With crowds looking like they could be on a comeback in 2024, the Disney Genie+ skip-the-line offering is sure to be popular. Disney World has previously said that changes are on the way for the service, but while we still have this implementation of Disney Genie+, we wanted to take an updated look at Magic Kingdom Genie+ attraction priorities. In this article, we’ll talk about what attractions at Magic Kingdom have Genie+, which attractions you should prioritize, and which attractions you really don’t need it for. Pull up a chair, get a cup of coffee, and let’s talk Magic Kingdom Genie+ attraction priorities!
What Is Disney Genie+?
Before we jump into information directly related to Magic Kingdom, we’ll start with a very brief overview of Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes.
Disney Genie+ is a paid, skip-the-line service that allows quicker access to select attractions at the Walt Disney World theme parks. It replaced the free Disney FastPass+. It is optional and pricing varies by date and by park. For more on Disney Genie+ pricing in 2024, check out our earlier article.
Essentially, purchasing Disney Genie+ buys you access to the possibility of securing a Lightning Lane reservation. A Lightning Lane is the physical line that bypasses the standby line, and guests who have purchased Disney Genie+ can reserve a Lightning Lane return time for a specific attraction, if available.
Attractions can and do run out of Lightning Lane return windows, and purchasing Disney Genie+ does not guarantee access to any Lightning Lane. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize your Genie+ Lightning Lane selections.
In the screenshot, you can see the Tip Board in the My Disney Experience app. The Tip Board not only displays the current posted wait time for an attraction but also the current Genie+ available times for eligible attractions.
The Tip Board is also one of the locations where you can see what Genie+ attractions you have booked (highlighted in green in the screenshot), and the Lightning Lane return window when you can redeem your skip-the-line access.
To learn more about Genie+, check out our dedicated Disney Genie+ page.
Magic Kingdom Genie+ Attractions
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of ranking the Magic Kingdom Genie+ attractions, let’s first take a look at which attractions have Lightning Lane access:
Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Entrances Offered Through Disney Genie+ Service
Experiences offered (subject to change without notice*):
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
- Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Space Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
In addition to the attractions and experiences offered through the Genie+ buffet-style service, there are two attractions available as Individual Lightning Lane offerings. Individual Lightning Lane attractions are not part of the Genie+ service and are available a la carte for an additional purchase. Note that you do not need to purchase Disney Genie+ to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane.
Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Entrances for Individual Purchase (Not Offered Through Disney Genie+ Service)
Experiences offered (subject to change without notice*):
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
Magic Kingdom Genie+ Attraction Priorities
In order to help you get the most out of your Disney Genie+ purchase, we’re going to rank the Magic Kingdom Genie+ attractions from top to low priority. We will also offer general guidance on how quickly a particular attraction typically sells out for the day. Note that attraction priorities will generally rely on data from thrill-data, along with some of our own personal preferences. We’ll make it clear when our personal preferences have weighted an attraction heavily.
It’s also worth noting that this list is only of the attractions that are eligible through the Genie+ service. Attractions that are available as a la carte Individual Lightning Lane entrances are not included.
Top Priority Genie+ Attractions at Magic Kingdom
These are the Genie+ Lightning Lane attractions that you want to secure as early in the day as possible. They’re very popular attractions that often sell out of Genie+ Lightning Lane inventory and have high standby wait times. We recommend making your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selection right at 7am and then making sure that you use the eligibility rules to your advantage throughout the day.
1. Peter Pan’s Flight | Peter Pan’s Flight is sort of an odd attraction. While it’s certainly a classic, many guests consider it over-hyped. That said, it typically demands a long wait time. Securing a Genie+ Lightning Lane will allow you to enjoy a classic without having to endure a 75+ minute wait time.
2. Jungle Cruise | If it wasn’t for a relatively good hourly capacity, Jungle Cruise would easily pass Peter Pan’s Flight for the number one spot. The attraction actually sells out faster than Peter Pan’s Flight, on average, but it has a lower average standby wait time thanks to a good hourly capacity.
