Magic Kingdom can be the main focus for a lot of people when they first visit Disney World. It will quite often be the first park people visit during their vacation. For this reason this Easy to Use Disney Genie Plus Magic Kingdom Guide will share how we approach using Genie+ in this famous Disney Park.
We’ll guide you through where to start with Disney Genie Plus at Disney World and then look at which rides and attractions we recommend for use with Disney Genie Plus and which rides we wouldn’t.
Let’s get started with using Disney Genie Plus at Magic Kingdom.
Where to Start with Disney Genie Plus at Magic Kingdom and Disney World
To get started you will need to know and understand how the new system at Disney World and Magic Kingdom works. If you’re completely new to the world of Disney Genie Plus or even need to refresh your memory a little don’t worry. We have a full article on The Disney Genie App Here. So, maybe start there using the link and then come back to this article.
You will also want to find out about all the rides and attractions at Magic Kingdom before you start making Lightning Lanes. Again we have you covered with our Magic Kingdom Rides and Attractions Guide. This a complete guide to all the rides and attractions in the famous Disney Park.
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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, per person.
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 magic kingdom 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 need to be aware of what your plans are for the day and not double booking dining and Lightning Lane reservations.
The Disney Genie Plus Rides at Magic Kingdom
So now you have an understanding of how the Disney Genie Plus system works and which rides and attractions Magic Kingdom has to offer so let’s look at the rides you can enjoy using the app.
Here are the Magic Kingdom attractions that are available for Disney Genie+. Do be aware that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain 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.
Magic Kingdom Disney Genie Plus Rides:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Splash Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
Individual Lightning Lane Selections:
- Space Mountain
- Seven Dwarfs mine Train
Which Magic Kingdom Rides Will You Need to Use Disney Genie Plus For ?
So which rides do we recommend you consider using Disney Genie Plus for at Magic Kingdom? Well we have found over the years that the following two rides always seem to have longest standby wait times:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Peter Pan’s Flight
We would definitely make Peter Pan’s Flight a priority for Disney Genie Plus at Magic Kingdom. It may also be worth considering purchasing a Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train if you have limited time at Disney World. Otherwise the easiest way to ride Mine Train will be either heading to the ride straight from rope drop, riding during the evening fireworks or riding just before the park closes.
We have also found it useful to get Lightning Lanes for the following rides too as they can often get very busy but sometimes standby times will go up and down whereas Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train & Peter Pan’s Flight tend to stay high all day. So consider using Disney Genie Plus too for the following rides:
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain
The Jungle Cruise
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Genie Plus Magic Kingdom Options to Consider if You Have Younger Children
If you have younger children with you at Magic Kingdom then it may be worth considering using Disney Genie Plus for some of the following rides and attractions too. The lines for all of the below can build up depending on how busy Magic Kingdom is on the day and it can be beneficial to not be waiting too long for rides when you have younger children.
Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
We strongly recommend going through the rides and attractions with your children before your vacation for your days at Magic Kingdom and the other Disney Parks. Take a look at YouTube videos of the rides so that the kiddies can see what there is and decide what they would really like to try.
Other Rides to Consider for Disney Genie Plus
It is also worth considering using Disney Genie Plus for the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean too. Both are fantastic Disney World Dark Rides that we absolutely love and they can get busy depending on the crowd levels on the day. They can both be quite easy to get on first thing in the morning though.
Rides and Attractions that Do Not Need Disney Genie Plus
Do be aware that there are quite a few rides at Magic Kingdom that we wouldn’t use Disney Genie Plus for (unless one becomes available on the day) because either the lines move quite quickly or they are easy to see show attractions. Take a look below.
Magic Kingdom Rides Where the Lines Move Pretty Quickly
It’s a Small World
Mad Tea Party
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Barnstormer
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Best Times of Day to Make Genie Plus Magic Kingdom Reservations
We always try to book any reservations at Magic Kingdom during the morning as we try to do at every Disney World Park. The benefit of doing this is that you can start booking additional Disney Genie Plus Reservations sooner (even if it is in another Park) and if Magic Kingdom is very busy it gives you the option to park hop to either Epcot, Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom later on in the day.
If wait times for rides look pretty good at another park on the My Disney Experience App you can Park Hop if Magic Kingdom is getting busy. This is made easier if you have already used your reservations in the morning at Magic Kingdom just like we do.
You might find also this video from Super Enthused helpful when it comes using Disney Genie+ at Magic Kingdom…
How To Use Disney Genie Plus + at Magic Kingdom
Our strategy at Magic Kingdom is quite a simple one. Aim to get on as many rides as possible from rope drop and then have Disney Genie Plus Reservations booked from around 10am to early afternoon. We can then use these reservations and in between get on other rides too. This always worked well for us at Magic Kingdom with the old FastPass system.
We will also spread our Magic Kingdom visits over quite a few days which will allow us to use Disney Genie Plus for various rides during our vacation. We normally stay at Disney World for 2 weeks which gives us plenty of time to visit all of the Disney World Parks multiple times. Over this period of time it is pretty easy to do pretty much everything Magic Kingdom has to offer.
Genie Plus Magic Kingdom Best Practices
Here are some best practices that I strongly consider you use when using Disney Genie Plus at Magic Kingdom.
Resort Guests Need to Get to the Park Early
Disney World resort guests get early access to each park every day. As a resort guest you can enter the park 30 minutes before the official opening time. Sometimes resort guest will even be allowed inside the parks even earlier.
For this reason you must consider taking advantage of using this extra 30 minutes. You will be able to get access to most rides pretty quickly which should allow you to enjoy a couple of attractions at least before the park officially opens to the general public.
Which Lightning Lanes to Get at 7am
You can book Geni+ Lightning Lanes from 7am so it is important to target the popular rides that you want to enjoy the most. As I mentioned above at Magic Kingdom this could be Seven Dwarfs Mine train and Peter Pans Flight which are both popular with long wait times once the park fills up.
Make Sure to hit the Genie+ Refresh Button
Make sure you keep hitting than refresh button as you make your way around Magic Kingdom. You never know what Lighting Lanes might become available very quickly before being snapped up. Keep checking that phone when you have the chance and make the most of paying for the Genie+ service.
Our Rope Drop Strategy at Magic Kingdom
We have found that most of the people inside Magic Kingdom at rope drop will either head straight to Fantasyland for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight, or head for Space Mountain in Tomorrowland.
We like to wait by the bridge next to the Adventureland entrance that leads on to Liberty Square via the Christmas Shop and hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean in a very short space of time. In fact, we have been on Big Thunder Mountain twice in the past before hitting Splash Mountain and Pirates. You can quite often get on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin too pretty quickly and stand a good chance of getting on Haunted Mansion as well if you follow this plan first thing from rope drop.
What We Do From Rope Drop and No Disney Genie Plus Needed:
- Wait by the bridge next to the Adventureland entrance that leads on to Liberty Square.
- Head to Big Thunder Mountain (possibly ride twice).
- Then ride Splash Mountain.
- Then ride Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Then try the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
- Finally head to the Haunted Mansion.
You can often do all of the above in just over an hour. It does pay to get to Magic Kingdom early for rope drop. You can always stop for breakfast after this initial period of lots of rides in a short space of time. We usually stop at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square.
You can find some other helpful Disney World Line Tips here.
So that’s our easy to use Magic Kingdom Disney Genie Plus Guide and I hope it helps with your own Disney World Vacation Planning. Magic Kingdom is a wonderful park and I would say it is probably the most magical park at Walt Disney World. Hopefully these tips will make it the extra bit more magical for you too during your vacation.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Darren
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