Disney Genie+ Strategies for Magic Kingdom

The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek recently indicated that half of theme park guests use Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World.

Not coincidentally, Disney recently updated its policies for this service. You’ll no longer find multiple Lightning Lane attractions at the parks.

Source: CNBC.com

Conversely, four E-ticket attractions have permanently joined the Disney Genie+ lineup. So, we must reevaluate the best tactics once more.

Here is how you should approach Disney Genie+ at Magic Kingdom.

Know What’s Available

For legal purposes, Disney changed the wording for Disney Genie+. Now, Disney suggests that guests should only expect “2 or 3” attractions per visit.

However, you shouldn’t read much into this. Disney had previously stated that guests could book up to eight Lightning Lane reservations.

Photo: Disney

That substantially higher threshold remains in place. Disney is managing expectations for inexperienced guests who cannot use the system as effectively.

For the rest of us, eight Disney Genie+ bookings are still possible. In fact, they’re likely at Magic Kingdom, depending on your approach.

Image Credit: Disney

First, you should understand which park experiences are available via the Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane queue. Here’s the list:

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

Photo: Disney

You’re feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, aren’t you? Yes, that’s a massive batch of options, which is part of what makes Magic Kingdom the best.

You will choose between 22 different theme park experiences ranging from thrill rides to family rides to character greetings to show-based attractions.

Photo:Disney

Simply put, once you understand the Disney Genie+ system, you can and should come close to booking eight reservations during a full park day.

How to Choose Disney Genie+ Attractions

One of the most challenging aspects of providing theme park advice is that I don’t know you.

Photo: orlandoattractions.com

Hi, I’m David, and I want to help! First, I need to know a bit more about you, though. Do you love character meetings?

If the answer is no – no judgment here! – you can skip Disney Genie+ options like Princess Fairytale Hall and Town Square Theater.

Credit: Disney

This one decision reduces your options by three, making your choices clearer. Conversely, if you are a fan, you should probably pick at least two of them.

The wait queues for character greetings are currently quite high since Magic Kingdom wasn’t hosting the full versions with hugging until recently.

Disney fans had waited patiently for their return, and now they’re waiting even longer in line to hug Mickey & Minnie Mouse again.

With a Disney Genie+ reservation, you can skip such delays and reduce your wait time dramatically. That’s the point of Disney Genie+!

Photo: Disney

Similarly, some guests love show attractions more than others. Personally, I consider Mickey’s PhilharMagic one of the best Magic Kingdom attractions.

Along those lines, I’ve had wonderful times at Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and recommend it as a nice way to escape the heat or rain.

Photo: Disney

Sometimes, you just want to get off your feet for a while, you know? If you must stand in line to do so, you defeat the point.

Realistically, neither of those attractions requires the kind of wait that justifies Disney Genie+, though.

Photo: Disney

You should only choose them when you lack other options or merely want to watch the shows quickly.

Conversely, the Festival of Fantasy booking option is a must to many park guests.

This reservation guarantees you a good view of the fire-breathing dragon, Maleficent. You may struggle to get one otherwise.

Photo: Disney

Maximizing Disney Genie+ at Magic Kingdom

Realistically, rides comprise most of the Disney Genie+ bookings you make/attempt to make.

So, you should track the various wait times for Magic Kingdom attractions, which MickeyBlog posts weekly.

Photo: Disney

You don’t need to know many specifics, though. All that Disney Genie+ usage requires is an understanding of the tiers.

At Magic Kingdom, four rides will likely require more time spent waiting in line than the others. Those are:

• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain

Photo: Disney

When you plan to ride any of these options, you should use Disney Genie+ if possible.

Annoyingly, other Magic Kingdom guests are equally aware of this situation as well. Competition can be fierce for these four rides.

If you cannot book them, your fallback options should be the iconic Disney rides with long wait times. Those attractions include:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• It’s a Small World
• Pirates of the Caribbean

Obviously, we’re talking about some of the most famous rides ever. So, demand for these bookings can also be significant.

On other occasions, you may find a booking window available right when you’re looking. There’s some randomness involved here.

Also, you can take another approach, which is to take what you can get, no matter what the ride is.

Photo: Disney

Here are several Magic Kingdom attractions I love whose Disney Genie+ availability is good:

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Mad Tea Party
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

Photo: Disney

Those are four classic Disney attractions where you can skip the line and thereby save yourself two hours.

Conversely, since competition is light, you can book these four Disney Genie+ reservations with minimal effort.

Photo: Disney

Combine them with reserving Disney Genie+ for four other E-ticket and iconic attractions for a perfect park day!

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Feature Photo: Disney