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Home / Blog / Lightning Lane and Universal Express / Our Top Tips and Strategies for Using Genie Plus at Disney World

Our Top Tips and Strategies for Using Genie Plus at Disney World

by Leap on May 29, 2024
28 Orlando

Inside This Post Inside This Post

Since the Disney Genie+ service launched in October 2021, we’ve gained a ton of experience and mastered our top tips and strategies. For a complete breakdown of Disney Genie (including Genie Plus and individual Lightning Lane selections), hop over to our general guide. And if you still have questions, reference the most frequently asked questions that we get. When you’ve mastered the basics, come back to this post so that you, too, can become a Genie expert!

Genie+ Tips at Disney World - App in front of Tower of Terror

Our Most Basic Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World

Let’s start off easy with some basic but important things to remember, diving right in with steps you should take before you even leave for vacation. (If you're looking for West Coast info, hop over to our tips and tricks, frequently asked questions or our full guide to Genie Plus at Disneyland. Ribbit!)

Genie+ Tips at Disney World

Get to Know the Lingo

Individual Lightning Lane. Genie. Genie+. Stacking. What does all of it mean?! Be sure to brush up before your trip so that you're a pro by the time you go. As we said, that's where our Genie guide and Genie+ FAQ come in handy!

Download the My Disney Experience App

First thing first: You should download the My Disney Experience app if you haven’t already. Not only is it where you can access Disney Genie, but it’s also where you can create mobile food orders, make dining reservations, check entertainment schedules and so much more! You’ll want to download it before your trip so you’re ready from the get-go. That way, you won’t have to download it in the parks where the Wi-Fi connection is not as strong and slows down the process (you’ll definitely want to avoid getting into this situation five minutes before you can make your first Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane selections!). If you already have the app, make sure you have the latest version and update it if you need to.

Genie+ Tips at Disney World - Tip Board

Get Familiar with the Tip Board

We highly recommend playing around with the entire app, but especially the Tip Board. The Tip Board is where you will make the Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane selections. Even from home, you can monitor the availability of rides on any given day, as it will show the most up-to-date time windows for each ride. Check the Tip Board at random times of the day so you can get a good idea of which rides tend to run out faster than others. For example, if you already know Slinky Dog Dash consistently runs out by midday, you can make sure to prioritize it by grabbing a reservation earlier in the day, compared to Spaceship Earth, which rarely runs out of Genie+ availability.

Know How and When to Purchase Genie Plus at Disney World

While there was previously an option to purchase Genie+ for the duration of your trip as a ticket add-on (prior to June 2022), the only current way to purchase Genie+ is through the My Disney Experience app on the day of. If you have multi-day tickets or annual passes, you will need to purchase Genie+ each day that you wish to use it. Since you can make your first Genie+ selection at 7 a.m., you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to purchase Genie+ and confirm your party before the top of the hour. Note that Genie+ service is subject to availability.

Genie+ prices vary by date, usually somewhere between $15 and $35 per person. Since Genie+ can only be purchased the day of, guests should double-check the My Disney Experience app for the current price for that day. As of June 27, 2023, prices also vary by park. With this update, prices may now be lower at some theme parks compared to others. You'll be able to select either a single-park option or a multiple-park option (with a valid Park Hopper ticket), subject to availability.

If you're planning on visiting Disney World in 2024, Disney recently announced that it's looking into ways to make Genie+ easier to use — including ways to plan with Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of your park visit. So frogtastic! The goal is to help guests spend less time planning while in the parks and more time enjoying their visit with family and friends. While specific details are not available just yet, more information will be shared at a later date. We'll be sure to keep you posted here!

Pack a Charger for Your Phone

Genie+ Tips at Disney World - Phone Charger

One of our wishes would definitely be unlimited phone power! We know it’s not ideal for everyone, but you will be using your phone throughout the day so you’ll want to make sure it doesn’t run out of battery. There are FuelRod kiosks available at the theme parks, Disney Springs and select resorts, so you can purchase a portable phone charging kit for $30 and then swap out the battery when it runs out. However, it’s not always convenient, as you’ll have to locate the nearest kiosk if you need a replacement. Also, it’s usually enough to bring your phone back from the dead, but a FuelRod charges at a slow pace and likely won’t reach 100% before you have to get a new one. Instead, we recommend purchasing and bringing your own portable charger. That way, it can last longer and you can easily whip it out in times of need!

