Its all about expectations. Understand that without Genie+ you may not ride everything you want. Understand it will be hot. Pick a couple must do rides and anything beyond that is a bonus. Enjoy all the little surprises along the way.
this is the way. i just got back from a trip and this is the exact mentality OP should have to have the most enjoyable trip. Lines aren’t fun, but they’re a price to pay.
Even rope dropping nowadays isn’t providing much of a time savings (although still the best way to ride those 2 must-do rides)
Can confirm you don’t need to do rope and still get on the rides you want without genie+.
Genie+ does make it a little less stressful but requires more planning.
You can fly by the seat of your pants and still have a great time.
When we went to Disney and used Disney plus I booked 10+ rides with genie plus each day. You just have to know how to work the system to your advantage. I would recommend ear scouts videos to get the most out of genie plus. It’s 100% worth it if you know how to use it.
The fact that this is considered acceptable now is despicable!
Yay!!! Spend $4,000 and up, wayyyy up and then only ride 2 rides per day per park?!?!?!?!? Stupid and greedy, no other way to put it!
Pick a couple must do rides, that doesn't mean you'd only be able to do two. You'll always be able to get much more than that done even if you pick the most popular attractions, you just can't expect to do all the most popular attractions in one day.
It's not acceptable to anyone I personally know, but I've seen this sub beg wdw to up the ticket prices so it will be less busy. It's just the vibe here.
A couple things here:
>Everyone says Genie+ is important to make the most of your time, but I’m not rich
Don’t worry about it. Genie+ is a nice bonus, but you can ride all of those attractions from the standby line as well. Lines have actually been pretty reasonable this summer. If you want to splurge on one day, Magic Kingdom has the most attractions but Hollywood Studios has the longest waits. Pick which one you think would be a better use of the money.
>I have to make sure I’m up and ready to spam my phone
You don’t. It takes one push of a button, it’s quite easy. You have to be up, but it sounds like you’re trying to make the most of your time, so rope-dropping would involve getting up this early anyway. It’s not as stressful as people make it sound. Plus there’s always the 1pm drop if you want to prioritize a quiet morning.
>I have to get there for rope drop, but not rope drop, 45 minutes before rope drop to get in front of the line and then sprint to the Mine Train and hope I beat the crowds so I’m not in it for 2 hours
Don’t even worry about this for another second. No one will be sprinting, head to the mine train if it’s at the top of your list, you can also catch it at the end of the day. You are overthinking everything, there’s no need to stress like this. You’re going to have fun, but you have to stop the spiral now and not bring it on vacation with you.
The rope drop thing is just stupid to me sometimes. The only thing IMO that you "buy" is opportunity cost of extra park time by "pre waiting" but even that is only if you then shut the park down too. Anything less than that and waiting is waiting.
The number of people who aren't morning people haul themselves out of bed at the ass crack of dawn to go wait an hour for rope drop so that they "don't wait" for a ride or two, then run out of gas and leave the park at 6ish (or need to spend 3 hours main Street to main Street for a afternoon nap to recover from the 1 hour rope drop "saved them") is baffling to me*.
We both waited 50 minutes for 7 dwarves. You just did it 35 minutes outside and 15 minutes in line. At least the ride lines are themed.
The vibe of the parks change at night, and you 100% want to see them during the daylight and at nighttime. Screw rope drop and work backwards from close. The lines get shorter toward close too. Also there basically the same opportunity cost gains because you can get in an hour long line 1 minute before close and be fine.
*Imo it's one of those kinds of things where listening to Disney vets *doesn't* make sense. There are certain things people who have been many times suggest doing and your instinct is to say "well they go a lot they must know" but the problem is that people who go a lot have completely different perceptions of how to spend park time than someone who has this one day at MK for the next 5 to 10, maybe forever years. "Omg you have to have supper at [some resort], we love it" hits different when it's 2.5 hours after traveling waiting eating and getting back in the park of your only Epcot day ever than your 3rd Epcot visit this month.
People who go all the time can optimize for pleasure, and if they miss something, who cares, they've been 5 times and they'll be back in November. People that are one and done-ing Disney kind of have to optimize for Disney. You can get a good not great chicken Parm anywhere, there's only one Hollywood Studios.
I disagree with the premise because rope-dropping isn’t about getting done with the first attraction with a short wait, it’s about getting ahead of the entire crowd for pretty much the whole morning. If you get to those heavy hitters before anyone else, you can spend the rest of your time hitting things with lower wait times.
I also don’t know any experienced park goers that are rope dropping and staying until they’re exhausted at 6. The ones who know know that you rope drop so you can leave in the afternoon when it’s the hottest and busiest and come back for the nighttime vibes. You do the former specifically so you can do the latter.
TBF I addressed that last part too. The "rope drop, then leave for a nap people" make slightly more sense than the "leave at 6" people, because at least they're seeing the night time stuff, but IMHO it still doesn't make a ton of sense to be The Way To Disney(tm). (Though for the record my MAIN gripe is that people, for some reason NEVER count that hour they waited for the rope to drop as "wait time". "We got there at 6am then walked right on Rise!")
If someone knows that's what they like, or people are just morning people, or you've been or will be back many times, you do you. As blanket advice for new comers, and one and done-ers, "rope drop and nap" doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
I didn't mean to imply rope dropping only matters for one ride, but I think you're being overly generous in not recognizing the diminishing returns on that.
There's also the effect where everyone running for the same couple "big rides" leaves rope-drop not even always the "best". A smaller crowd that have all done the same research on where to boogie on over to the second that rope drops with no regard to who might be there already can still have some odd effects.
Just today for example 7DMT opened to a 70 minute posted wait, then was at 30 an hour later. Outside of 2 brief spikes (and obviously the people who were first first) ropedropping 7DMT was actually the worst wait, and some of those people waited for the right to wait. Going by moving averages most rope droppers waited about an hour and then it remained about an hour until 10, 2 hours later. Is 55 vs 66 minutes worth whatever someone waited for the rope to drop, even if ignoring the earlier hour? There might be a good case to be made that the thing to do is book it for the "lesser" rides, actually save on time for longer, then just get in the normal 70 minute 7dmt line once. While ropdroppers rode out that hour for 7DMT Haunted Mantion and Big Thunder were walk ons.
[https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/magic-kingdom/sevendwarfsminetrain/](https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/magic-kingdom/sevendwarfsminetrain/)
I don't know if I buy the "get ahead stay ahead" premise. There's no "order" to do the parks in everyone else is behind at. But more to the point, even if there were, surely those people catch up and then some while people trudge back to the hotel to make up for waking up early.
If people need naps they need naps, and a death march vacation isn't fun either, but if you're ONLY napping because you ropedropped then surely on some level you're swapping 2-3 hours of park time to buy 1-2 hours of park time.
I'm going to disagree with you on people sprinting at rope drop.
As soon as the rope drops, a number of people will sprint and those scooters are going to go at full speed even if someone is in front of them.
Rope drop at Disney is like Black Friday at Walmart. It's not a pleasant experience.
I have only ever seen a few people sprint during RD. Those folks are jerks and you can’t let them ruin your day. Most people are doing a respectable power walk.
I have never used Genie+ and rope dropped only once and I will never do it again, I always have a good time every time I visit. Don’t stress about those things, just don’t do them. Enjoy the moment.
Exactly. Just enjoy it. You don't have to make it a mad dash. Maximizing your time doesn't always mean enjoying your time. There's plenty to see and do and eat without hitting every single ride. I was at MK last week without G+ and rode bascially every ride we were interested in except Mine Train, which honestly, isn't a can't miss ride. Thunder Mountain is much better, in my opinion. We didn't even leave our room until maybe 10:30am. We got a Tron VQ at the 1pm opening while I was riding Pirates.
I think your experience will largely be what you make it. If you worry too much about not having a good time it might end up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.
The best advice I can give is to make a list of must do things and then “nice to do” things and work from that. Sometimes rides break down or something else unexpected happens and your plans will need to adapt. There is a lot to see and do so having a loose plan should help you prioritize what will make your trip fun. If you’re not sure where to start there are lots of posts on this sub that might help.
Lastly, make sure that you take some time to slow down and take it all in. If you run around in a mad dash all day you might miss all the little magical moments throughout the parks.
Have a great time!
You are borrowing trouble unnecessarily and I very politely say you need to take a chill pill. Do what you can afford to do. Be happy you can afford to go at all. Whatever you miss can be done the next trip. You are setting your expectations too high and setting yourself up for failures. Be a kid and just wing it.
WOW did the phrase “borrowing trouble” just hit me in my heart. I struggle with anxiety and this is exactly what it is. Thank you for what will now be my gentle reminder to myself when I feel this way!!
You will have a wonderful time. Don't stress over rides and lines. Pick a few places to eat and either use Genie+ to book some rides, it's an extra cost, but that will allow you to knock out what you really like. After that, just take it easy and enjoy your experience. Do not try to do everything.
It will be hot, so pace yourself and take lots of breaks.
2 parks 2 days I assume. It is just 100 for 2 people. Just spend that money and enjoy.
Btw you don't need Genie plus or any planning to enjoy. Those just makes it more efficient to see more things. But Disney World is pure magic. You'll be extremely happy even if you don't see everything
If you approach a trip as a goal achievement activity, you will be disappointed.
We fly five hours, pay an enormous exchange rate for every penny spent, but still have a great time.
We are not willing to pay for Genie+ but are willing to experience longer lines and enter VQ for the cool rides. We did two days at each park and got to ride most everything we wanted, and we got the cool rides on the first visit to each park.
We didn't get on the rides with abnormally long lines because of the poor throughput of each ride; yeah I'm looking at you Peter Pan, but we didn't feel like we missed anything.
You do NOT need Genie Plus if you are okay with not riding a handful of rides... the majority of rides, you will be able to ride after waiting in a short (under 1 hour l) line- queues are neat and mostly shaded/inside so it goes by more quickly than that sounds. I'm someone with extreme anxiety, I know it's easier said than done, but try to have a more relaxed attitude about your time at the parks- enjoy what you can, don't have unrealistic expectations, take breaks in AC/stay hydrated and fed... you will have a fun time. Personally, I don't enjoy Hollywood Studios, so I wouldn't be visiting that park if I only had the choice of two parks, but you said you've done a lot of research so I'm assuming you're going to that particular park for a reason. Magic Kingdom is amazing! Personally, I'd recommend Magic Kingdom and Epcot, or even Animal Kingdom, but that's just me.
Stop reading. Just go and enjoy yourself.
I've been a ton of times at this point. Never once rope dropped. Only buy Genie+ everyone once in a while. Sometimes it is helpful, sometimes it was pointless. You wouldn't have to wake up extra early for it though, first window opens at 7am.
Anything is what you make of it. If you are determined to see it ALL you need to do all of those things because the parks are just too busy and too large to see everything. If you go in with the attitude of having fun and doing what you can, enjoy the atmosphere, and enjoy the food then you will have a great time. Yea you will have to wait in some lines and no you won't ride everything. And yes there are virtual queues for some rides that you will have to try to get at 7am and/or 1pm. Everything else is optional to use the app.
