Hey Howdy Hey Valerie and welcome to planDisney!
Thank you so much for your question about the
Park Hopper Option and making
Lightning Lane selections with
Genie+. I will be happy to shed some light on this process to help you plan your day a little more efficiently. Let's see what we can come up with!
Well Valerie, it sounds like you already have a pretty good understanding of your times when it comes to park hopping. Park hopping begins at 2 PM until the parks close as you had mentioned. Where things may get a little confusing around park hopping with Genie+ and booking Lightning Lane Entries.
When it comes to Genie+, you can start booking your Lightning Lane Entries at 7 AM EST on the day of your park visit. The great thing about Genie+ is that you can book whichever park you would like. If you see something such as
Kilimanjaro Safaris in Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park with a return time of 3 PM at 7 AM, you are free to book this experience. You are not confined to accessing Lightning Lane Entries for park hopping at certain times as many experiences may fill up quickly and you might not have access to it closer to the available park hopping times. It is just your responsibility to book attractions at the park you are hopping to during the times you will be there. So not book Kilimanjaro Safaris at 1:30 PM for example because you will not be allowed in the park at that time when hopping. But as long as you can book the attractions at the second park during appropriate times, good ahead and get them booked!
One strategy you might want to consider when it comes to park hopping is stacking your Lightning Lane Entries. Starting at 7 AM, keep an eye on your top attractions in Animal Kingdom Park. As the earlier times are taken, you might have the opportunity to book your top attractions for later in the afternoon. 2 hours after the parks officially open is when your next opportunity to book a Lightning Lane Entry is. Try and get this second one within reason of your first and repeat this process until you arrive at the parks. This will stack your Lightning Lane Entries closer together so you can spend more time experiencing attractions and less time waiting in lines.
This works even better if you are staying onsite at a Disney Resorts Collection Hotel or a qualifying resort where you will be able to take advantage of the
Early Theme Park Entry benefit. With this, you will be able to access the parks 30 minutes before the park officially opens so you will have the opportunity to get several attractions done before the park opens! Get the popular ones out of the way and the less popular ones will have lower wait times as many people are making their way to the park in the mornings. By late morning when the parks usually are at their peak, you will be winding down and thinking about lunch and traveling over to your second park!
I hope this was helpful for a little more insight on Genie+ and a strategy for booking Lightning Lane Entries. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out and let us know, we would be happy to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Nick