Genie+ Masterclass | 30 minutes of my best tips, secrets, and strategies for Disney World

25 Genie+ tips to help you get as many Lightning Lanes as possible at Disney World.
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Genie+ is the most complicated skip the ride system out there. But don't worry, because I'm here to help. With this video, I'm demystifying Genie and Lightning Lane at Disney World. Your wish of shorter lines will be its command.
Join me, James from Guide2WDW, as I share my 25 best tips, secrets, and strategies for Genie+. You'll learn the ins and outs of Lightning Lane, discover the secrets that will help you maximize your Genie purchase, and find out the strategies that Disney World experts use to get on the most rides possible.
Do you have any questions about Genie+ at Disney World? Let me know in the comments!
🔎 Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro: How many rides can you get with Genie+ at Disney World?
2:08 - Part 1: Learn the Genie Plus Basics
2:16 - Tip 1: A simple explanation of Genie+
2:56 - Tip 2: Understand the limits of Genie+
3:40 - Tip 3: How much does Genie+ cost?
4:36 - Tip 4: When to not buy Genie+
5:33 - Tip 5: Always buy Genie early
6:39 - Tip 6: Genie+ vs Individual Lightning Lane
8:22 - Tip 7: Genie+ Perks
8:55 - Part 2: Level Up Genie+
9:09 - Tip 8: How to use the useless Genie system
10:44 - Tip 9: How to get Lightning Lane as early as possible
13:18 - Tip 10: Divide & Conquer
14:40 - Tip 11: Avoid unlinking bug
15:31 - Tip 12: How to check your internet speed
16:36 - Tip 13: The 120 Minute Rule
18:38 - Tip 14: An important time for Genie+
20:00 - Tip 15: Overlapping reservations
20:25 - Tip 16: How to show only Genie rides
20:44 - Tip 17: Refresh, refresh, refresh
21:18 - Tip 18: Advanced refreshing
22:11 - Tip 19: How to modify Genie+ reservation at Disney World
23:30 - Tip 20: Your smartwatch is your friend
24:02 - Tip 21: The arrival window secret
24:40 - Part 3: Advanced Genie+ Strategies at Disney World
25:01 - Tip 22: Genie+ Stacking Strategy
26:39 - Tip 23: The First Available Strategy
27:42 - Tip 24: Guide2WDW's Genie Clustering Strategy
29:40 - Tip 25: The most important tip for making a Genie+ strategy
🌐 For more Disney World tips, tricks, and advice, visit our website: www.guide2wdw.com
#DisneyWorld #Guide2WDW #waltdisneyworld #disneytips #disneyhacks #disneyworldtips #genieplus #lightninglane #wdw #disney #wdw #guide2wdw
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Video by James Grosch: www.jamesgrosch.com

[@derekharden7001]

You just saved me - I didn't realize I needed to connect my Swan/Dolphin reservation to my Disney account...thanks for the invaluable tips!

[@Guide2WDW]

Phew! 😅 Glad I could help, and have fun!

[@ChronicleComicArt]

This vid was more informative than anything DFB or allears has put out in three years.

[@Guide2WDW]

Wow, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 😄

[@croissandra2902]

Ntm on dfb😭😭

[@cynthianelson3634]

Agreed. Best video ever.

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you so much! 😄

[@Guide2WDW]

They’ve been making great videos for years and helping tons of people.

[@Zhen_Jess520]

This was super helpful. Totally needed something like this for my upcoming trip. Thank you so much!

[@salempoor834]

The fact that videos like these are made is just ridiculous. No one should need to do homework when it’s time to have fun.

[@LCLand]

Seriously! 20 years ago we had annual passes and it was so easy. Get in line! When they started fast passes that was easy too. Run to the kiosk near the line insert your pass and get an appt for the ride. Easy peasy. Sad I have to watch videos to learn how to do Disneyland for our upcoming trip.

[@itsjustjuice184]

Completely agree. I hate genie+ - I know how it works but it shouldn’t be this complex. I miss the good ole MaxPass system

[@kingofswing3000]

Been navigating WDW for 35 years since I was 8. Loved FP. And loved the last Diz Experience FP system the most. Genie+ is the single worst (line/time saving) thing Disney (and maybe any theme park in the world) has ever created. String synonyms for "bad, misguided, confusing, infuriating," and that's G+. And imagine you're new to all this, first time to WDW with the fam, and you end up paying summer fees for walk-on attractions like Monsters Inc, Muppets, Figment. I'd never go again.

