Genie Plus & Lightning Lane At Magic Kingdom: Everything You Need To Know

The Magic Kingdom is one of the most popular parks at Walt Disney World in Florida. This means that it gets very, very busy. Spending a long time queueing for rides has become a classic part of the Disney World experience.

Yet, it doesn’t need to be this way.

In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about Genie+ and Lightning Lane. We’ll demonstrate how you can use them. Then, you can make sure that your family has the best time possible at the Magic Kingdom.

Genie Plus Magic Kingdom Explained

Genie+ is a priority system for rides at Walt Disney World. It means that you can skip the queues at many attractions in the Magic Kingdom. If you’ve ever used FastPass, MaxPass, or FastPass+ at Walt Disney World then you know the drill. It works in much the same way.

Disney Genie+ allows you to pay a certain amount each day, per guest. This then means you can use the Lightning Lane Entrances at loads of attractions within a specific park. As with the old systems, you still need to book reservations for individual rides.

Having Genie+ means that you’ll spend a lot less time queueing for rides during your time at the Magic Kingdom.

At Magic Kingdom, not all the rides use the Genie+ service. However, most of them do. So, it’s usually worth buying it.

What Are The Magic Kingdom Genie Plus Attractions?

To decide whether buying Genie+ is worth it, you need to know what attractions are covered. At the moment, there are 22 rides and attractions that use Genie+ at the Magic Kingdom. They are:

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Jungle Cruise
• Haunted Mansion
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• It’s A Small World
• Mad Tea Party
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
• Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• Splash Mountain
• Space Mountain
• The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
• The Barnstormer
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Remember, some of these rides are more popular than others. There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to reserve all of the most popular rides. Some of the most sought-after rides include Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain are also really popular. If you want to reserve any of these rides you need to book as early as possible.

How Much Does Genie Plus Magic Kingdom Cost?

If you want to purchase a Magic Kingdom Genie+ pass it costs between $15 to $29. This is per person, per day. The price varies depending on the date that you plan to use Genie+. The price goes up on days when there is higher demand.

What Time Can You Buy Genie Plus At Magic Kingdom?

Genie+ is available to buy from 12:00 am on the day of your visit to the Magic Kingdom. So, if you’re visiting the Magic Kingdom on July 10, you can buy Genie+ from midnight on July 10.

What Time Should I Make Genie Plus Reservations?

Genie+ ride reservations can be made from 07:00 am on the morning that you visit the Magic Kingdom. You make the reservations via the My Disney Experience app.

Genie+ doesn’t allow you to select specific time slots for rides. You have to accept the next time slot that’s available for the ride. The reservations sell out in order of time.

So, the earliest slots go first and the latest ones go last. Once they’re sold out they’re unavailable for the whole day unless there’s a cancellation.

To avoid disappointment, you should start booking rides at 07:00 am. The most popular rides usually sell out before the park even opens.

If you want Lightning Lane access to these rides then you need to reserve them as early as possible.

What Are Individual Lightning Lanes?

Two of the rides at Magic Kingdom have Individual Lightning Lanes –

This means that they’re not covered by your Genie+ pass. To access the Lightning Lanes for these rides, you need to purchase passes separately. This is done per ride.

What Are The Individual Lightning Lane Attractions?

At the Magic Kingdom, there are currently two Individual Lightning Lane rides. These are the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain. However, Space Mountain is not exclusively an Individual Lightning Lane attraction. It’s also included in the Genie+ pass.

This means you still have the option of using the Lightning Lane at Space Mountain, even if you haven’t purchased Genie+.

One of the benefits of paying for Individual Lightning Lane attractions is that you can choose your time slot. This is something you’re unable to do with Genie+.

How Much Do Individual Lightning Lanes Cost?

Purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane costs between $7 to $12 per person. The prices vary depending on the popularity of the ride and the season.

A family vacation to Disney World is already an expensive prospect. So, you need to factor in the additional costs of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes into your budget. If you don’t mind waiting in the normal lines then it might not be worth it.

What Time Can I Buy Individual Lightning Lanes?

Individual Lightning Lane reservations work differently than Genie+ reservations. Plus, the time you can make an Individual Lightning Lane reservation is different if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort hotel.