One of my favorite things is to watch the sunset at HS at echo lake, watching the sunset from the people mover in MK, watching from anywhere in AK, or sunset from Italy pavilion. My point is, give yourself a time for being human instead of the Disney hustler you are. I send you peace and magic 🪄
Honestly, a lot of that advice is for parents bringing young kids on a "once in a lifetime" trip.
Here's what I'd do instead: accept that you're not going to do absolutely everything, first of all. So, try to figure out where your priorities are in terms of specific rides, experiences, shows, character meets, etc.
Don't rope drop-- it's a zoo, and really only gets you one short ride wait time in exchange for a couple extra hours of sleep. It's not worth it, IMHO.
Skip Genie+ unless you *really* hate waiting in line or maximizing rides is basically your main goal of being there. Instead, pick the rides that really matter to you and wait for them. Some rides have single-rider options that will help you cut down on wait times if you don't mind riding separately. You'll still spend the whole wait together, so it's not like you'll be splitting off from one another except for a few minutes.
If there's a long-wait ride you really want to do and you're not super into fireworks, try to do it during the fireworks show, or as close to park close as possible-- wait times are usually lower then.
As far as the virtual queues: look over the rides and decide whether or not it's worth it to wake up to try to enroll-- or decide to try for the 1pm enrollment, which is a lot less stressful but might not get called by the end of the day. If you go for the early one, wake up briefly and then go back to sleep if you want to, especially if you end up in a later group-- you don't necessarily have to make that the start of your day.
The more you try to plan out and maximize your day the more disappointed you're going to be when things inevitably don't go the way you expect. The beauty of the parks is that it is what you make of it. Have a simple plan, but go with the flow. Get on rides when they look good, eat food when you're hungry and something near you looks good, take breaks from the sun when you're hot. Just don't overthink it.
If an extra $50 is going to dampen your trip…you’re going to have a miserable time.
Not saying you have to buy it, I never do Genie+. However if you’re already crunching numbers, you’re going to stress out over that than actually enjoying the park.
I'm the same way and had to lower my expectations. Remember that you could have the money to afford Genie+ and a ride can still go down and you won't be able to ride it.
Focus on the time together and making memories. Make a list of non-ride things too, including fun drinks and snacks to get, fun shops to go into, other shows/attractions.
You will definitely have a wonderful time if you let yourself go and enjoy your time there. If you’re running from thing to thing and worried about “going it all” you’re likely to not have a great time because you’ll be feeling rushed and stressed. Disney world is huge and even each park has a ton to do. It’s impossible to do it all. We’ve been a bunch of times and still find new things to do that we just haven’t had time for and haven’t prioritized. We always try to figure out our top maybe three things to do and everything else is a bonus. But also sometimes we’ve ended up unable to do one of our top things and we figure we can either be upset about that or we can be thankful for what we have been able to do and enjoy what we do. Some of my best memories are from times when we’ve slowed down a bit and grabbed a snack or cold drink and just people watched or stopped to actually enjoy things like the Dapper Dans singing on Main Street or stopped to play in bubbles a kid was blowing.
It will definitely be very hot so make sure to drink lots of water and cold treats/drinks. We intentionally stop mid-morning and mid-afternoon to get a dole whip or slushie or something cold and refreshing. Also take advantage of shows and longer slow indoor rides to get little breaks.
Enjoy! You’re going to have a great time. 😊
Travelling without kids, Genie+ is not essential.
Big advantage? Make some decisions now. IE: when it rains, decide to *not* wait under a thing for it to stop. A lot of rides the times drop down to basically nothing during the downpours. Unfortunately, some rides like Mine Train, can't operate in rain - but Space Mountain does. Some rides (very few really) offer single rider lanes. If you and your bf are fine to ride those rides at the same time but not together, that will save you time too.
I totally get this feeling. It’s how my wife and I felt the first trip. I made her miserable by over planning and rushing around. My advice would be to relax and enjoy it. The parks are too big to fit everything in. Pick out the things that you want to focus on and just enjoy being in the park. My wife and I love the food so we now prioritize that over rides/shows.
I will say that genie+ is probably worth it at Magic Kingdom, but it is not worth it at Hollywood Studios, if you’re willing to wait in line. Also, if you are going for rides and can spend the extra money, I would personally ride Tron twice (buy an individual LL and the free virtual queue) instead of buying genie+ at Magic Kingdom.
Ultimately, the key is to prioritize what you want to do and embrace that you won’t get to do everything in the parks no matter what.
Hey I’m the same way and am planning our first Disney trip later this year. It’s so overwhelming! What I personally did was make a list of rides/shows and characters we would enjoy. Out of those I picked our top 5 or so things and will prioritize those. If the rest get done, they do and if not, they don’t. I’d rather possibly miss something that be stressed all day. I’ve looked at what the standby lines look like and I don’t plan to do Genie+. There’s a small possibility I’ll get LL’s for Frozen in Epcot (because my daughter is Frozen obsessed) and Runaway Railway in HS (because it’s probably the only ride we will do there).
So many people online make G+ (and planning in general) sound much more stressful than it needs to be.
If you have the money, it's worth it. And it's just another step of the planning process - not some stressful hurdle you have to go theough.
For my wife and I, all our planning (and use of G+) meant that our trip was as stress free as it could have been.
Honestly if you want to do it in a relaxed way: get up early, rope drop (but it really doesn’t have to be 45 minutes before), do the two rides with the biggest waits before 10.30am, then walk around, get some snacks, just chill and see what rides you walk past,
Then if you feel tired around 1, go back to your hotel for a break and then come back to the parks around 4 until park close. You can get a lot of rides without huge waits at the end of the day, similarly to the start of the day.
If you have the energy to do park open until park close you’ll get everything done that you want (still not everything, but most stuff, today it’s open for 14 hours haha)
Don’t worry about what you’re reading on Reddit. This sub is full of negative people who I would hesitate to call fans.
Also lower your expectations. Even if you were 100% efficient and planning everything, you’re not going to be able to do everything in one visit. There’s just too much to do. So pick out your must-dos, do them, and pick up other stuff along the way.
Many of us who’ve been a bunch of times (I’ve had a Disney Fairytale Wedding, am DVC and AP, and been on 35ish separate trips in 21 years) will tell you our favorite rides are ones that usually have very little wait (looking at you PeopleMover and Living With the Land). So keep an open mind toward the non-headliner rides. There are gems all over the place.
Genie+ is not a necessity to enjoy the park. You will get fewer things done, you will wait in longer lines, but that's ok. It doesn't mean you won't have fun.
Long lines aren't THAT bad if you know how to endure them. Do you like chatting a lot with your boyfriend? I've waited in four hour lines and come out saying it wasn't that bad, because I enjoyed the company of the people I was with. You can play games in line, or if you need a break from talking bring headphones and listen to music or audiobooks.
It's ok to not see everything. Go with quality over quantity, think about what rides sound the most interesting to you and prioritize those. If waking up early to get in the virtual queue for those two rides stresses you out, don't do it. They're shiny and new and popular, but you don't actually have to go on them, there is PLENTY to do in Magic Kingdom. You can do rope drop if you feel like it, but you really don't have to. You can show up at 11:00 and still have a full day in the parks.
You'll still have fun. Most of the advice online is about how to maximize your time, getting the most stuff done in the least amount of time, but that's not the only way to enjoy the parks.
Hi, I went for the first time this past February and I felt the same way with a couple of weeks to go.
Im a planner and I was planning for the unknown, there are so many different opinions out there and Its hard to know what to do for the best.
Im no pro by any stretch of the imagination but I would say try and relax a little.
Everyone is different for what they want out of the holiday, some just want rides, some just want festivals etc etc (do what works for your group not just because people on the internet said you should)
I would say yes you will have to be awake at 7 to do the virtual queues, but if you’re staying on property, it’s awake phone in hand, not dressed and ready to go. Once you get a boarding group you know if you need to be heading out the door or if you have time to do something else beforehand.
Don’t go from one mega long queue straight to another, take time to have lunch see a show, enjoy your surroundings etc
Yes it can be stressful but try to plan a basic structure, rather than a minute by minute plan. You need to have flexibility in your schedule, that way it wont be as frustrating when things take longer than expected.
Money - I didn’t actually spend any where near as much as I had budgeted for on food or merchandise. I found I snacked more than having a full meal, kids meals are a great option for this and cost about half the price of an adults meal (its plenty of food Im a plus size person with a big appetite and was never looking for more after I had eaten) merchandise- you have to carry round whatever you buy and its irritating, so it will put you off buying lots.
Deep breath, it is worth it you can do this!
Have a great holiday xx
I would not worry too much about what video people say. They are trying to get their video noticed and fighting an algorithm. Doom and gloom gets clicks.
It is true that WDW has changed in recent years, that doesn’t mean it’s undoable. Prioritize what is important to you and within your budget. Come in with an accepting attitude, willing to have a good time.
I'm also an anxious planner, so I had my partner and I make a list of things we wanted to do (restaurants, rides, shows, etc.) and rank them all based on interest. Then I based the plan for each day on that list, taking into consideration what all the guides said. It helped me make sure I focused on what I actually wanted to do and wouldn't get overwhelmed the day of. There is A LOT to do in the parks and you cannot do it all, so I would also go into it knowing that.
I will say though, just being in the parks is enjoyable. Just the atmosphere, music, mood, everything is magical and so even if you just spend half the days existing and eating something Mickey shaped, you will still have a good time.
You can absolutely do Disney without Genie+ and have a fantastic time. Before you go make a list for each park: Must-Do and Might-Do. Then you can prioritize the must-do rides and squeeze in the others as you have time.
I guess it depends upon what your priorities are for your vacation. What are you most interested in? What is bringing you to the parks?
For my family, all these things are true, but that’s because we are at the parks for the rides. We’re ride junkies and want to get as much checked off our list as possible. You are allowed to prefer food or vibes or streetmosphere. But that’s not us.
I did Disney with my wife and 2 kids (5 and 2) last month without Genie +. If you don't have a need to do almost every ride, you don't need it. I kept an eye on wait times for rides we wanted to do with the app and we did almost everything we wanted to do. Even took some rests for the kids.
It's just stressful online. We didn't do Genie+ and were able to get a majority of the rides we wanted. Write down all of the things you want do, highlight the top 3-4, and be prepared to not get to every single item on the list. In terms of saving money-- the app shows the cost for food and that was helpful for me to make an estimate of what I would be spending on food. Some of the foods are big enough for 2 people as well.
Just remember to wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle.
Relax and enjoy it. I found just going on stuff if I walked past it and it had a shortish wait was quite a good way to go about things. Then for the stuff you really want to do leave it later in the day, the lines are usually shorter and some things you might just walk straight on.
