EPCOT began because the worst park for getting Walt Disney World’s Genie+ service, however has improved huge time because of additions to the journey roster. There’s Lightning Lane line-skipping entry to 11 points of interest, a number of of which can prevent appreciable time ready. This information ranks all of them when it comes to wait instances and the way rapidly picks run out. (Updated March 9, 2023.)
There are two huge modifications at EPCOT which have resulted on this shift. The first is greater crowd ranges which have include Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. That new family-friendly Marvel curler coaster is not a part of Genie+, however it has elevated demand for EPCOT, rising wait instances throughout the board.
More considerably, there have been modifications to the Lightning Lane lineup–and two enormous additions–that make shopping for Genie+ extra advantageous at EPCOT, particularly for households with babies. (Or actually anybody who enjoys traditional darkish rides.) This submit breaks that down, and how one can take full benefit of Lightning Lanes at EPCOT.
EPCOT is nice at absorbing crowds…it’s simply mild on headliner points of interest. That’s the issue with Genie+ on a low to reasonably busy day–you received’t save sufficient time on the overwhelming majority of eligible points of interest to make the acquisition definitely worth the cash until you’re Park Hopping. It’s additionally arguably not definitely worth the time, as Genie+ will power you to criss-cross the park fairly than doing issues as you naturally arrive to them whereas navigating usually.
During peak season, it’s a unique story as ~6 of the ten Genie+ Lightning Lane points of interest can have important wait instances all through the day which might be price skipping. This isn’t to say you can purchase Genie+ on these days, however fairly, that you must solely purchase it, if in any respect, on days with peak crowds. That actually means solely 9/10 or 10/10 days. This consists of the whole lot of Spring Break, Easter, Summer, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, MLK Day, Presidents’ Day, Mardi Gras, and different peak journey instances.
If you wish to skip Genie+ solely, seek the advice of our 1-Day EPCOT Itinerary, which covers how one can accomplish every thing even when you’re staying off-site and don’t wish to spend something further on Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes. It additionally gives nice “zig when they zag” recommendation to flip the script on World Showcase and Future World.
Also, when you’re staying on-site, the one factor we extremely suggest is Early Entry. Check out our latest Early Entry at EPCOT: Better Than Genie+ submit–the title says all of it. Significantly earlier opening instances present an enormous benefit to early risers, as does having the ability to hit headliners in linear order with out backtracking, which is commonly required when utilizing Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. That can imply quite a lot of strolling when utilizing the line-skipping service, which implies the time saved not ready in line could be greater than offset in regards to the further time spent strolling across the parks.
To that finish, we (as soon as once more) suggest testing Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World, which is the results of intensive ‘testing’ to find out the perfect and worst methods to beat the crowds.
If you may’t swing getting up and out the door earlier than park opening, Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at EPCOT is nice for eligible friends. That’s often on Monday nights and goes till 11 pm or midnight, relying upon regular hours. Almost all open points of interest are walk-ons throughout Extended Evening Hours. Those further hours additionally supply entry to a 3rd digital queue entry time for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
But again to the unique level of this submit. The objective is to provide the instruments and information you should create your personal itinerary with Genie+, fairly than counting on our 1-Day EPCOT Genie+ and Lightning Lanes Plan. Or, you may make the most of “a best of both worlds” method, consulting that pre-made plan and the rankings right here so that you perceive the why of it, and may alter the itinerary to account to your Advance Dining Reservations, most well-liked showtimes, whether or not you wish to decrease strolling distances, and many others.
Additionally, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all the foundational need-to-know information about this alternative totally free FastPass+. This entire system is complicated and convoluted, so that you may need a query or two-dozen. That solutions all the most typical ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Also, this gives journey priorities for Lightning Lanes by way of Genie+ and not Individual Lightning Lanes (ILL), that are pay-per-ride. At current, the one ILL attraction for EPCOT is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Previously, each Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure have been additionally an ILL points of interest. Those have each moved all the way down to the Genie+ lineup (completely), enhancing that journey roster.
We are usually not eager on shopping for a la carte entrance of line entry, so we suggest doing ILL points of interest very first thing within the morning or in direction of the tip of the evening. See our Virtual Queue Strategy Guide for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for the secrets and techniques to success with that. For the final a number of months (since actually final August), we’ve been anticipating the digital queue to be retired “very soon.” Well, that ought to lastly occur by April 2023, as a result of debut of TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. It appears unlikely that Walt Disney World will make the most of two digital queues directly, even when they’re in several parks.