If you’re staying at a Disney World Resort hotel, then you can make Individual Lightning Lane reservations from 07:00 am. If you’re not staying at one of the hotels, then you can make Individual Lightning Lane reservations from the park opening time.

Making an Individual Lightning Lane reservation is far easier if you stay at a Disney World Resort hotel. If not, it can be quite difficult to get the reservations that you want.

The Best Genie+ Attractions at Magic Kingdom

Paying for Genie+ on top of your other Disney World expenses isn’t cheap. This is especially true when on a family vacation. This means it’s important to know which rides are best so you can get the most value for money.

As the rides sell out quickly, you’re limited to a certain number that you can book each day. So, you need to prioritize the rides that mean the most to you.

We’ve laid out a list of the best and most popular rides at the Magic Kingdom. The rides at the top of the list are the ones that sell out the fastest. You need to prioritize these rides when making reservations.

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to make reservations for the top two rides, so decide which one you want to book the most.

1) Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise is incredibly popular, and this popularity has only increased since it was refurbished. The average wait times for this ride are between 60 to 120 minutes. This means that reserving a Lightning Lane is a top priority.

Bear in mind that this is one of the longer rides at the Magic Kingdom. This means it might not be the best choice as your first ride of the day. It could cause you to miss out on Genie+ reservations for other Magic Kingdom rides.

The next ride on our list, Peter Pan’s Flight, is shorter. So, it might be better to choose that as your top priority, depending on what else you have planned.

2) Peter Pan’s Flight

Peter Pan’s Flight is not only one of the most popular rides in the Magic Kingdom. It’s also one of the most popular rides in the whole of Disney World. This means that the lines for this ride are always very long. On average, wait times are between 60 to 90 minutes.

This makes it a prime candidate for using a Lightning Lane. It has a fairly low ride capacity when compared to other rides in the Magic Kingdom. As a result, there are very limited Genie+ reservations for it each day.

It’s close to impossible to get Genie+ reservations for both Peter Pan’s Flight and Jungle Cruise. So, you’ll have to decide which one your family wants to skip the queues for the most. You can then either book the other one on another day or use the Standby Line for one later in the day.

3) Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain is another one of the most popular rides at the Magic Kingdom. If you want to avoid waiting in line for a long time, you’re going to need access to Lightning Lane. It’s slightly easier to book a reservation for this ride than the top two on this list.

Still, once you’ve booked one of those two, this should be your next priority. If you manage to reserve one of them plus Splash Mountain, then you’re doing very well.

Due to the nature of this ride, it gets much busier during hot weather. So, it’s harder to reserve during the summer months.

Another thing to bear in mind is that you’re guaranteed to get soaking wet on this ride. This means that getting an early time slot isn’t ideal. Still, if you’re visiting the Magic Kingdom in the summer this won’t be too much of an issue.

4) Space Mountain

Space Mountain is very popular but doesn’t tend to sell out as quickly as the top three. This makes it a great option for using one of your Genie+ reservations.

This ride is right next to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. So, if you’re planning on visiting both then you should also reserve a Lightning Lane for both. Space Mountain may only be a Magic Kingdom Genie+ attraction temporarily. So make the most of it whilst it lasts.

5) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a great ride for the whole family. The wait times aren’t as long as the top four rides on this list. They’re usually between 30 to 60 minutes. If the park isn’t overly busy then the wait times are even less.

There are also usually plenty of Genie+ reservation slots available for this ride. That means that you may still be able to book it when making your third reservation.

However, this is still one of the most beloved rides in the Magic Kingdom. This means it’s possible you might miss out if you save it until your third choice. If this is the ride you’re looking forward to the most, then book it first or second.

6) Haunted Mansion

Haunted Mansion may be in the top three Magic Kingdom rides in terms of popularity. Yet, it doesn’t need to be prioritized as highly as the top five rides on our list. This is because it has a really high capacity. Therefore, the wait times are nowhere near as long as many other rides.

Reserving a Lightning Lane for this ride isn’t essential but it’s definitely still worth it. This is particularly true during the Halloween season. At this time of year, it’s far more popular than at other times.

7) Festival of Fantasy Parade

Genie+ works differently for this parade compared to how it works for rides. A reservation won’t save you any queueing time. The benefit of a Genie+ reservation here is that you’ll gain access to reserved seating.