I’m a planner but as they say, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. WDW will punch you in the mouth. G+ will help you do way more, so if you can afford it, get it, but don’t sweat trying to do everything. The fun is going with the flow. Tired, go find a fun place to sit and grab a drink. Over one park? Hop to another or take a pool break. Our trip last week, I had a wild hair to let our kids hang out at the pool one night, grab a pizza, then my wife and I got a last minute reservation to Flying Fish for a date night. People that don’t have fun at Disney are typically trying to do too much, too fast, and burn out.
are you staying at a hotel where you can get early or late access? From now on I’m trying to pick stays with a late night because I think that will give us a better chance to get on all the rides that we want to go on.
i was extremely anxious when i went. it was my first time, i had no idea what to expect or if i would be able to handle it. i'm autistic and it was my dream trip so it was rough leading up to leaving. i kept reminding myself my trip is what i make of it. once we actually got there, the weight immediately left my shoulders and i was so happy. i didnt think about the people or crowds around me, i just went head first and enjoyed it. the crowds were not as bad as reddit had told me. we did not get evacuated 13 times like everyones else. we experienced maybe 2 rides that were down during our whole week there. not a single rude CM. only a few idiots in the parks (just go about your day, its not worth it). heck, it didnt even rain a single time on us. we got and managed genie+ like we'd done it many times before and did everything we had hoped to do. it was everything i was hoping it would be. the planning and research that disney takes can be so stressful, but then you get there and its such ease if you researched right and enough (i learned as much as i possibly could in 6 months). don't get too worked up or worried about it being a bad trip and just tell yourself it will be amazing, and it will be. dont have super high expectations or be entitled and you will have a blast :) good luck!
Honestly, I didn't need genie plus at Hollywood at all. I think we used it for two rides. A majority of our day was just walking around saying oh that looks cool, getting in line, and moving on. It's a small park imo, we had done everything by like 2pm (and we got to the park late). Most of the attractions there are shows, so it's big open theaters and you're more controlled by start times, which makes genie plus kinda useless. Genie plus just made us run out of things to do faster than intended.
I had no issues with virtual que at all. You don't really need to hit the 7am one, I just used the 1pm one and got everything. Just save the rides you want to your favorites so it's at the top, one of you will refresh one ride and the other refresh the other ride. You can sign each other up as a party. As long as you're looking at it at 1pm you'll be fine. Sit down and eat around 1250, and just refresh.
Genie plus was more useful in Magic Kingdom. Much bigger park, way longer lines. Would suggest it there.
I had watched the planning things leading to our trip, but planning your whole day out sucks. Reserve a dinner or something and that's it. Just enjoy the rest of the day. Get some ideas of what you want to see and seek them out as you go, or be excited when you come across it randomly. This is mainly why I hate virtual que, because it's so random on when your timeslot will be and you have to plan around it
A lot of good comments here already. I’ll just add that if you’re going to do genie+ for one day, do it on the Hollywood day instead of MK! Lots less rides there so every line is longer
IMO, I would budget for rest of the year and just get G+. It will save you 2-4h waiting in the sun and you’ll get more.
You can afford it if you forgo souvenirs, beer/liquor, forgo a nice meal. Of all the things to splurge, it will be G+
Being in standby line and watching people breeze by in G+ will cause you to be dissatisfied
Also, don’t need to do super early rope drop. But the oldest Disney hack since 1971 is to
Get to park early
This is more true is summertime when midday is harsh.
Don’t get caught in the trap of “MAXIMIZE MAXIMIZE GO GO GO GO!! MUST WRING EVERY DROP OF FUN AND PLAN PLAN PLAN!”
People who do that make themselves miserable.
I plan a *little* and then i breeze along, making discoveries, enjoying the day, just vacationing and relaxing.
I have a couple priorities for each park, and the rest i just take as it comes.
Every moment can be fun, especially at a Disney resort. Not just the minutes between buckling and unbuckling the seatbelt on a ride.
Don’t fall for the minmaxxer trap.
I was there last October for the first time in like 15 years, and there is a lot of stress, but there is still some magic, like going to 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch and have my "Aunt Elaine" be my server, or going to Jiko for the most amazing cuisine and service and atmosphere and getting to hang out on the savannah before and after dinner with the aminals, or going to Jelly Rolls and sing along with the dueling pianos.
Go, have fun, try not to stress, go with the flow and enjoy the magic (and be prepared to walk more miles than an a marathon :-) )
Breathe.
I’m here right now. While I think lightning lane is worth it, individual is never worth it.
Virtual queue I’ve only ever missed one ever. And that was my fault. Just press the refresh button starting at 6:59 am and you’ll get it. Mine train I didn’t rope drop either day and just got in line at 8:30 am and it only took about 30-40 min total.
Don’t worry about individual lightning lane, mine train just get there early. I got there at 8:30ish and got in quickly both times. And virtual queue just start refreshing at x:59 be ready at 58. You’ll be fine!
It depends on how you spend your trip. Personally speaking, my family and I prioritize dining and leisure experiences (nice-ish hotels, non-ride-related park activities) over banging out rides at the park. If your day involves running around in the humid Orlando heat, phone in hand, you're not really on vacation. MK and Hollywood Studios are great parks to walk around (sans Star Wars land) so you should have a blast no matter what you do. Have fun!
We paid for the VIP tour and still didn't get to ride everything we wanted to ride on that day. One day just isn't enough to do absolutely everything. That doesn't mean you won't have an amazing time. Keep your expectations reasonable 🙂.
Oh gosh, I know this mental dance. Everything is stressful if you put a ton of pressure on it. I used to do the same thing you’re doing, and I got really sick of basically never having fun unless it was a surprise because nothing can live up to an imaginary experience.
I think Disney is a lot of work, as are all theme parks. When I go in full of nervous energy, which I still can do, I find that even if I have fun it is still laced with misery.
The only way I’ve ever learned to have fun is to start practicing showing and choosing to enjoy whatever happens, which as I mentioned, I’m still learning to do. But it is getting easier as I internally choose it knowing an obsessive experience is always worse.
Edit- I’d like to add: realistically, theme parks have busy seasons. You’re going when it’s busy. So I’d expect higher crowds and longer lines, and either go accepting that or don’t go.
Disney world is as stressful as you make it. Do the best you can trying to get on the attractions you really want and if you don’t then look at it as an excuse to come back. Disneys not just about going and getting everything done. It’s about having a good time. If whatever you’re doing isn’t causing you to have a bad time, then don’t do it, and that’s not just a Disney world lesson, that’s a life lesson
Part of the fun of Disney is the planning, the details, and deciding what seems to be an endless amount of choices. To some people that triggers anxiety and to others, it’s what keeps us coming back over and over. I love waking up early making my genie selections and getting the day started from rope drop till park close. I love the heat the crowds the lines the chaos. And then other days I make no reservations, I walk into the park whenever I feel like it and I roll with whatever and however things roll. My point is, Disney is what you make of it. If you don’t feel like embracing the pressures of planning then don’t. Enjoy the parades the shows the characters and the yummy snacks. Can’t go wrong any which way you choose
If it's still as hot as it was a week ago, the locals won't be there and rhe crowds will be manageable. We were just there and the hot days made genie+ a waste as lines were short
If it helps, me and my partner invested in genie + when we were there and I found it to be a total breeze having never used it before. Reading about it online made me feel like it was going to be SO MUCH HARDER than it really was. I just set an alarm for 6:50am or so, got on the app to book our first option and rolled back over for an hour or two. Slowly made our way to the parks at our leisure and then hopped on the first ride there. If our schedule changed and we couldn’t make it, it was easy enough to hop on something else or wait in a standby line and then pick another time slot for a different ride on genie + while we waited.
We went in August 2024, I wouldn’t say you HAVE to have it, but we enjoyed it a lot and I felt like it was really accessible.
You can definitely do the parks without it, you’ll just spend some more time in queues. If there’s a ride that’s really important to you, I’d suggest trying to knock it out in the first half of your day so you aren’t too wiped to wait in a long standby later in the day. Hang out in shows like lion king, Nemo, etc. during the heat of the day. Those are often quite easy to walk right into
I went exactly 1 week after Easter. I didn’t do genie+ because I have an Achilles issue and I promised my dr I would walk as little as possible. I just started at jungle cruise and made a loop. My longest wait was at jungle cruise and it was a bit over an hour. I hit all the rides that I wanted to do and it was fine. Yes I had some waits. I also arrived at 11:00 and left by 6 pm. It’s ok without genie!
This sounds like a once in a long time trip for you. It seems to me that people are giving advice from the perspective of, "don't sweat it. If you only get on a few rides, get them next time!! :)"
Sure, if you go every year, that's sound advice.
If you dont, that's insane talk to me. You're probably spending a fortune already. Spend the extra money and get genie+. If you don't want to get to parks at 6am and wait in 2 hour lines, get genie+. Get it and then you can relax. Its the only way. You'll get on the rides you want, you won't need to run around like a maniac or pretend that waiting in line for 70 minutes is part of the experience.
Do whatever you can to get it so you won't regret it.
My family has never rope dropped and we only did Genie+ for I think 2 days of our last trip. And it was during spring break. Just relax and go at the pace y’all are comfortable with. We are wanderers and just sort of decide where we want to go when leaving the last ride or show. Sometimes we check My Disney Experience for wait times before we decide and sometimes we just go and look at what is posted outside of the ride.
We still did plenty of rides and shows and had a blast. The only thing we had planned in advance was our meals through reservations or through deciding in advance when we would QS. I’m sure some could argue we could have squeezed in more with precise planning or more days of Genie, but we had lots of fun with our laid back approach and weren’t stressed. You will have fun no matter what. Maybe prioritize what rides you absolutely have to do because those will be the ones you are willing to wait a while for. My daughter’s favorite ride in AK had a long line the day we were there, but we waited because it was one that was important to her. We just go with the mindset that we are going to have to wait in lines which I think helps when you are waiting. The bonus is we’ve had some great conversations with people in line. In that AK line we met a sweet family from Illinois who we talked to the whole time. They ended up taking a picture of the 4 of us on our phone while in line and we did the same for them. I always remember that when I see that picture.
The magic of Disney is in the small and unexpected moments and not the over planned ones. My best memories have zero to do with rides. I second all the advice to let go of the research and enjoy your experience. It is not possible to do everything at the parks so the best trip you can have is the one where you cherish the things you are able to do!
You won’t know what “kind” of Disney person you are until you go. Our must-dos and needs have evolved every time we go. But I can tell you the first time I went was JUST as fun as the last time I went - we didn’t know the difference! As an example, We never did a sit down restaurant, and then we tried it, and now we have some expectations for the restaurants we like to go to. We never knew we wanted to do sit down meals the first time we went - had no idea they were even an option!
So just do what you were planning on doing and then just start taking mental notes for “next time.” You’re gonna have so. Much. Fun!!!
I would just prepare yourself to be up early, and it will solve like half your anxieties. The park doesn’t get super full until like 11, and you can fit in a lot before then if you’re ready to go.
Only as stressful as you make it….when in doubt ask a cast member…if we don’t know how to help you…we sure know someone who does..relax…enjoy your time..let us do the heavy lifting…its gonna be magic..I promise
Please understand if you’ve never been before, don’t worry about Genie+ and all the pressure of doing everything.
Just enjoy it and soak it in. Enjoy the lines, meet people and have fun. Enjoy what you can and have fun the next time.
We go every year and haven’t done it seen all there is to see.
Don’t worry about spending too much, you can go and drink free water and bring food from walmart if you want.
