Hi Jana, welcome to planDisney!
You'll be visiting Walt Disney World Resort during a
frightfully fun season. At Magic Kingdom Park, your walk to Cinderella Castle will be lined with autumnal bunting, Cinderella pumpkin wreaths, and Mickey pumpkin heads. At night, the Mickey pumpkin heads light up, which makes for a boo-tiful sight.
To spend less time waiting and more time experiencing attractions and entertainment offerings on your park days, Jana, I recommend enlisting the help of
Disney Genie+ service. Genie+ gives Guests access to
Lightning Lane entrances at over 40 attractions throughout the four theme parks. You can purchase Disney Genie+ service any time after midnight each park day via the Tip Board of the
My Disney Experience mobile app (three small lines at the bottom right of the home page --> Tip Board --> Purchase for Today). I recommend purchasing by 6:45 a.m. so you're ready to book your first Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction at 7:00 a.m. Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions are also booked via the Tip Board of your My Disney Experience mobile app. Scroll to your desired attraction and click to book the next available arrival time. You can book your next Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction as soon as you have experienced your first selection or at the time listed on your Tip Board banner. You can purchase Disney Genie+ service and book Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions for anyone that appears on your
Family and Friends list.
For a separate, smaller list of attractions, an Individual Lightning Lane purchase is required to access the Lightning Lane entrance instead of the standby queue. Individual Lightning Lane attractions can also be purchased via the Tip Board of the My Disney Experience mobile app. There is an associated cost per person, which depends on the attraction as well as the date. As an added bonus, you get to choose your return time. Guests staying at
Disney Resorts Collection hotels can purchase up to two Individual Lightning Lanes per day beginning at 7:00 a.m. All other Guests may purchase at park opening.
There is currently one popular attraction that can only be experienced with an Individual Lightning Lane purchase or a virtual queue:
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. Guests with valid admission and a theme park reservation to EPCOT can join the
Virtual Queue at 7:00 a.m. each morning via the My Disney Experience mobile app (three small lines --> Virtual Queues). If you are unable to secure a spot at 7:00 a.m., there is a second chance at 1:00 p.m. You must be in EPCOT to join the virtual queue at 1:00 p.m. I love this attraction so much that I recently decided to experience it twice in one day by reserving a spot in the virtual queue
and making an Individual Lightning Lane purchase.
To summarize, purchasing Disney Genie+ service and/or Individual Lightning Lanes will save you a considerable amount of time waiting in line over the course of a park day, and joining the virtual queue will allow you to experience Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. All of these require the My Disney Experience mobile app.
I hope this is helpful information, Jana. The planDisney panelists would love to answer any other trip-planning questions you may have.
Choose magic,
Jennifer