Is it Worth it?: Genie+ at EPCOT

Genie+ has completely changed the game in Walt Disney World, both in how you experience attractions as well as your budget.

Note: on 24 July 2024 Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass replace Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Land Purchases!!!

After years of the free FastPass+ system we know that these skip the line features work great, but now that it’s a paid for service everyone is wondering, “Is it worth it”?

The answer is…it depends for Genie+.

Attractions in EPCOT That Use Lightning Lanes

Genie+ gives guests access to Lightning Lanes, which are essentially faster queues that reduce wait times for various attractions. Here are the key EPCOT attractions included in Genie+:

• Spaceship Earth
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Living with the Land
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Mission: SPACE (Green and Orange)
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush
• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Test Track
• Frozen Ever After
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Typical Wait Times for Top Attractions

Wait times can vary greatly depending on the season and time of day. Here’s a rough idea of typical standby wait times for EPCOT’s most popular attractions:

• Frozen Ever After: 60-90 minutes
• Test Track: 45-75 minutes
• Soarin’ Around the World: 20-40 minutes
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: 45-90 minutes (This often fluctuates as it’s a newer ride)
• Spaceship Earth: 5-30 minutes
• Mission: SPACE: 15-40 minutes
• Living with the Land: 5-20 minutes

During peak seasons and holidays, these wait times can increase significantly.

Did you notice something about these wait times? While there are a few heavy-hitters like Frozen, Test Track, and Remi’s Ratatouille Adventure, most of the rides have relatively low wait times naturally.

Why do EPCOT rides have lower wait times than other parks? Food. Lots and lots of food.

No Lightning Lane for Festival Booths

EPCOT is famous for its festivals and permanent pavilions in the World Showcase. Each of the festivals feature numerous food and drink booths offering unique and seasonal items.
Unfortunately, there are no Lightning Lanes for festival booths!

We’re curious – If you would be willing to purchase a Lightning Lane for a food booth if it existed, comment below. We’d love to debate this because we’re on the fence ourselves.

Is Genie+ Worth It for EPCOT?

Deciding whether Genie+ is worth it for your EPCOT visit depends on several factors:

1. Riding All of the Rides: If you’re focused on experiencing as many rides as possible with minimal wait times, Genie+ can be a worthwhile investment. It’s especially beneficial if you plan to visit during peak times when wait times are longer.
2. Family and Group Size: Larger groups and families with young children might find Genie+ particularly helpful to minimize time spent in lines, which can lead to a more enjoyable and less stressful experience.
3. Budget: Genie+ comes at an additional cost, so if you’re on a tight budget, you might want to consider if the savings in time outweigh the monetary expense. Remember that on top of Genie+ Individual Lightning Lane Entry purchases for top-tier attractions are an extra cost.
4. Festival Focus: If your main goal is to explore the festival booths and sample different foods and drinks, Genie+ won’t be as valuable since it doesn’t offer any advantages for these experiences.

While Genie+ is really helpful in lessening the amount of time you wait in lines, overall we say that it’s not really worth it in EPCOT because of the overall lower attraction wait times and the parks emphasis on the World Showcase.

If you arrive at EPCOT as it opens you can knock out a couple of the most popular attractions with minimal waits.

In the end, it’s up to you whether you but Genie+ or not for EPCOT, we usually don’t.

Difference Between Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane Entry Purchases

Let’s take this opportunity to clarify the difference between Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lane Entry purchases.

Both of these services are reserved using your My Disney Experience app (or by seeing a Guest Experience/Guest Relations cast member). See our Disney Genie and Genie+ Page for more on how to use these services.

It’s crucial to understand that Genie+ covers most, but not all, attractions at EPCOT. There are two attraction categories:

1. Lightning Lane Access via Genie+: For a flat daily fee, guests can book return times to access the Lightning Lanes for multiple attractions. The attractions listed above fall into this category.
2. Individual Lightning Lane Entry purchases: These are premium attractions that are not included in the Genie+ service and must be purchased separately. Think of it as a pay-to-play system. As of now, EPCOT’s Individual Lightning Lane attraction is:
   • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Guests can buy up to two Individual Lightning Lane Entry purchases per day, for an additional fee. This fee varies based on the attraction and the day.

Virtual Queues

As if it wasn’t confusing enough, Disney World also uses what they call a Virtual Queue for new, highly desired attractions for the first year or two they at open. Virtual Queues are offered in place of the regular Standby Line, where you walk up and get in line. With the virtual Queue you reserve a Boarding Group and when your group is called you’ll get in what is essentially the Standby Line.

Virtual Queues are available through the My Disney Experience app also at no additional fee.

Current Virtual Queues at WDW:

• EPCOT – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Magic Kingdom – TRON Lightcycle / Run & Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Have comments or questions, be sure to leave them in the Comment Section Below!

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