As a travel agent and mom of an active toddler I am always looking for ways to optimize our time in the park, purchasing Genie+ at Walt Disney World is 100% worth it.
Genie+ is the paid system to book Lightning Lanes, formerly known as Fast Passes, to save time waiting in line. You can opt to purchase Genie+ for one park or multi-parks depending on your park ticket or park plans. Genie+ is a day of purchase at Walt Disney World and its best to have a plan which rides you are going to select first, second, third and so on throughout the day.
Everyone is looking to shorten their time waiting in lines, especially when you have little ones with short attention spans. Being able to shorten that wait time exponentially, especially during busy times, like the holidays or spring break, is not only crucial but also maximizes your time in the parks to be able to do more.
During spring break last year, my family and I, which included 3 toddlers, debated if we should purchase Genie+. This trip we had 4-day tickets with admission to one park per day. We came to the conclusion that it was because we wouldn’t have to wait in long lines with the 3 toddlers. Average wait time for rides was about 60-75 minutes long. After selecting a Lightning Lane for Sling Dog Dash for our day at Hollywood Studios, the posted wait time was 100 minutes and we waited 6 minutes from the moment we scanned our park ticket to the moment we got onto a ride vehicle.
Because we purchased Genie+, we were able to successfully ride about every ride in the parks. We were able to strategize our ride selection by waiting in the standby queue for attractions with shorter wait times and heading straight to our favorite attractions at park opening. We also were able to be selective as to where in the park a certain ride was in relation to where we were plus the next available Lighting Lane time that we could select in the app.
Even with toddlers in tow that cannot ride every ride at Walt Disney World, purchasing Genie+ was still worth it because we could utilize the rider swap program that allows parents to enjoy an attraction. One adult waits with the non-rider (can be someone that does not meet height requirements or wishes to not ride) while the other adult enjoys the attraction. Upon return, the other adult(s) swap so the waiting adult can enjoy the attraction without having to wait in the standby queue.
I’ve also been to Walt Disney World without my toddler and purchased Genie+ and found it worth it. Genie+, is a time savor and time in Disney is precious. Genie+ pricing is determined by park, multiple parks and time of year/day of the week. If you plan to purchase it, be sure to budget for this in your daily costs.
Although Genie+ is an additional cost, there may be some situations where one can forgo purchasing it. Just like there are busy times, there are also slow times at Walt Disney World with low crowds and low wait times. A dood idea to know if you are visiting during a slow period is taking a look at wait times the days leading up to your park days. Another possibility to consider is the rides you and your family are wanting to do. If you want to catch shows or maybe some rides that typically don’t have longer wait times (ex. Journey into Imagination with Figment). Or if you are a solo traveler and opting to ride rides with a single rider queue (ex. Expedition Everest).
As a travel agent, I know that a client’s time and money is valuable, so it is important to have a good strategy to make Genie+ work best for you and your family.
