How to use Genie+ to get on the Maximum Amount of Rides
Genie+ and a Family of 12
If you just watched our Reel on how we rode 16 rides at Magic Kingdom with a family of 12, buckle up and let me walk you through that kind of day!
I want to be honest. I think you should only have one day that is like this - even if it's on your bucket list. Let me explain.
Recently, my family and I had a jam-packed day we planned as a challenge for a popular discount ticket broker I created content for. We wanted to make the most of our day and maximize every opportunity using Genie+ and Individual Lighting Lanes. However, this day turned out to be too much for us. We crammed too many activities into one day, leaving us exhausted and run ragged.
It was a fun day, but we definitely needed a midday break at the resort, which we didn't take. We realized that we were pushing ourselves too hard.
So I’m here to tell you take a break and don’t overdo it, especially if you are traveling with children or elderly family members.
But if you REALLY want to do this, only do ONE extreme bucket list day during your trip. And make sure you get to sleep in the next day. That way, you can enjoy your vacation without feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Now that my disclaimer is out of the way let's break down the information for you.
Planning our Disney Day
What kind of day was this, according to Well Hello Magic:
Bucket List
Ride- Focused
(I have four kinds of Disney days, check out a Realistic Disney Day to see what I am talking about.)
Bucket List: Having a designated list of must-do/must-see attractions
Ride Focused: Goal to get on as many rides as possible while skipping shows, parades, & longer dining experiences. We cancelled our Crystal Palace reservation to avoid interfering with our day.
Top three priorities:
Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind (VQ, ILL - sellout varies)
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Sellout Order - Morning)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (ILL - Sellout by Park Opening)
During our Disney trip, we planned to visit two parks - EPCOT and Magic Kingdom Park. To make the most of Genie+, we could book two Individual Lightning Lanes, one Virtual Queue, and one Genie+ Selection all at 7 am.
Genie+ Strategy
Before experiencing a day like ours, make sure to complete the following tasks:
Link all your accounts and determine who will be the primary and secondary bookers for the group.
If you plan to use Standby Skipper, set it up in advance.
Verify that the credit card on file for the bookers is valid by 7 am, as they will need to pay for everyone's Genie+ and ILL for that morning.
Turn on your phone notifications so you get all Disney Alerts.
The cost can add up quickly, especially if you have a group of 12 people. So make sure whoever is booking can book the amount of upwards to $500. Note that toddlers under 3 years old won't appear on Genie+, but they can still accompany you through the Lightning Lane. We had 10 people on our trip, as two infants didn't need to pay for Genie+.
Before going to bed that evening, we ALL participated in the Disney Second Shift. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the blog post, as it's one of the lesser-known aspects that people don't usually discuss when planning their Disney Vacation.
My husband and I woke up at 6:00 am and spent 30 minutes packing all of our bags. We also prepared the stroller, ensuring that we were fully ready to leave.
7 am Booking Strategy:
VQ Guardians: Every Phone with My Disney Experience (This saves money - and September is VERY low wait times, so we were fine with the VQ. But during busier months, the VQ can be from 25 - 45 minutes long on average.)
7 am: Remy's Ratatouille Adventure (we wanted the afternoon since we are starting on the other side of the park. So we knew booking the VQ first would delay us booking Remy, and we were okay with that.)
Booked Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for 4:05 pm - 5:05 pm
Some non-negotiable strategies include Rope Dropping and having Early Entry. (You can stay on Disney property for as low as $130 a night!) Those extra 30 minutes can be a game-changer on certain days. However, we encountered our first hurdle in the morning. We arrived early at the bus stop while staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village. When the bus arrived, there was the wrong bus in his spot, and the driver just left. We informed the front desk, and they were very apologetic and gave us a credit on our account. We then took an Uber to EPCOT, which took around 10-15 minutes. Despite the delay, we still managed to reach the park early enough to take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry.
We had two options for Rope Dropping at EPCOT. We chose to start with Test Track and then head to Frozen. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Test Track was a walk-on, although we decided to engineer our own car for the fun of it.
My mother stayed with the two infants who were too young to ride. We had packed little toys in their diaper bag for them to play with, but it was still early, and they were more interested in walking around and exploring their surroundings.
After Test Track, we all walked to Frozen in Norway. We parked the stroller as you entered Norway by the Anna and Elsa meet and greet by the Royal Sommerhus and got in line.
