Hey Howdy Hey Beth and welcome to planDisney!
Looks like your trip to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth is right around the corner! My goodness, your time to visit couldn't have been planned better because of the exciting return of the festive
Celebrate America - A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky nighttime fireworks show in Magic Kingdom on July 3rd and 4th will be such a cool experience! We will get into that more later, but first, let's talk about Genie+ and when to purchase for your day in the parks.
Genie+ is available for purchase for all Guests on the day of their park visit. You are no longer able to purchase Genie+ in advance so you should still have plenty of time to make this purchase. To purchase Genie+, you will do so on your
My Disney Experience app which you will be able to do at midnight EST on the day of your day in the park. Guests staying at a Disney Resort Collection hotel will have the ability to book their first Lightning Lane selection widow at 7:00 a.m. EST of their park day. After the park opens to the general public, you will have two hours from that time to book your next Lightning Lane selection or when you tap into the Lightning Lane itself, then you can make your next selection.
There are so many ways to try and make the best usage out of your Genie+ purchase, but I am always a fan of trying to book Lightning Lanes in the middle of the day for our top experiences in the parks. Try to take advantage of
Early Theme Park Entry, which lets Guests stay onsite at a Disney Resort Collection hotel or any other Good Neighbor hotel in the parks 30 minutes before the general public. This will allow you to get a couple of top "must-do" attractions in before the park opens to the masses! If you have the Lightning Lanes booked in the late morning/mid-afternoon when the parks are at their busiest you will be able to take advantage of minimal wait times for much of your day.
The other thing to be aware of is
Individual Lightning Lane purchases. Some of the very popular attractions in each park, such as
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, have the option to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane window that guarantees you to ride during your time window. You will either have this option or a stand-by traditional line option for this ride in particular. Take a look online to make sure the attractions you want to experience are listed on the Lightning Lane with Genie+ or under the Individual Lightning Lane option to know which one to utilize for your "must-do" list!
One quick tip on your arrival day, if you can, head over to one of the Magic Kingdom resorts to catch a viewing of the firework show on the day you arrive.
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is my favorite and a quick monorail ride from Magic Kingdom will give you a prime view of the show and even be immersed in the soundtrack from the park right at the beach!
Best of luck with the final days of preparation for your upcoming trip and please let us know if you have any further questions, we would be happy to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Nick