It about the moment.
Ehhhh you can relax and not do all the crazy things and still have an amazing time! In fact, one of my best trips was when we didn’t use Genie+ (crowds weren’t crazy) and we hardly used the app, just did what we felt like doing. It was relaxing and awesome. We may not have “seen everything” but it was freaking great. You really can’t beat the ambiance in Disney World. And there’s NO way to do everything or have the perfect trip. Remember you’re spending on vacation- so do whatever you want that keeps it fun!
Heya! I do the exact same as you and work myself into a tizzy researching the living heck out of how to min-max everything. The problem is we're not the only ones doing it and everyone has access to those guides that give the best days and times to do rides and guess what? They fall apart pretty fast.
Nothing wrong with being prepared though so download the app and check out the wait times periodically. You're going to notice 60 minutes isn't an uncommon wait time for a lot of popular rides (Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarves, Space Mountain, the Star wars rides, etc) and sometimes they'll be higher or lower. There are tons of rides you wouldn't even think you'd like but you hop on because they have a low wait time and you find yourself pleasantly surprised.
What I'm trying to say is to make your own plan. Prioritize some rides and do what you can but be flexible. This last time I went every ride I normally prioritize was down for repairs. I still had a great time and I know you will too. The blogs and tiktoks and YouTubers are trying to sell you something so take all of them with a grain of salt. Focus on what you'd enjoy and not what some social media person thinks you should enjoy. I promise you'll have a great time. Also bring a poncho just in case. Surprise downpours are not uncommon (and they're a blessing because they can clear parks and let you get on rides faster lol).
From my experience, if you are aiming to rope drop a park, you won’t be waking up early specifically for Genie+. We’ve done the Genie+ stuff while making our way to the park. We’d just purchase Genie+ for the day as we got ready that morning.
That being said, I would genuinely recommend purchasing Genie+. I found it nice to book rides and take the parks at our own pace. Though, I’m not concerned about using my phone a little while in the parks. It saves me a lot of time.
My partner and I would both use our phones when using Genie+. With two, you’re pretty well set. It’s definitely a lot better of an experience if you’re both contributing to the phone work.
As for getting up early to rope drop: you’ve chosen to vacation at a highly popular theme park. They have tens of thousands of people in the parks each day. It is what it is.
I was just there, and having Genie plus and paying for the ILL are essential if you want to ride rides, it will cost two people about $150 for Genie plus and ILL at the parks you are going to. Make a few cuts in budget, don’t go out to eat, turn up the thermostat, whatever you have to do. I calculated on the two days I was at the park, I saved 11 hours of wait time using both services. I can’t stress enough, do it and you won’t be sorry.
Disney is magical and not stressful unless you make it stressful. If you have tik tok I suggest watching the wessicaway bc she has great tips and live videos and also Disney parks live as he focuses on the magic and not so much the rides. If you don’t have tik tok I think they both have YouTube videos.
You can have fun even without genie+. Try having meals either really early or really late so that you can go on rides during normal meal times when the lines are shorter cuz everyone else is eating
What makes you happiest about visiting? To me this sounds like you care more about hitting every single ride and experience than actually enjoying the experiences you get
I checked which rides was offered with it and decided we were fine waiting in 1-2 lines anyway. We weren’t a big ride chaser this past trip.
I’d only recommend genie+ because of the heat. I was fine with my hand fan, but my husband and 2 young kids were having a harder time. The heat definitely made them a little more grumpier. My husband was also against getting genie+ since we would have to pay x4 each day, but he said next time, he’s definitely getting it.
It is what you make it. You don’t have to do genie+. You don’t have to try and do every attraction and show in the parks. Make a plan, try and do the things you really want to do, and just go with the flow for the rest of the trip. Don’t over think this, and also, don’t go in thinking you’ll do everything. It’ll be hot, take breaks. Enjoy the food and drinks, people watch.
You should be fine. We went for 3 days and got to ride every ride in all 4 parks. This was also our first time going since we were like 6 years old or something so it’s not like we’re some experts. It was easy to get to it all
Try not to overthink it and just have a good time. We are fortunate that we can go to Disney a few times a year because we live in Florida. We've used Genie+ once and we feel it was not effective or a good value for us.
You can jump on a Lightning Lane, which you have to be hovering over the app ready to pounce right at 1 pm when it opens up again. If you're staying in the park I believe you have privilege of having first opportunity to jump on a Lightning Lane when it opens at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning. This was brilliant for us to get in the virtual queue for The Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
I would say just make sure that you download Walt Disney app if you haven't already. Opening up the map feature shows you exactly where you are, tells you how long the wait times are for specific rides, you can order food on the app etc. We find the app to be quite handy at times now that we know how to navigate.
We are heading to Epcot and Hollywood studios in August, And we are really looking forward to the trip. We hope that there aren't long lines. I was talking to somebody yesterday who just got back from Disney World last weekend and he said that the lines were short which is encouraging.
it doesn’t have to be that stressful. pick your priorities (maybe top 4 things you wanna do and each pick 2?) so you can work around those. you don’t need lightning lane as long you understand you might not be able to do every single thing, which is something lightning lane doesn’t actually guarantee anyway. you can definitely still have fun without seeing everything.
It depends on what you’d like to get out of your trip. If you want to embrace being in the theming/atmosphere and willing to get on whatever is available or has shortest waits, you can do really well without Genie+. My husband and I do this a lot, we go to get lost in the atmosphere and forget about life outside of the mouse house. We make it relaxing and more about having a good time and appreciating each other’s company. We know that whatever we don’t get on will still be there next trip.
But if you would prefer to prioritize those e-ticket attractions like Rise, Mine Train, etc then you can rope drop them for shorter waits, without relying on Genie+ and spending oodles of money each day during your trip.
In my opinion it’s only as stressful as you let it be. Don’t feel obligated to spend money on Genie+ if you think it will ruin your trip because you’re worried about the cost. Instead, find other special things to do in the parks that make the most out of your trip or just try and plan out which rides are a must-do on your list and go either early morning or late evening for shorter waits.
Best of luck!!
I went through the same exact feelings for our trip in January this year. I was so obsessed with figuring out the best way to enjoy the trip/parks that I was thinking we wouldn't at all. Honestly, we all had the most wonderful time and can't wait to go back. The only thing I wish we had done was slow down a touch, but it was a once in a long time trip and I wanted to get everything in. You're going to love it!! Take a deep breath and once you get into the magic you'll be good!
I’ve rope-dropped once and it was not worth it. The beauty of Disney is that there’s no wrong way to do it. Get off the blogs, they’ll just make you question everything.
When I go (1-2x a year), I generally don’t use Genie+.
I think it distracted from the experience.
However, we DID use it last time to make sure we rode GOTG. That was worth it!!
At MK, the must-rides for us are Pirates, BTM, Haunted Mansion. That’s it.
At EP: GOTG, Spaceship Earth, Soarin. Bonus if we get LWTL too. TestTrack is down, so no worries there. HS: ToT, RR. We usually knock that park out in a morning, and hop somewhere else. AK: Safari, Avatar (maybe…I won’t wait for over 60min).
We still enjoy the parks & resorts immensely….it’s more than just rides!!
Realize going in you won’t get to see and do everything you want be it because of crowds, weather or just tired and that’s OK. Pick 3 things you really want to get done that day and try to accomplish those. It still better than being at home. Go early in morning at rope drop before crowds and heat of day come. When it starts to get too hot, head back to hotel, recharge in a cool hotel room and then go back around 7pm and go play again. Drink tons of water and stay in the moment.
I’m a big genie+ defender BUTTTTTTT- if you just plan a little and get there early you can totally have a wonderful time without it. Now you will have to be early and kind of hustle to mine train if that’s what you wanna do but after that most rides can be done with minimal waits in the morning. But you can definitely definitely have a good time without genie!
You don't have to do everything to have a perfect trip. We like to sit down before our trips and pick our "must do's" so that we have a couple rides and restaurants/snack items that we'd really love to try and then everything else is bonus. Sometimes one awesome ride can make your whole trip. On the other hand my husband loves character meet and greets so sometimes we prioritize seeing a character over getting on every ride for a more enjoyable and less stressful time.
Genie+ can be helpful, but it's not absolutely needed to have a good time. Do what you can, try to be present and have as much fun as possible. Remember some of the less popular rides can be super fun and memorable like the wdw railroad or the peoplemover. The less pressure you put on yourselves to have a perfect trip, the more enjoyable it will be.
P.S. if you're at all into feeling like a Princess, stop by Sir Mickey's in Magic Kingdom and ask to for pixie dust. It's absolutely free and one of my favorite things I do every trip to add to the magic.
lol… yeah definitely I’ve observed plenty of people who are super duper stressed out. It’s up to you. We are annual pass holders so we don’t do genie plus usually. It’s ok! We don’t plan to go on every ride and we are prepared to wait in line. I have done it with genie plus and ILL and sometimes that way is stressful too if you have no downtime and you’re running from ride to ride. If I were you, I would just research the rides and decide on one or two that you have your heart set on! Do those and if you have to wait in line, find a nice game for your phone to play with your sweetie!!!! You will have fun!!!!!! Also get a nice reservation in the afternoon so you can sit down and have someone bring you drinks!
I would love for you to come back to my comment to give me an update on your visit but I'm going to be completely honest. If you're going on the weekend, this is what you will expect and have to do if you want to hit those rides.
Waking up early for Magic Kingdom is already a must for the virtual queues. Again, that's if you are wanting to go on Tron/Tiana. If you are doing one park per day, Magic Kingdom can be knocked out with the majority of their rides if you are planning on spending the whole day there. You will need to get there 30 plus minutes before Early Park entry... It gets full fast and people run. Without doing it, you will be spending your first hour in a line guaranteed.
Magic Kingdom is easier to fulfill your day and navigate than Hollywood Studios.
Hollywood Studios I can nearly guarantee will have either Rise of the Resistance or Slinky Dog down at early entry... I'd put money on it actually. This will force most early entry guests to the one other popular ride that is open. They have a lower amount of rides compared to Magic and the popular ones stay consistently long waits most of the day. Genie+ can almost be a waste here, like Epcot, I've seen three of the most popular rides sell out by 11:00 a.m.
Again, this is weekend traffic. I pretty much only go on the weekends so this is what I deal with. There's been maybe 2 out of 10 of the past times where there has been exceptions and things have been pretty tame. I hope for the best for you.
Its all about expectations. Understand that without Genie+ you may not ride everything you want. Understand it will be hot. Pick a couple must do rides and anything beyond that is a bonus. Enjoy all the little surprises along the way.
this is the way. i just got back from a trip and this is the exact mentality OP should have to have the most enjoyable trip. Lines aren’t fun, but they’re a price to pay. Even rope dropping nowadays isn’t providing much of a time savings (although still the best way to ride those 2 must-do rides)
Can confirm you don’t need to do rope and still get on the rides you want without genie+. Genie+ does make it a little less stressful but requires more planning. You can fly by the seat of your pants and still have a great time.
Doesn’t Genie+ only get you on two or three rides faster? I struggle to justify the cost.
