Walt Disney World Rides That Are Worth Spending Extra Money On

With the release of Disney Genie that includes Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, we have been looking into if and when these features are best used. With the purchase of Genie+ for $15 per person per day, Guests are given access to over 40 Lightning Lanes throughout Walt Disney World’s four Theme Parks.

These lanes allow Guests to bypass the regular standby lines and therefore skip longer wait times. So, what rides in each of the four Theme Parks are worth paying a little extra more to avoid long wait times? We have a look at each of the Theme Parks and which rides we think are worth the Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane investment.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is overall a great Park to use Genie+ at during your visit. There are the most rides included in Genie+ giving Guests a variety of choices when it comes to their selections. So, what rides in Magic Kingdom are worth the extra money Genie+ requires?

We would start with Jungle Cruise as a top choice for a Genie+ selection.  We have seen the wait times for this ride increase drastically since it has been updated.  Having Genie+ for Jungle Cruise allows you to skip the long afternoon lines in the sun.

Not surprising to most Disney Guests is Peter Pan’s Flight as another ride that we think is worth the upgrade to Genie+. Peter Pan’s Flight continuously shows long wait times each and every day at Magic Kingdom.  Since this is a short ride experience, we feel like being able to use Genie+ to bypass a long way is a fantastic option.

The other rides we think are worth the Genie+ upgrade for are Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion. These are two popular rides in Magic Kingdom and with longer wait times, having Genie+ can really help Guests save time.

These are the rides in Magic Kingdom that we feel make the upgrade to Genie+ worth the money.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we have fewer rides that we feel are worth the additional money. Our first ride is Avatar Flight of Passage which is an Individual Lightning Lane option at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests can choose to pay an additional fee (between $7 and $15) to experience Avatar Flight of Passage using the Lightning Lane.

Since Flight of Passage continues to be extremely popular in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we think that purchasing the Individual Lightning Lane is a good option. By purchasing this, Guests can save sometimes hours in line, therefore, allowing them to experience more of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The other ride we feel is worth the extra fee is Kilimanjaro Safaris. This ride is part of the Genie+ option as a good investment in our opinion. Being one of the most unique rides in all of Walt Disney World, Kilimanjaro Safari is extremely popular causing long wait times. We believe that it is a must-do ride and therefore to avoid long waits Genie+ is a great option.

EPCOT

We are seeing EPCOT transform over the last year and we look forward to seeing how it continues to do so in the future. Right now, there are two rides that we think are worth the extra money to avoid long lines.

The newest ride in EPCOT is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure located in the France Pavilion.  Although Guests can try for the virtual queue for this ride, we do think it is worth it to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. If Remy’s is a ride that your family really wants to experience, we think paying the extra money for an Individual Lightning Lane.

The other ride in EPCOT we feel is worth the extra money is Test Track. Test Track is part of the Genie+ selections in EPCOT and the top choice to avoid long lines. These are the two rides that we feel are worth the additional money in EPCOT to avoid longer lines allowing Guests to enjoy more of what EPCOT has to offer.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Like Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a variety of rides that are worth extra money to avoid long lines. The biggest ride in all of Walt Disney World is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and definitely one that we feel is worth the cost of an Individual Lightning Lane to ensure a shorter wait.

Disney has recently moved away from the virtual queue when it comes to experiencing Rise of the Resistance allowing Guests to ride using standby for the first time since it opened. Although this is a great option, the lines continue to be extremely long making the cost of the Lightning Lane worth it in our opinion.

When it comes to Genie+ options in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we feel that there are a handful of attractions that are worth the cost of this feature. Slinky Dog Dash, found back in Toy Story Land, is a top choice when it comes to Genie+ in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We are seeing these selections get picked up early on in the morning making it hard to snag later on in the day.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is another top choice in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This popular Star Wars experience has high wait times during the day. If you are able to use Genie+ to ride it and skip the long line it is worth it.

Finally, both Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror are excellent choices when it comes to Genie+.  These thrill rides are still extremely popular and we believe that having Genie+ to skip the standby lines is a fantastic option. We think that in Disney’s Hollywood Studios there are a handful of experiences that are worth the additional money to avoid long waits.

We will continue to learn more about Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, but as of right now these are the attractions we feel are worth the additional money to skip the standby lines. Some of these require the purchase of Individual Lightning Lanes whereas others are included in the Genie+ daily fee.

We hope that this information will help you as you prepare for your Walt Disney World vacation.