[@ChandlerBurtonEntertainment]

Great video as always, brother!

[@MaMaSoSo1]

FANTASTIC VIDEO thank you so much

[@Guide2WDW]

That's so nice of you to say! Thank you!

[@sydneywillis602]

These videos are so helpful it’s wild how many people are just saying not to go. I feel like Disney is still a fun trip.

[@WaltonFarmPolo]

same!

[@pediatrichospitalist]

This is one of the best clear videos out there. Keep it up! Just wonder how the cluster works at MK if you don't get 7DMT and PP early, as they do run out by 10am

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you! And great question. When I was looking into it, Peter Pan and 7DMT typically last much later than the other in demand Lightning Lanes - i.e. Slinky Dog sells out on average just past 11 am (using all of 2023 as a data set), while Peter Pan lasts until after 5 pm according to Thill-Data. So most of the time it won't be an immediate sellout like Slinky or Remy. However, you are correct that they can sell out early especially on busy days. So I would recommend this if these two are your priority rides: 1) Ideally, try to book PP and 7DMT right at 7 am. Do PP first and then get a time for 7DMT that is around the same time as Peter Pan since they are so close to each other. Then start clustering with Small World, Pooh, Little Mermaid, or Enchanted Tales with Belle. 2) If I didn't get a slot for Peter Pan until later in the day, I'd still try to time my 7DMT LL around the same time. I would maybe shift gears and use my 2nd Genie+ LL to get a different tentpole, like Space Mountain or Jungle Cruise, and then start to do a that cluster while I wait for Peter Pan. You could also try to rope drop Tomorrowland, use your 2nd LL to do a cluster around Adventureland, and then hit up Fantasyland later in the day whenever your Peter Pan slot is. 3) But let's say you don't get the LL's at all like you asked. I would try to rope drop 7DMT, and then see if Peter Pan still has a short wait after that. I'd still try to do the clustering strategy timed around those lines, i.e. booking Small World before getting in line for PP so I can get in the LL for that immediately after I get off the ride. It all depends on timing. If I was staying all day in the park, I would maybe wait to do Peter Pan until after the fireworks, because the line usually thins out late at night. I hope that helps!

[@DreAnela]

Mahalo 🥰 🤙🏼 for this viddy!!! Such great information!!! I actually had a piece of paper and took some notes like as if I were in a classroom.😊

[@Guide2WDW]

Wonderful! I'm glad you found it helpful! Thank you for watching 😄🤙🏼

[@DreAnela]

I liked, hit subscribe and notifications 😊

[@Guide2WDW]

😄🙌🙌🙌

[@lw2649]

Fantastic video tyvm

[@Guide2WDW]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching!

[@katiehughes1702]

Thx for video! Heading down in aug. Im a planner and am trying to take the wheel for my companions. Keep up great work!

[@katiehughes1702]

You stated that special events dont use genie plus. Headed to not so scary. Starting the day with animal kingdom then basically park hopping to magic kingdom at 4pm. Any suggestions on whether to purchase genie ' for animal kindgom that day or just purchase individual lightning for a few rides only there. Since we wont be there all day. Thx!

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you so much! 😄 Have a blast in August!

[@Guide2WDW]

Great question. Personally, I'd probably skip Genie+ that day and just purchase the Flight of Passage Individual Lightning Lane instead. You can get a ton done at Animal Kingdom between opening and 3:30. Genie will only really help with Navi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Expedition Everest. So I would just plan on getting there early, rope dropping Navi River Journey, then heading to Kilimanjaro and Everest after that. You should be able to do all three of those in the first hour or two without too much of a wait.

[@katiehughes1702]

@@Guide2WDW thanks for the response. Very kind and helpful

[@emerced30]

Erase everything you learned. Genie+ will be no more starting July 24.

[@chubbs2067]

I love this video, going to be the one I send to any friend/coworker who asks me about tips for going to the park.

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you so much! 😄

[@ebshaw5974]

Awesome video

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you! 😄

[@jworlitz]

I'm the first available Genie pluser. Quantity over quality and with enough visits you get all of the rides in at some point. After going 2-3 times a year you easily get all the rides in multiple times, even the "harder" to get ones.

[@TheEngelskrieger]

Great Video! So sad everything will change in a few days.

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you! I'm already working on one for the new system. Of course, that will take a bit as I learn all the new tricks for Multi Pass.

