Genie+ is a paid service that Walt Disney World Resort has introduced to replace the FastPass+ that was free to everyone. Genie+ costs an additional amount of money per person per day and includes the Lightning Lane entrance which saves you from waiting for a long standby line at particular parks. This decision involves which park, when, and if to purchase Genie+ at all in the first place. This guide will explain to you what factors would influence Genie+ selection and usage when you are deciding on your strategy.
What is Genie+?
When using the My Disney Experience app, Genie+ lets you make one Lightning Lane entrance choice at a time (which is determined in advance and is not always available). If this is done using that particular Lightning Lane entrance or if two hours have elapsed, one can make another choice and the process continues as a cycle. However, there are some rides where guests can enter the line through other means but still need to pay for a regular or premium Lightning Lane to enter.
Genie+ is not a way to get a wristband that lets you go on any ride at any time without waiting in line. Despite the flexibility in return time and availability, one has to select them wisely to benefit from the concept effectively. It is therefore vital to plan and seek ways that will ensure that you gain maximum value from Genie+.
That leads us to the question of when one should purchase a Genie+.
Here are some key considerations on when to purchase Genie+:
Your Party and Priorities
They should depend on the group composition and the definite sites to visit. Of all the plans, Genie+ has the most utility for larger parties and those who are most interested in low-capacity, high-attraction attraction access. The more Genie+ via Lightning Lanes you plan to use, the more attractions you can get to at Disney, thus the more value you can get out of Genie+.
Park Crowd Levels
Genie+ is used when parks are most crowded, and thus, the standby waiting time is at its highest. As mentioned earlier, the crowd calendars help you determine the time you can visit the places when there is a huge gathering of tourists or when there are fewer people around.
The rule of thumb also shows that weekdays are usually less crowded than the weekends. Based on what I have seen, you may not even need Genie+ at all for a least crowded mid-week day.
Time of Your Visit
Being an early bird park parkgoers can enjoy more standby activities with little or no queuing time as the crowd slowly trickles in. In some cases, you only require Genie+ at certain parts of the parks such as in the second half of a park day.
On the other hand, going into a park to watch fireworks in the evening may do the same for Genie+ with the need to use it only in the evening only.
Your Budget
Of course, you are right; your vacation has to be planned by the amount of money you are willing to spend on it, and therefore the extras depend on the planned amount of money. In case the company is allocating the budget, it is recommended to first focus on the experiences that are considered to be essential. Consider the number of guests you expect to have and how many days you plan to spend in the parks while determining if the service is within your budget.
It is essential to understand which ticket type to purchase Genie+ for to access the services that this pass provides.
You have two options for linking Genie+ to eligible ticket types:
- Day-By-Day: Purchase a Genie+ plan as a separate ticket each theme park day depending on the cost per guest which ranges from $15 to $25.
- Add-On Upon Ticket Purchase: Make sure that the initial tickets purchased include full Genie+ access to the whole trip.
The second option is always cheaper than if one has to buy Genie+ day by day but there is usually a little bulk discount. However, buying tickets for the entire trip’s duration may be disadvantageous if you only require prepurchasing for some park days.
before lunchtime, morning visitors of the park can enjoy other standby rides with the least crowds before the crowds develop into ordinary momentum. This means that in some instances, you may only require Genie+ for the second half of the day in the park.
Or if one wants to buy Genie+ to catch fireworks at a park in the evening, then it may be wise to do so only in the evening rather than the whole day.
Your Budget
Of course, your vacation budget will determine what you can afford to spend on other related amenities. Ensure that the need-satisfaction experiences are given preference over the want-satisfaction experiences when purchasing. To determine if Genie+ fits into your budget, figure out per-person and per-day costs of parks to estimate how much you will spend for your party size and number of days visiting parks.
What Parks to Get Genie+ For?
To decide if purchasing Genie+ makes sense for a specific park, consider:
Magic Kingdom
Notably, many attractions are unique to Magic Kingdom, coupled with long wait times; therefore, it has high Genie+ usage. It is needed for Slinky Dog, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, Big Thunder Mountain, Spaceship Earth, Guardians of the Galaxy-Mission: Breakout, Test Track, and more for Lightning Lane access.
Epcot
Fewer rides require less utility from Epcot Genie+, but at least in France, it has 6+ hour standby waits. Perhaps, paying individually for it and using the standby at another place could be effective.
Hollywood Studios
Some attractions have very low maximum throughput meaning that combined with the high attraction popularity of new attractions like Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash, Genie+ is almost mandatory. It is also strongly recommended to spend a little more just to get the Lightning Lanes, especially for the specific ones.
Animal Kingdom
Fewer Lightning Lane relationships here indicate that Genie+ simply comes down to preferences. In terms of shows, try to arrive early and only pay for Flight of Passage then use standby to watch Lion King amongst others.
These are the situations that you should avoid using Genie+
While this system remains controversial, there are certainly Disney trips that need little to no Genie+:
- Traveling and going sightseeing during off-peak or low tourist times such as January or September.
- There is more concentration on shows, characters, restaurants, and so on rather than rides.
- Visiting parks in the evening once the rooms are crowded is not the best time to visit the parks.
- In fact, groups splitting up proved to work efficiently with the help of this ride swap.
- People who have most of the time been in the park but have not been able to do most of the rides.
Standby lines, using Genie+, single rider, etc., all involve a certain amount of chance and the ability to shift. Thus, it is possible to use some frameworks for Genie+ to work or not work for specific plans and therefore, selfishly optimize both the enjoyment and value for the limited time and money one is willing to spend on Disney.
Conclusion
It may be complex, but by mastering and planning the use of Genie+ one can greatly enhance the scenarios and capacity to enjoy Walt Disney World attractions while minimizing the amount of time one spends actually in queues. Here’s a breakdown of when and how to add this paid line-skipping service to your consideration based on your personal needs, budget, and park plans. Knowing the wait times for a particular ride and the status of the L-line ahead of time is also useful in making these decisions during your visit. While it may require extra planning and money, maximizing the enjoyment of one’s vacation may be worth this extra effort, not to mention the magical memories that one will make.
Transform your viewing experience with DirecTV! Call us today at +1 855-213-2250 to explore our plans and find the perfect package for you. Our experts are ready to assist you and get you set up with top-notch entertainment. Don’t wait—contact us now!
