Guide to Using Genie+ Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios (Priorities for 2024)

Ready to learn how to maximize Genie+ at Hollywood Studios?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the rides at Hollywood Studios that use Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and we’ll go over which rides at Hollywood Studios are priorities with Genie+ and which ones you shouldn’t have to worry about needing one to skip the lines.

We’ll also cover the Individual Lightning Lane selection for Rise of the Resistance and explain how to work it into your day.

Finally, we’ll wrap up with a brief primer on Genie+ to make sure you’re all caught up on everything you need to know.

Genie+ Guides for the Other Parks

Looking for help maximizing Genie+ at the other Walt Disney World theme parks? Here’s where you can find our guides:

• Guide to Genie+ at EPCOT
• Guide to Genie+ at Magic Kingdom
• Guide to Genie+ at Animal Kingdom

And if you are new to Genie+, make sure you start with our Complete Guide to Genie+ or skip down below where we go over some of the Hollywood Studios Genie+ basics.

What is the best way to use Genie+ in Hollywood Studios?

We definitely think that Genie+ is worth it at Hollywood Studios, and if you are smart about how you use it, you’ll be able to save yourself a bunch of time in line.

Below we have 3 lists: Level 1 Priorities, Level 2 Priorities, and Level 3 Priorities.

We recommend that your first Genie+ selection of the day come from that Level 1 list.

After that, you should focus on Level 2 priorities, and then fill in any gaps in your touring with Level 3.

Note: We used information from Thrill-Data.com to help put together the recommendations below.

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Level 1 Priorities: Book These Rides First at Hollywood Studios

Level 1 priorities are attractions that run out of Genie+ return times quickly. At Hollywood Studios, there are 2 attractions that typically see their Genie+ spots disappear fast: Slinky Dog Dash and Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run.

Slinky Dog Dash is the most popular Genie+ selection in any park.

Genie+ spots for Slinky Dog Dash can be gone in seconds, so if you plan to use G+ here, make sure you are ready to book it right at 7:00 am.

Level 2 Priorities

Level 2 attractions tend to see their Genie+ spots last a bit longer into the afternoon or evening, making them good options if you are planning to try to stack multiple Genie+ reservations together later in the day.

After Slinky Dog Dash and Smugglers Run, there are still several extremely popular attractions that you’ll be able to choose from for your following Genie+ selections.

If the available times aren’t working with your plans, keep refreshing the Tip Board in the My Disney Experience app. On Apple devices, you can do that by pulling down on the screen. You can also modify your return time, too.

Level 3 Priorities

Level 3 priorities are great attractions for churning, which simply means snagging return times close to the current time, so you can quickly make another as soon as you tap into it.

There are a bunch of shows at Hollywood Studios that utilize Genie+. Typically, you’ll find availability for those until the final shows of the day, and it isn’t difficult to get a seat by simply using the Standby Lines.

Because of that, we generally recommend skipping using Genie+ on the shows unless there isn’t anything else you want to use a Genie+ reservation for.

Use these Level 3 Priorities to fill in the spots between return times of the more popular attractions in the lists above.

How long do the Genie+ selections last at Hollywood Studios?

Because there are lots of Genie+ options at Hollywood Studios that are for shows (with scheduled times), you’ll see that Genie+ spots tend to run out a bit quicker than what you see at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

We looked through the info from Thrill-Data.com and used that to put together a list of averages, so you can see about how long Genie+ spots last at each attraction:

Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios

Ok, now that we’ve gone over the priorities at Hollywood Studios, let’s backtrack a bit and go over the latest info you need to know about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios.

As you are probably already aware, Genie+ is the name for the former FastPass+ service at Walt Disney World. Instead of being free like the old FP+ service, Genie+ is not free; it does cost extra.

Lightning Lanes

Instead of FastPass+ lines, Genie+ uses “Lightning Lanes”. Lightning Lanes are secondary entrances to attractions, and the Lightning Lanes ideally have a much shorter wait.

Basically, when you buy Genie+ you purchase the option to reserve entry times into the Lightning Lanes.

Unlike similar services at parks like Universal, with Genie+, you select your attractions one-by-one, and although we think with a little planning it is definitely possible to accomplish a lot more, Disney states that with Genie+, guests on average can expect to use it to access 2-3 Lightning Lanes per day.

How much does Genie Plus Cost at Hollywood Studios?

Currently, Genie+ starts at $15 per ticket, per day (plus tax) but that price can go all the way up to $39 per ticket, per day.

But here’s the kicker:

There is no way to know ahead of time how much Genie+ is going to cost. Instead, you will see the price when you go to purchase it inside the My Disney Experience app.

In general, though, you can expect the busier the time of year, the more expensive it will be. For example, during Christmas 2023, Genie+ reached $39 per day (plus tax).

How do you buy Genie+ at Hollywood Studios?

Everything that has to do with Genie+ takes place inside the My Disney Experience app. It is way too much to go into details here (otherwise this post would be a million words long), but we cover exactly how to purchase it – including screenshots – in our Complete Guide to Genie+.