[@dynamicmediacurations]

The fact we need a video like this explains how convoluted and f*cking dumb this system is. No system should be this much of a hassle to use. I also have always found it hilarious they chose Genie for this program. Genie is supposed to grant you free shit Glad I was able to go before all this bullshit. Disney now is just one expensive unmagical phone-induced paywall migraine.

[@py730]

Thanks for making this video! Have not been a day guest in the parks since they released this system (just event nights) so this is a big help. Question - on my upcoming trip I will be purchasing for one day when I am hopping from DHS to MK. When modifying, do other parks show up or only the one you first made it for? Like if I got frozen sing a long for 3 and I leave early can I modify that to a ride at MK? Or would I need to cancel and rebook a Magic Kingdom ride fresh?

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you for your comment and great question! From what I understand, the modify screen only shows the same park as the original reservation. So if you went to modify the Frozen Sing-a-long, it would only show other DHS attractions. To get a Magic Kingdom attraction, you would have to cancel and book a new MK ride. Of course, Disney could update it to work differently by the time you go.

[@Missycrissy323]

I’m here on July 23 2024 (my bday) and we’re going to magic kingdom tomorrow. I just found out they’re getting rid of Genie+ and introducing their new system that very day 😭😵‍💫

[@Guide2WDW]

Happy Birthday! Hopefully, the change in the system won't prevent you from having a magical trip. I have an explainer for the new system here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2K2lGuih5pml68

[@nn17fi99]

If i could only get one 2-3 rides a day i would never buy genie plus 😂 last trip (during march break) i got 10+ every day

[@Guide2WDW]

It's truly odd Disney puts that 2-3 rides on average disclaimer as one of the first things on their site. I wonder if enough guests don't know how to use the system that it's true, and they put it there to preemptively deal with complaints. Or if they are trying to underpromise and overdeliver, but in a way that makes Genie+ seem like a bad deal.

[@MrMaxRebos]

All depends when you go. What day of the week. Crowds or not. Most bloggers make it seem so simple and have annual passes and can go back anytime they want. And not spending several thousand dollars dollars for a week long vacation and do not get on all they want. Also the MK rides are mostly for kids so the wait lines are very short.

[@Guide2WDW]

You are totally right. If you should buy Genie totally depends on the crowd levels, what park you're going to, and what activities you're most interested in. For instance, Genie+ is great for people who want to go on all the thrill rides at Hollywood Studios, but if you are traveling with a toddler and want to do the rides they could go on, it really only helps with Mickey & Minnie, Alien Swirling Saucers, and Toy Story Mania. It may not be worth it. There's no one size fits all advice. Some of the MK kiddie rides have short lines, but not all. Peter Pan's Flight has an extremely long line, and lines for Pooh or the meet and greets can also get really long. Even Barnstormer or Tomorrowland Speedway have shorter waits on average, but their lines are in boring outdoor queues that may be worth skipping with Genie+ if you have a small kid with you. Personally, I live out of state. I don't have an Annual Pass right now and pay for my own vacations, so I can understand the perspective of someone who doesn't visit as often and try to keep that in mind.

[@connormelvin1076]

Thanks for answering the last questions I had! Just wanted to ask another and maybe some advice. Going to Magic Kingdom on the 6th, have a 10:05 reservation at O'hanas (this was most definitely not my call, I know this is bad). My group is good with using genie+ and we're staying at pop century. I was planning to have my group purchase genie+ at midnight since we'll be at Disney Springs, wake myself up at 6:50 to get tron virtual queue (Probably, I've been told to try for a late return time via 1pm drop since the ride looks cooler in the dark, but I'd rather book it early to be safe) and a lightning lane for something using "standby skipper" and editing the time back until after noon when we will be in the park. I'm assuming my lightning lanes will be booked at 7am, then either 9:30 or 10am (2 hr rule) and then 11:30 or noon? Is there a better way of doing this that is not moving the breakfast time?

[@Familytraveltalesuk]

Great video I enjoyed it. What would be your suggestion be on if we are going to use the rider switch day as we have 18 month old, and a three year old . Should we still buy free genie plus passes for my wife myself and my three-year-old son? Or would it be better for me to buy individual lightning lanes for a couple of the bigger rides that I want to go on my wife isn’t bothered about the biggies.