Disney Genie Plus Tips by Ride

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World - Lightning Lane Entrance at Rise of the Resistance

As we mentioned before, familiarizing yourself with the Genie Plus Tip Board is one way you can determine which rides to prioritize. Mommy Frog, who loves data and research, has even started her own spreadsheet to track the trends that she finds by keeping tabs on the Tip Board at random times of the day about a week before our trip. She records the exact time she checks and which rides have already run out (or are close to running out). Fair warning, it can get addicting!

Some of these may be no-brainers, but she’s found a couple of surprises. Here are Mommy Frog’s recent findings that have stayed relatively consistent (though it’s always subject to change depending on a variety of factors, such as crowd levels, new ride or land openings, events, weather, refurbishments, etc.).

Check out the lists below to see which rides may run out the fastest! The lists are in order of popularity based on how quickly reservations have disappeared, in our experience, and include both Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane selections.

Magic Kingdom

  • TRON Lightcycle / Run*
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train*
  • Tiana's Bayou Adventure (opening June 28, 2024)
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Space Mountain
  • Medium-level priorities include: Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance*
  • Slinky Dog Dash
  • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
  • Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Medium-level priorities include: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith, Toy Story Mania!, Alien Swirling Saucers

Note from Mommy Frog: While the listed rides are usually the top five that fill up first, it’s not a rare occurrence for the majority of the rides (and even character greetings) to be unavailable by the afternoon on a particularly busy day.

EPCOT

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind*
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Test Track (under extended refurbishment starting June 17, 2024)
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Medium-level priorities include: Soarin’ Around the World, Mission: SPACE

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Avatar Flight of Passage*
  • Na'vi River Journey
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Medium-level priorities include: Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR and Kali River Rapids

*Individual Lightning Lane selection

If any of these rides are a high priority for you, you’ll want to focus on getting these Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane selections first. When you set up your plans via My Genie Day, you will be able to select your top picks by attractions, entertainment and dining. By doing so, these will appear at the top of your feed on the Tip Board! This is extremely hopful because when you're refreshing the Tip Board, you won't have to waste any time scrolling down the page to try to find one of your top priority rides.

Also note that, even if you're speedy and act on making a Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane selection as quickly as possible, the time window can automatically change on you, so it's important to remain flexible if this hoppens.

Disney Genie Plus Tips by Theme Park

Genie Plus at Disney World can be more helpful in some parks than others. If you have Base Tickets and are visiting one park per day, you may want to pick and choose the days that you’ll use Genie. Here’s where we find the most bang for your buck, depending on the park that you’re visiting for the day.

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World — Tip Board on Phone in front of Cinderella Castle

Magic Kingdom Park

In this case, we highly recommend Genie+ at Magic Kingdom. We think that, hands down, it’s the best park to get the most value out of Genie+ because there are many rides, as well as character greetings and Festival of the Fantasy Parade, included with the service. With so many options, people are more spread out, which evens the playing field. Aside from Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, there aren’t too many rides that will fill up early in the day. It isn’t until later in the afternoon that some rides will start to run out of reservations, and there are a number of rides that rarely run out at all (such as Mad Tea Party and Magic Carpets of Aladdin).

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Genie+ will come in handy here, as there are many popular thrill rides at this park that can build up lengthy wait times, and having Genie+ reservations would cut down on a lot of that time! However, the main caveat is that there is a smaller number of available rides, so reservations run out much more quickly than at the other parks. We recommend strategically stacking Genie+ reservations that fall in the afternoon and evening at Hollywood Studios (we’ll get into this stacking strategy with more details below!).

EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom

At EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll find only a few high-priority rides at each park, while the remainder of the rides generally have low standby waits or plenty of Genie+ availability. If you’re spending the entire day in one of these parks, you have a higher chance of knocking out everything you want to do without Genie+, especially if you take advantage of rope drop, Early Theme Park Entry and/or Extended Evening Hours. Unless you already have Genie+ included with your park tickets, you may just want to splurge for an individual Lightning Lane selection instead of Genie+. Genie+ may also be worth considering if it’s an especially busy time during summer, spring break or the holidays.

