Hey there, hi there Chris!
Oh boy! It looks like you are planning a vacation later this spring. It's a great time to visit, with the
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival in full bloom, and typically beautiful weather.
I'm guessing that you are looking at the Tip Board on your
My Disney Experience app to get an idea of the wait times for specific attractions. This is a great idea, not only to help plan your park days but also to help you determine if you want to purchase
Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, or possibly a combination of both for some parks.
If an attraction is closed, on the Tip Board you'll see an exclamation point icon next to the words "Temporarily Closed", and the Standby Line will indicate "Wait Times Currently Unavailable." That doesn't necessarily mean that the attraction is closed for the entire day. It may open up later; however, guests who previously booked Lightning Lanes before it shut down will most likely be trying to experience the ride, so the standby queue could take longer than usual.
Other times, in the case of
Slinky Dog Dash, Lightning Lanes book at lightning speed. In this case you'll see a wait time listed for the Standby Line. Underneath that you'll see "LL Disney Genie+ Not Currently Offered." This means that all of the available Lightning Lanes have been booked. Now, it is possible that a few will become available as guests' plans change and they cancel Lightning Lanes, but getting one of those takes a lot of luck and pixie dust.
Similarly, rides that have Individual Lightning Lane access available for purchase, like
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, often sell out quickly for the day. For these attractions, guests staying at
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels have an advantage. They can purchase Individual Lightning Lanes beginning at 7:00 AM, while other guests have to wait until park opening to purchase Individual Lightning Lanes.
So, the answer to your question is yes, both Individual Lighting Lanes and Genie+ Lightning Lanes for certain attractions are often booked up for the day within a couple of hours. If you purchase Genie+ you'll be able to book your first Lightning Lane right at 7:00 AM, regardless of where you are staying. I recommend doing that, particularly if there is a "must do" attraction that you want to experience. If you are not staying at a Walt Disney World Resort and want to experience one of the attractions that have an Individual Lightning Lane purchase available, make that purchase right at park opening. If it's sold out, head to the standby line first thing. You may have to wait longer than you'd like, BUT the standby line wait times will most likely go up throughout the day. Another option would be to hop into line for those attractions right before park closing. You still may have a wait, but you'll get to ride without using up that time during your park day.
Hope this helps. Have a magical vacation!
Diane