Conquering Disney World is all about strategy!

If you’re in the midst of making those plans, there are three rides in particular that you ABSOLUTELY have to prioritize because they sell out every day on Genie+: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, and Slinky Dog Dash. Let’s go over some of our favorite tips and tricks so that you don’t miss out on any must-do rides!

As we said, we’re going to go over some of our favorite tips and tricks so that you don’t miss out on any must-do rides!

Understanding Genie+

First and foremost, let’s do a quick refresher on Genie+. It’s Disney’s paid service that allows you to reserve access to the Lightning Lane of a number of attractions and bypass the (longer) standby line. It can be a game-changer if you want to maximize your park time and minimize wait times.

Here are some tips so you can make the most of Genie+:

• Purchase Genie+ EARLY: Genie+ can be added to your ticket starting at midnight on the day of your visit. However, you can’t book your first Lightning Lane (LL) until 7 AM. So, set your alarm(s) and be ready to book right at 7 AM.
• Be Quick About It: Like we said, rides like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, and Slinky Dog Dash can sell out within minutes, so you’re going to need to have the My Disney Experience (MDE) app open and ready a few minutes before 7 AM.
• Have Your Booking Strategy Ready Beforehand: Start by booking your highest priority ride first, then consider the rest afterward for park hopping, etc.

In addition to Genie+ rides, there are rides in each park that have Individual Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues. Let’s break those down for you, too:

Individual Lightning Lanes are rides that you pay to book the Lightning Lanes for on an individual basis. You pay a set fee to make a Lightning Lane reservation for just that one ride.

Virtual Queues are free. You join them through the Disney World app, and get a “boarding group” number. When your boarding group is called, you have a one-hour window to go to the ride. Unlike a Lightning Lane where you can choose from certain time slots, when you join a Virtual Queue, your return time can vary. You can join a Virtual Queue at 7AM or at 1PM most days — if a park is open later for a special event, there may be another Virtual Queue drop later in the evening. If a ride has a Virtual Queue, it doesn’t have a standy line. We have more details on Virtual Queues right here.

Here’s a look at the rides that use Individual Lightning Lanes and/or Virtual Queues:

• TRON Lightcycle / Run: Individual Lightning Lane and Virtual Queue (no standby line)
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: Individual Lightning Lane and Standby Line
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: Individual Lightning Lane and Virtual Queue (no standby line)
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Individual Lightning Lane and Standby Line
• Avatar Flight of Passage: Individual Lightning Lane and Standby Line

If you’re wondering about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is set to open June 28th in Magic Kingdom, Disney has said it will be part of the regular Genie+ (not an Individual Lightning Lane), and that it will have a Virtual Queue at first. We expect that it will sell out very quickly on Genie+ each day when it opens.

Which Rides to Book First

Other than the 3 rides we’ve been talking about (Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, and Slinky Dog Dash), which other rides should you book first? Remember, we’re talking about booking your Genie+ LLs (not ILLs).

These are the rides you should consider booking (in our most humble opinion):

• Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan’s Flight (and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when it opens)
• EPCOT: Test Track, Soarin’ Around the World, Mission: SPACE
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids

Do You Need Genie+ for Every Park?

Purchasing Genie+ for your park day can be beneficial, but hear us when we say that it’s not ALWAYS necessary. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios tend to be busier than Animal Kingdom, which generally makes Genie+ a bit more useful, especially since they have the bulk of the rides.

When it comes to Animal Kingdom, however, you might find that if you come with a solid plan (maybe you’ll rope drop) you’re more than likely going to be able to get on all the rides you want without having to wait for that long, so you might not need Genie+

Best Advice/Tips & Tricks

Let’s round this out with some of our favorite tips and tricks that should come in handy:

• First off, you need to be familiar with the My Disney Experience app beforehand. Play around with it so you know where everything is, what the buttons do, how to make reservations, etc.
• Also, don’t just be one and done, meaning you should refresh the app/check back in with the app frequently. This is because sometimes more slots open up throughout the day.
• Some rides have single-rider lines which could save you time.
• Also, the lines tend to be shorter later in the evening (especially closer to closing time).
• If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, take advantage of extended evening hours and early entry. (We’ve got more info on how those work right here.)

We’re watching wait times, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane sell-out rates, and all things Disney World every day of the year to bring you this info. Keep following DFB for more!

Click here to see more Disney World advice for 2024!

Have you ever been at Disney World for a sold-out day? Let us know in the comments!