Disney Genie is officially LIVE in Walt Disney World meaning that there are TWO new paid ways to “skip the lines” at popular attractions throughout the park — Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection.
From how to purchase Genie+ to whether you can actually ride everything in Magic Kingdom with Genie+, we’ve been bringing you a look at everything you need to know. We’ve already covered what the standby wait times are like at rides with Individual Attraction Selections and today we’re bringing you a look at how standby wait times compare to Genie+ lines!
In Magic Kingdom, there are a total of 17 different rides that are included in Genie+ and two considered Individual Attraction Selections (which are a separate cost), so we sent two of our reporters into the park at rope drop to see who could ride 8 different attractions in the least amount of time — one using Lightning Lanes and one using their Disney Parks knowledge to tackle the standby lines.
And, these weren’t just any attractions, we chose the ones that tend to have the highest wait times throughout the day — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
So, who was able to tackle them all first? And, can paying for Lightning Lanes actually save you time? Let’s take a look!
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Our reporter using the Lightning Lanes (aka the old FastPass+ lanes) started the day off with one of the Individual Attraction Selection rides — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! And, the reservation was bright and early from 9:05AM-10:05AM.
They headed straight there when the park opened, and the posted standby wait time was already up to 60 minutes (likely due to Disney World Resort guests who were able to enter the park with Early Theme Park Entry). But, thanks to Individual Attraction Selection, our wait was only 2 minutes in the Lightning Lane.
Our other reporter (who was using the standby queue), opted to tackle the ride a bit later in the morning and hopped in line when it was posted at 70 minutes. But, we timed it, and the wait was actually only 36 minutes in the standby queue.
Jungle Cruise
Beginning the day right at rope drop, our reporter who was taking to the standby lines chose to head straight to Jungle Cruise which had a posted wait time of 25 minutes when hopping in line. And, though the estimated wait ended up jumping to 40 minutes while in the queue, the full wait for us was actually only 11 minutes.
Our Genie+ reporter made a Lightning Lane reservation window for a bit later in the day, but they call it “skipping the line” for a reason, as they only waited about 5 minutes in the Lightning Lane while the posted standby wait was 50 minutes.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Next up in our experiment was Pirates of the Caribbean! This was the second ride that our reporter headed to after Jungle Cruise since the posted standby wait was 5 minutes. And, though the line jumped up to 15 minutes while standing in the queue, the wait ended up still being less than expected at a total of 3 minutes.
And, this was a very similar wait for our reporter using Genie+. They booked a Lightning Lane reservation for 12:15PM-1:15PM and waited only 4 minutes. At that time, the standby wait was posted at 35 minutes.
Splash Mountain
Early in the day, Splash Mountain also had a lower wait time so our reporter hopped into the standby line when it was predicted to be 15 minutes. And, yet again the wait was shorter (9 minutes).
Our Genie+ reporter also decided to ride Splash Mountain earlier in the day, arriving when the standby line had climbed up to 30 minutes. But, the Lightning Lane wait was about 2 minutes for us.
Haunted Mansion
It was about mid-morning by this point, so the standby line at Haunted Mansion had gotten up to a 25-minute wait. However, our actual standby wait time was 15 minutes.
And, the trend of little to no wait with Genie+ continued here, with the Lightning Lane wait taking only 5 minutes at a time that the standby line was posted at 40 minutes.
Space Mountain
Next up was Space Mountain, which is the other Individual Attraction Selection ride in Magic Kingdom. So, should you pay the extra cost to hop into the Lightning Lane? Well, our reporter who paid the $7 for the Lightning Lane (which, remember, that cost can vary!) was on the ride within 3 minutes. And, at this time, the standby wait was posted at 20 minutes.
Later in the day, the standby wait had increased a little to 25 minutes, though our reporter who waited in the standby line was through it in 11 minutes.
Peter Pan’s Flight
At this point, our reporter who was waiting in the standby lines was on a streak of waiting less than the posted times, but this pattern was broken at Peter Pan’s Flight. Here, the posted wait time was 65 minutes and ours ended up being nearly 20 minutes more, at a total of 83 minutes.
But, our Genie+ reporter wasn’t impacted by the 80-minute wait and was through the Lightning Lane in 2 minutes during the 11:55AM- 12:55PM return window.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
And, the last attraction of the day was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! With Genie+, our reporter waited only 7 minutes in line (while the standby wait was posted at 30 minutes)…
…and, just a bit before that return window, our other reporter hopped in the standby line when the wait was posted at 25 minutes and ended up waiting exactly 25 minutes.
Watch the FULL Genie+ Challenge HERE!
Overall
So, it is certainly clear that using Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections will save you a lot of time standing in line. But, interestingly, our reporter who was waiting in the standby lines actually completed all 8 rides before the reporter using Lightning Lanes. Why? Well, with Genie+, our reporter had a lot more downtime in the park, being able to relax and grab a snack while waiting for the next return window to come around.
It’s also important to note that we did this experiment on a Wednesday in the middle of October, meaning that the crowds likely aren’t what you’ll experience on a weekend or holiday period. So, while the posted standby wait times were consistently longer than the actual wait, this may not be true for all times of the year. And, even it if is, those lines will generally be longer on crowded dates.
Overall, purchasing access to Lightning Lanes at attractions in the parks may not mean that you’ll ride them faster, but it will mean that you spend less time waiting in lines. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t want to get to the park right at opening for rope drop and would rather spend your time snacking and taking in other aspects of the park, then Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections might be for you.
Of course, we’ll continue to bring you the latest on wait times in Disney World and whether the new paid systems to “skip the lines” could be worth it for you. And, in the meantime, stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney news and updates!
Is it Possible to Ride EVERYTHING in Magic Kingdom With Disney Genie+? Find Out HERE!
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Are you thinking about purchasing Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selections on your next trip to Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
Interesting test. You should test again to see who could ride the most rides in a day. Going by these results standby is the way to go.
The gap between the haves and have nots is growing and the haves are cheering. This is in my view saddening. Never thought I’d see the day Disney would embrace class warfare. I may never see the inside of a Disney park again.
So did the person using the standby lines use the free Genie service to decide when to ride? Or did they just follow the list?