Park Hopping

If you have the ability to park hop, then we think Genie+ can come in handy any day of your trip. When you set up Disney Genie in My Day, you can tell Genie your entire plans for the day, even selecting the timeframe and park(s) you’re hopping to. Since Genie knows you’re hopping, you can snag Genie+ reservations for your second park. Overall, we’d recommend starting at EPCOT or Animal Kingdom and stacking Genie+ reservations for Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom in the afternoon.

Hacking the Disney Genie Plus Stacking Strategy

Before Genie Plus at Disney World launched, Disney stated that Genie+ is limited to one reservation at a time.

We quickly learned, however, that while you can’t book more than one Genie+ reservation at a time, you can hold more than one Genie+ reservation. How is that possible? You can make another Genie+ selection when one of the following happens (whichever comes first):

  • You tap in for your last booked Genie+ reservation.
  • The window for your last booked Genie+ reservation passes.
  • It's 120 minutes after the park opened (if you made your first res at 7 a.m.).
  • It's been 120 minutes after making a reservation during normal park hours.

At the top of the Tip Board, you'll be able to see the exact time for when you can make your next reservation. If you keep utilizing the 120-minute rule, then you’ll be able to stack multiple Genie+ reservations in the afternoon and evening.

A Real-Life Example of Mommy Frog's Stacking Strategy:

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World - Stacking Example Screenshot

  • 7 a.m: For the first Genie+ selection of the day, she made a Slinky Dog Dash reservation for 6:05-7:05 p.m.
  • 8 a.m: Hollywood Studios opened for the day, so she snagged a Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (an individual Lightning Lane selection) reservation for 5:10-6:10 p.m. since we were staying off-site. Also at this time, the 120-minute countdown to our next Genie+ selection started.
  • 10 a.m: Two hours after park open, she made a Tower of Terror reservation for 6:35-7:35 p.m.
  • Noon: Another two hours have passed, so she made a Rock 'n' Roller Coaster reservation for 5:35-6:35 p.m.
  • 2 p.m: Again, two hours later, she made a Toy Story Mania! reservation for 7:15-8:15 p.m.

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World - Stacking Example Screenshot

By then, she had four Genie+ reservations and one individual Lighting Lane reservation stacked and ready to go!

Here’s an important lesson about stacking that we learned the hard way: Don’t cancel a Genie+ reservation, thinking that you’ll be able to make a new one right after you cancel if you’ve got others stacked for later. The timer started after you made your most recent one, so you won’t be able to make one until your next eligible time.

For instance, using the example above, let's pretend that we see the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster standby line isn’t too long at 2 p.m. right after she makes the Toy Story Mania! reservation. Mommy Frog tells us to jump in line, cancels our reservation and then sees a reservation pop up for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. She goes to book it thinking, “Oh, this can be an easy swap,” but it won’t let her because we haven’t used the Toy Story Mania! reservation yet and the 120-minute timer started a few minutes ago. Now we’ve missed out on a Genie+ opportunity.

We also don't recommend canceling a Genie+ reservation (especially for popular rides) in general, unless you're absolutely certain that you want to. We'll sometimes see new times pop up that are earlier in the day, but because reservations can be booked up so quickly, it's not worth canceling your reservation to snag it. Often, we refresh the Tip Board only seconds later, and it's already gone. However, if you're wanting to cancel a lower-priority ride such as Star Tours, then the risk of not getting a new reservation isn't as high.

Fortunately, as of Dec. 9, 2022, you can now modify a Genie+ reservation to change the time window or select a different attraction within the same theme park. This makes the stacking strategy much more flexible because you don't have to worry about canceling a reservation and can just modify it instead, as long as there's availability. Better yet, modifying a reservation doesn't impact your next Genie+ booking time! Because of this change, we highly recommend making a Genie+ reservation at every chance that you can get (7 a.m., two hours after park open, and then every two hours), no matter the ride or time window because you can change it if you need to. We'd still prioritize high-demand rides first because modifications are still dependent on availability, but there's less pressure to get a perfect time.