That said, Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan’s Flight are easily interchangeable, and if you like one attraction more than the other, we’d suggest choosing that one first (as close to 7am as possible).
3. Space Mountain | In terms of Genie+ attractions, there are none with a higher average posted standby wait time than the top three here on our list. That said, Space Mountain Genie+ availability is generally pretty good. In fact, every single Genie+ character experience has been selling out quicker in 2024.
However, your time savings at Space Mountain with a Genie+ Lightning Lane will be much greater than just about any meet and greet during the majority of the day. With an average wait time of just over an hour in 2024, you’ll save somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 minutes more with a Space Mountain Genie+ Lightning Lane than even the most popular eligible meet and greets.
4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | This will be the last of the top priority Magic Kingdom Genie+ attractions and experiences. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a popular attraction with an average wait time of just under 50 minutes. That makes it right around a top-5 wait time ride at Magic Kingdom.
In terms of Lightning Lane availability, it often sells out in the evenings, but its popularity as a Magic Kingdom staple attraction makes it a very popular Lightning Lane option during the busier times of the year.
Medium Priority Genie+ Attractions at Magic Kingdom
Don’t be fooled by these “medium priority” attractions and experiences at Magic Kingdom. Many of them are entertainment offerings which generally mean shorter or limited operating hours, leading to very limited Genie+ Lightning Lane availability. However, they often have shorter standby wait times or other qualifying factors when compared to the top priority experiences, which makes them a good middle-of-the-road option.
5. Meet Ariel at Her Grotto | Recently, the Ariel meet and greet has been a very popular Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane option. In fact, it is the fastest-selling Genie+ meet-and-greet option at Magic Kingdom – even outselling the top attractions listed above.
Even so, an average wait time of 40 minutes this year is some 20-30 minutes shorter than our top priority attractions. If you have a little one who might not be eligible or ready for the “mountains”, the Ariel meet and greet should shoot up near the top of your list!
6/7. Princess Fairytale Hall | Another dark horse of sorts is the princess meet and greets at Princess Fairytale Hall. They rank in the top 10 for all Magic Kingdom average posted wait times, and they are some of the quickest Genie+ options to sell out for the day. Note that these are ranked 6 and 7 because each group of princesses is a separate Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane selection.
8. Haunted Mansion | It feels wrong to rank Haunted Mansion so low, but this is very much a strong medium-priority option. Haunted Mansion has an average wait time that is higher than the meet and greets listed above, but it also has much longer operating hours – leading to more Genie+ availability.
In fact, Haunted Mansion regularly has availability into the evening and sometimes even late-night hours, depending on how busy Magic Kingdom is. For that reason, it has to be a lower priority than some of the meet-and-greets that sell out quickly. On many of the busier days of the year, your choice will likely already be made up for you by the time you get to your third or fourth selection, with the meet-and-greets sold out early and Haunted Mansion climbing up the list as a matter of process of elimination.
It’s worth noting that this is a 2024 article, and the Hatbox Ghost has debuted without moving the needle too much in terms of ride popularity.
9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Another ride that can certainly move up the rankings based on either party makeup or process of elimination of more popular options is the Winnie the Pooh ride. It has a longer average wait time (43 minutes) than the princess meet and greet options above, but slightly better Genie+ availability.
It’s still a competitive option, and deserves a spot in the top 10 – regularly selling out quicker, on average, than the likes of Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more! I almost think it should rank higher, but the ride experience can’t really compete with some of the classics listed above (and that’s perfectly fine).
10. Enchanted Tales with Belle | With limited hours (like the Ariel meet and greet), Enchanted Tales with Belle tends to be one of the quickest experiences (meet and greet or attraction) to sell out at Magic Kingdom. That said, it has a relatively short average wait time of just 30 minutes, so you’re really not saving too much time here.