[@Guide2WDW]

Great questions! My advice depends on which park you're going to. (This advice also applies to Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which is replacing Genie+ on July 24). If you're going to Magic Kingdom, I would get Genie+ for everyone, since there are a lot of rides that you can do with the whole family that you'll be able to save a lot of time with, like Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, or its a small world. Then rely on Rider Switch for rides like Space Mountain or Tiana. For EPCOT, you'll only really be saving time on rides for the whole family with Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen, so your Genie+ purchase depends on how much you want to go on them. For Guardians (which is amazing), you could do Individual Lightning Lane if you don't want to bother with the Virtual Queue. But the Virtual Queue wait is not too bad. For Hollywood Studios, Individual Lightning Lane is only on Rise of the Resistance, which is my favorite ride and a must do for Star Wars fans. Genie+ is only saving you time on family friendly rides for Mickey & Minnie and the two Toy Story rides. This could be a good park for you to just get Genie+ for yourself if your wife isn't bothered about the big rides, as Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Slinky Dog are all fun rides with long lines. As for Animal Kingdom, you could really skip Genie+ here altogether. If you get to the park early enough, you could do the safari and Expedition Everest without too much of a wait. Navi River Journey has a long line, but you could also do that ride right as you get into the park to avoid it. I would get Individual Lightning Lane for Flight of Passage, and utilize rider switch there. Hope this helps! Have a great time!

[@connormelvin1076]

Hey quick question! Im like 20 min in so sorry if you answered it in the vid but I am planning my trip and this popped into my head. If all six members of my group are connected on the disney experience and have genie+ (I believe we all need to purchase it separately) can I book all of my groups fastpasses when I book my fastpass? If I wake up and get a lightning lane for slinky dog, does everyone in my group have that lightning lane as long as we are in group on disney experience, enter the queue together, and I scan? my group doesnt want to all have to wake up around 6:45 to try and get a lightning lane

[@Guide2WDW]

Hi Connor, that's a great question. If you have all the accounts linked in the MyDisneyExperience app, then only one person needs to be responsible for booking Lightning Lanes. In the screen where you make a Lightning Lane, there's an option to adjust your party. By default, I believe it selects all connected accounts that are eligible (i.e. have a valid ticket and have purchased Genie+ that day). But you can choose to book for as few or as many people in your party as you want at one time. So you could book the Lightning Lanes for your entire group (or just part of your group) at 7 am while everyone else sleeps. You also can buy Genie+ for the whole group as well (everyone else can just pay you back later, if that works for y'all). Everyone's Genie+ purchase and Lightning Lanes will be tied to their individual tickets. So, you all don't need to enter the queue together. Each person will need to scan their own ticket. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions!

[@julieess699]

Thank you for this well organized and super informative explanation. I have a question that you’ve probably already answered and I’ve probably missed…when you speak about booking the second lightning lane 2 hours after park opening, is this the general park opening even if you’re allowed early entry?

[@Guide2WDW]

Thank you for watching and for your kind words! That's a great question, and one I didn't address specifically. The 2 hours after park opening refers to the general park opening, not 2 hours after Early Morning Entry. So if Magic Kingdom opens at 8 am, guests with early entry get in at 7:30 am, and the 2 hour rule kicks in at 10 am (2 hours after official park opening).

[@julieess699]

@@Guide2WDW that’s what I figured. Thanks so much! I am learning so much from your videos and I know it’s going to make our August trip much better. Thanks for your hard work.

[@Guide2WDW]

😄 Happy to help! You're gonna have a blast in August!

[@holllyrhode]

It should never be this complicated. I cant stand this system

[@workrelatedproject]

Great video... But all of this complexity is anxiety inducing. I've literally travelled the world with less nuance. And these prices! Who goes half a day or wants to only ride a few rides? Lines and upsells.

[@mr.watertwister9810]

Can I modify an animal kingdom reservation… and make it a magic kingdom reservation? Because the second lightning lane would be available earlier since animal kingdom opens earlier… then modify it.

[@Guide2WDW]

That’s a great question! That could be a clever way to get ahead of the 120 minute rule for your 2nd Lightning Lane. I haven’t tried this, but my guess is that the system wouldn’t allow for it. I would imagine that if you make a 7 am LL, the parks would all have their attractions set to you being able to get another Lightning Lane 2 hours after that park opening. So if Animal Kingdom opened at 8, the system would show you as being able to make Animal Kingdom LLs at 10. And if Magic Kingdom opened at 9, you wouldn’t be able to book any of those rides until 11, even if you grabbed an AK Lightning Lane at 10 and wanted to modify, because there would be something in the system that would still have you flagged as being too early to book anything in MK. But I’d be interested in testing it to see if your theory works… you know, for science.