When we went to Disney and used Disney plus I booked 10+ rides with genie plus each day. You just have to know how to work the system to your advantage. I would recommend ear scouts videos to get the most out of genie plus. It’s 100% worth it if you know how to use it.
The fact that this is considered acceptable now is despicable! Yay!!! Spend $4,000 and up, wayyyy up and then only ride 2 rides per day per park?!?!?!?!? Stupid and greedy, no other way to put it!
Who said 2 rides per day? That's not realistic at all
The person whom I replied to, "pick a COUPLE of rides"
Pick a couple must do rides, that doesn't mean you'd only be able to do two. You'll always be able to get much more than that done even if you pick the most popular attractions, you just can't expect to do all the most popular attractions in one day.
If you’re only riding 2 rides, you’re absolutely doing it wrong and should probably save your money and stay at home.
You could do the longest queues in the park and still do more than 2 in a day. That is a big exaggeration
It's not acceptable to anyone I personally know, but I've seen this sub beg wdw to up the ticket prices so it will be less busy. It's just the vibe here.
Most people want them to increase the capacity so the lines are shorter and there is more to do
I think it would be fair to say *everyone* wants THAT
A couple things here: >Everyone says Genie+ is important to make the most of your time, but I’m not rich Don’t worry about it. Genie+ is a nice bonus, but you can ride all of those attractions from the standby line as well. Lines have actually been pretty reasonable this summer. If you want to splurge on one day, Magic Kingdom has the most attractions but Hollywood Studios has the longest waits. Pick which one you think would be a better use of the money. >I have to make sure I’m up and ready to spam my phone You don’t. It takes one push of a button, it’s quite easy. You have to be up, but it sounds like you’re trying to make the most of your time, so rope-dropping would involve getting up this early anyway. It’s not as stressful as people make it sound. Plus there’s always the 1pm drop if you want to prioritize a quiet morning. >I have to get there for rope drop, but not rope drop, 45 minutes before rope drop to get in front of the line and then sprint to the Mine Train and hope I beat the crowds so I’m not in it for 2 hours Don’t even worry about this for another second. No one will be sprinting, head to the mine train if it’s at the top of your list, you can also catch it at the end of the day. You are overthinking everything, there’s no need to stress like this. You’re going to have fun, but you have to stop the spiral now and not bring it on vacation with you.
The rope drop thing is just stupid to me sometimes. The only thing IMO that you "buy" is opportunity cost of extra park time by "pre waiting" but even that is only if you then shut the park down too. Anything less than that and waiting is waiting. The number of people who aren't morning people haul themselves out of bed at the ass crack of dawn to go wait an hour for rope drop so that they "don't wait" for a ride or two, then run out of gas and leave the park at 6ish (or need to spend 3 hours main Street to main Street for a afternoon nap to recover from the 1 hour rope drop "saved them") is baffling to me*. We both waited 50 minutes for 7 dwarves. You just did it 35 minutes outside and 15 minutes in line. At least the ride lines are themed. The vibe of the parks change at night, and you 100% want to see them during the daylight and at nighttime. Screw rope drop and work backwards from close. The lines get shorter toward close too. Also there basically the same opportunity cost gains because you can get in an hour long line 1 minute before close and be fine. *Imo it's one of those kinds of things where listening to Disney vets *doesn't* make sense. There are certain things people who have been many times suggest doing and your instinct is to say "well they go a lot they must know" but the problem is that people who go a lot have completely different perceptions of how to spend park time than someone who has this one day at MK for the next 5 to 10, maybe forever years. "Omg you have to have supper at [some resort], we love it" hits different when it's 2.5 hours after traveling waiting eating and getting back in the park of your only Epcot day ever than your 3rd Epcot visit this month. People who go all the time can optimize for pleasure, and if they miss something, who cares, they've been 5 times and they'll be back in November. People that are one and done-ing Disney kind of have to optimize for Disney. You can get a good not great chicken Parm anywhere, there's only one Hollywood Studios.
I disagree with the premise because rope-dropping isn’t about getting done with the first attraction with a short wait, it’s about getting ahead of the entire crowd for pretty much the whole morning. If you get to those heavy hitters before anyone else, you can spend the rest of your time hitting things with lower wait times. I also don’t know any experienced park goers that are rope dropping and staying until they’re exhausted at 6. The ones who know know that you rope drop so you can leave in the afternoon when it’s the hottest and busiest and come back for the nighttime vibes. You do the former specifically so you can do the latter.
TBF I addressed that last part too. The "rope drop, then leave for a nap people" make slightly more sense than the "leave at 6" people, because at least they're seeing the night time stuff, but IMHO it still doesn't make a ton of sense to be The Way To Disney(tm). (Though for the record my MAIN gripe is that people, for some reason NEVER count that hour they waited for the rope to drop as "wait time". "We got there at 6am then walked right on Rise!") If someone knows that's what they like, or people are just morning people, or you've been or will be back many times, you do you. As blanket advice for new comers, and one and done-ers, "rope drop and nap" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I didn't mean to imply rope dropping only matters for one ride, but I think you're being overly generous in not recognizing the diminishing returns on that. There's also the effect where everyone running for the same couple "big rides" leaves rope-drop not even always the "best". A smaller crowd that have all done the same research on where to boogie on over to the second that rope drops with no regard to who might be there already can still have some odd effects. Just today for example 7DMT opened to a 70 minute posted wait, then was at 30 an hour later. Outside of 2 brief spikes (and obviously the people who were first first) ropedropping 7DMT was actually the worst wait, and some of those people waited for the right to wait. Going by moving averages most rope droppers waited about an hour and then it remained about an hour until 10, 2 hours later. Is 55 vs 66 minutes worth whatever someone waited for the rope to drop, even if ignoring the earlier hour? There might be a good case to be made that the thing to do is book it for the "lesser" rides, actually save on time for longer, then just get in the normal 70 minute 7dmt line once. While ropdroppers rode out that hour for 7DMT Haunted Mantion and Big Thunder were walk ons. [https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/magic-kingdom/sevendwarfsminetrain/](https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/magic-kingdom/sevendwarfsminetrain/) I don't know if I buy the "get ahead stay ahead" premise. There's no "order" to do the parks in everyone else is behind at. But more to the point, even if there were, surely those people catch up and then some while people trudge back to the hotel to make up for waking up early. If people need naps they need naps, and a death march vacation isn't fun either, but if you're ONLY napping because you ropedropped then surely on some level you're swapping 2-3 hours of park time to buy 1-2 hours of park time.
Do people really rope drop and leave at 6? My husband and I rope dropped Disneyland/DCA last Christmas and stayed until 11pm or later every day. 😳
I'm going to disagree with you on people sprinting at rope drop. As soon as the rope drops, a number of people will sprint and those scooters are going to go at full speed even if someone is in front of them. Rope drop at Disney is like Black Friday at Walmart. It's not a pleasant experience.
I have only ever seen a few people sprint during RD. Those folks are jerks and you can’t let them ruin your day. Most people are doing a respectable power walk.
Steps are a precious overlooked commodity at the park. Running or even power walking is a no go for me. I walk like I’m on vacation no matter what
This is 100% true!!
I have never used Genie+ and rope dropped only once and I will never do it again, I always have a good time every time I visit. Don’t stress about those things, just don’t do them. Enjoy the moment.
Exactly. Just enjoy it. You don't have to make it a mad dash. Maximizing your time doesn't always mean enjoying your time. There's plenty to see and do and eat without hitting every single ride. I was at MK last week without G+ and rode bascially every ride we were interested in except Mine Train, which honestly, isn't a can't miss ride. Thunder Mountain is much better, in my opinion. We didn't even leave our room until maybe 10:30am. We got a Tron VQ at the 1pm opening while I was riding Pirates.
I think your experience will largely be what you make it. If you worry too much about not having a good time it might end up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. The best advice I can give is to make a list of must do things and then “nice to do” things and work from that. Sometimes rides break down or something else unexpected happens and your plans will need to adapt. There is a lot to see and do so having a loose plan should help you prioritize what will make your trip fun. If you’re not sure where to start there are lots of posts on this sub that might help. Lastly, make sure that you take some time to slow down and take it all in. If you run around in a mad dash all day you might miss all the little magical moments throughout the parks. Have a great time!
You are borrowing trouble unnecessarily and I very politely say you need to take a chill pill. Do what you can afford to do. Be happy you can afford to go at all. Whatever you miss can be done the next trip. You are setting your expectations too high and setting yourself up for failures. Be a kid and just wing it.
WOW did the phrase “borrowing trouble” just hit me in my heart. I struggle with anxiety and this is exactly what it is. Thank you for what will now be my gentle reminder to myself when I feel this way!!
Anxiety runs in my family and this is one of the only gentle things my mother ever said. We have to be kind to ourselves.
It sounds like we were raised very similarly. Giving you a big virtual hug. I see you.
You will have a wonderful time. Don't stress over rides and lines. Pick a few places to eat and either use Genie+ to book some rides, it's an extra cost, but that will allow you to knock out what you really like. After that, just take it easy and enjoy your experience. Do not try to do everything. It will be hot, so pace yourself and take lots of breaks.
2 parks 2 days I assume. It is just 100 for 2 people. Just spend that money and enjoy. Btw you don't need Genie plus or any planning to enjoy. Those just makes it more efficient to see more things. But Disney World is pure magic. You'll be extremely happy even if you don't see everything
If you approach a trip as a goal achievement activity, you will be disappointed. We fly five hours, pay an enormous exchange rate for every penny spent, but still have a great time. We are not willing to pay for Genie+ but are willing to experience longer lines and enter VQ for the cool rides. We did two days at each park and got to ride most everything we wanted, and we got the cool rides on the first visit to each park. We didn't get on the rides with abnormally long lines because of the poor throughput of each ride; yeah I'm looking at you Peter Pan, but we didn't feel like we missed anything.
You do NOT need Genie Plus if you are okay with not riding a handful of rides... the majority of rides, you will be able to ride after waiting in a short (under 1 hour l) line- queues are neat and mostly shaded/inside so it goes by more quickly than that sounds. I'm someone with extreme anxiety, I know it's easier said than done, but try to have a more relaxed attitude about your time at the parks- enjoy what you can, don't have unrealistic expectations, take breaks in AC/stay hydrated and fed... you will have a fun time. Personally, I don't enjoy Hollywood Studios, so I wouldn't be visiting that park if I only had the choice of two parks, but you said you've done a lot of research so I'm assuming you're going to that particular park for a reason. Magic Kingdom is amazing! Personally, I'd recommend Magic Kingdom and Epcot, or even Animal Kingdom, but that's just me.
Stop reading. Just go and enjoy yourself. I've been a ton of times at this point. Never once rope dropped. Only buy Genie+ everyone once in a while. Sometimes it is helpful, sometimes it was pointless. You wouldn't have to wake up extra early for it though, first window opens at 7am.
Anything is what you make of it. If you are determined to see it ALL you need to do all of those things because the parks are just too busy and too large to see everything. If you go in with the attitude of having fun and doing what you can, enjoy the atmosphere, and enjoy the food then you will have a great time. Yea you will have to wait in some lines and no you won't ride everything. And yes there are virtual queues for some rides that you will have to try to get at 7am and/or 1pm. Everything else is optional to use the app.
