Disney parks are super crowded lately even during the off season. But, prices have gone up too! Does it make sense to pay for an extra service to “skip” the regular line for a more reduced wait?
We used Genie+ in Disneyland last year and Disney World recently, and it was a life saver. I totally thought it was worth it for us! We rode ALL available rides in each park (we also were able to use some of the show options as well) with no issues and no boring, agonizingly long waits. In Disneyland, photopass is also included which allows you access to any pictures from rides or that are taken by Disney photographers. If you forget to take pictures like me, this is a valuable addition.
A huge downside is the cost. Genie+ is now variable depending on the park you're visiting, if you plan to Park Hop, and how busy Disney parks are that day. Disney says Genie+ can range from $15-$35 per person. Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, or Park Hopping will be more expensive, and I would guess that Epcot and Animal Kingdom will likely be on the lower end of that range.
Other than the cost there are a few additional downsides. Only one selection per ride is allowed. So, if you love Space Mountain and want a repeat ride, you'll have to wait in the regular line after using your 1 and only Genie+ selection for Space Mountain. Unfortunately, I also felt like I was on my phone all day making selections. It used up my phone battery quickly (be sure to have a way to recharge or use another available phone within your group). Being unnecessarily mesmerized by my phone was not my favorite. As much as possible, I prefer spending vacation time with my family without staring zombie like into a screen so that was a huge downside for me.
Another huge bummer is the 2 hour rule. Let's say I purchased Genie+ and make my first selection at 7am (assuming I'm staying on Disney property). I pick Pirates of the Caribbean but the available time slot is 11:30 am. I can make the selection but now I can't make any other selections until 2 hours after the park officially opens to the public. So, if Magic Kingdom opens at 9am (early hours don't count), I have to wait until 11 am to make my next selection. There is a way around this but it can be tricky. I can make my first selection for a ride closer to park opening. I pick whatever is available. Let's say It's a Small World at 9:10am. As soon as I pass through the Lightning lane entryway and have my magic band or phone scanned (sometimes there are 2 scan points in certain rides so after the 2nd scan in that case), I can immediately make another selection. So, I can potentially make selections continuously throughout the day or until I use up all the selections. The major downside is I can't control what rides are available so my next ride might be on the opposite side of the park. Then, I have a long day of going back and forth across a huge theme park all day. That's not easy or ideal especially with kids. Plus, the wait for some rides is usually low at 9am so hanging on to some of those selections is probably a good idea because then I can use them for busier times later in the day unless I plan to park hop. Then, I might want to make as many selections as possible early on so that I get the full value of Genie+ and can use it in the next park as well.
A positive fix happened between our Disneyland and Disney World trips. During our Disneyland visit, it was almost impossible to book overlapping mobile food orders with Lightning lane selections or have 2 overlapping Lightning lane ride selections but that is in the past. Now you can book overlapping plans. The app will warn you that it's overlapping but it can't keep you from doing it. muahahaha!
Another pro is the ability to use Genie+ with park hopping as mentioned above. This is the best way to stretch Genie+ and get more bang for your buck. Tip for anyone enjoying an After Hours event or holiday party, you can still use Genie+ before the park closes and the event starts. It's super handy if you spend the majority of the day in a different Disney park than where the event is happening, and then make your way over to the event park (usually you can enter at 7pm but check your ticket for details). Even though the park might be super packed with an influx of party or After Hours visitors, you can continue to make Lightning lane selections. My family did this with After Hours events at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and enjoyed many rides for a few hours before the events started. The wait times were ridiculous at anywhere from 45 minutes to 80+ minutes. It was well worth using Genie+ at those times to keep us moving and fully enjoying the parks. Plus, it made us feel like we were tricking the system and squeezing more out of it than should be possible. lol! (Update! I'm not totally sure how this works with pricing per park Genie+. It'll definitely work with Park Hopping but if you have a base ticket to one park and then go to the party or event at 7pm, I don't know if you'll be allowed to use Genie+ since it's not technically "Park Hopping." You know what this means!?! Time to go back to Disney and test it out.)
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons for our family! Genie+ can make things complicated but it's nice to breeze by a 60 minute regular line wait and almost walk onto a ride. Ultimately, you have to decide if it's best for you and your budget.
In Disney World, it’s possible to visit Animal Kingdom and Epcot without purchasing Genie+ (especially if you opt out of park hopping and spend a full day at one) but I highly recommend it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
If you've used genie+, what do you think? Totally worth it, waste of money, or meh?
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