Making Disney Genie Plus reservations for Epcot can be challenging due to the smaller number of rides in the park. In this Epcot Disney Genie Plus Guide we will look at some of these challenges and what you can do to overcome them as well as how the Disney Genie Plus system works at Epcot.
Booking Disney Genie Plus Reservations
If you are staying at a Disney World resort during your vacation you can make Disney Genie Plus reservations for Epcot at 7am of the morning you will be visiting the park. If you are staying off property you can make reservations as soon as the park opens. This is one of the more obvious benefits of staying at a Disney World Hotel.
Before we get started you can read our full article on the Disney Genie App Here.
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The Disney Genie Plus Rides at Epcot
Here are the Epcot attractions that are available for Disney Genie+. Do be aware that Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure are missing from the list below. These two attractions are Lightning Lane attractions only, this means you will either need to wait in the standby queue to ride or purchase an individual Lightning Lane for the two attractions.
Epcot Disney Genie Plus Rides:
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission Space – Green & Orange
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas Nemo & Friends
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Individual Lightning Lane Selections:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Disney Genie Plus Tip
Try to book your reservations for early in the day as this can free you up to park hop once you have used your allocations. Alternatively, you could try to book them for late afternoon/evening to free up the first half of the day.
What to do If You Have Limited Time at Epcot
If you have a limited amount of time to visit Epcot then you are going to have decide which Top Tier attractions you are going to try to secure. If you have younger children in your party this may be Frozen Ever After. Do be aware that for Test Track and Soarin riders need to be 40” or Taller.
Rope Drop at Epcot
If you do have limited time you want to aim to be at the park around 30 minutes before it opens so that you can head straight to a Tier 1 attraction from rope drop. You can enter Epcot from the Main Entrance or from the International Gateway entrance if you are coming from the Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach Club area. It is probably most likely that you will enter from the main entrance.
Before your vacation take a look at the park maps on the Disney World Website so that you can get a good understanding of where the rides are and where you should be going. You don’t want to be wasting time looking at a paper park map on your first visit to Epcot. Know where you need to be heading and go straight there.
If You Can Visit Epcot Multiple Times
If you can visit Epcot multiple times during your vacation then try to get all Top Tier Disney Genie plus Reservations (we have just done this). You may have a 14 day pass for all the parks and if you you do then you should be fine.
Our Epcot Disney Genie Plus Tips
Here are some our Epcot Disney Genie Plus tips to consider using during your vacation.
Book an Early Breakfast at Garden Grill
Booking an early breakfast at Garden Grill gets you inside the park early and if you can be finished just before 9am when the parks open you can beat the crowds to Soarin’. We have been first in line for Soarin’ around the Word having had an early breakfast at Garden Grill.
Get to the Park Early
An obvious one this but it does pay to get to any of the four Disney World Parks early for rope drop. The crowds won’t start getting to their busiest until around 10am so getting to Epcot for rope drop really is beneficial for getting on some rides with shorter wait times.
Ride Spaceship Earth in the Evening
Spaceship Earth is the first ride you will come across when entering Epcot from the main entrance. Because of this a lot of people will automatically line up for it. What with World Showcase not opening fully until 11am this also means Future World will be busy early in the day. Later on in the afternoon and especially in the evening when the crowds have fully spread out across all of the park you will find it a lot easier to get on Spaceship Earth.
Make another Disney Genie Plus Reservation ASAP
As soon as you have tapped for your first reservationget onto the Disney Genie App on your smartphone to see what other attractions are available in the park. Once you have used your reservation you can keep making more reservations one at a time to it is best to look as quickly as possible. Literally take a look whilst you are in the line for your ride.
Ride Some Attractions during the Fireworks
Very similar to Magic Kingdom the crowds at Epcot will gather around World Showcase up to an hour before the evening fireworks begin. This can be a good time to get on some rides due to wait times decreasing as the crowds gather for the fireworks. Keep an eye on the wait times using the My Disney Experience App at this time in the evening.
Keep an Eye on Wait Times
As I just mentioned keep checking wait times on the My Disney Experience App as they can fluctuate during the day. You may just find that you can jump on a ride fairly quickly that you aren’t too far from in the park.
More Information on All the Rides at Epcot
If you would like to find out some more detailed information on all the rides at Epcot then do take a look at our article ‘What Rides are at Epcot’ here.
You might also find this video on using Disney Genie Plus at Epcot from Kala in the Kingdom useful…
Disney Genie Plus FAQs
What is Disney Genie Plus?
Disney Genie Plus is the new paid system to get access to rides and attractions faster in the Disney World Parks. Disney Genie Plus in simple terms is a paid FastPass system. It will cost you $15 dollars per day, pe rperson.
You can buy Disney Genie Plus through the My Disney Experience App at the beginning of each day to make Lightning Lane reservations during your day at Epcot or the other parks.
How to use Disney Genie Plus?
After paying for Disney Genie Plus you can make your first reservation at 7am the same day. You can then make another reservation 2 hours after official park opening. This usually means that as most parks officially open at 9am you can make a reservation at 11am.
You can them make aanother reservation after you have used your current reservations. Like the old FastPass system demand will affect what lighting lanes are available during your day in the park.
What Are Lightning Lanes?
Lightning Lanes are basically what used to be called FastPass reservations. When using Genie+ you will make Lightning Lane reservations and as with the old system when it is time to ride you will tap your MagicBand, Pass or smartphone to enter the attractions Lightning Lane which is separate to the normal standby line. All of the Lightning Lanes are the old FastPass lines for pretty much all attractions.
There are a few attractions in each park however where you have to pay for individual Lightning Lanes. You will find out more about those below.
Do I Have To Buy Disney Genie Plus To Access The Individual Lightning Lanes?
No, any attractions that have individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased on their own without having to pay for the full Genie+ service.
Do I Get To Choose My Lighting Lane Return Time?
No, you have to choose from the times that are available on the day. This is exactly the same as the old FastPass system.
Can You Arrive Early or Late for Your Lightning Lane.
Yes, you can normally arrive 5 minutes early for your allocated Lightning Lane. You also normally have around 15 minutes grace for arriving late. It is always worth talking to a Cast Member though if you are running late beyond the 15 minute period.
Do I Need to Buy Disney Genie Plus in Advance?
No, you can buy Disney Genie Plus on each day where you decide you want to use it. Do be aware though that some travel agents might offer it to you as part of a Disney World resort vacation package.
I was offered Disney Genie Plus on our last vacation package at half price, 14 days for the price of 7 days. I decided to take the offer up.
Does Genie+ Take into Account Dining Reservations?
Genie+ will allow you to book lightning lanes that will clash with dining reservation. So you will need to be aware of what your plans are for the day and not double booking dining and Lightning Lane reservations.
More Information on World Showcase
If you would like to find out more about World Showcase at Epcot we have written a full guide which you can find here or by clicking the image below.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Darren
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