This means you’ll have a much better view of the parade than if you were just standing on the sidewalk.

How important this is to you will usually depend on whether you have young children with you. Many adults prioritize rides over parades at the Magic Kingdom. This is because watching a parade uses up a lot of time. It means you’ll miss out on reservations for popular rides.

Still, if you do have young children with you, then using a Genie+ reservation for this parade will probably be greatly appreciated.

8) Pirates of the Caribbean

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is one of the most iconic in the whole of the Magic Kingdom. It’s an absolute must for both adults and kids alike. Even though it’s very popular, the wait times aren’t actually too bad. They’re usually around 30 to 40 minutes.

This means that it’s not the end of the world if you miss out on access to a Lightning Lane. Waiting in the Standby Line isn’t too much of a drag. Still, if you’d rather not wait for this amazing ride, then use one of your Genie+ reservations.

9) Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a fun and popular ride but it doesn’t need to be a high priority. The wait times for this ride tend to swing drastically throughout the day. At one point they may be 60 minutes and then drop to 20 minutes shortly after.

Still, it’s a great ride and is definitely worth going on. Remember, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to book a Lightning Lane for all of the most popular rides. This means that a few of your Genie+ reservations for the day are going to be for less popular rides.

If you visit the Magic Kingdom during the busiest season then it’s worth having this ride fairly high up the list.

10) The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

This ride has the second-longest queue times of all the rides in Fantasyland, after Peter Pan’s Flight. They can often get up to 60 minutes long. So, this can make a good fourth choice when booking your Genie+ reservations.

There’s also a severe lack of shade when waiting in the Standby Line for this ride. This makes booking a Lightning Lane on hot days a good idea. This is especially true if you have young children with you.

11) It’s A Small World

This is one of the oldest and most famous rides in the Magic Kingdom. It’s definitely worth a visit, just to say that you’ve experienced it. However, the wait times don’t tend to be very high. This means it should be a fairly low priority when making your Genie+ reservations.

Generally, it’s best to have this as a fourth or fifth choice for the day. The wait times have slightly increased recently but a Lightning Lane is still definitely not essential.

12) Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is one of the most popular rides for small children in the Magic Kingdom. Despite this, the Standby Line queueing times don’t tend to be very long. This makes it a good Genie+ reservation selection for later in the day.

If you’re staying at the Magic Kingdom for a few days then keep an eye on the queueing times for this ride. If you see that they’re around the 60-minute mark, then it’s worth reserving a Lightning Lane.

13) Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid

This is another ride that’s popular for young kids. Yet, it has a pretty high ride capacity so the queue times are usually around 30 minutes. Towards the end of the day, the waiting times can get longer. So, this ride can be a good choice for a late Genie+ reservation.

14) Mickey Mouse Character Meet

Using your Genie+ reservations on character meets should only be a last resort. You should prioritize all rides and parades in the Magic Kingdom over these. As guests can take photographs, get autographs, and hug the characters, waiting times are always going to be high.

This includes waiting times in the Lightning Lanes. If you have young children who are desperate to meet Mickey, then it may be worth using one of your Genie+ reservations. Still, this should be very far down your list of priorities.

15) Princess Character Meets

As with meeting Mickey, using a Genie+ reservation for Princess character meets is not usually a good idea. Again, if this is a must for your kids, then go for it. However, we’d highly recommend having this as one of your lowest priorities when making reservations.

FAQs

What happens if I’m late for my Lightning Lane time slot?

There’s usually a 15-minute grace period for late arrivals to your Lightning Lane. You’re also able to arrive five minutes early. If you’re running more than 15 minutes late then you should talk to a Disney Cast Member. They’ll be able to give you advice on what you can do.

Can I book more than one Genie+ reservation at once?

You can only book one Genie+ reservation at a time. However, you can use Disney’s 120-Minute Rule to hold several Genie+ reservations at the same time. This is known as Genie+ stacking.

How many Individual Lightning Lane slots can I book in one day?

You’re able to make two Individual Lightning Lane attraction purchases in one day. However, these purchases must be for separate rides. You can’t book an Individual Lightning Lane on the same ride twice in one day.