More Expert Tips for Genie Plus at Disney World to Maximize Your Time

Take Advantage of Early Theme Park Entry and/or Extended Evening Hours

If you are a guest of an eligible hotel (any Disney Resort hotel or select off-property hotels), take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry (at any park, any day) and knock out one of the popular rides before the park officially opens.

It’s a bonus if you’re able to get into the standby line early and ride an individual Lightning Lane selection without having to pay for Lightning Lane access!

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World - Early Entry Sign

If you’re a Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa hotel guest (or a guest of the Swan and Dolphin, Swan Reserve and Shades of Green), you have the ability to stay two hours after park close on select nights at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT (dates, hours and parks are subject to change). Likewise, you can save a popular attraction and ride it with a lower wait time during these hours. There is a small risk that a ride could shut down early and, by saving it until the end of the day, it’s more likely that you’ll miss riding it.

Lightning Lanes are not open during Early Theme Park Entry, Extended Evening Hours or special After Hours events. However, Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa guests can take advantage of an extra distribution time (6 p.m.) for the virtual queue at EPCOT to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or at Magic Kingdom to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run during Extended Evening Hours.

Get to the Park Early for Rope Drop

On a similar note, if you’re a guest without the Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Hours benefits, arrive at the parks early for rope drop. Even though you might not be the very first people in line, you can still get a hop on the crowds that come later in the morning. We suggest that you make a beeline to a medium-tier priority ride that has a short wait since most people with Early Theme Park Entry will more than likely be in line at a top priority-level ride.

For instance, at Magic Kingdom, the Early Theme Park Entry guests can only navigate through Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Instead of heading in that same direction, go left to Adventureland and Frontierland. (Hop over to our park plans for more information!)

Know When You Can Make Your Next Reservation

As soon as we make our first Genie+ reservation (and so on), we set alarms on our phones to remind us that it’s time to make our next Genie+ reservation. We’ll schedule these alarms just a few minutes before our 120-minute window ends. Otherwise, we might be having too much fun and forget to set up our next selection, wasting that precious time during which we could pick up another. If you lose track, the app now tells you the exact time that you can make another selection!

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World - Multiple Experiences Pass

Use Multiple Experience Passes, When Applicable

If a ride breaks down during your Genie+ window, each person will receive a Multiple Experience pass, which you can use on any ride within the same "tier level" (also excluding the individual Lightning Lane attractions). The pass will tell you exactly which rides it can be used on. These passes do not have a specific time window, so you can use them any time before the end of the day.

Keep Grace Periods in Mind

You can tap in up to five minutes early or 15 minutes late to your Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane reservation, and you’re still good to go. If you’re outside of that timeframe, it's up to the discretion of the cast member, so aim to be on time! Knowing these grace periods, you can make sure to stack your reservations appropriately with enough time in between.

Don’t Give Up, and Keep Looking!

We saved the best Genie Plus tip for last! Continue to refresh and look for Genie+ reservations to pop up throughout the day. Just because a ride runs out at 7 a.m., it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve lost your only chance! People might change plans and cancel a reservation, which means a reservation could randomly appear at any time. However, if you see one, your speedy fingers need to act quickly! They can disappear as quickly as they appear. We've even experienced times when we start to book it, but it sells out again in the middle of the process. But that shouldn't discourage you from trying, as we've been successful at picking up a popular ride that was sold out this way.

We've also personally experienced a little pixie dust on more than one occasion where it appears that additional Genie+ reservation times are released throughout the day. In our experience, we’ve noticed that once the individual Lightning Lane selections sell out at 7 a.m. for hotel guests, some rides (yes, even Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!) will release new times around 7:17 a.m. Because not many people know about this and don’t re-check, these reservations will usually stay available until the park opens and other guests can start making individual Lightning Lane selections. Around that same time (about 10 to 15 minutes after 7 a.m.), we've seen more hard-to-get Genie+ reservations drop, as well! We’ve snagged Slinky Dog Dash that way. Other times, we’ve seen reservations drop for Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Test Track all at once around 3:32 p.m. And at 9:32 a.m., more popped up for Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Alien Swirling Saucers and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

This is not an official Disney policy and it is not guaranteed, so we cannot confirm whether this is a regular occurrence. But we suggest trying it if you don’t get your first pick of rides and reservations at 7 a.m.!

