Is Genie+ Worth It?  Assessing Genie Plus’ Value to YOU!

Let’s get right down to brass tax: you’re planning a Disney World vacation soon, and you’ve heard of this new fangled Genie+ reservation system.  You miss the now departed Fast Pass system, so you’re skeptical of the big elephant in the room: is Genie Plus worth it?  Well, that’s what I’m going to answer for you today, as I help you assess the true value of Genie+, and come to a conclusion of whether or not it’s worth your hard earned money.

Is Genie Plus Worth It at Epcot?

Below is a list of current attractions currently available at Epcot for Genie Plus:

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Frozen Ever After
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush

Epcot is unique in that it offers almost two different experiences within one park. You have four worlds: World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature, and World Showcase. There are rides for everyone at this spot, from little ones to adults.

Epcot is Disney World’s second largest park (behind Animal Kingdom) at over 300 acres. You would think that this makes getting to and from attractions and shows difficult, but the actual walking distance between the entrance and the back is roughly one mile. Many attractions are clustered together in certain areas, making it pretty easy to navigate between queues and booking windows.

But new rides have debuted in recent years, like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Even with popular rides like Soarin’ Around the World and Frozen Ever After, the wait times can be lengthy. As you can see from the list above, there are fewer rides at this park than at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios.

Beyond that, there is almost always a celebration happening at this park. Beyond rides, Epcot is often hosting festivals, like the International Festival of the Arts or the International Food & Wine Festival. You can enjoy one-of-a-kind shows, presentations, and food at these festivals. With so much going on, many people will visit this park without even touching a ride!

Would we recommend buying Genie Plus for Epcot? Honestly, it is a toss-up. We found it helpful to avoid the wait but felt like we were using it on rides we could have easily waited through. With small, kid-friendly rides like Figment and Finding Nemo, there was not much use. But it was helpful when trying to ride Soarin’ Around the World.

If you are a foodie and want to experience the festivals, do not purchase Genie Plus. Unfortunately, it will not help you with those long food lines! In addition, you can walk up to many of the shows around the park, so there is no need to buy the add-on if you want to visit shows like Turtle Talk With Crush.

So, if you decide to buy Genie Plus for this park, I suggest owning the experience. Book your lightning lanes for every attraction, even the walk-on ones. Despite the price, it was nice not having to wait more than 5 minutes to hop on a ride. But make sure you prioritize your must-do attraction when you choose your first booking window!

Is Genie+ Worth It at Hollywood Studios?

Below is a list of current attractions currently available at Hollywood Studios for Genie Plus:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Muppet*Vision: 3D
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!

Like Epcot, Disney recently revitalized Hollywood Studios. With two new lands, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land, there is more to do and see now than ever. The park also has many shows, including Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage and For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. There is a lot to do in this park!

Unfortunately, with so many new rides and shows, the park is busier than ever. Back in the day, Hollywood Studios used to be a half-day park. Now, it is easily a full day (and then some). Some of the newest attractions have graced this park, including Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Slinky Dog Dash, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

The park has more thrill rides than any other Disney World theme park, which is perfect for teenagers and adults. Rides like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith have consistently long lines. The average wait time for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in 2022 was almost two hours. That is long, given the park is only open approximately 12 hours a day.  And when you’re on vacation, one of the biggest things you want to do is find methods to avoid long lines at Disney World.

Additionally, while the park is small in size, it sometimes feels a little gruesome to navigate. When you are trying to run to Galaxy’s Edge after a two-hour wait near the front of the park, you can feel rushed and stressed while dodging the slew of other guests.

So, would we recommend buying Genie Plus for Hollywood Studios? Yes, absolutely! There is not enough time in the day to tackle everything. Unless you want to pay for another day in the park, we suggest going the cheaper route and trying to maximize your visit.

Is Genie Plus Worth It At Magic Kingdom?

Regarding Genie Plus’ offerings, Magic Kingdom provides you with the most bang for your buck. It covers famous attractions, including Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain. The only ride it does not cover is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, for which you can purchase an individual lightning lane.

We found booking Magic Kingdom rides easy thanks to the proximity to (almost) everything in the park. (We will not deny that the walk from Space Mountain in Tomorrowland to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland is long.) In Fantasyland, the rides are nicely buddy-up right alongside each other, with an easy loop to walk the full circle. Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Frontierland are easy to navigate throughout – it’s just walking in-between lands that can take some time.

This Genie Plus is one of the few that lets you book character meet-and-greets. That is a great bonus for parents traveling with little ones. You can also select a special spot for parades if that is on your plan.

Plus, I will not sugar-coat it; some of the lines at Magic Kingdom are long. And, the older queues are lackluster and sandwich you into them (I am looking at you, Jungle Cruise). In our opinion, we would instead be spending our time riding the ride than waiting for it.

So, would we recommend buying Genie Plus for Magic Kingdom? Of course! With how many rides are in the park, you can cover a lot more ground in a shorter amount of time with the add-on. When we visited in July, we rode 14 attractions, saw a parade, and watched the fireworks.

I cannot guarantee you will have the same level of success (because we were hustling), but it certainly helps get you closer. If you dislike waiting in line or scrunching up against other people for almost an hour, consider buying Genie Plus. We will be using it again at this park the next time we are on vacation.

Lastly, here is a list of current attractions currently available at Magic Kingdom for Genie Plus:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• “It’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Meet Princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

Is Genie+ Worth It for Animal Kingdom?

Below is a list of current attractions currently available at Animal Kingdom for Genie Plus:

• Festival of the Lion King
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Disney Characters at Adventurers Outpost
• Na’vi River Journey
• The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

Animal Kingdom is probably the most immersive park at Disney World. The park is beautiful and vast at almost 500 acres (most of that being the safari). We could easily spend a day here just wandering around and taking in the sights and hidden details.

Regarding attractions, the park has the least number of rides. Many of these rides have little wait or are shows with dedicated run times, like Festival of the Lion King of It’s Tough to Be a Bug! For many of the shows, you can wait for 10 to 20 minutes and be able to grab a seat.

When it comes to thrill rides like Expedition Everest, the wait times are, surprisingly enough, low compared to other rides. The ride with the longest wait time, Avatar Flight of Passage, is the only one where it might be worth paying to avoid the line. Currently, Avatar Flight of Passage is only available through paying individual Lightning Lanes and is not a part of Genie Plus. Then again, there is so much rich detail throughout both queues that you can still have fun while waiting in line.

Kilimanjaro Safaris has a pretty long queue, which can be a little tiresome to wait through. While you could pay to jump ahead of the line, we recommend simply starting or ending your day on this ride and taking on more during the afternoon.

So, would we recommend buying Genie Plus for Animal Kingdom? We suggest saving your money! You could buy a nice set of cocktails at The Nomad Lounge or bring home a souvenir of a favorite animal. If you do not mind waiting, you can save pennies and not buy Genie Plus.

What’s the Verdict?

On the whole, is Genie Plus worth it? Well, for ride-heavy parks like Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios—where you know it will be quite busy—consider buying Genie Plus. But, for theme parks with fewer rides, I suggest saving your money.

This article was written by Angela and edited by Michael.

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