Magic Kingdom is the very best park for purchasing Walt Disney World’s Genie+ service. The paid FastPass substitute gives Lightning Lane line-skipping entry to 23 points of interest and character sightings in Magic Kingdom, and our information ranks the rides and leisure by way of time-saved and the way shortly reservations refill. (Up to date June 30, 2024.)
The objective of this submit is supplying you with the instruments and data to construct your individual Magic Kingdom itinerary with Genie+, fairly than counting on our 1-Day Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes Plan. We’d suggest a better of each worlds strategy, consulting that pre-made plan and the rankings right here so that you perceive the why of it, and may make your individual itinerary.
Since crowds, climate, attraction downtime, and extra can all closely influence how an precise day at Walt Disney World performs out, it’s virtually sure {that a} pattern itinerary can’t be replicated step-for-step with the very same Lightning Lane time slots, and many others. As such, this equips you to place collectively your individual dynamic plan of assault for utilizing Genie+ in Magic Kingdom…
In fact, this assumes that you just wish to ‘pay to play’ and can use Genie+ fairly than merely doing standby traces. In Magic Kingdom, that’s sometimes our advice. Principally, it boils all the way down to the trip depend. With 23 points of interest providing Genie+ at Magic Kingdom, it has virtually double the variety of points of interest as different parks at Walt Disney World.
With that mentioned, Genie+ is just not all the time strictly obligatory. That is very true through the low season, resembling many dates previous to spring break season, in addition to after that ends and summer time begins. It’s additionally true throughout Occasion Season–from mid-August by December on days when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion is held. Principally, every time crowd ranges drop beneath 4/10, you don’t must pay additional for Lightning Lane entry. It nonetheless will be good to have, but it surely’s hardly important.
Our subsequent massive caveat is that this checklist expires on July 24, 2024. Starting on that date, Genie+ shall be changed by Lightning Lane Multi Cross and Single Cross, which is an advance trip reservation system. Some have categorized this as a renaming, which is inaccurate (it is true for Disneyland, which is perhaps the place the confusion is coming into play).
Though the Lightning Lane title is being retained, Genie+ is useless as of that date. For all intents and functions, the brand new system could have extra in widespread with FastPass+ than it does Genie, which means that the moniker “paid FastPass” actually is coming true. In any case, these rankings shall be irrelevant for anybody visiting beginning July 24, 2024. There’s no level in studying any additional in case you’re visiting on or after that date–we’ll have a brand new checklist within the coming weeks for Lightning Lane Multi Cross.
For now, you may learn our Lightning Lane MultiPass and Single Cross at Disney World FAQ.
Our last asterisk is that this information gives trip priorities for Lightning Lanes by way of Genie+ and not Particular person Lightning Lanes (ILL), that are pay-per-ride. At current, the ILL points of interest in Magic Kingdom are Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice and TRON Lightcycle Run.
We’re not eager on shopping for a la carte entrance of line entry, so we suggest doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice proper earlier than Magic Kingdom closes (or within the early night, in case you can’t keep till park closing). Sadly, TRON Lightcycle Run doesn’t have a standby line, so that you’ll wish to seek the advice of our Digital Queue Information to TRON Lightcycle Run for ideas & tips on driving that, together with our velocity technique.
One factor to contemplate with regard to TRON Lightcycle Run is that it’s a really completely different expertise after the solar goes down, and also you may wish to do it within the night in consequence. To perform this, you may both gamble and take a look at for the later digital queue entry time, or be part of the 7 am VQ, after which buy a Lightning Lane for the night. (A better of each worlds strategy is doing it by way of the VQ earlier, seeing how a lot you take pleasure in it, after which shopping for the ILL if you wish to do it once more.)
Now, on with the present & trip rankings for Genie+ at Magic Kingdom…
The Better of Genie+ at Magic Kingdom
1. Tiana’s Bayou Journey – That is the reimagined trip that replaces Splash Mountain, which was normally a prime 3 Lightning Lane in Magic Kingdom, however by no means the #1 precedence. The variations are two-fold. The primary being that Tiana’s Bayou Journey actually simply opened and something new or redone is well-liked. (Jungle Cruise is nonetheless seeing renewed reputation following its enhancements a couple of years in the past!) The brand new trip scent will ultimately put on off, but it surely’ll in all probability take a yr or so for that to happen.
Second, Tiana’s Bayou Journey is struggling reliability woes and in depth every day downtime in consequence. That is arguably the larger difficulty (a minimum of on some days), and exacerbates the aforementioned elevated reputation with decreased every day capability. Because of this, Tiana’s Bayou Journey is operating out of Lightning Lanes inside seconds or minutes of seven am.