How to use Genie+ at Hollywood Studios

Genie+ works the same across all 4 parks:

Every day, beginning after midnight, you can purchase Genie+.

Then, beginning right at 7:00 a.m. you can make your first Genie+ selection.

Because the first selections of the day are highly competitive, we recommend that you never, ever wait until 7 a.m. to purchase Genie+. Ideally, you should be purchasing it no later than 6:45 a.m. because Disney technology is notorious for being glitchy and just all around difficult – especially in the mornings.

You don’t get to choose your return time when you make a Genie+ selection. Instead, you can only get the next available time. That can make it a little bit more difficult when putting together Hollywood studios touring plans that include Genie+.

And, you can only make one attraction selection at a time. But, it is possible to hold more than 1 Genie+ reservation at a time.

You have to redeem a Genie+ selection before you can book another one — or you’ll have to wait 120 minutes from time of booking, whichever comes first.

When booking a Genie+ selection at 7 a.m. — before park opening — the 120-minute rule applies here as well. If you book a selection at 7 a.m. and the park doesn’t open until 9 a.m., you’ll have to wait until 11 a.m. to make another selection.

And, if your first return time is greater than 2 hours after park opening, you can still make your next Genie+ selection even if you haven’t yet used the first.

Most of the time, you can book another Genie+ selection as soon as you enter the Lightning Lane. But, if you don’t scan into a ride, you’ll be able to make another selection at the end of the arrival window for the current selection.

Finally, you can only use Genie+ on an attraction once per day. If you want to ride something again, you’ll have to use the Standby Line.

Churning and Stacking are 2 popular methods for touring with Genie+. When using Genie+ at Hollywood Studios, you’ll likely find yourself doing a bit of both.

How to Purchase Individual Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios has 1 attraction with a Lightning Lane that is NOT a part of Genie+:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

If you want to ride it by using the Lightning Lane there, you’ll need to purchase an à la carte entry.

How much does a Rise of the Resistance Individual Lightning Lane cost?

The price of the pay-to-ride attractions varies depending on demand. The busier the parks, the more expensive they will be.

You can expect to pay anywhere from $15-$25 per person for an Individual Lightning Lane at Rise of the Resistance.

Every day, you are allowed to purchase up to 2 of the Individual Lightning Lane selections. You can purchase both in 1 park (if 2 are available, like at Magic Kingdom), or you can split them between 2 parks. You can only purchase a ride on each attraction once per day.

Just like with Genie+, you purchase Individual Lightning Lanes through the My Disney Experience App.

Should you buy an Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance?

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance remains extremely popular, and it is very common for the wait times here to be 100 minutes or more.

To eliminate that wait, you have a couple of options:

1. Ride during Early Theme Park Entry (best free option)
2. Purchase an Individual Lightning Lane selection
3. Jump in line at the end of the evening

If you are looking to save some money or if you have more than 1 day at Hollywood Studios and you are staying onsite, we recommend you rope drop Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. That means showing up for Early Theme Park Entry and heading to Rise of the Resistance first.

But, if you only have 1 day at Hollywood Studios, it can make touring the rest of the park a lot easier if you go ahead and purchase an Individual Lightning Lane selection. That would free you up to rope drop some of the other popular attractions (Like Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster).

Hollywood Studios Genie+, Individual Lightning Lane Selections, and Virtual Queues: Which one should you book first?

Lots of things have to be done at almost the exact same time. Here’s our recommendations for which order you should do it all:

How many rides use Genie+ at Hollywood Studios?

Hollywood Studios has a total of 14 rides, attractions, and shows included with Genie+:

Hollywood Studios Genie+ rides and attractions

But, not all attractions with Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios are included with Genie+.

Rides at Hollywood Studios that do not use Genie+

1 attraction with a Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios requires you to purchase a spot à la carte. Those are called Individual Lightning Lane selections.

Plus, there is a list of other attractions that don’t have Lightning Lanes at all and only use Standby Lines.

Hollywood Studios Genie+ FAQs

Does Genie+ let me skip the line?

While Genie+ can significantly cut down on your overall wait times, you will still have to stand in a line – it just won’t be as long as the regular Standby Line.

For example, if you want to ride Slinky Dog Dash during the middle of the day, the standby waits there are often over 100 minutes. With Genie+, your wait will be closer to 20 or less. That is a huge chunk of time saved.

Can I use Genie+ at Disney After Hours?

Genie+ is not available during any of the After Hours events, including After Hours at Hollywood Studios. The good news is, the waits during After Hours do not necessitate the Genie+ service.

Can I use Genie+ during Early Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

Genie+ is not available during Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

Can I Park Hop to Hollywood Studios and use Genie+?

Yes! You can. Genie+ can be used when Park Hopping, just keep in mind that if your park ticket requires a Park Pass reservation, that you must first visit the park your reservation is for before hopping to a different park.