Hi Isabella, welcome to planDisney!
You'll be arriving at Walt Disney World Resort next week, can you believe it?! Let's do a quick checklist of the three things each member of your party over the age of three will need for theme park entry: valid admission,
theme park reservation for each park day, and a
method of entry (MagicBand, MagicMobile pass, or admission card).
I am now imagining Zac Efron in the role of Troy Bolton in
High School Musical singing "Get'cha Head in the Game
" as we dig into the topic at hand.
Disney Genie+ service gives Guests access to
Lightning Lane entrances at over 40 attractions throughout the resort. You can book your first Lightning Lane attraction in the
My Disney Experience mobile app at 7:00 a.m. on the Tip Board of your My Disney Experience app (three small lines at the bottom right of the home screen --> Tip Board.) To complete the booking process, scroll to a desired attraction and select the "LL Disney Genie+" box that also contains an arrival time and the blue words, "Book Experience." The next step of the process will ask you to confirm your party by selecting up to 12 members of your
Family and Friends list with valid admission, theme park admission, and Disney Genie+ service.
For groups larger than 12, I recommend at least two members of your party with My Disney Experience accounts and access to the My Disney Experience app serve as Lightning Lane captains. When booking Lightning Lane selections for the entire group, the captains should be on their devices at the same time, ideally standing next to each other so they can confirm they are selecting the same arrival time (or arrival windows that are no more than 60 minutes apart from each other). The captains should know exactly which members of the group they are in charge of to avoid error messages if someone accidentally tries to book two Lightning Lane reservations. It is technically possible for one person to reserve a Lightning Lane for 12 and then go back to reserve the same attraction for 2, but chances are the arrival window will have changed significantly in that time, especially if it's your 7:00 a.m. booking, which means the entire group would not be able to experience the attraction at the same time.
The Lightning Lane captains should note that the next Lightning Lane selection can be made as soon as the group taps into the first attraction, or two hours after the time of booking. The only exception to the two-hour rule applies to 7:00 a.m. bookings. If your first Genie+ Lightning Lane arrival time is much later in the day, you are given a time to make your next Lightning Lane attraction that is two hours after
park opening.
Having multiple members of your group on the My Disney Experience mobile app is also beneficial because it allows more flexibility if the large group decides to split up at any time. My family typically splits up at snack time. In Magic Kingdom, my daughter and I Mobile Order DOLE Whips from Aloha Isle while my husband and son Mobile Order treats from Main Street Confectionery.
I hope you and your cast of characters have a magical time experiencing Walt Disney World Resort's 50th Anniversary Celebration!
Plan magic; planDisney.
Jennifer