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Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+ Tips and Strategies

Tower of Terror | Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+

DisneyGenie+ (Genie+) is a great system that lets you make your theme park visit easier and more fun. Disney Genie+ service can be found in the My Disney Experience mobile app. Disney Genie+ does have a cost.  This service allows you the opportunity to use these Lightning Lane entrance at select attractions and experiences at the Walt Disney World theme parks. (The former FastPass+ queues.) On average, Guests can experience 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using Disney Genie+. Keep in mind, that is if the first selection is made early in the day.

Guests are able to enjoy ride one attraction or see one show using the Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrance once per day. If you’d like to experience the attraction again within the same day, you’ll need to use the standby line.

Disney Genie+ varies in pricing, based on the date the Guest is visiting, much like theme park tickets currently do. Pricing is lower on less busy days and it will cost you more to use the Disney Genie+ service on busier, peak days.

Disney has also introduced individual park pricing for those looking to take advantage of Disney Genie+. In addition some Walt Disney World theme parks may offer lower pricing for Disney Genie+ than other parks.

So, this means that Guests who are only visiting, say Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day will only need to purchase the service for that specific park. But, let’s say that you are Park Hopping. So, you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom in the same day; you’ll then need to purchase the multi-park option for Disney Genie+.

Experiences may vary by date and are subject to change or closure. There’s limited availability for experiences. Also they may not be available at all on the date of visit. Or it is possible they are not available at the specific time you are looking for.

Also, in order to be able to use Disney Genie+, Guests will need to have valid admission. They will also need a Theme Park reservation for the same Park and same date. Park reservations are limited, subject to capacity and availability, and specific dates or Parks are not guaranteed.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+ Tips and Strategies

Getting the most out of both Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes first involves preparation. For Genie+, you definitely want to have completed your purchase before you try to make your first booking. You need to buy through the My Disney Experience app starting at midnight.

At 7 a.m., on property guests are able to start making their first Genie+ reservation. Guests staying at select Walt Disney World resort hotels can also begin making Individual Lightning Lane reservations at that time. You will want to start choosing your attractions as close to 7 a.m. as possible for the best selection.

If your first selection was made inside that 2 hour line, you can make a new selection as soon as your final entry scan is complete. (So if you make your first selection at 11:00 a.m. for a ride on Tower of Terror with a return time to the attraction of 12:30 p.m., you’ll actually be able to make your next Genie+ selection at 12:30 p.m., after you scan through the final touch points.) To optimize the number of attractions you’ll be able to see, you’ll want to start booking your next Genie+ attraction AS SOON AS you scan through that final touch point.

Pay attention to the exact time your initial selection was made. If your first Genie+ selections are more than 2 hours in the future. At that time, Guests will want to be ready on the My Disney Experience app to make another selection, 2 hours after making their first selection. (So if you make your first selection at 7:00 a.m. for a ride on Tower of Terror with a return time to the attraction of 10:00 a.m., even though you’ve not ridden the attraction, you’ll actually be able to make your next Genie+ selection at 9:00 a.m.)

How to Purchase

Same Day of Visit:
Available for single-day use for existing ticket holders or Annual Passholders. Purchase via Disney Genie service in the My Disney Experience mobile app

 

What Are Individual Lightning Lane Attractions?

Guests will need to purchase access for Lightning Lane entrances individually for the most popular attractions. Guests may purchase and select an arrival window one at a time for up to 2 of these attractions a day. (If available.) This option is available for all Guests, no matter whether you’ve already purchased Disney Genie+ or not. The pricing varies by attraction, and can even vary by day. Guests will find out the cost of the Individual Lightning Lane access in the My Disney Experience app on the day of their visit. To purchase, you can do so within the Disney Genie service Tip Board or My Day itinerary in the app. This must be done on the same day of your visit.

Guests of a Disney Resort Hotel will be able to make their first purchase starting at 7:00 AM on the day of their visit. This option is available to Disney Resort hotel Guests and Guests of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green. All Other Guests will be able to make their first purchase when the park opens.

 

Use our Lightning Lane Guide  to learn more!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+ General Information

Disney Genie+  is a great system that lets you have quicker access to select attractions or entertainment experiences during your Walt Disney World vacation, for a nominal fee. You can find out more details about the Disney Genie+ system, in our Disney Genie+ Guide.

Attractions Tips

Attractions

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Currently, Individual Lightning Lane attractions are:

Currently, DisneyGenie+ is available for the following Disney’s Hollywood Studios rides, shows, and experiences:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+ Tips and Strategies

Here are a few tips to help you decide which experiences to choose.

General Strategy

If your group wants to experience all that the park has to offer, you will want to make a Disney Genie+ reservation for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run or Slinky Dog Dash. Since these are all popular attractions, you may need to make a tough decision of which one to use Disney Genie+ for first and which ones to consider standing in line for. All three will have long standby lines. If possible, our suggestion is to get the Disney Genie+ reservation for Slinky Dog Dash and then if Disney Genie+ reservations are not open later, ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in the standby line.  As far as other Disney Genie+ options, you may want to consider Toy Story Mania!, Tower of Terror, or Rock n’ Roller Coaster, or Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

Groups with Small Children

When visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios with small children, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway should be your first priority. After that, consider Toy Story Mania. Then, you have a few choices, mostly involving shows. Some of these decisions will, of course, be made based on the interests of your family. You are likely to save the most time by using Disney Genie+ for are Disney Junior Dance Party! and For the First Time in Forever – A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.

Thrill Seekers

While the current total number of attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios might seem a little small, this park is often a favorite for the thrill seekers visiting Walt Disney World. To maximize your time as a thrill seeker, your should use Disney Genie+ for Slinky Dog Dash instead of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. (We suggest using the Single Rider Line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in this instance.) Of course, you’ll want to make sure you’ve purchased the Individual Lightning Lane option for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, as well.

For your thrill seeking additional selections, the choices should include Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, Tower of Terror, and Rock n’ Roller Coaster. (Which also has the option of riding in the Single Rider Line).

Shows

Disney’s Hollywood Studios features several fantastic shows, and you may choose to schedule one or two with a Disney Genie+ reservation. If you do so, there are a few things you need to know as you are planning.

First, the Disney Genie+ time listed for the show will be your arrival time, not the show time. For example, you may have Disney Genie+ time of 10:35am-10:50am for Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage. This means you need to arrive between those times and will get seating for the 11am show. The show then lasts 25 minutes. So even though your Disney Genie+ time ends at 10:50, you will be busy until almost 11:30am.

Due to the number of shows available in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you need to be careful not to accidentally book Disney Genie+ reservations on top of each other.

Fantasmic!

Fantasmic returns

Fantasmic! is kind of a special case for Hollywood Studios Disney Genie+ planning.

Some situations where this still might make sense, however include:

  • You are arriving to the park late in the day and Fantasmic! is one of your top priorities.
  • Fantasmic! is an important part of your day, but your family is not able to wait in line for extended periods of time.
  • You don’t want to ride any rides, just see shows.

More Tips and Tricks

As an extra help, Guests are able to use the My Disney Experience app to check your My Day itinerary or Tip Board to see when you’re eligible to make another selection.

For quicker access to select attractions and entertainment, when using Disney Genie+, you should choose the next available attraction arrival window.

You can also “stack” reservations close to each other. This means that you can experience numerous attractions in quick succession. Be sure you give yourself enough time to experience the attractions and travel to the next.

Guests are also able to book a Disney Genie+ reservation for a park that they have not yet park hopped to. So if you are planning on hopping, you can make a reservation for an attraction in the park you’re planning to hop to before you begin your travel to save time upon arrival.

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