Can You DITCH Your Phone and Still Use Genie+ in Disney World?

Planning your day in Disney World pretty much requires you to be tied to your phone these days.

Your phone does a LOT during your Disney World vacation!

You’ll need the My Disney Experience app to do a LOT, like checking in for dining reservations, ordering food, using Genie+, and more. You also need it for booking virtual queues for rides, as well as Individual Lightning Lane selections — or do you? Well, we found a way to do BOTH of those things without using your phone!

Yes, it IS possible to book virtual queues and Individual Lightning Lane selections without your phone. First, let’s talk about virtual queues. So here’s the thing: when new rides open in Disney World, they usually will NOT have a standby line and will instead use a virtual queue. You usually have two chances to grab a virtual queue reservation from your phone (it’s typically 7AM and 1PM) to get assigned a boarding group so you can ride that attraction.

Getting a virtual queue spot for TRON Lightcycle / Run ©Disney

Now let’s say you don’t have access to your phone for some reason or another (you left it in your hotel room, the battery is low, it overheats, etc.), but you still want to book a virtual queue for a ride. You can speak to Cast Members at Guest Relations or at a Guest Experience station and a Cast Member will book it for you (if available).

EPCOT Guest Relations

You can ONLY do this at 1PM, though (since the other virtual queue drop time happens before the parks open). The Cast Member will give you your boarding group number (be sure to write it down so you don’t forget it). You will need to keep an eye on the physical tip boards at the park or check at the ride itself to see what boarding groups are currently being called.

TRON Virtual Queue board

The same is true for Individual Lightning Lane attractions, except you have to pay EXTRA for those rides, which means you’ll need to hand over your credit card to the Cast Member booking it for you. Note that they can ONLY accept credit cards as a form of payment. No cash! (According to a Cast Member, the MagicBand scanner can be finicky with payments, so it is recommended you pay with a card) You will be given a time to ride, so be sure to write that down, too, so you don’t forget.

Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue in EPCOT

In case you’re wondering, the virtual queue and Individual Lightning Lanes will be tied to your MagicBand or ticket card. We asked about this at several different parks and the process is a LITTLE different in each one.

At EPCOT, Cast Members at the Guest Experience tent have iPads that allow them to book reservations for you. You’ll have to go inside Guest Relations, though, at Hollywood Studios, because the Guest Experience Cast Members don’t have iPads. So be sure to double-check with a Cast Member, depending on what park you’re in.

Guest Experience Tent

Finally, you CAN book an Individual Lightning Lane for a different park than where you are at the time of booking. For example, let’s say you’re in Hollywood Studios but want to park hop to Magic Kingdom to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run later via virtual queue. You will be able to still book that paid Individual Lightning Lane in Hollywood Studios.

However, you can NOT do this with the free virtual queues — you will have to be in the same park as the ride.

We’ll be sure to let you know about any other tips and tricks you might need for your next trip to Disney World, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more!

A Complete Guide to Using the TRON Lightcycle / Run Virtual Queue in Disney World

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WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

Have you ever had to navigate Disney World without your phone recently? What did you do? Let us know in the comments!