Hey there, hi there Mike!
Thanks for stopping by planDisney with your question. It won't be long now before you are in sunny Florida joining
The World's Most Magical Celebration!
While
Genie+ helps you access Lightning Lanes to skip the lines, it's a little different from the FastPass system that you might be used to where you could select a return time for a couple of select attractions. Do you remember the OLD FastPass kiosks in the parks, where you would put your park ticket in and it would spit it back out along with paper FastPass tickets? it's kind of like having one of those machines in the palm of your hand. You won't get to select from a variety of return times, Genie+ just gives you the next available option. Once you've reserved a Lightning Lane, you'll either have to check into the Lightning Lane for that attraction or wait 120 minutes before making another selection. It sounds a bit confusing, but once you actually start using Genie+ in the park, you get the hang of the system pretty quickly, and you'll find that in some parks you'll be able to book several Lightning Lane times throughout the day.
The key is to make your first Lightning Lane selection right at 7:00 AM. Typically, I like to choose a return time as close to park opening as possible. The only time I wouldn't do this is if I REALLY wanted to ride an attraction that I know will have long standby wait times and will probably run out of Lightning Lane availability rather quickly. An example would be
Slinky Dog Dash in
Disney's Hollywood Studios. Even if you're ready to book it right at 7:00 AM, it's not uncommon for the return time for this attraction to be 2:00 PM or even later. It's great to hear that you've been looking on the Tip Board now; it will give you a good idea which attractions tend to go quickly.
Now, Individual Lighting Lane purchases are totally separate from Genie+ Lightning Lanes, and you CAN choose from a variety of time slots when you purchase these. You can also book 2 Individual Lightning Lanes right at 7:00 AM if you are staying at a
Walt Disney World Resort Hotel. Right now there is only 1 attraction in each park that has an option for purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane, but if you have the
Park Hopper Option with your tickets, it may come in handy.
Hope this helps. Mickey can't wait to see ya real soon!
Diane