Now, on with the present & journey rankings for Genie+ at EPCOT…
The Best of Genie+ at EPCOT
1. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – The latest Genie+ attraction at EPCOT, and second-newest journey in all of Walt Disney World. That would seemingly make this the plain #1 Genie+ Lightning Lane choice at EPCOT, however this has truly bounced round a bit. In the final a number of months, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure has emerged as the most typical #1 precedence, and the Lightning Lane you received’t have an opportunity to ebook when you select one thing else together with your first decide.
2. Test Track – This older attraction has gained floor with Genie+ in the previous few months, and what seems to be taking place is that the 2 all ages points of interest are “splitting the #1 selections,” so to talk. Meaning that households are selecting both the Rat Ride or Frozen Ever After, diluting the recognition of every as a primary choice. Meanwhile, Test Track is the one high-profile thrill journey, so it’s prioritized by virtually all friends wanting that sort of attraction.
3. Frozen Ever After – Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is now the clear #1 at EPCOT, with Test Track and Frozen Ever After just about tied for #2. There’s barely any distinction between them, however there’s a slight one. In quick, your finest shot at acquiring Lightning Lanes for your entire trio is reserving Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure #1, Test Track #2, and Frozen Ever After #3.
Even that requires quite a lot of luck and crowd ranges to be in your favor. If skipping the road for Frozen Ever After is crucial, you must transfer this as much as #2, as there’s a powerful likelihood you’ll not get this Lightning Lane when you select Test Track at #2. You most likely will not get all 3 in a single day (we’d put the probabilities of success at beneath 50%), however all the relaxation ought to be doable in a single day.
4. Soarin’ Around the World – Once the longest wait time in EPCOT, it’s turn into much less common lately and had one other theater added to assist take in crowds. It shouldn’t be too tough to safe this into the afternoon, so you might have a little bit flexibility in reserving this strategically relying upon your most well-liked return time and private priorities.
5. Mission: Space – Here’s the place we enter “only necessary in high crowds” nation. On a low or reasonably crowded day, Mission: Space could have a brief or nonexistent wait and Genie+ received’t be vital. On busier days, having a Lightning Lane time reserved might prevent 30-60 minutes right here.
6. Spaceship Earth – This is all the time a tough one, as Spaceship Earth’s wait time fluctuates dramatically even on busier days. Due to its prominence as friends enter the park, it virtually all the time has a for much longer wait time within the first half of the day, and a brief wait in afternoon and night. Again, nonetheless a worthwhile Lightning Lane choice when crowds are excessive.
7. Living with the Land – By the time you get to make this Lightning Lane choice, return instances will hopefully be within the early night hours. The solely time that is going to be a helpful journey reservation is through the vacation season, when the Merry & Bright overlay retains it common at evening. If you’re going some other time of yr, this Lightning Lane isn’t vital. Living with the Land will probably be a walk-on since its wait time is shortest at evening–even with peak season crowds.
8. Journey Into Imagination – Approximately 300 days of the yr, you’ll wait 10 minutes or much less to journey Journey into Imagination with Figment. About 40 days per yr, it’ll be a 15 minute or shorter wait. It’s these different 25 days, when the wait time exceeds half-hour, when Lightning Lane will come in useful right here.
The Rest of Genie+ at EPCOT
The Seas with Nemo & Friends – We have but to see a day when this attraction has run out of Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations.
Stage Shows – At EPCOT, this implies Turtle Talk with Crush and the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. While Genie+ gives precedence seating, which may quantity to a greater view, it’s usually not all that advantageous for reveals.
To the opposite, reserving a Lightning Lane for that is simply going to quantity to unnecessary backtracking or clicking within the app, and the chance price of not reserving one thing else. The overwhelming majority of friends ought to merely do reveals by way of the standby traces.
Ultimately, you must have the ability to knock out most points of interest by way of Genie+ utilizing Lightning Lanes on regular days in EPCOT. This is definitely a major shift, and as a result of additions of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After within the Genie+ lineup, which have been beforehand Individual Lightning Lanes. This are game-changers, and scoring each of these household pleasant rides plus Test Track or Soarin’ Around the World can prevent a ton of time.
Prior to that, nearly all of friends wouldn’t save a lot time with Genie Plus–definitely nothing like Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios–however some will. Now, the circumstances are very completely different, particularly on days which have excessive crowds, which is extra frequent now that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has opened. Accordingly, we now suggest many friends buy Genie+ at EPCOT, because the time-savings justify the associated fee. With that stated, you may nonetheless accomplish just about simply as a lot by way of Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To get monetary savings on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips submit takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every thing you should know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
How would you rank your journey priorities utilizing Genie+ and Lightning Lanes in EPCOT? Surprised by any of the rankings in our prime 5, that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure takes the #1 spot, or is that this all fairly apparent? Are you planning on shopping for Genie+ or skipping it? Will you apply it to an EPCOT-only day, or completely when Park Hopping? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!