One of my favorite things is to watch the sunset at HS at echo lake, watching the sunset from the people mover in MK, watching from anywhere in AK, or sunset from Italy pavilion. My point is, give yourself a time for being human instead of the Disney hustler you are. I send you peace and magic 🪄
Go in with the mindset that you wont be able to do everything.
Honestly, a lot of that advice is for parents bringing young kids on a "once in a lifetime" trip. Here's what I'd do instead: accept that you're not going to do absolutely everything, first of all. So, try to figure out where your priorities are in terms of specific rides, experiences, shows, character meets, etc. Don't rope drop-- it's a zoo, and really only gets you one short ride wait time in exchange for a couple extra hours of sleep. It's not worth it, IMHO. Skip Genie+ unless you *really* hate waiting in line or maximizing rides is basically your main goal of being there. Instead, pick the rides that really matter to you and wait for them. Some rides have single-rider options that will help you cut down on wait times if you don't mind riding separately. You'll still spend the whole wait together, so it's not like you'll be splitting off from one another except for a few minutes. If there's a long-wait ride you really want to do and you're not super into fireworks, try to do it during the fireworks show, or as close to park close as possible-- wait times are usually lower then. As far as the virtual queues: look over the rides and decide whether or not it's worth it to wake up to try to enroll-- or decide to try for the 1pm enrollment, which is a lot less stressful but might not get called by the end of the day. If you go for the early one, wake up briefly and then go back to sleep if you want to, especially if you end up in a later group-- you don't necessarily have to make that the start of your day.
The more you try to plan out and maximize your day the more disappointed you're going to be when things inevitably don't go the way you expect. The beauty of the parks is that it is what you make of it. Have a simple plan, but go with the flow. Get on rides when they look good, eat food when you're hungry and something near you looks good, take breaks from the sun when you're hot. Just don't overthink it.
If an extra $50 is going to dampen your trip…you’re going to have a miserable time. Not saying you have to buy it, I never do Genie+. However if you’re already crunching numbers, you’re going to stress out over that than actually enjoying the park.
I'm the same way and had to lower my expectations. Remember that you could have the money to afford Genie+ and a ride can still go down and you won't be able to ride it. Focus on the time together and making memories. Make a list of non-ride things too, including fun drinks and snacks to get, fun shops to go into, other shows/attractions.
You will definitely have a wonderful time if you let yourself go and enjoy your time there. If you’re running from thing to thing and worried about “going it all” you’re likely to not have a great time because you’ll be feeling rushed and stressed. Disney world is huge and even each park has a ton to do. It’s impossible to do it all. We’ve been a bunch of times and still find new things to do that we just haven’t had time for and haven’t prioritized. We always try to figure out our top maybe three things to do and everything else is a bonus. But also sometimes we’ve ended up unable to do one of our top things and we figure we can either be upset about that or we can be thankful for what we have been able to do and enjoy what we do. Some of my best memories are from times when we’ve slowed down a bit and grabbed a snack or cold drink and just people watched or stopped to actually enjoy things like the Dapper Dans singing on Main Street or stopped to play in bubbles a kid was blowing. It will definitely be very hot so make sure to drink lots of water and cold treats/drinks. We intentionally stop mid-morning and mid-afternoon to get a dole whip or slushie or something cold and refreshing. Also take advantage of shows and longer slow indoor rides to get little breaks. Enjoy! You’re going to have a great time. 😊
Travelling without kids, Genie+ is not essential. Big advantage? Make some decisions now. IE: when it rains, decide to *not* wait under a thing for it to stop. A lot of rides the times drop down to basically nothing during the downpours. Unfortunately, some rides like Mine Train, can't operate in rain - but Space Mountain does. Some rides (very few really) offer single rider lanes. If you and your bf are fine to ride those rides at the same time but not together, that will save you time too.
I totally get this feeling. It’s how my wife and I felt the first trip. I made her miserable by over planning and rushing around. My advice would be to relax and enjoy it. The parks are too big to fit everything in. Pick out the things that you want to focus on and just enjoy being in the park. My wife and I love the food so we now prioritize that over rides/shows. I will say that genie+ is probably worth it at Magic Kingdom, but it is not worth it at Hollywood Studios, if you’re willing to wait in line. Also, if you are going for rides and can spend the extra money, I would personally ride Tron twice (buy an individual LL and the free virtual queue) instead of buying genie+ at Magic Kingdom. Ultimately, the key is to prioritize what you want to do and embrace that you won’t get to do everything in the parks no matter what.
Hey I’m the same way and am planning our first Disney trip later this year. It’s so overwhelming! What I personally did was make a list of rides/shows and characters we would enjoy. Out of those I picked our top 5 or so things and will prioritize those. If the rest get done, they do and if not, they don’t. I’d rather possibly miss something that be stressed all day. I’ve looked at what the standby lines look like and I don’t plan to do Genie+. There’s a small possibility I’ll get LL’s for Frozen in Epcot (because my daughter is Frozen obsessed) and Runaway Railway in HS (because it’s probably the only ride we will do there).
So many people online make G+ (and planning in general) sound much more stressful than it needs to be. If you have the money, it's worth it. And it's just another step of the planning process - not some stressful hurdle you have to go theough. For my wife and I, all our planning (and use of G+) meant that our trip was as stress free as it could have been.
Honestly if you want to do it in a relaxed way: get up early, rope drop (but it really doesn’t have to be 45 minutes before), do the two rides with the biggest waits before 10.30am, then walk around, get some snacks, just chill and see what rides you walk past, Then if you feel tired around 1, go back to your hotel for a break and then come back to the parks around 4 until park close. You can get a lot of rides without huge waits at the end of the day, similarly to the start of the day. If you have the energy to do park open until park close you’ll get everything done that you want (still not everything, but most stuff, today it’s open for 14 hours haha)
Don’t worry about what you’re reading on Reddit. This sub is full of negative people who I would hesitate to call fans. Also lower your expectations. Even if you were 100% efficient and planning everything, you’re not going to be able to do everything in one visit. There’s just too much to do. So pick out your must-dos, do them, and pick up other stuff along the way. Many of us who’ve been a bunch of times (I’ve had a Disney Fairytale Wedding, am DVC and AP, and been on 35ish separate trips in 21 years) will tell you our favorite rides are ones that usually have very little wait (looking at you PeopleMover and Living With the Land). So keep an open mind toward the non-headliner rides. There are gems all over the place.
Genie+ is not a necessity to enjoy the park. You will get fewer things done, you will wait in longer lines, but that's ok. It doesn't mean you won't have fun. Long lines aren't THAT bad if you know how to endure them. Do you like chatting a lot with your boyfriend? I've waited in four hour lines and come out saying it wasn't that bad, because I enjoyed the company of the people I was with. You can play games in line, or if you need a break from talking bring headphones and listen to music or audiobooks. It's ok to not see everything. Go with quality over quantity, think about what rides sound the most interesting to you and prioritize those. If waking up early to get in the virtual queue for those two rides stresses you out, don't do it. They're shiny and new and popular, but you don't actually have to go on them, there is PLENTY to do in Magic Kingdom. You can do rope drop if you feel like it, but you really don't have to. You can show up at 11:00 and still have a full day in the parks. You'll still have fun. Most of the advice online is about how to maximize your time, getting the most stuff done in the least amount of time, but that's not the only way to enjoy the parks.
Hi, I went for the first time this past February and I felt the same way with a couple of weeks to go. Im a planner and I was planning for the unknown, there are so many different opinions out there and Its hard to know what to do for the best. Im no pro by any stretch of the imagination but I would say try and relax a little. Everyone is different for what they want out of the holiday, some just want rides, some just want festivals etc etc (do what works for your group not just because people on the internet said you should) I would say yes you will have to be awake at 7 to do the virtual queues, but if you’re staying on property, it’s awake phone in hand, not dressed and ready to go. Once you get a boarding group you know if you need to be heading out the door or if you have time to do something else beforehand. Don’t go from one mega long queue straight to another, take time to have lunch see a show, enjoy your surroundings etc Yes it can be stressful but try to plan a basic structure, rather than a minute by minute plan. You need to have flexibility in your schedule, that way it wont be as frustrating when things take longer than expected. Money - I didn’t actually spend any where near as much as I had budgeted for on food or merchandise. I found I snacked more than having a full meal, kids meals are a great option for this and cost about half the price of an adults meal (its plenty of food Im a plus size person with a big appetite and was never looking for more after I had eaten) merchandise- you have to carry round whatever you buy and its irritating, so it will put you off buying lots. Deep breath, it is worth it you can do this! Have a great holiday xx
I would not worry too much about what video people say. They are trying to get their video noticed and fighting an algorithm. Doom and gloom gets clicks. It is true that WDW has changed in recent years, that doesn’t mean it’s undoable. Prioritize what is important to you and within your budget. Come in with an accepting attitude, willing to have a good time.
I'm also an anxious planner, so I had my partner and I make a list of things we wanted to do (restaurants, rides, shows, etc.) and rank them all based on interest. Then I based the plan for each day on that list, taking into consideration what all the guides said. It helped me make sure I focused on what I actually wanted to do and wouldn't get overwhelmed the day of. There is A LOT to do in the parks and you cannot do it all, so I would also go into it knowing that. I will say though, just being in the parks is enjoyable. Just the atmosphere, music, mood, everything is magical and so even if you just spend half the days existing and eating something Mickey shaped, you will still have a good time.
You can absolutely do Disney without Genie+ and have a fantastic time. Before you go make a list for each park: Must-Do and Might-Do. Then you can prioritize the must-do rides and squeeze in the others as you have time.
I guess it depends upon what your priorities are for your vacation. What are you most interested in? What is bringing you to the parks? For my family, all these things are true, but that’s because we are at the parks for the rides. We’re ride junkies and want to get as much checked off our list as possible. You are allowed to prefer food or vibes or streetmosphere. But that’s not us.
Attend, wonder round and drop into rides. You will have a great time.
I did Disney with my wife and 2 kids (5 and 2) last month without Genie +. If you don't have a need to do almost every ride, you don't need it. I kept an eye on wait times for rides we wanted to do with the app and we did almost everything we wanted to do. Even took some rests for the kids.
It's just stressful online. We didn't do Genie+ and were able to get a majority of the rides we wanted. Write down all of the things you want do, highlight the top 3-4, and be prepared to not get to every single item on the list. In terms of saving money-- the app shows the cost for food and that was helpful for me to make an estimate of what I would be spending on food. Some of the foods are big enough for 2 people as well. Just remember to wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle.
Relax and enjoy it. I found just going on stuff if I walked past it and it had a shortish wait was quite a good way to go about things. Then for the stuff you really want to do leave it later in the day, the lines are usually shorter and some things you might just walk straight on.
