Hi Jill! Welcome to planDisney! Thanks for stopping by with your question!
You are getting so close to your
Walt Disney World Resort vacation! There is nothing quite like the anticipation that starts to build the few days leading up to your visit. You've picked a great location to stay during your time here. The Disney Springs area hotels offer a ton in terms of value, including walkability to Disney Springs and some added perks for the parks.
As you mentioned, with staying at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando, you do have access to
Early Theme Park Entry. When arriving at EPCOT for your park day, you will be able to enter the theme park 30 minutes prior to other Guests. If you plan on riding the newly opened Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, I suggest heading straight toward the France Pavilion to get in line and beat out many other Guests. (Tip: Make an early breakfast reservation for
Trattoria al Forno on
Disney's Boardwalk. The food is outstanding, plus you will be able to enter EPCOT from the International Gateway entrance and get even a better head start than Guests arriving at the front gate.)
With the purchase of
Disney Genie+, all Guests (including yourself) are able to make their first Lightning Lane reservation starting at 7 AM. At
EPCOT, the attractions included in Genie+ are Soarin' Around the World, Test Track, Mission Space, and select others. Once you make your first selection at 7 AM, you will not be able to make your next selection until two hours after the official park opening or until you ride your first selection.
There are two attractions at each park that are part of the
Individual Lightning Lanes. For EPCOT, these will include
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and
Frozen Ever After. To make Lightning Lane reservations for these attractions, you must purchase them separately and this cost is subject to change daily. Only
Disney Resorts Collection hotel Guests, Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin hotel Guests, and Shade of Green Guests are able to start booking Individual Lightning Lanes starting at 7 AM. All other Guests (including yourself), will need to wait until the official park opening to reserve a time slot. With this said, if the popular attractions are your priority, I suggest using the Early Entry perk to ride them early on with minimal wait times.
Jill, I hope you find this information helpful during your upcoming stay! Have a magical time being a part of the
Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration!
See ya real soon!
Greg