Tips for Using Genie Plus at Disney World - Slinky Dog Dash

Whew! That was a lot of strategizing for Genie Plus at Disney World. Have you tried any of these Genie Plus tips and tricks? What is your Genie+ hack? Be sure to share with us in the comments below!

Related:  Tips for Using Genie Plus with Kids at Disney World

Keep hopping!

Keep hopping, Leap!
View Comments

Comments

Jul 22, 2024 at 9:03 a.m.
Mariana Says...

Hi! How about the changes in July 24th, I saw the genie plus services changed and if I’m staying at Disney hotels I can reserve 1 week prior my trip, do I have to be in the US to do this? I’m coming from Mexico.

Reply
Jul 26, 2024 at 1:14 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Mariana!

We have been able to confirm that you must be located in the U.S. to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass. We recommend purchasing once you arrive in the U.S. It may not be the full 7 days in advance, but you would then be able to make advance selections for your entire trip, as a Disney hotel guest.

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Mar 21, 2024 at 9:55 p.m.
Helen Says...

The most detailed information I’ve found yet on Genie+. Thank you. Can I ask, given this article is not recent, as a Disney guest staying outside the resort, can I still book one Genie+ ride at 7am before I enter the park? Also, as there are seven in our party, am I able to book Genie+ attractions for all seven of us at once (or Lightning Lanes), if availability for something suddenly pops up when we refresh the screen?

Reply
Mar 22, 2024 at 10:04 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Helen!

Thanks for hopping by! Yes, any guest can purchase and book Genie+ starting at 7 a.m. no matter where they're staying (though for individual Lightning Lanes, Disney resort guests can also book at 7 a.m. while everyone else can book at park open). You can book a Genie+ reservation for multiple people, as long as they're all connected to you via your Family and Friends list and have purchased Genie+ on their accounts. You can also book ILLs for multiple people, though keep in mind you will be charged for all seven, so you would want to work out payment with them if needing to split.

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Mar 22, 2024 at 10:51 p.m.
Helen Says...

Thanks Leap. Is it possible for me to buy Genie plus for all seven of us from my iPhone if i have them linked as my family and friends on my account or do they have to buy it themselves on their own accounts? Thanks

Reply
Mar 25, 2024 at 7:56 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Helen!

Yes, it's possible to purchase for all seven at once if they're linked to you!

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Sep 24, 2023 at 6:13 p.m.
Casey Brown Says...

Can my husband sign in on my Disney app account on his phone and purchase individual lightning lane or genie + reservations while I am registering for virtual queue on my phone?

Reply
Sep 26, 2023 at 11 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Casey!

Yes, it's possible to use the same account while logged in on two different phones, though Disney recommends having separate accounts. We've heard some reports of this causing issues at times, but it works for most people (including our own experience).

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Jul 30, 2023 at 4:11 p.m.
Michelle Says...

After looking at your crowd calendar, we'll be visiting on days that are marked 4/10 crowds. Would Genie+ be needed on these types of days?

Reply
Jul 31, 2023 at 12:35 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Michelle!

On slower days, Genie+ typically won't be a necessity, especially for EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. There are some scenarios when you might still want to consider Genie+, such as spending a full day at Magic Kingdom (since the park has the most amount of attractions included), stacking reservations to hop over to Hollywood Studios for the later half of the day, or just opting for the individual Lightning Lane selections if there's a particular popular ride that's a must-do. But again, we think it's easier to navigate without Genie+ on lower park days.

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Feb 25, 2023 at 2:35 a.m.
Ann Says...

So we will be there April 7th staying on property. My husband wants to go to Animal Kingdom and do Flight of the Avatar and the boat ride that goes with it. We would like to park hop to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon. How would you suggest our genie+ and lightening lanes go? I want to get on that slinky rollercoaster!