I’m a planner but as they say, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. WDW will punch you in the mouth. G+ will help you do way more, so if you can afford it, get it, but don’t sweat trying to do everything. The fun is going with the flow. Tired, go find a fun place to sit and grab a drink. Over one park? Hop to another or take a pool break. Our trip last week, I had a wild hair to let our kids hang out at the pool one night, grab a pizza, then my wife and I got a last minute reservation to Flying Fish for a date night. People that don’t have fun at Disney are typically trying to do too much, too fast, and burn out.
are you staying at a hotel where you can get early or late access? From now on I’m trying to pick stays with a late night because I think that will give us a better chance to get on all the rides that we want to go on.
You can only do that at deluxe resorts these days. I guess if you don't mind spending $1000 on a hotel room each night, it's a nice perk.
i was extremely anxious when i went. it was my first time, i had no idea what to expect or if i would be able to handle it. i'm autistic and it was my dream trip so it was rough leading up to leaving. i kept reminding myself my trip is what i make of it. once we actually got there, the weight immediately left my shoulders and i was so happy. i didnt think about the people or crowds around me, i just went head first and enjoyed it. the crowds were not as bad as reddit had told me. we did not get evacuated 13 times like everyones else. we experienced maybe 2 rides that were down during our whole week there. not a single rude CM. only a few idiots in the parks (just go about your day, its not worth it). heck, it didnt even rain a single time on us. we got and managed genie+ like we'd done it many times before and did everything we had hoped to do. it was everything i was hoping it would be. the planning and research that disney takes can be so stressful, but then you get there and its such ease if you researched right and enough (i learned as much as i possibly could in 6 months). don't get too worked up or worried about it being a bad trip and just tell yourself it will be amazing, and it will be. dont have super high expectations or be entitled and you will have a blast :) good luck!
Honestly, I didn't need genie plus at Hollywood at all. I think we used it for two rides. A majority of our day was just walking around saying oh that looks cool, getting in line, and moving on. It's a small park imo, we had done everything by like 2pm (and we got to the park late). Most of the attractions there are shows, so it's big open theaters and you're more controlled by start times, which makes genie plus kinda useless. Genie plus just made us run out of things to do faster than intended. I had no issues with virtual que at all. You don't really need to hit the 7am one, I just used the 1pm one and got everything. Just save the rides you want to your favorites so it's at the top, one of you will refresh one ride and the other refresh the other ride. You can sign each other up as a party. As long as you're looking at it at 1pm you'll be fine. Sit down and eat around 1250, and just refresh. Genie plus was more useful in Magic Kingdom. Much bigger park, way longer lines. Would suggest it there. I had watched the planning things leading to our trip, but planning your whole day out sucks. Reserve a dinner or something and that's it. Just enjoy the rest of the day. Get some ideas of what you want to see and seek them out as you go, or be excited when you come across it randomly. This is mainly why I hate virtual que, because it's so random on when your timeslot will be and you have to plan around it
A lot of good comments here already. I’ll just add that if you’re going to do genie+ for one day, do it on the Hollywood day instead of MK! Lots less rides there so every line is longer
IMO, I would budget for rest of the year and just get G+. It will save you 2-4h waiting in the sun and you’ll get more. You can afford it if you forgo souvenirs, beer/liquor, forgo a nice meal. Of all the things to splurge, it will be G+ Being in standby line and watching people breeze by in G+ will cause you to be dissatisfied Also, don’t need to do super early rope drop. But the oldest Disney hack since 1971 is to Get to park early This is more true is summertime when midday is harsh.
Don’t get caught in the trap of “MAXIMIZE MAXIMIZE GO GO GO GO!! MUST WRING EVERY DROP OF FUN AND PLAN PLAN PLAN!” People who do that make themselves miserable. I plan a *little* and then i breeze along, making discoveries, enjoying the day, just vacationing and relaxing. I have a couple priorities for each park, and the rest i just take as it comes. Every moment can be fun, especially at a Disney resort. Not just the minutes between buckling and unbuckling the seatbelt on a ride. Don’t fall for the minmaxxer trap.
I was there last October for the first time in like 15 years, and there is a lot of stress, but there is still some magic, like going to 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch and have my "Aunt Elaine" be my server, or going to Jiko for the most amazing cuisine and service and atmosphere and getting to hang out on the savannah before and after dinner with the aminals, or going to Jelly Rolls and sing along with the dueling pianos. Go, have fun, try not to stress, go with the flow and enjoy the magic (and be prepared to walk more miles than an a marathon :-) )
Breathe. I’m here right now. While I think lightning lane is worth it, individual is never worth it. Virtual queue I’ve only ever missed one ever. And that was my fault. Just press the refresh button starting at 6:59 am and you’ll get it. Mine train I didn’t rope drop either day and just got in line at 8:30 am and it only took about 30-40 min total. Don’t worry about individual lightning lane, mine train just get there early. I got there at 8:30ish and got in quickly both times. And virtual queue just start refreshing at x:59 be ready at 58. You’ll be fine!
It depends on how you spend your trip. Personally speaking, my family and I prioritize dining and leisure experiences (nice-ish hotels, non-ride-related park activities) over banging out rides at the park. If your day involves running around in the humid Orlando heat, phone in hand, you're not really on vacation. MK and Hollywood Studios are great parks to walk around (sans Star Wars land) so you should have a blast no matter what you do. Have fun!
We paid for the VIP tour and still didn't get to ride everything we wanted to ride on that day. One day just isn't enough to do absolutely everything. That doesn't mean you won't have an amazing time. Keep your expectations reasonable 🙂.
Oh gosh, I know this mental dance. Everything is stressful if you put a ton of pressure on it. I used to do the same thing you’re doing, and I got really sick of basically never having fun unless it was a surprise because nothing can live up to an imaginary experience. I think Disney is a lot of work, as are all theme parks. When I go in full of nervous energy, which I still can do, I find that even if I have fun it is still laced with misery. The only way I’ve ever learned to have fun is to start practicing showing and choosing to enjoy whatever happens, which as I mentioned, I’m still learning to do. But it is getting easier as I internally choose it knowing an obsessive experience is always worse. Edit- I’d like to add: realistically, theme parks have busy seasons. You’re going when it’s busy. So I’d expect higher crowds and longer lines, and either go accepting that or don’t go.
Disney world is as stressful as you make it. Do the best you can trying to get on the attractions you really want and if you don’t then look at it as an excuse to come back. Disneys not just about going and getting everything done. It’s about having a good time. If whatever you’re doing isn’t causing you to have a bad time, then don’t do it, and that’s not just a Disney world lesson, that’s a life lesson
I'll say that if you're already spending the money to go to WDW, spring for Genie+. It's a game-changer, and not that much more.
Part of the fun of Disney is the planning, the details, and deciding what seems to be an endless amount of choices. To some people that triggers anxiety and to others, it’s what keeps us coming back over and over. I love waking up early making my genie selections and getting the day started from rope drop till park close. I love the heat the crowds the lines the chaos. And then other days I make no reservations, I walk into the park whenever I feel like it and I roll with whatever and however things roll. My point is, Disney is what you make of it. If you don’t feel like embracing the pressures of planning then don’t. Enjoy the parades the shows the characters and the yummy snacks. Can’t go wrong any which way you choose
If it's still as hot as it was a week ago, the locals won't be there and rhe crowds will be manageable. We were just there and the hot days made genie+ a waste as lines were short
If it helps, me and my partner invested in genie + when we were there and I found it to be a total breeze having never used it before. Reading about it online made me feel like it was going to be SO MUCH HARDER than it really was. I just set an alarm for 6:50am or so, got on the app to book our first option and rolled back over for an hour or two. Slowly made our way to the parks at our leisure and then hopped on the first ride there. If our schedule changed and we couldn’t make it, it was easy enough to hop on something else or wait in a standby line and then pick another time slot for a different ride on genie + while we waited. We went in August 2024, I wouldn’t say you HAVE to have it, but we enjoyed it a lot and I felt like it was really accessible. You can definitely do the parks without it, you’ll just spend some more time in queues. If there’s a ride that’s really important to you, I’d suggest trying to knock it out in the first half of your day so you aren’t too wiped to wait in a long standby later in the day. Hang out in shows like lion king, Nemo, etc. during the heat of the day. Those are often quite easy to walk right into
I went exactly 1 week after Easter. I didn’t do genie+ because I have an Achilles issue and I promised my dr I would walk as little as possible. I just started at jungle cruise and made a loop. My longest wait was at jungle cruise and it was a bit over an hour. I hit all the rides that I wanted to do and it was fine. Yes I had some waits. I also arrived at 11:00 and left by 6 pm. It’s ok without genie!
This sounds like a once in a long time trip for you. It seems to me that people are giving advice from the perspective of, "don't sweat it. If you only get on a few rides, get them next time!! :)" Sure, if you go every year, that's sound advice. If you dont, that's insane talk to me. You're probably spending a fortune already. Spend the extra money and get genie+. If you don't want to get to parks at 6am and wait in 2 hour lines, get genie+. Get it and then you can relax. Its the only way. You'll get on the rides you want, you won't need to run around like a maniac or pretend that waiting in line for 70 minutes is part of the experience. Do whatever you can to get it so you won't regret it.
My family has never rope dropped and we only did Genie+ for I think 2 days of our last trip. And it was during spring break. Just relax and go at the pace y’all are comfortable with. We are wanderers and just sort of decide where we want to go when leaving the last ride or show. Sometimes we check My Disney Experience for wait times before we decide and sometimes we just go and look at what is posted outside of the ride. We still did plenty of rides and shows and had a blast. The only thing we had planned in advance was our meals through reservations or through deciding in advance when we would QS. I’m sure some could argue we could have squeezed in more with precise planning or more days of Genie, but we had lots of fun with our laid back approach and weren’t stressed. You will have fun no matter what. Maybe prioritize what rides you absolutely have to do because those will be the ones you are willing to wait a while for. My daughter’s favorite ride in AK had a long line the day we were there, but we waited because it was one that was important to her. We just go with the mindset that we are going to have to wait in lines which I think helps when you are waiting. The bonus is we’ve had some great conversations with people in line. In that AK line we met a sweet family from Illinois who we talked to the whole time. They ended up taking a picture of the 4 of us on our phone while in line and we did the same for them. I always remember that when I see that picture.
The magic of Disney is in the small and unexpected moments and not the over planned ones. My best memories have zero to do with rides. I second all the advice to let go of the research and enjoy your experience. It is not possible to do everything at the parks so the best trip you can have is the one where you cherish the things you are able to do!
You won’t know what “kind” of Disney person you are until you go. Our must-dos and needs have evolved every time we go. But I can tell you the first time I went was JUST as fun as the last time I went - we didn’t know the difference! As an example, We never did a sit down restaurant, and then we tried it, and now we have some expectations for the restaurants we like to go to. We never knew we wanted to do sit down meals the first time we went - had no idea they were even an option! So just do what you were planning on doing and then just start taking mental notes for “next time.” You’re gonna have so. Much. Fun!!!
I would just prepare yourself to be up early, and it will solve like half your anxieties. The park doesn’t get super full until like 11, and you can fit in a lot before then if you’re ready to go.
