Hiya Christopher! Thanks for stopping by planDisney with this great question!
Oh boy! Only a month away until you arrive for your
Walt Disney World holiday! I'm sure your family must be overly excited to get to the parks and start riding some of the brand-new attractions that recently debuted around the Resort. EPCOT has had the most going on, with the additions of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure now open. Depending on the last time you visited, Disney's Hollywood Studios has added two new lands with Toy Story and
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Whether you are staying onsite or offsite,
Disney Genie+ will be the service that you utilize to reserve arrival windows for select attractions. For all Guests, you'll need to wait until the day of to purchase Genie+ and make Lightning Lane selections for your park day. Starting at midnight on each day you wish to use the service, you can log on to the
My Disney Experience Mobile App and find the purple bar that reads, "Disney Genie+ Service". Select "Purchase for Today" and follow the prompts to select the Guests in your Family & Friends list that will be using the service. You don't need to purchase this right at midnight, you can wait until you wake up in the morning to do so.
Starting at 7 AM, you'll be able to make your first selection for the day. Log back on to the app and tap on the three horizontal bars on the bottom right of the screen. Then select "Tip Board" followed by the park you will be visiting on this day. You can then scroll down to see the list of attractions that are available to book a Disney Genie+ reservation. You'll only be able to make one selection at this time and depending on what time your arrival window is will determine when you can make your next selection. If your Genie+ reservation is for more than two hours after the official park opening, then you'll be able to make another selection at the two-hour mark. If not, then once you ride this attraction, you can then make your next selection. Make sure to have your mobile device charged for the day because you'll be utilizing the app periodically throughout the day to make your selections.
There is also one attraction at each park currently that is not part of Disney Genie+ and requires an
Individual Lightning Lane to be purchased in order to reserve an arrival window. Since you are staying offsite, you'll need to wait until the official park opening time in order to make these selections. You'll make these reservations the same way, except when you select this attraction in the app, it will prompt you for payment since these attractions require a separate charge. Each one varies depending on the attraction and day, but the cost will be listed when making the selection. One big difference with Individual Lightning Lane selections is you're able to select the time you wish to ride the attraction, while Disney Genie+ only allows you to choose the next available time slot.
Christopher, I hope this information helps you plan for your upcoming stay! Have a magical time during your visit!
See ya real soon!
Greg