires a bit of a splurge, cut the cost out of your Walt Disney World vacation budget somewhere else.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews . To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

How would you rank your ride priorities using Genie+ and Lightning Lanes in Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Surprised by any of the rankings in our top 5, or that Slinky Dog Dash takes the #1 spot? Are you planning on buying Genie+ or skipping it? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

Just got back from Disney on Sunday. We did Hollywood Studios with genie plus and had a terrible experience. I booked slinky dog at 7am and my range of time was 5pm-6pm. By noon all of the rides (whether on top 5 list or not), were not offering anymore availability. Rock n Roll Coaster didn’t have anything available at 10am, but it came back to being available for about a hour around 11am. It’s our second time doing genie plus here at Hollywood and I think it might be our last visiting this park for awhile.

Great article! Would be curios to see a similar one for Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

So do you book your LL first and then buy ILL for ROR? Or vice versa?

Now that Fantasmic is showing again, I am curious as to if and how that has changed the dynamics of evenings at Hollywood Studios. We have been pretty successful at stacking a couple LLs and getting on several rides including Rise without long waits. Any insight into how Fantasmic has or has not affected the rest of the park? Thanks

I went in November of 2022, and I noticed for the 2nd showing of Fantasmic a lot of the rides had low waits, Rise of the Resistance was like 20 minutes?

Has anyone had issue trying to book lightning lanes while in transit to a park on a bus or private vehicle or booking outside the park entrance? Curious if trying to be at parks slightly before early entry will create issues booking lightning lanes due to cell service etc.

Great question – I’ve had the same question as we plan on doing EE and will need to leave the hotel before 7am.

As a long time AP, I can assure you one thing is absolutely pointless anymore… rope dropping. EVERYONE rope drops and it is almost always the busiest time of day at the parks. So when my family goes, we sleep in or go to a sit down breakfast… take our time. However during that time, I start booking Genie+ rides for the park we have a reservation for, stacking them for later in the day. By the time we end up at the parks (normally around 3-4pm), I have 4-6 rides already booked and we practically walk on to everything. Last time we were at HS during a busy time, we rode every ride with a Genie+ and paid for Rise. Started at RR, then Tower, then Runaway, then Slinky, then Toy Story, then Aliens, then Millennium Falcon, and finally Rise. Absolutely the way to go. And had time to have a few drinks along Hollywood Blvd, a little shopping in between, and some other snacks. We’ve done this at Magic Kingdom and Epcot also. MK is a little more in depth bc there are so many more rides, but we don’t do the small kid rides anymore (son is 11). Stacking has definitely been the best method we have found and we’ve tried all the “hacks” and tricks listed on these websites, with little to no luck. And the single day plans are also bogus unless you like standing in long lines.

I don’t agree with this at all. There’s still a ton of value in rope dropping the parks—the key is not to follow the herd.

Thank you for sharing this approach. I’m not a morning person. How do you “stack” your rides? I have not used genie+ before? Do you get to select times like the old FastPass? Can you book 6 rides in the morning? Or do you have to compete a few rides and then book the rest?

Thanks for the confirmation this strategy works. I’ve done experimental days from home where I “book” a Slinky Dog LL at around 5:15pm and then follow the two hour rule the rest of the day and theoretically arrive at the park with five evening LLs in hand, six if you include Rise.

I have followed you for a long time and always appreciate your insight! We just returned from a six night stay at the Riviera. Prior to that, February 2020, just before the pandemic, was our laser trip. So much has changed! We were up early each day and at the parks for early entry. Overall we had a wonderful time BUT I was disappointed in the number of headliners down throughout the trip. This included ROR, Slinky Dog, Mickey and Minnie’s Railway, GOTG, Frozen, Ratatouille, Everest and Test Track. We wound up returning on other days (changing our park reservations) and ultimately rode all of those, but I would think with the amount of $ park tickets cost more rides would be working. Is this more common now? If so, I wonder why.

Same experience. Tons of breakdowns and after waiting an hour in line in several parks. Happened way too many times. Just one example, frozen broke down then test track then remy. Over half the headliners. The morning was lost for so many people. Ridiculous and costly.

Hello, we are planning a WDW trip (first timers) at the busiest time of the year (Dec 27th – 31st), and although we are staying on property and planning Early Entry and utilizing ILL + LL, our main focus is Star Wars Edge for our 13yr old. However, I also don’t want to miss out on Slinky Dog Dash, Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and TOT. Are my expectations to high for that time of year, or can I book LL waiting for Early Entry for ROR? Thanks!

