What Disney World Won't Tell You About Genie+

We all know how confusing Genie+ can be — trust us, we’re in the parks every day, but even we still get confused.

Genie+ is the new FastPass+

There are tons of changes we know are coming to Genie+ next year, and a huge change was made recently that we’re trying our hardest to get everyone up to speed on. But do you REALLY need to use Genie+ during your trip? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is NO!

Disney won’t market this because they’re trying to make money on Genie+, but it really is true that you don’t need to use Genie+ on your vacation if you’re strategic with your planning. But what does being strategic really look like? We’ve got a few examples.

Rope Drop and/or Waiting ‘Til End of Day

We’ve mentioned it many times before, rope dropping one of the most popular attractions can be a great way to avoid a long line later in the day.

Hollywood Studios entrance crowds at rope drop

However, if you’re not an early riser or there’s more than one long wait-time ride in the park, you can also wait until fireworks time (for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT) or Fantasmic! time (for Hollywood Studios) to wait for lines to go down while others watch the shows.

Fantasmic Line Entrance

You can also wait until the end of the day to ride the top-billed attraction, because as long as you’re in line before the clock strikes the end of the park day, you can ride.

Use Free Genie to Plan

There is a free version of Genie that you can use to your advantage. While Genie+ costs money, regular Genie is also available on the My Disney Experience App and can help you plan your day depending on where the crowds in the park are at each hour.

©Disney

However, you’ll want to use your own common sense while you use this feature because it’s designed to move crowds in the most efficient way possible, which may not be the best plan for your day.

When You Go & What You Want To Experience

Sometimes you don’t really need Genie+ if it’s not a super popular time in the park. Granted, Disney World will never be empty, but there are some times during the year that are less crowded, meaning wait times will be shorter.

Lower crowds in early March

Not only that, but if you don’t want to ride many rides on your vacation, and you’d rather see shows, meet characters, and eat around the parks, you definitely wouldn’t need Genie+. Just use the other tips we give you to make the most of rides you will be waiting in line for!

Single Rider Lines

If you’re traveling by yourself or are with a party that doesn’t mind splitting up for the sake of time, using single-rider lines is (usually) a great way to save time.

Single rider entrance

Not many rides in Disney World have single-rider lines, but you can use them at Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Millennium Falcon, (sometimes) Soarin’, Test Track, and Expedition Everest. Sometimes the single-rider lines will be the same length as the normal line (sometimes even longer), but other times it can save you TONS of time. It’s just a gamble you’ll have to take!

Virtual Queues

Don’t forget that a few of the most popular rides, TRON Lightcycle / Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, don’t currently have stand-by queues, so you’ll either have to pay for an Individual Lightning Lane, or hop in the virtual queue to ride.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

If you’re trying to avoid paying to skip the lines, get ready to hop into that virtual queue at 7AM or 1PM and follow all our tips to grab your spot without having to pay anything extra.

Magic Kingdom

And those are our top tips to avoid using Genie+ if you don’t want to pay to skip the lines! As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney tips and tricks.

Here’s how Disney FIXED a huge Genie+ problem

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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!

How do you feel about using Genie+ in the parks? Tell us in the comments!