The excellent news is that, if the trip is dependable and has below-average downtime, Walt Disney World is dropping extra Lightning Lane availability all through the day. The dangerous information is that you’ve got actually no manner of understanding at 7 am whether or not it’ll be dependable or not on the day of your go to. As such, it’s crucial that Tiana’s Bayou Journey is your #1 choose going ahead, for a minimum of so long as Genie+ exists. Each different trip needs to be out there along with your #2 choose–there’s a superb probability this is not going to. All is determined by how typically (and for the way lengthy) it breaks down all through the day of your go to.
2. Peter Pan’s Flight – Not an enormous shock for many who booked FastPass+ reservations prior to now! Peter Pan’s Flight is way and away the most well-liked of Magic Kingdom’s iconic Fantasyland darkish rides, with wait occasions commonly exceeding 90 minutes. Its Lightning Lane reservations go quick early on, however there’s normally availability into the night. Nonetheless, it’s a sensible first choose. That’s very true when you’ve got babies who could not make it previous 7 pm. (Or for anybody who needs to observe the fireworks.)
3. Jungle Cruise – This one may come as an enormous shock, however Jungle Cruise has seen an enormous resurgence in reputation because it’s latest reimagining. This yr, it has the third-longest common wait time in Magic Kingdom, behind solely Peter Pan’s Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice. (It will even be behind TRON Lightcycle Run, however that doesn’t submit a wait time.)
4. Meet Ariel at Her Grotto – The Little Mermaid meet & greet has extraordinarily restricted Lightning Lane availability. If going solely by how shortly reservations guide up, this is able to be the #1 Genie+ Lightning Lane at Magic Kingdom on many dates. Nevertheless, the common wait time for the Princess Ariel meet & greet doesn’t even start to justify giving it the highest slot.
5. House Mountain – The primary of two consecutive Magic Kingdom Mountain Vary rides, it needs to be unsurprising to see House Mountain crack the highest 5. House Mountain has seen even increased demand within the final year-plus, as its next-door neighbor–TRON Lightcycle Run–attracts crowds to this aspect of the park.
6. Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad – One other Magic Kingdom Mountain Vary entry, so this one in all probability doesn’t want a lot rationalization. If something, you may marvel why Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad ranks this low. It’s all a matter of common wait occasions–which have been average–and Genie+ availability–which has been ample. Each of these issues may change, however for now, there’s no must prioritize BTMRR any earlier.
7. Haunted Mansion – Since Hatbox Ghost debuted, Haunted Mansion now has one of many prime 5 common wait occasions in Magic Kingdom. The one purpose it doesn’t rank increased is as a result of Haunted Mansion additionally has perpetual Lightning Lane availability–till park closing on most days–so there’s actually no sense of urgency right here.
8. Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Corridor – Each of the following two princess meet & greets at Princess Fairytale Corridor in Fantasyland rank increased throughout Occasion Season resulting from staffing shortages. We gained’t go too deep into how the sausage is made, so to talk, however extra characters through the onerous ticket events means fewer for different shifts. Consequently, there are longer traces throughout regular hours.
9. Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Corridor – Cinderella’s meet & greet has the slight edge on Tiana, with barely increased wait time on common. In actuality, prioritize whichever of those issues extra to you. This actually holds true for picks #6 by #9. All of those are character-centric leisure that aren’t that far aside from each other by way of precedence.
10. Pageant of Fantasy Parade – All of those are clearly non-compulsory, however that is much more circumstantial. You possibly can simply watch Pageant of Fantasy Parade and not using a Cinderella Fort-facing view. As such, this Lightning Lane doesn’t essentially save any time–it gives a reserved viewing space, which will be beneficial to households with babies. If you wish to do that one, be conscious of showtimes for Pageant of Fantasy Parade. You may want to maneuver this one up a couple of spots relying upon crowd ranges.
11. Meet Mickey & Minnie at City Sq. Theater – Late final yr, this climbed to #1 on our rankings. That was resulting from celebration season, which pulled meet & greet “sources” away from the Mickey Mouse meet & greet. Throughout Occasion Season, this Lightning Lane spikes in reputation. All different occasions, it has solely average reputation/precedence.
12. Pirates of the Caribbean – Comparable story to Haunted Mansion with Pirates of the Caribbean. Standby waits have been lengthy resulting from common downtime, so that you’re probably bypassing a prolonged line when utilizing the Lightning Lane for PotC. On the plus aspect, it seldom runs out of reservation availability in Genie+, besides through the busier seasons.