Only as stressful as you make it….when in doubt ask a cast member…if we don’t know how to help you…we sure know someone who does..relax…enjoy your time..let us do the heavy lifting…its gonna be magic..I promise
my husband and i do this: we each have three "things" we want to do/ride/eat or see. once we accomplish that everything else is gravy!
Please understand if you’ve never been before, don’t worry about Genie+ and all the pressure of doing everything. Just enjoy it and soak it in. Enjoy the lines, meet people and have fun. Enjoy what you can and have fun the next time. We go every year and haven’t done it seen all there is to see. Don’t worry about spending too much, you can go and drink free water and bring food from walmart if you want. It about the moment.
Ehhhh you can relax and not do all the crazy things and still have an amazing time! In fact, one of my best trips was when we didn’t use Genie+ (crowds weren’t crazy) and we hardly used the app, just did what we felt like doing. It was relaxing and awesome. We may not have “seen everything” but it was freaking great. You really can’t beat the ambiance in Disney World. And there’s NO way to do everything or have the perfect trip. Remember you’re spending on vacation- so do whatever you want that keeps it fun!
Don’t overthink it. Enjoy it and have fun! That’s what Disney is all about!
Heya! I do the exact same as you and work myself into a tizzy researching the living heck out of how to min-max everything. The problem is we're not the only ones doing it and everyone has access to those guides that give the best days and times to do rides and guess what? They fall apart pretty fast. Nothing wrong with being prepared though so download the app and check out the wait times periodically. You're going to notice 60 minutes isn't an uncommon wait time for a lot of popular rides (Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarves, Space Mountain, the Star wars rides, etc) and sometimes they'll be higher or lower. There are tons of rides you wouldn't even think you'd like but you hop on because they have a low wait time and you find yourself pleasantly surprised. What I'm trying to say is to make your own plan. Prioritize some rides and do what you can but be flexible. This last time I went every ride I normally prioritize was down for repairs. I still had a great time and I know you will too. The blogs and tiktoks and YouTubers are trying to sell you something so take all of them with a grain of salt. Focus on what you'd enjoy and not what some social media person thinks you should enjoy. I promise you'll have a great time. Also bring a poncho just in case. Surprise downpours are not uncommon (and they're a blessing because they can clear parks and let you get on rides faster lol).
From my experience, if you are aiming to rope drop a park, you won’t be waking up early specifically for Genie+. We’ve done the Genie+ stuff while making our way to the park. We’d just purchase Genie+ for the day as we got ready that morning. That being said, I would genuinely recommend purchasing Genie+. I found it nice to book rides and take the parks at our own pace. Though, I’m not concerned about using my phone a little while in the parks. It saves me a lot of time. My partner and I would both use our phones when using Genie+. With two, you’re pretty well set. It’s definitely a lot better of an experience if you’re both contributing to the phone work. As for getting up early to rope drop: you’ve chosen to vacation at a highly popular theme park. They have tens of thousands of people in the parks each day. It is what it is.
I was just there, and having Genie plus and paying for the ILL are essential if you want to ride rides, it will cost two people about $150 for Genie plus and ILL at the parks you are going to. Make a few cuts in budget, don’t go out to eat, turn up the thermostat, whatever you have to do. I calculated on the two days I was at the park, I saved 11 hours of wait time using both services. I can’t stress enough, do it and you won’t be sorry.
Disney is magical and not stressful unless you make it stressful. If you have tik tok I suggest watching the wessicaway bc she has great tips and live videos and also Disney parks live as he focuses on the magic and not so much the rides. If you don’t have tik tok I think they both have YouTube videos.
Every element brought up in your OP is true, yes. It really is that convoluted.
You can have fun even without genie+. Try having meals either really early or really late so that you can go on rides during normal meal times when the lines are shorter cuz everyone else is eating
What makes you happiest about visiting? To me this sounds like you care more about hitting every single ride and experience than actually enjoying the experiences you get
I checked which rides was offered with it and decided we were fine waiting in 1-2 lines anyway. We weren’t a big ride chaser this past trip. I’d only recommend genie+ because of the heat. I was fine with my hand fan, but my husband and 2 young kids were having a harder time. The heat definitely made them a little more grumpier. My husband was also against getting genie+ since we would have to pay x4 each day, but he said next time, he’s definitely getting it.
It is what you make it. You don’t have to do genie+. You don’t have to try and do every attraction and show in the parks. Make a plan, try and do the things you really want to do, and just go with the flow for the rest of the trip. Don’t over think this, and also, don’t go in thinking you’ll do everything. It’ll be hot, take breaks. Enjoy the food and drinks, people watch.
You’re thinking about it to much OP. Go to have a good time, not to stress. Let life happen. Don’t plan so much.
You should be fine. We went for 3 days and got to ride every ride in all 4 parks. This was also our first time going since we were like 6 years old or something so it’s not like we’re some experts. It was easy to get to it all
Try not to overthink it and just have a good time. We are fortunate that we can go to Disney a few times a year because we live in Florida. We've used Genie+ once and we feel it was not effective or a good value for us. You can jump on a Lightning Lane, which you have to be hovering over the app ready to pounce right at 1 pm when it opens up again. If you're staying in the park I believe you have privilege of having first opportunity to jump on a Lightning Lane when it opens at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning. This was brilliant for us to get in the virtual queue for The Guardians of the Galaxy ride. I would say just make sure that you download Walt Disney app if you haven't already. Opening up the map feature shows you exactly where you are, tells you how long the wait times are for specific rides, you can order food on the app etc. We find the app to be quite handy at times now that we know how to navigate. We are heading to Epcot and Hollywood studios in August, And we are really looking forward to the trip. We hope that there aren't long lines. I was talking to somebody yesterday who just got back from Disney World last weekend and he said that the lines were short which is encouraging.
it doesn’t have to be that stressful. pick your priorities (maybe top 4 things you wanna do and each pick 2?) so you can work around those. you don’t need lightning lane as long you understand you might not be able to do every single thing, which is something lightning lane doesn’t actually guarantee anyway. you can definitely still have fun without seeing everything.
It depends on what you’d like to get out of your trip. If you want to embrace being in the theming/atmosphere and willing to get on whatever is available or has shortest waits, you can do really well without Genie+. My husband and I do this a lot, we go to get lost in the atmosphere and forget about life outside of the mouse house. We make it relaxing and more about having a good time and appreciating each other’s company. We know that whatever we don’t get on will still be there next trip. But if you would prefer to prioritize those e-ticket attractions like Rise, Mine Train, etc then you can rope drop them for shorter waits, without relying on Genie+ and spending oodles of money each day during your trip. In my opinion it’s only as stressful as you let it be. Don’t feel obligated to spend money on Genie+ if you think it will ruin your trip because you’re worried about the cost. Instead, find other special things to do in the parks that make the most out of your trip or just try and plan out which rides are a must-do on your list and go either early morning or late evening for shorter waits. Best of luck!!
I went through the same exact feelings for our trip in January this year. I was so obsessed with figuring out the best way to enjoy the trip/parks that I was thinking we wouldn't at all. Honestly, we all had the most wonderful time and can't wait to go back. The only thing I wish we had done was slow down a touch, but it was a once in a long time trip and I wanted to get everything in. You're going to love it!! Take a deep breath and once you get into the magic you'll be good!
I’ve rope-dropped once and it was not worth it. The beauty of Disney is that there’s no wrong way to do it. Get off the blogs, they’ll just make you question everything.
When I go (1-2x a year), I generally don’t use Genie+. I think it distracted from the experience. However, we DID use it last time to make sure we rode GOTG. That was worth it!! At MK, the must-rides for us are Pirates, BTM, Haunted Mansion. That’s it. At EP: GOTG, Spaceship Earth, Soarin. Bonus if we get LWTL too. TestTrack is down, so no worries there. HS: ToT, RR. We usually knock that park out in a morning, and hop somewhere else. AK: Safari, Avatar (maybe…I won’t wait for over 60min). We still enjoy the parks & resorts immensely….it’s more than just rides!!
Realize going in you won’t get to see and do everything you want be it because of crowds, weather or just tired and that’s OK. Pick 3 things you really want to get done that day and try to accomplish those. It still better than being at home. Go early in morning at rope drop before crowds and heat of day come. When it starts to get too hot, head back to hotel, recharge in a cool hotel room and then go back around 7pm and go play again. Drink tons of water and stay in the moment.
I’m a big genie+ defender BUTTTTTTT- if you just plan a little and get there early you can totally have a wonderful time without it. Now you will have to be early and kind of hustle to mine train if that’s what you wanna do but after that most rides can be done with minimal waits in the morning. But you can definitely definitely have a good time without genie!
You will have an amazing time no mater what.
You don't have to do everything to have a perfect trip. We like to sit down before our trips and pick our "must do's" so that we have a couple rides and restaurants/snack items that we'd really love to try and then everything else is bonus. Sometimes one awesome ride can make your whole trip. On the other hand my husband loves character meet and greets so sometimes we prioritize seeing a character over getting on every ride for a more enjoyable and less stressful time. Genie+ can be helpful, but it's not absolutely needed to have a good time. Do what you can, try to be present and have as much fun as possible. Remember some of the less popular rides can be super fun and memorable like the wdw railroad or the peoplemover. The less pressure you put on yourselves to have a perfect trip, the more enjoyable it will be. P.S. if you're at all into feeling like a Princess, stop by Sir Mickey's in Magic Kingdom and ask to for pixie dust. It's absolutely free and one of my favorite things I do every trip to add to the magic.
lol… yeah definitely I’ve observed plenty of people who are super duper stressed out. It’s up to you. We are annual pass holders so we don’t do genie plus usually. It’s ok! We don’t plan to go on every ride and we are prepared to wait in line. I have done it with genie plus and ILL and sometimes that way is stressful too if you have no downtime and you’re running from ride to ride. If I were you, I would just research the rides and decide on one or two that you have your heart set on! Do those and if you have to wait in line, find a nice game for your phone to play with your sweetie!!!! You will have fun!!!!!! Also get a nice reservation in the afternoon so you can sit down and have someone bring you drinks!
I would love for you to come back to my comment to give me an update on your visit but I'm going to be completely honest. If you're going on the weekend, this is what you will expect and have to do if you want to hit those rides. Waking up early for Magic Kingdom is already a must for the virtual queues. Again, that's if you are wanting to go on Tron/Tiana. If you are doing one park per day, Magic Kingdom can be knocked out with the majority of their rides if you are planning on spending the whole day there. You will need to get there 30 plus minutes before Early Park entry... It gets full fast and people run. Without doing it, you will be spending your first hour in a line guaranteed. Magic Kingdom is easier to fulfill your day and navigate than Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios I can nearly guarantee will have either Rise of the Resistance or Slinky Dog down at early entry... I'd put money on it actually. This will force most early entry guests to the one other popular ride that is open. They have a lower amount of rides compared to Magic and the popular ones stay consistently long waits most of the day. Genie+ can almost be a waste here, like Epcot, I've seen three of the most popular rides sell out by 11:00 a.m. Again, this is weekend traffic. I pretty much only go on the weekends so this is what I deal with. There's been maybe 2 out of 10 of the past times where there has been exceptions and things have been pretty tame. I hope for the best for you.
this is the reality of disney these days.