Fun Fact: I have never been in the regular queue for Frozen - LIKE, NEVER. It was so cool to see, and there are things that I missed always using the Lighting lane (previously FastPass). We only waited 16 minutes in line for our 2nd rope drop ride.
Breakfast: We packed snacks but stopped at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe for a snack. Located in Norway.
Then all who wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind went over to get in line our VQ was called much earlier. The VQ was only 20 minutes this day but felt shorter because the queue is very interactive, and we played with Disney's PhotoPass in line.
10:30 am: Booked Soarin', which would move us to the other side of the park.
After riding Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, we walked towards the other side of the park and reached the Land Pavilion. The babies fell asleep during the walk, which was perfect timing as my mom did not want to ride Soarin', and she stayed with them while we rode it.
Once tapped into Soarin', we booked our next Genie+ selection, Peter Pan's Flight. Even though we had not yet ridden Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, we could book our next ride because we tapped into Soarin'.
Then, we headed towards the France Pavilion and got on Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. Took some PhotoPass pictures. After the ride, we grabbed lunch and went back to the Quick Service Restaurant, Sunshine Seasons, at the Land Pavilion.
After Lunch, we headed to the Imagination Pavilion and rode Journey into Imagination with Figment, and we let the kids play in Image Works.
After this, we headed to our last EPCOT ride and activity. We rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends, the second largest aquarium in North America at 5.7 million gallons.
After taking one last group photo at the front of Spaceship Earth, we headed to the monorail to make our way to Magic Kingdom. When planning to visit two parks in one day, it's important to consider transportation options. The monorail is a great choice for jumping between MK and EPCOT. There are also transfer buses that run from park to park. It's available from park to park starting at 1:30 pm. It's safe to assume that the service will resume to normal after park reservations are no longer required after January 9, 2024.
We started our day at Magic Kingdom by heading straight to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, followed by a quick stop at Story Book Treats. After tapping into Peter Pan's Flight, we booked It's a Small World. Our next stop booking would be Jungle Cruise. While in Fantasyland, we also decided to go on rides with low wait times.
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Dumbo
Barnstormer
The group split up as we secured reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. My mom, daughter, and I went there while the others went on to ride Jungle Cruise. Their following Genie+ selection was for Splash Mountain.
After Splash Mountain, we booked our last night ride - Big Thunder Mountain. We all met at Pinocchio Village Haus for dinner and watched the fireworks from the back of the castle. We then took the little ones on a ride on Prince Charming Carrousel before heading to our last ride.
Then, part of the group went to Big Thunder Mountain, and the rest started heading for the castle's front.
The original 5 in my family grabbed a picture in front of Cinderella Castle, and we headed back to Animal Kingdom Lodge for the night. EXHAUSTED!
Final Ride Count:
Test Track (Park Opening)
Frozen (Park Opening)
Guardians of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Virtual Queue)
Soarin’ (Genie+)
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Genie+)
Journey into Figement
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Individual Lightning Lane)
Peter Pans' Flight (Genie+)
Mickey's Philharmagic
It's a small world (Genie+)
Dumbo
Barnstormer
Jungle Cruise (Genie+)
Splash Mountain (Genie+)
Big Thunder Mountain (Genie+)
Prince Charming Carresoul
Cinderella Slipper - Click on Photo to learn more about Bibbibi Bobbidi Boutique
What would I do differently:
So many things.
We were so focused on going on rides that the babies didn't get to do much all day. Many of the rides had height requirements, which prevented them from participating. In hindsight, we should have left my mom and the kids at the hotel to enjoy a day at the pool while we went on the rides. We dragged them around all day for nine rides, which is quite a lot, but not compared to how many we did. Instead, we should have focused the day around the kids, added a midday break, and watched parades and shows with them.
We were exhausted from constantly booking rides and making sure we didn't miss our Genie+ time, which was mentally draining. We have decided that we will only do this again during a VIP Tour.
What is a realistic number of rides to book when using Genie+ at Disney World? I believe you can ride anywhere from 8 to 10 rides per day by utilizing the strategies that I teach in my Genie+ Guide. You can also make time for shows, parades, and other magical experiences. Even though we accomplished a lot during the day, it was difficult to look back and say we had fun. While we had some enjoyable moments and rides, we were so exhausted by the end of the day that it was hard to look back and say we had a great time and it could have been I was exhausted too between planning and getting everything ready for everyone. But I wanted to show you it is possible to get on this many rides as you want with Genie+!
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