I’m bringing you to Disney with me - no ticket needed! Today I’ll be recapping DAY ONE of my trip, which started very early, as I booked the first flight out to avoid any delays or cancellations. In addition to detailing my day, I’ll be sharing tips and tricks that could help you on your next Disney vacation.
I used both Genie+ and Individual Lighting Lane throughout the day! I’ll briefly define them in this article, and I will have a FULL blog detailing the ins-and-outs of Disney’s new skip-the-line system.
I had a Park Pass Reservation for Magic Kingdom and planned to Park Hop to Epcot in the evening. I knew I wanted to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at some point. I had a few other attractions I wanted to experience, and a couple of snacks on my must-do list.
As soon as I landed in Orlando I opened the My Disney Experience app to purchase an Individual Lighting Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This attraction does not currently have a standby line, and the Virtual Queue was full. Since I was hopping into Epcot, I could only book a return time after 2:00 pm. I chose 5:10 pm because I wanted a chance to go back to my hotel after visiting the Magic Kingdom. I then booked an individual Lighting Lane for Seven Dwarves Mine Train for 2:15 pm.
If this sounds like a lot – you should book your next trip with me!
I made it to Disney’s Riviera Resort by 9:30 am. More on the Riviera later this week!
My room wasn’t quite ready, so I left my bags with bell services; I had a bag that needed to be refrigerated, and they were more than willing to accommodate my request. I was starving, so I decided to mobile order some Mickey Waffles from Primo Piatto, the quick service restaurant at the Riviera. They were ready in about 15 minutes! I ate them in the lobby before heading into the gift shop to look around, then headed out to catch the bus to the Magic Kingdom!
I walked into the Magic Kingdom by 10:45 am. The park is currently decorated for fall, specifically Halloween - and it’s even more magical! Adorable scarecrows guard the flowerbeds, fall buntings adorn every building, and bountiful, leafy garlands add a warm, welcoming feel to the shops along Main Street U.S.A. It doesn’t seem possible, but it was more beautiful than ever.
I made my way to Cinderella castle to take revel in its beauty and take some pictures. If you want pictures of the castle without a lot of other guests in the shot, like the one above, walk about halfway up the ramps on either side of the castle stage, hold your camera at chest height and angled up, wait for an opening, then snap your picture! As I was taking my glamour shots of the castle a very sweet couple asked me to take their picture and I happily obliged. We had to wait a bit for there to be an opening in the crowd, and as I was taking pictures, he got down on one knee! I quickly switched to video, kept taking pictures, and captured the start of their happily ever after! She said yes!
Smiling from ear to ear, I made my way over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The standby line was only 35 minutes! While I was in line, I looked at the Lighting Lane return times with Genie+ to determine if I should pay to save time waiting in line – the answer was a resounding YES! There was great availability, and I knew I would be able to ride more attractions in less time than waiting in standby, even though the wait times were lower than I expected.
I made a Lighting Lane selection for Pirates of the Caribbean, but when I got to there, the ride had gone down. Disney is really great about making this right without guests having to take action – I had an Experience Redemption pass show up in My Disney Experience immediately. This pass allows you to use the Lighting Lane for the attraction you originally chose – or another similar attraction – without having to reserve it again, which means you can book another Lightning Lane! I booked Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and stopped at Aloha Isle to get a Pineapple Coconut Dole Whip on my way to Tomorrowland.
I was only in the Magic Kingdom for 5.5 hours and I was able to experience 8 attractions! I waited in standby for Thunder Mountain and Carousel of Progress. I used Genie+ for Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and it’s a small world. Pirates of the Caribbean did come back up while I was in the park, but I needed to get back to the hotel before heading to Epcot, so I used my Experience Redemption pass at Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
Subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss my Genie+ article!
I walked into my room around 4:15 pm it was pouring rain – more than enough proof that taking an afternoon break was the right idea! I unpacked, hydrated, relaxed, then made my way to Epcot using the Skyliner around 5:30 pm. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind had gone down, but was back up by the time I got through security at the International Gateway entrance, so I made my way towards World Discovery and the front of the park to ride.
Oh. My. Word. This attraction is INCREDIBLE. One ride and it immediately became my favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World.
I made my way to World Nature to ride my second favorite attraction in Epcot – Living with the Land. I made a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection for Soarin’ even though it only had a 10 minute wait. I ended up with the most PERFECT seat on the attraction! As I left the Land pavilion, I noticed dark storm clouds rolling in… but I decided to chance a ride on The Seas with Nemo and Friends before heading back to my hotel. It wasn’t a bad decision, because I love that attraction, but I did get caught in the thunderstorm and pouring rain. Since the Skyliner cannot operate in inclement weather, I had to make my way to the front of the park to take a bus back to the hotel. I was SOAKED – but it was worth it.
Once I got back to the hotel, I changed into dry clothes, mobile ordered dinner from Primo Piatto, used the free laundry facilities at the hotel to dry my sneakers, and worked on some quotes for a few potential clients. When I got back to my room, the storm had passed, and it turned out to be a beautiful night. I sat on my balcony and listened to some fireworks before calling it a night! I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Tomorrow we'll go to Hollywood Studios - be sure to follow along!
As always, my services are FREE - in addition to booking everything for you, I can help you plan your day!
Glossary
Genie+ Disney’s new paid skip-the-line system; good for over 40 attractions throughout all 4 parks
Individual Lighting Lane à la carte selections for Disney’s new paid skip-the-line system; not part of Genie+
Park Hop the act of moving from one park to another; can only be done after you check into the park you reserved AND after 2:00 pm
My Disney Experience online and mobile tools that help you make the MOST of your Disney vacation
Virtual Queue the only way to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind without paying for an Individual Lightning Lane; reserve your spot at 7:00 am and wait in a short line when it's your turn to ride
Lighting Lane the physical skip-the-line system queue
Experience Redemption given by Disney to guests who are unable to ride an attraction during their Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane return time; can generally only be used in the park it was issued in; conditions apply
Skyliner Disney’s free gondola transportation system which connects select resort hotels to Epcot and Hollywood Studios
Commenti