Please clarify: with early admission/rope drop you recommend going straight to the standby line of an Individual Lightning Lane ride (not pay), and at 7:00am choosing instead a popular but not an Individual Lightning Lane ride as the first choice? Confused”

Welcome back to planDisney, Frank!

I'm Happy as the dwarf to continue our conversation about maximizing the magic on your upcoming park days. Since we last connected, your countdown calendar has shrunk considerably. Three days and counting, or as I call it, the "too excited to sleep" zone! 

There's a lot to unpack when it comes to the new Disney Genie service, and I'm not talking about ponchos and Minnie ears. To clear up any confusion, I'm going to go over the booking procedures for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes, then I'll give two sample scenarios for a park day. 

With a Disney Genie+ service purchase, you can book your first Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction at 7:00 a.m. Do this by accessing the Tip Board of your My Disney Experience mobile app (three small lines at the bottom right of the home screen --> Tip Board.) Scroll to your desired attraction (listed by park) and click the "LL Disney Genie+" button that appears with an arrival time and the blue words, "Book Experience." To complete the booing, confirm the members of your Family and Friends list (up to 12) with valid admission, theme park reservations, and Genie+ service, that are joining you. 

Individual Lightning Lanes can be booked in a very similar way beginning at 7:00 a.m. for Disney Resorts Collection hotel Guests, including the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel. Scroll to the attraction on the Tip Board of your My Disney Experience app and click the "LL Individual Lightning Lane" button. As part of this booking process, you will be able to choose from a selection of available return times, confirm your party, and pay the going rate per person for that particular attraction that day. 

Here's an important takeaway, Frank - you can book a Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction and up to two Individual Lightning Lane attractions at 7:00 a.m. Each needs to be completed as a separate transaction, but you can essentially book three Lightning Lanes at the same time.
Now let's see what this could look like on a park day.

Sample Park Day 1 - Hollywood Studios, Genie+ Lightning Lane only
7:00 a.m. - Book Genie+ Lightning Lane for Slinky Dog Dash (arrival time 5:00 p.m.)
7:30 a.m. - Early Theme Park Entry begins - head straight for the standby line of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
~8:30 a.m. - Standby line for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
10:00 a.m. - Book Genie+ Lightning Lane for Toy Story Mania (when the arrival time for your first Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction is so late, you're given a time to make an additional Lighting Lane selection.)

Continue experiencing attractions via the standby line and Genie+ Lightning Lanes as you are able.

Sample Park Day 2 - Magic Kingdom park, Genie+ Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane
7:00 a.m. - Book Individual Lighting Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for 12:00 p.m., then book Genie+ Lightning Lane for Jungle Cruise (arrival time 10:00).
8:30 a.m. - Early Entry begins, head straight for the standby line for Space Mountain.
9:00 a.m. - Standby line for Astro Orbiter
9:30 a.m. - Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
10:15 a.m. - Standby line for Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
11:00 a.m. - Redeem first Genie+ Lightning Lane for Jungle Cruise (arrival times are good for one hour). Immediately book the next Genie+ Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
12:00 p.m. - Redeem Individual Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Continue experiencing attractions via the standby line and Genie+ Lightning Lanes as you are able.

It's almost go time, Frank. You've got this! 

Choose magic,
Jennifer