I haven’t been to WDW for Christmas since 2017 so I will leave that to better experts. I would only emphasize that I was surprised at how many people headed to Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day. They ended up shutting down access to MK at noon. Plus, the street traffic to the park was crazy. Now that they have the park reservation system that will definitely help with crowd numbers but definitely plan your park reservations early and make them asap. Knowing that MK was popular, we did the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on our first night. Best move ever. Way less crowds in that park so we were able to hit so many of the must-do rides without long lines. If it’s not already sold out, strongly consider adding that. When we had our Christmas Day Magic Kingdom visit we didn’t miss out on all the great rides due to crowds because we’d done many of them at the party. If you are staying at a deluxe hotel check into extra late hours too. Another way to hit favorites without the crowds. Of course you’ll be an expert at Genie+ after a day or two – a definite must for MK and Galaxy’s End rides. If I can make one definite suggestion for your time on Bantuu, it’s lightsaber building at Savi’s. It’s pricy but so worth the entertainment, experience, and the excitement my two kids had when we walked up and surprised them (ages 20 & 13). You could bring in one guest to observe with the builder – we were taping every second – it was that good. And all the awesome photo’s afterward in Batuu. Worth every penny – an experience that your son will never forget. We are so grateful we splurged on Savi’s for the kids. They also have the Star Wars Bounty Hunter game with the Magicband+. Have heard good things about that too but you must have the MagicBand+ to play it. Have an awesome time!

We are headed to Disney the 2nd week of September (5 days, but all weekdays). I know it’s hard to predict because last year was far from normal, but we are hoping that things like ILLs and perhaps Genie+ wouldn’t be as necessary. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

Since you haven’t had responses and trip is so close I would say if you are staying at Disney hotel and you can do early morning and/or last thing at night , you can maybe get away with no genie + or ILL early September. The exception is probably rise because not only is it still usually first reservation to sell out but the ride is probably the most likely to break . At least with paid lightning lane you can come back later. For that reason I think it’s prudent to get the ill for rise at least once if you’re interested in riding. If you aren’t staying at Disney and rise sells out before you can buy, I’d probably buy genie+ for HS so at least you’re not risking spending your whole day waiting in line. Just one person opinion I also think the priority order for the rides has changed and millennium falcon is no longer second or third ride to sell out. Also the repairs are over for tower and runaway May fill up before tower. I’d suggest you start monitoring on app to get a sense about whether the wait times would be doable for you if you’ll be at park a lot mid day. No expert but hope this helps a little bit

CL 4 day ROTR showed 20 minute wait at 8 pm the other day (I suspect a typo by CMs lol) so we hopped in line and the wait was a pretty easy 40 minutes. Seems towards end of day ROTR is doable without ILL.

Hi there. I wanted to thank you for all this great info! We just came back from a 4 day stay during busy Easter weekend. Our main goals were to get on the RTR as we had never been on it, been a few years since we came to WDW and also Pandora rides at AK. I spent a lot of time here reading up on what is new and strategies to maximize our time and heavy investment on this trip. We did pay for Genie +, stayed on site and took advantage of early entry and rope drop at MK, DHS, and DAK and it was so worth it. We went on all the rides at DHS including Slinky Dog and got to go on RTR twice! We also got a recovery ticket that was used on Rockin Rollercoaster twice due to a breakdown in the Runway Railway ( only ride we missed). All in all your tips made this a memorable trip. We were able to book simultaneous at times and took advantage of the genie time rules, much easier while doing than reading about it. Rope dropping was fun and worth it to ride, eat, and take pics with low crowds early in the AM. We even went back to hotel two of the days and back to parks at night. I don’t think our trip would have been half as successful without your blog!

My daughter and I will be in Orlando from May 25 to June 4 (25th and 4th are non park days for sure). Because we are AKL from May 28th to June 4th, I was assuming we should do our 4 Disney park days in that window (we are Univeral pass holders this year so doing those, too). We don’t usually hop at WDW but between possible Cosmic Rewind opening, Memorial Day holidsy crowds, extended evening hours for deluxe guests (AKL qualifies), etc., I’m wondering if it makes sense in this case. Do you think it’s worth bigger crowds on Memorial Day at Epcot. For example, for the extended evening hours? This is not our first trip and universe-dependent, hopefully not our last.

How many people would pre pay for genie + for their whole trip if they could book their first ride at a normal time. Like when they buy them or 24 hours ahead at noon.

If it was fast plus I would.