Reply
Mar 1, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Ann!

Since you're staying on property, you'd be able to make your two individual Lightning Lane (ILL) selections at 7 a.m. so we'd recommend getting one for Avatar Flight of Passage and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (if wanting to purchase two ILLs — and usually Rise of the Resistance sells out more quickly than Avatar so we'd prioritize buying that one first). At 7 a.m. you can also make your first Genie+ reservation. If you're planning to rope drop Animal Kingdom, then we'd go directly to Na'vi River Journey (as most will want to hop in line for Flight of Passage - and you'll already have an ILL for it). If there aren't any other Animal Kingdom rides you'd want to use Genie+ for, then we'd recommend that you start stacking Genie+ reservations at 7 a.m., starting with Slinky Dog Dash (which is typically one of the first to fill up at that park) - take note: you will want to make sure that the time window is for 2 p.m. or later. Then, after every 2-hour time window passes once the park opens, you can make additional Genie+ reservations for rides at Hollywood Studios.

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Jan 27, 2023 at 11:51 p.m.
Chris Says...

Staying outside Disney so want to confirm the first option to book Genie and ILL is 8 or 9 am when the parks open and likely by then the guests staying in Disney have booked Genie and ILL for the day so not much option to get the rides we want, is that correct - especially for busy times like March break? Is Genie and ILL not an option for people staying outside of Disney hotels during busy times?

Reply
Jan 30, 2023 at 2:56 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Chris!

The Disney Genie+ service is available to everyone equally, regardless of resort stay — and all guests can make their first Genie+ selection at 7 a.m. However, hotel guests do have an advantage with the individual Lightning Lane selections (aka the paid attractions not included with Genie+). Guests staying at qualifying hotels may book starting at 7 a.m., while other guests must wait until park opening. During peak busy times, some popular individual Lightning Lane selections could potentially sell out before the general public has an opportunity to purchase, such as with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. It varies by day but often times you’ll still be able to purchase most, if not all, of the individual Lightning Lanes as a non-Disney hotel guest, but there is always a chance they could fill up.

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Jan 13, 2023 at 2:04 p.m.
Elaine Says...

I have visited Disney numerous times prior to the introduction of G+ and ILL so find your information extremely helpful for our upcoming trip in April 2023. A couple of questions: stacking your Genie+ rides from 7am for later in the day seems a great idea. Do you have to actually be in the park to make reservations other than the 7am one (having a lazy morning and hitting the park after lunch some days appeals to me rather than a full day).? Also, using your stacking example above: Aerosmith Coaster 5.35 to 6.35, Slinky Dog 6.05 to 7.05pm, Tower of Terror 6.35 to 7.35, do you have to use them in the order you booked them in? For example, could you go to TOT at 6.35 then on to Slinky Dog at 7pm or doesn't it matter so long as you go during the specified window? If Aerosmith was the last reservation you made but you still had TOT and Slinky Dog to ride, if for example you made the Aerosmith reservation at 5.30 and rode it at 5.40 could you make another reservation at 5.50 or would you have to wait until 7.30 (2 hours since last reservation) to make another G+ reservation?

Reply
Jan 13, 2023 at 8:47 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Elaine!

Great questions! For your first question: No, you do not have to be inside the park to make later reservations, so it's toadally fine if you have a lazy morning :)

For your stacking questions, you do not have to use them in the order that you've booked them in - just hop in the Lightning Lane once it's your time window. Based on your example with Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (say, it's the most recent reservation that you made at 5:30 p.m. and then you ride at 5:40 p.m.), you should be able to make one right after the ride. Fortunately, if you ever lose track of when you can make your next reservation, the exact time will appear at the top of the Tip Board to help you out.

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Jan 11, 2023 at 1:03 a.m.
Tom Says...

Hi - What might be the better strategy on a very busy day, with Early Park Entry - at 7am getting an ILL for Rise of the Resistance and at rope drop, head to Millennium Falcon stand by line or at 7am and get a Genie +LL for Millennium Falcon and at rope drop head straight to RoR in stand by line?

Reply
Jan 11, 2023 at 10:14 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Tom!

