With a recent shakeup to the Disney Genie+ attraction list at EPCOT, we wanted to create a Genie+ attraction priorities list to help you make the most out of your day. As a reminder, Disney Genie+ is essentially the paid FastPass+ service at Disney World. For $15 per person, Disney Genie+ allows you to skip the standby line for a number of attractions and experiences. It’s worth noting that while this article will focus on EPCOT, a Disney Genie+ purchase is good for all eligible attractions at all four Disney World theme parks on a single day if you have a Park Hopper entitlement. Let’s jump in!
EPCOT Genie+ Attractions
Here’s a list of the EPCOT attractions and experiences that are included with a Disney Genie+ purchase:
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Frozen Ever After (until August 7, 2022)
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE – Green or Orange
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (until August 7, 2022)
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Additionally, guests can pay separately for Individual Lightning Lane access to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but that is a separate purchase from Disney Genie+ and it does not require a purchase of Disney Genie+. For more on Individual Lightning Lane for Cosmic Rewind, check out our article below.
EPCOT Genie+ Priorities
To create a list of EPCOT Genie+ attraction priorities, we are going to use hard data from thrill-data.com as well as our own opinions on ride quality and popularity. Here’s an example of how we would use data and trends to determine priority. In this snapshot of Disney Genie+ return times from June 1st, we can see that gusts should prioritize Soarin’ Around the World over Mission: SPACE (spoiler alert – we do too). Of course, a strictly by-the-book approach of following data might not always be the best approach, but it’s an important metric to consider.
Here are the attractions that we would prioritize with a Disney Genie+ purchase:
1. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
With Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure moving to Disney Genie+ on May 31st, it also moved to the top of our Genie+ attraction priority list. Remy used to be an Individual Lightning Lane purchase attraction, meaning that you could ride it once for between $9 and $11 depending on the day of the week. Now, with a single $15 purchase of Disney Genie+, you can not only get access to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure but also the full list of Disney Genie+ eligible attractions.
Not only is this a good value, but it’s also the attraction that sells out of Lightning Lane return times the quickest. Make Remy your top priority at 7am (or at 7:01am after you try for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue).
2. Test Track
We’re going to take our first step off of the beaten path here and put Test Track in the second position – ahead of Frozen Ever After. In reality, you’ll probably either get to choose one or the other because they typically sell out around the same time during the day, but we’re going to give the nod to Test Track for a couple of reasons.
First, Test Track typically experiences more downtime than Frozen Ever After. This will be exasperated during the summer months when bad weather will shut the attraction down due to the fact that Test Track operates partially outdoors.
Second, you’ll probably end your evening in World Showcase, where it will be easier to take advantage of lower evening wait times for Frozen Ever After. We’ll put this theory to the test in the coming days, but Test Track and Frozen Ever After are probably interchangeable as your second Lightning Lane selection.
3. Frozen Ever After
As expected, Frozen Ever After is next. It’s a super popular attraction and one that is great for children. If you find yourself with young children that don’t measure up to the 40″ height requirement of Test Track, or if you have people who don’t want to ride Test Track, Frozen Ever After is a very good Lightning Lane to get as your second choice.
Typically, we have found that wait times for Frozen Ever After are more inflated than normal for a Disney attraction. That means that while there are certainly some times when you can find an actual wait of more than an hour, you’ll likely be able to find some low standby wait times if Frozen Ever After is all sold out after you prioritized Test Track instead.
4. Soarin’ Around the World
Moving right down the list of average wait times, we find Soarin’ Around the World slightly ahead of Mission: SPACE. We give the nod to Soarin’ over Mission: SPACE for two reasons.
First, Soarin’ Around the World Lightning Lane return times do go slightly quicker than Mission: SPACE return times. On average, return times for Soarin’ Around the World were 1-2 hours further into the day than Mission: SPACE. That means that if you looked for a Lightning Lane return time for both Soarin’ and Mission: SPACE around 1pm this month, Soarin’ would have a 3:30pm return window but Mission: SPACE would have a 1:55pm return window.
Second, Mission: SPACE can be a much less accommodating attraction. While there is a “less intense” version, the ride can still be difficult for some to experience given the use of screens and confined spaces.
5. Mission: SPACE
Well, Mission: SPACE is next on the list. We’re on the precipice of Genie+ becoming unnecessary, but if you’re still in EPCOT and have another selection and plan on riding MIssion: SAPCE, we’d put that next on the list.
6. Spaceship Earth
Out of respect for Spaceship Earth as the icon of EPCOT and arguably one of the most recognizable structures in the world, we’re going to give it a numbered position before we reach “the rest”.
In reality, there are many times throughout the day that you’ll likely be able to walk right onto Spaceship Earth. There are also times throughout the day when the wait times will be unreasonably high due to its location right at the front of the park. If you get to make a 6th Lightning Lane selection during the day, it’s likely that it will be later in the day and that Spaceship Earth will have a low wait anyway.
Perhaps it will climb the list if we ever get that overhaul that was promised back in 2019.
“The Rest”
The rest of the attractions fall under the “nice to have” category, although we believe that they will be unnecessary for all but the busiest 10% of days. That said, here’s how we would prioritize “the rest”:
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Living with the Land
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
Overall, Disney Genie+ might not be a “must get” for your day at EPCOT, but we think it’s certainly climbing the ranks thanks to the addition of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and the temporary demotion of Frozen Ever After. We’ll soon be purchasing Disney Genie+ to put this theory and priority list to the test, so keep an eye out for that article shortly!
For more on Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lane attraction selections, check out our articles below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!