I just returned from a trip to WDW (1/23 – 1/28). Monday, 1/24 was a 10/10 day at MK — ride times rivaled New Years times — I have no idea why. I can firmly say Genie+ worked for us for MK, DHS, and even EPCOT one day. I closely followed the strategies identified on this site and created a spreadsheet that I followed closely. My daughter and I worked the Genie+ / ILL at 7:00AM every morning. Yes, Genie+ costs more money, and yes it takes planning — but I was willing to pay-to-play (including ILL’s) because the amount of money we were already spending just staying at WDW was more than justified to me. For those of you curious, I spent an extra $419 over 6 days in the parks on Genie+ and ILL’s for 3 people — but, this preserved my sanity and tremendously maximized our rides by following the strategy I created from the many blogs on this site. We talked to a wonderful mother from Alberta Canada while at DHS, and she described the same crazy 1/24 Monday at MK, where she rode a *maximum* of 4 rides spending an average of 2 hours at each ride. That is 8+ hours waiting in line doing nothing else!!! For us, this saved us time (not money) by maximizing our time on rides — we rode 12+ rides including most “headliner” rides. On the crazy Monday at MK, we did many rides and ILL’ed Seven Dwarfs. Unexpectedly, Seven Dwarfs was down when we went to the LL but were rewarded with a return time of *all day* — we kept that in our back pocket so that worked out to our advantage as we rode this ride when it suited our schedule. Bonus! We did Jungle Cruise Genie+ and that ride reached a crazy 125 minutes.

All of this to say something to think about when deciding on whether to buy Genie+ and/or ILL’s. I did use Genie+ pass stacking and pass-and-ride strategies. For all parks we did early entry rope drops (we were Disney resort guests) and closed many of the parks. For DHS on 1/25, at early opening we did Tower of Terror x 2 (one after another), followed by Rockin’ Roller Coaster. 3 rides without spending a dime by getting there early. Granted we don’t mind getting up early and staying to closing — we averaged 24,000 steps per day with a high of 26,800 steps on a park hop day (we park hopped and continued to use Genie+ in the other parks — by the way, don’t discount the use of Genie+ with a park hop option — this is often overlooked but yields many late rides).

Money aside, Genie+ works *with* a strategy. This blog site helped immensely with creating a strategy in a spreadsheet. We also packed plenty of patience with the crowds. And for those who think there is no downtime, there is plenty of time to shop and rest (we had reservations for table service at all parks, and did the MK After Party and EPCOT Rose & Crown Dinner Fireworks combining both — this was my favorite meal / fireworks after a long day of cold and rain).

One other point — this was perhaps the best trip we have taken over 20 years where the crowds were well behaved. Seriously! I only saw several gaming the system attempts — the newest example is people taking “service dogs” to the parks. One service dog vest was so fake you just had to laugh at the brazenness coupled with the breed. But this was minor — I experienced no bad line cutting attempts at all — even with the high crowds. It was an unexpectedly good experience.

Sorry for the long post, but having a solid strategy for Disneyworld makes ALL the difference in maximizing your time and experiences.

Hi Matt, I hope this doesn’t sound too forward, but I’d love a copy of the spreadsheet you made for your WDW trip. I am taking my family for the first time in June and am a big believer in planning ahead!

Thanks so much, Christi Budge [email protected]

Thank you for this field report post. Appreciate the detail. A couple things do stand out for my situation is that I have a family of 5 not 3 so I’d be looking at even more dough spent on genie and also we like to enjoy the pool in the late afternoon and not just go to the parks early to close.

Hi Matt Same as Chriti. I’d love to see your spreadsheet as I try and do things like that myself. We have a trip coming up with 6 and we will have to pay if we are doing any Geni+. My daughter is old enough so this would be the 1st time she would have her own account. So at 7am we can both try and get that 1st LL for the 6 of us and whoever gets it then it will work for all 6 of us correct? [email protected]

Hi Matt, Do you mind sharing your spreadsheet. We are going to WDW in June for the first time with our daughter and I like to plan ahead of time. Thank you so much in advance! Regards, Mitzy [email protected]

Just got back and bought Genie+ for DHS not sure it was worth it. Park was Packed on a rainy cold Tuesday and while we did score SDD for midday almost every other ride only had after 3pm available when we became eligible at 11am for a second pass. By 1pm half the rides were sold out or 6pm or later returns. Rope drop continues to be the best strategy here I’ll buy ROTR usually the same price as Genie+ and continue to make this a half day park.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of new posts by email.