13. Enchanted Tales with Belle – When it reopened, Lightning Lane availability for Enchanted Tales with Belle was extraordinarily restricted. That has modified in an enormous manner over the course of the previous few months, and though it’s generally passed by mid-afternoon (earlier than many entries earlier on this checklist), Enchanted Tales with Belle is NOT a excessive and even average precedence Lightning Lane. The rationale for that’s pretty easy: the Lightning Lane doesn’t prevent a lot time.
14. Buzz Lightyear’s House Ranger Spin – Traces can fluctuate dramatically for Buzz Lightyear’s House Ranger Spin, with waits some days exceeding 60 minutes and it being a close to walk-on different days. If you happen to’re visiting when it’s busier, scoring a Lightning Lane reservation right here shall be vital–particularly for the reason that overflow queue is outside and gives minimal shade. Fortuitously, Genie+ typically has virtually immediate return occasions and it virtually all the time has Lightning Lane availability proper up till park closing.
15. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – The argument may very well be made that Winnie the Pooh’s Fantasyland darkish trip needs to be within the prime 5. Its common wait time places it there and, subjectively, the wait within the standby line is excruciating (I converse from expertise). Nevertheless, Genie+ availability has been ample, and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is extra skippable resulting from its high quality (or lack thereof) than the points of interest above it.
16. “it’s a small world” – This well-known–or notorious, relying upon your perspective–Fantasyland boat trip has not had lengthy wait occasions traditionally, however they’ve spiked in latest months. Some days, utilizing the Lightning Lane entrance will bypass a forty five minute (or extra) wait, making this a probably sturdy Genie+ trip reservation. (Different days, it’ll prevent no time in any respect.)
17. Beneath the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid – It’s a really related story right here. If the standby line for the Little Mermaid darkish trip spills out into the walkway, this generally is a 45 to 60 minute wait. More often than not, this ‘people-eater’ attraction could have fairly brief waits, although. Nonetheless, it’s straightforward to seize a nearly-immediate return time by way of Genie+, and the potential financial savings make it a really useful choose for late afternoon.
18. Dumbo the Flying Elephant – One other iconic Magic Kingdom rite-of-passage attraction that’s an actual wildcard. Standby waits right here will be lengthy, however so can also Lightning Lane waits in case you get unfortunate. Nonetheless, we’d suggest utilizing Genie+ for it on busier days, as there’s strong time-savings potential.
The Remainder of Genie+ at Magic Kingdom
Barnstormer – This kiddie coaster can have lengthy waits on the busiest days of the yr, however thus far, we’ve discovered Genie+ to supply virtually no benefit right here. Get it in case you can, however don’t sweat standby.
Mad Tea Occasion – The enduring spinning teacup is enjoyable, however averages wait occasions beneath quarter-hour. Once more, use Genie+ in case you can (as a result of why not), but it surely’s not an enormous deal in any other case.
Magic Carpets of Aladdin – This is sort of a knock-off county honest model of Dumbo. We don’t suggest doing it in any respect–we’d wait in an extended standby line for Astro Orbiter if actually needing our spinner repair.
Monsters Inc. Chortle Ground – Utilizing Genie+ right here on busier days may get you in a single present sooner than you in any other case would’ve making this a possible ‘sleeper choose’ for the Lightning Lane.
Tomorrowland Speedway – Except car exhaust-induced cognitive impairment and the loud putter of engines is your factor, you’ll wish to be out and in of line as shortly as potential right here. That additionally makes it a superb sleeper choose to be used of Genie+ and the Lightning Lane. Proper now, that’s not obligatory, however on a busier day, this might sneak into the highest 10.
In the end, you must be capable to knock out all 23 points of interest by way of Genie+ utilizing Lightning Lanes on a good day in Magic Kingdom. On a foul day, you may solely be capable to do the highest 10. On an terrible day, it is perhaps the highest 5. So plan accordingly based mostly on the crowds whenever you’ll be visiting, and likewise give your self as many different benefits as potential–like Early Entry, rope drop, or Prolonged Night Hours.
No matter whenever you’re visiting, Genie+ will prevent extra time at Magic Kingdom–and permit you to have a extra leisurely day–than at every other Walt Disney World park. That is what makes shopping for it our advice for most individuals and on most days of the yr. Even when it requires a little bit of a splurge, minimize the associated fee out of your Walt Disney World trip funds some place else.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study accommodations on our Walt Disney World Motels Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the pieces it is advisable to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
How would you rank your trip priorities utilizing Genie+ and Lightning Lanes in Magic Kingdom? Stunned to see Jungle Cruise at #1? Are you planning on shopping for Genie+ or skipping it? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!