We'd prioritize getting the ILL for Rise at 7 a.m. But if you're unable to get one, go ahead and make a Genie+ reservation for Millennium Falcon — still keep an eye out for ILL times for Rise, just in case additional times pop up before you arrive to rope drop during Early Entry. Lastly, if the line is just way too long even if you rope drop, our other recommendation is to hop by just before park close, which often is when we see the wait time at its lowest (but also keep in mind that saving until then is a little bit riskier in case it closes and doesn't reopen before park close).

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Nov 18, 2022 at 5:54 a.m.
Kelly Blevins Says...

Is there a service or guide I can hire to accompany my family during our stay to do all this strategizing for us and get us the best possible experience? We are planning on just doing the magic kingdom for 1 day and most likely it would be a short day so we want to get the best experience with someone experienced in this. It sounds complex lol

Reply
Nov 21, 2022 at 1:44 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kelly!

While we frogs wish we could accompany you, we do have a 1-Day Magic Kingdom Park Plan that you could follow and customize for your own use! Also, for more basic info on Disney Genie+, you can hop over to our main guide, as well as our frequently asked questions. You may also want to check out our post on maximizing your time at Disney World!

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
Oct 26, 2022 at 6:17 p.m.
Jeff Says...

Have you noticed that recently, within the past week, lightning lane times are not loading exactly at 7am and instead says “check availability”? The times are dropping at exactly 715am instead. I am wondering if Disney updated this on purpose to only allow people who are “on site” and/or have theme park reservations for that day to view and choose times at 7am.

I can’t find anything online about this anywhere.

Reply
Oct 31, 2022 at 8:52 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jeff!

We have been noticing this as well, but not toadally sure why or if it's a permanent change. When we've clicked on "Check Availability," it goes to a screen where it tells you that you need to purchase Genie+ or have a linked theme park reservation.

Keep hopping!

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Aug 17, 2022 at 1:51 p.m.
DB Says...

Hi!

Your stack day isn't making sense to me. You said that you were able to book another reservation at park open? If you made the 7am, your next qualifying would be at 10am, two hours after park open. This article was August 7th, so I'm guessing everything is up to date. From what I know as to what is up to date, you can't make the 7am and a park opening reservation. Did something change?

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Aug 17, 2022 at 10:58 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi DB!

You're correct! You can't make a 7 a.m. Genie+ reservation and a second Genie+ reservation right at park open (you'd have to wait two hours after park open). In this example, we made an individual Lightning Lane reservation for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at park open since we were not staying on-site and that's when it opens to other non-Disney hotel guests. The Genie+ and ILL reservations have slightly differing rules. For ILLs, you can make them at 7 a.m. if you're staying on-site, or at park open if you're not staying on-site.

Keep hopping!

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Aug 31, 2022 at 7:46 p.m.
KE Says...

If you make a Genie + anytime between 7:01a-7:59a (and the return is more than 2 hours after park open) can you still make your next Genie + selection exactly 2 hours after park open? For example: if you make your first selection at 7:36a your next selection is still at 11a (if park opening is 9a) and NOT at 11:36a? Thanks

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Sep 1, 2022 at 1:34 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi KE!

Yes, if you book something before the park opens and the time slot is more than two hours away, regardless of when you booked it, you can book the next one at 11 a.m. And if you are ever left wondering when you can make your next one, the app has recently updated so that you should clearly see your next eligible booking time at the top of the Tip Board.

Keep hopping!

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May 16, 2022 at 1:33 p.m.
Kayla Starr Says...

Hi, thanks for putting this information together. It’s very helpful. Any tips on using rider swap with genie+ ? We’re planning a trip with 3 children 4 and under whose heights allow them to ride different things. Do we need a genie + pass for all those in the party to allow for rider swap or does it work like the old fast passes where we only needed a pass for all but 3 knowing that 3 would be allowed back with the rider swap pass?

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May 16, 2022 at 3:14 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kayla!

Rider Switch operates normally as long as everyone who will be riding the attraction has Genie+. Also, note that children under 3 will not need Genie+ at all since they do not require tickets for admission. They can just stay with the group :)

Keep hopping!

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