Hey there, Aaron!
Welcome to planDisney! Thank you for stopping by with your important planning question regarding Disney Genie+ and the Park Hopper Option. I am happy to see that you will be visiting the Walt Disney World Resort next month. You are going to have so much fun celebrating the
50th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. You will get to explore all of the new experiences that have been created for the celebration. My favorite new display is
Disney’s Fab 50 Character Collection. You will discover in all 4 theme parks a total of 50 golden statues that pay tribute to your favorite Disney Characters. They make the perfect photo op and they don’t mind posing for selfies either. Can you find them all? I would be happy to explain to you how a ticket with the Park Hopper Option and how Genie+ works along with this type of ticket.
All Guests who visit a Disney Theme Park will need a
valid admission ticket and a park pass reservation. Guests who add the
Park Hopper Option to their tickets can visit more than one theme park per day. You must have a
park pass reservation for the first park you are planning to visit for the day. Guests can “park hop” or visit another theme park after 2:00 PM. This will allow you to experience more Disney magic than if you just visited one park per day. The Park Hopper Option must be added to all days of your theme park ticket. I find a tremendous value in the Park Hopper Option because my family and I like to rope drop a park in the morning when it opens and spends the morning enjoying our favorite rides and shows. Sometimes, we will go back to our Disney Resorts Collection Hotel for a break in the middle of the day, especially in the hotter months, just to cool down or maybe relax by the pool. After our refreshing break, we are ready to finish the rest of our day at another park and usually stay until closing.
Disney Genie+ is a paid service that will allow Guests to book a return time to experience an attraction without standing in the standby lane. You must have a valid theme park ticket and park pass reservation to book Genie+ Lightning Lane experiences. This service is $15 per person, per day (the rate is subject to change). You can purchase Genie+ at midnight of the day you are planning to use it. You can book your first experience at 7:00 AM for everyone in your party using the
My Disney Experience mobile app. You will be able to make your next reservation 2 hours after the park opens, or after you have redeemed your first Lightning Lane experience, whichever comes first. You can continue to book experiences in the app every 120 minutes until the park closes. The mobile app will tell you when you can book your next experience.
If you have the Park Hopper Option, you can book Genie+ experiences with return times after 2:00 PM in the park you are planning to hop to. This method of adding the Park Hopper Option with Genie+ will allow you to experience more rides and attractions than if you stay in 1 park all day or just use the standby lane. The time you save waiting in the standby lane will be time well spent making core memories with your family. I hope this helps with your planning. If you have any more questions before you arrive, please come back and visit us again here at planDisney.
See ya real soon,
Andrea