11. Meet Mickey in Town Square Theater | Just outside the top 10 in Genie+ priority is the Mickey Mouse meet and greet in the Town Square Theater. Mickey is currently the least “popular” of the Genie+ entertainment offerings, but that’s because he’s pulling longer hours. Mickey is a sold Genie+ option, especially if you can time it up when you’re spending time on Main Street USA anyway, or on your way out of the park.
12. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin | I can’t conclude the medium-priority attractions without the next two. In terms of Genie+ availability, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Pirates of the Caribbean track pretty closely. Where Buzz Lightyear gets the nod is average wait time. Plus, I personally find the Buzz Lightyear queue to be a bit more of a slog than the Pirates queue, although I prefer to skip both.
13. Pirates of the Caribbean | Another Magic Kingdom classic, this one has a great hourly capacity which allows it to keep the line moving, and Genie+ return times aplenty. Pirates of the Caribbean is the last of our
Low Priority Genie+ Attractions at Magic Kingdom
Finally, we have made it to the lower-priority Genie+ attractions at Magic Kingdom. These attractions or experiences might not save you a lot of time when compared to posted standby wait times, but if you’ve already done all of the attractions or experiences above (or if they sold out), you might be able to find some wins here at the end of our list.
Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid | This is one of a couple of low priority Genie+ attractions where you can really come out ahead. Journey of the Little Mermaid is an attraction that typically has a high throughput, but it can also be very popular – leading to 30-45 minute wait times. If you’re visiting on a busy day, this is a great option to skip the line.
“it’s a small world” | Similar to Journey of the Little Mermaid, “it’s a small world” can get busy during the middle of the day or on busier days. Some days you might be skipping 10 people in line, but other days you could be skipping a 30+ minute wait.
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade | Technically, the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is a top-5 or top-10 Genie+ Lightning Lane because it sells out early in the day. Of course, with two midday showings, that skews the numbers a bit. I don’t think that this Lightning Lane is necessary at all given all the viewing areas available, but if you are going to get a Genie+ Lightning Lane for the Festival of Fantasy Parade, make sure you do so at least an hour before showtime.
Tomorrowland Speedway | Technically, this is a more difficult Genie+ to secure than something like Buzz Lightyear, but that’s not saying much as both generally have availability into the evening hours. The Tomorrowland Speedway is ranked lower than Buzz due to a lower average wait time.
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor | Monsters Inc Laugh Floor is another attraction with shorter operating hours than the rest of the theme park, so just keep an eye on the hours toward the end of the night to make sure that you don’t miss out.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin | We really don’t have a priority order for these lower-tier attractions, so we’ll group the three Magic Kingdom spinner-style attractions together.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant | A classic that has twice the capacity thanks to a double-Dumbo layout. That usually helps with standby wait times, and definitely with Genie+ Lightning Lane availability.
Mad Tea Party | With an average wait time of just over 15 minutes, this is an easy attraction to use standby for during most of the year.
The Barnstormer | The Barnstormer can get some longer-than-acceptable wait times, so it can be a good Genie+ option if you’re traveling with little ones.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic | What is there to say about Mickey’s PhilharMagic? It’s surprising that it’s a Genie+ option, but maybe you want to get out of the afternoon rain, or sit in some air conditioning for a little bit.
There you have it! When we purchase Disney Genie+, this is the list that we utilize to plan our day out. You might have adjustments based on your personal preference, but this should be a useful guide to help prioritize certain attractions over others.
Overall, a day at Magic Kingdom with Genie+ will largely feel successful due to the abundance of options and ease of securing many attractions. Of course, the top priorities will be more competitive than the others, but if you’re waking up early to snag a TRON Lightcycle Run Virtual Queue (or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Virtual Queue this summer), you will be ahead of the game. Out of all of the theme parks (in the world), Magic Kingdom is the most visited. While that means that you’ll be “competing” with guests throughout the day, it also means that if you’ve done your homework by reading blog posts ahead of time, you’ll have a leg up.
We’ll post updated Genie+ priority lists for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom shortly. As noted earlier, this article doesn’t take into account Individual Lightning Lanes or attractions that utilize a Virtual Queue.
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!