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Guide to Using Genie+ Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom (Priorities for 2024)

Guide to Using Genie+ Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom (Priorities for 2024)

Ready to learn how to maximize Genie+ at Magic Kingdom?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the rides at Magic Kingdom that use Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and we’ll go over which rides at Magic Kingdom are priorities with Genie+ and which ones you should skip getting a reservation for.

We’ll also cover the Individual Lightning Lane selections and the virtual queue for TRON: Lightcycle / Run and explain how both of those work when touring with Genie+.

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:

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 Magic Kingdom Genie+ basics.

What is the best way to use Genie+ in Magic Kingdom?

We definitely think that Genie+ is worth it at Magic Kingdom, 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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Magic Kingdom Genie Plus Priorities graphic

Level 1 Priorities: Book These Rides First at Magic Kingdom

Level 1 priorities are what many people consider to be some of the best rides at Magic Kingdom, and they are the attractions that run out of Genie+ return times quickly. At Magic Kingdom, there are 2 attractions that typically see their Genie+ spots disappear fast: Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan’s Flight.

But the good news is that whichever one you pick, when it is time to make your second Genie+ reservation for the day, there may still be availability for the other ride.

If you are an onsite guest and are attending Early Theme Park Entry AND you are planning to purchase a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Individual Lightning Lane, riding Peter Pan’s Flight at rope drop and making Jungle Cruise your 1st Genie+ of the day is also a good choice.

Note: TRON Lightcycle / Run is only available by purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane selection OR by securing a spot in the virtual queue.

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.

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.

And, at Magic Kingdom, there are a lot of attractions that make it easy to do that.

We don’t recommend any of these to be your first Genie+ selection of the day, but they are all solid options for filling in the spots between return times of the more popular attractions in the lists above.

How long do the Genie+ selections last at Magic Kingdom?

Because there are lots of Genie+ options at Magic Kingdom, many attractions have available Genie+ spots late into the evening.

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 Magic Kingdom

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

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.

jungle cruise entrance

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 Magic Kingdom?

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.

disney genie+ screenshot to show cost

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 Magic Kingdom?

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 Magic Kingdom

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 Magic Kingdom touring plans that include Genie+.

And, you can only make one 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+. Because of the number of rides at Magic Kingdom that use Genie+, you’ll likely find yourself doing a bit of both.

How to Purchase Individual Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom has 2 attractions with Lightning Lanes that are NOT a part of Genie+. If you want to ride these attractions by using the Lightning Lanes there, you’ll need to purchase an à la carte entry.

The price per person will vary depending on the time of the year. The busier things are, you can expect to pay closer to the top end of the ranges listed below.

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $10-$12
  • TRON: Lightcycle / Run: $20
TRON entrance

Every day, you are allowed to purchase up to 2 of the Individual Lightning Lane selections. You can purchase both in 1 park, 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 Seven Dwarfs Mine Train?

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train remains extremely popular, and it is very common for the wait times here to be 100 minutes or more.

seven dwarfs mine train queue

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
  4. Ride during Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (only available on select days, and only for guests staying onsite at Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resorts)

If you are looking to save some money or if you have more than 1 day at Magic Kingdom and you are staying onsite, we recommend you rope drop Seven Dwarfs one day. That means showing up for Early Theme Park Entry and heading to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first.

But, if you only have 1 day at Magic Kingdom, 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 Peter Pan’s Flight or Space Mountain).

And finally, if you are able to attend Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, Seven Dwarfs is a good option then, too.

Should you buy an Individual Lightning Lane for TRON: Lightcycle / Run?

Right now, the only way you can ride TRON: Lightcycle / Run is by getting a spot in the virtual queue OR by purchasing an à la carte Individual Lightning Lane reservation. There is no Standby Line.

Both of those options are extremely competitive, with spots gone within a minute or two.

TRON queue

If you are lucky enough to snag both a spot in the virtual queue and purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, you could ride twice.

Here’s what we recommend:

  • If you want to ride twice, and you are traveling with at least 2 people who can use the My Disney Experience app, we recommend splitting up the duties and having 1 person attempting the virtual queue while the other purchases an Individual Lightning Lane selection.
  • If you are solo, or you just want to save some money, try for the virtual queue first. Note: On nights with Extended Theme Park Hours, there is a 3rd drop for the Virtual Queue for guests that are eligible to participate in Extended Theme Park Hours.
  • If you want a guaranteed ride, and you don’t care whether it costs or not, try for an Individual Lightning Lane selection first.

Magic Kingdom 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:

Magic Kingdom

  • Day before: Confirm that everyone in your party has valid theme park admission AND a Park Pass Reservation (if required) for Magic Kingdom
  • 12 a.m. — 6:45 a.m. Purchase Genie+
  • 7 a.m. — Join the Virtual Queue for TRON: Lightcycle / Run (both onsite and offsite guests)
  • 7 a.m. — Purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for TRON: Lightcycle / Run (onsite guests only)
  • 7 a.m. — Make your first Genie+ selection; we recommend either Peter Pan’s Flight or Jungle Cruise (both onsite and offsite guests)
  • 7 a.m. — Purchase your 2nd Individual Lightning Lane Selection. It could be Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, or, if you are planning to park hop, you could book at one of the other parks for a return time after your planned park hop time. (onsite only)
  • Park opening — Once a park officially opens, offsite guests can purchase Individual Lightning Lane Selections. (Note: You have to wait for park opening, but you don’t have to be inside the park.)
  • 2 hours AFTER park opening OR after you’ve tapped in for your first Genie+ (whichever comes first) – Make your 2nd Genie+ selection

How many rides use Genie+ at Magic Kingdom?

With a total of 23, Magic Kingdom has the most Genie+ rides and attractions out of all the parks, which makes it a great place to splurge on the service.

Magic Kingdom Genie+ rides and attractions

But, not all attractions with Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom are included with Genie+.

Rides at Magic Kingdom that do not use Genie+

2 attractions with Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom require 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.

Magic Kingdom 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 Seven Dwarfs Mine Train during the middle of the day, the standby waits there are often over 100 minutes. With Genie+, your wait will be closer to 20. That is a huge chunk of time saved.

Can I use Genie+ at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party?

Genie+ is not available during special events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

You can, however, use it there during the day before the party begins.

Can I use Genie+ at Disney After Hours?

Genie+ is not available during any of the After Hours events, including After Hours at Magic Kingdom. 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 Magic Kingdom 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.