[@Guide2WDW]

I did a little more digging into this, and it won't work because the modify page doesn't show other parks. So if you go to modify your AK reservation, you would only see other AK rides. To get a MK reservation in this scenario, you'd have to cancel your AK lightning lane first, at which point the system would show that you can't make an MK reservation until 2 hours after that park's opening.

[@mr.watertwister9810]

Thanks for the update… always fun trying to figure out how to “win the game”

[@calliebannon9661]

Does modifying restart the 120 minute clock though?? 🤔

[@Guide2WDW]

No, it shouldn’t. You have already waited the 120 minutes or scanned in to be eligible to make that original reservation, so any modifications shouldn’t affect your ability to make your next Lightning Lane.

[@Guide2WDW]

That is a great question, thank you for asking! 😄

[@calliebannon9661]

⁠@@Guide2WDWgood to know! I guess you would have noticed if it does that by now, if that were the case… Thank you for this video, I’ve seen/read quite a bit on Genie+ for my trip but this was still extremely helpful. It’s nice you added screenshots of exactly what to tap, and in what order. That took me a long time to figure out through several blogs/vlogs, because there’s no way to practice it til 7am on day one of your trip, and at that point you’re already out like $10,000 and the happiness of 4 other people is resting on your shoulders! 😅 I’m still surprised Disney has such a confusing, convoluted system like this.

[@alprazolam6797]

So all I need to do is link all my tickets on my phone with the survey. Then purchase my genie plus for the day. $27 dollars per guest. I’m guessing everyone in my party will show up after I’ve linked their tickets. Then I’ll be able to reserve us spots in line right? Does anyone else even need to create an account or am i completely fine just doing it

[@metallicnole4514]

Using genie plus really drained my phone throughout the day when I was park hopping between epcot and hollywood studios. I had to charge my phone twice on my pocket charger. It's like being my own personal assistant. Also, does anyone else's heart beats fast in the 10 seconds before 7 am?

[@Guide2WDW]

The My Disney Experience app can be a battery hog, so an extra battery is a must. And I'm the same way seeing the clock tick over from 6:59am to 7:00am - super anxious even though it always works out fine. 😅

[@Laurie911]

It is so sad that Disney has made it so difficult for us older folk that we don’t want to go anymore

[@martinbeaumier7172]

So complicated this is giving me a headache

[@anitareimer5175]

I was shocked this had so many new tips, I had already watched at least 10 other videos that were no where near as helpful as this was.

[@Guide2WDW]

Great to hear! I’m so glad you found it helpful. Thank you for watching! 😄

[@roselacerda7080]

More money for them less fun for us...😮

[@cbjueueiwyru7472]

Lightning lane is a broken system. Would rather do what ithervparks do where you can judt skip the line

[@Sidewinder1009oli]

The more I learn, the more I hate the system.

[@lh8372]

This BS is the reason why we don’t go to Disney parks anymore. Universal is so much better and the Express Pass is simple & easy!

[@JoeCosentino]

I will never use it

[@devineimageworks]

Step one - stop paying for this crap and maybe Disney will stop ramming it down everybody’s throats.

[@Thepixiebella]

It’s actually a great perk. Worth the price to be honest.

[@devineimageworks]

@@Thepixiebella if you think it’s OK to pay per person per day for less than a third of something you used to get for free, I really don’t know what to tell you. Keep playing right into their hands.

[@Thepixiebella]

@@devineimageworks I will. 👍🏻 because you can book up to 50 attractions even when you park hop in place of the original 3 and you get all your photos when purchasing Genie+. It’s definitely worth the investment.

[@Thepixiebella]

@@devineimageworks I wouldn’t pay for an individual lightning lane because I’m blessed to go to Disney quite often. There might be people who go once in a lifetime who have one chance to go on a ride, so Genie+ works best for them. It’s a a choice and you don’t have to buy it, just move along.

[@caroltombari9112]

Best tip is to not go, just wait with your money for Epic Universe. I had been a loyal fan since the first year Disney opened. No more, No way will I pay for fast pass after paying a fortune to get in. The magic is gone.

[@Thepixiebella]

Thank god you don’t, I have a better chance to get my genie+ pass now!

[@roselacerda7080]

Fast pass was way better...go to disney it's not fun anymore 🙄

[@Alster227]

I totally failed the first time I used Genie Plus! we didn’t get use a single one at Hollywood because it was raining 😢 This video was so informative and I feel ready to try again tomorrow at Magic Kingdom! 🤍

[@cdf8821]

Good Luck Tomorrow!! I have watched several videos and I'm still confused, lol. I arrive Monday so fingers crossed I figure it out!!