Hello Sandy,
Thanks for stopping by planDisney with your question! Is the countdown on in your house? Before you know it you'll be strolling down Main Street U.S.A., stopping to take a classic photo in front of Cinderella Castle!
I hear your reluctance to purchase
Genie+. It's an addition that you may not have factored into your vacation budget, so will you really need it, or is it worth it? Will you be tied to your phone all day and not get to enjoy the parks? Will you end up touring the park in an inefficient manner, crisscrossing all over the place and adding extra miles to a day already filled with more walking than you might do in a week? I have asked myself all of these questions, and my conclusion is always different depending on how long my vacation is, when I'm traveling, and who I'm traveling with.
Is Genie+ worth it? This is going to be different for everyone, and different for every park. I love having Genie+, and when I can swing it in my budget, I end up getting it for every day of my vacation. However, there are some parks where it may be more helpful to have than others. I find that having it in
Magic Kingdom is really handy because there are so many attractions that have Lightning Lanes. It's fairly easy to book relatively quick return times to attractions all day long. I also love having it in
Disney's Hollywood Studios where there are so many attractions with really long standby lines. It's nice to be able to get a few of those rides in without having to wait for an hour or longer in a standby line. However,
EPCOT and
Disney's Animal Kingdom are usually a bit more relaxed. By taking advantage of
early entry for Disney Resort Guests and having a smart touring plan, it is possible to hit all of your "must do" attractions and more. So, although it's always nice to walk onto an attraction rather than wait in a standby line, Genie+ may not always be necessary.
My suggestion is to try it out in Magic Kingdom. You can add Genie+ each day beginning at midnight. Don't worry about staying up to purchase it. It only takes a couple of minutes to add it, so just purchase it before 7:00 AM so you are ready to make your first Lightning Lane selection. Test it in that park, and you can decide if you need or want it for other days.
Will you be tied to your phone all day? I'm going to say, yes and no. Yes, you'll have to use your phone to check Lightning Lane availability, but I found that I was able to do this while I standing in line, waiting for a show to start, or riding
Disney transportation during a midday break. Once a Lightning Lane is booked, you either have to check into that attraction or wait 120 minutes before booking another, so there will be plenty of phone-free time throughout the day.
Will you be running around, criss-crossing the parks to get to your next Lightning Lanes? This is one where I'll say, maybe. In a park like Disney's Hollywood Studios, I did find myself crossing back and forth, but it's one of the smaller parks. In the other parks you can usually select your Lightning Lanes in a fairly logical order. There may be some extra walking as you try to fill in your time waiting for Lighting Lanes with shows and other attractions that don't typically have long wait times.
Hope this helps. Have a magical vacation!
Diane