Hey there! I put together a quick list of must-have Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpasses, and rides that you really won’t need Fastpasses for due to the short wait times. We will also go over some quick tips on how to maximize your Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpasses at the end of this article.
Must-Have Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpasses:
Magic Kingdom
Peter Pan’s Flight– You will normally see an hour and a half minute wait for this fan favorite. I would get it as a backup Lightening Lane Fastpass or if you have little ones, this is a must.
Jungle Cruise– Due to its reimaging and its successful movie, the Jungle Cruise wait times have now doubled. On a slow day, you are looking at a 55-minute wait in the standby queue line.
Space Mountain– There is usually a 2 hour wait for this ride on busy days. I would grab a Lightening Lane Fastpass for after 11:00am.
Pro Tip: If you don’t get a Lightening Lane Fastpass for this ride, it does have an interactive queue line with video games. Also, if the park closes at 11:00 pm as long as you are in line for any ride by 10:59 pm, they will still let you on the ride!
The Haunted Mansion- The reason this ride has made it towards the top of the list is not only the wait time but also the location of the standby queue line. You can expect to spend 70% of your wait time in the hot sun. On average you will have at least a 55-minute wait.
Big Thunder Railroad– On busy days, this one can also get up to a two-hour wait. And this ride is hard to try to lump together with others because it is so far out of the way.
Pro Tip: If you aren’t able to get a Lightening Lane Fastpass for this ride, this one also has an interactive queue line. Try riding It at night for a more thrilling experience.
This part of the park is pretty dead at the end of the night, its nice to walk around and enjoy the lights and music.
Yes, theres music that changes as you walk through to different lands. With the massive amount of crowds during the day, you may have missed it.
Pirates of the Caribbean- Pirates of the Carribean is a great ride, but it does rank lower on our list due to the fact that the wait time is generally not that high. The standby queue line is in a nice, shaded area.
Splash Mountain– During the colder months, this ride is normally shut down for refurbishment or the line wait is about 35 minutes. During the hotter season, it can get up to CLOSED for reimaging.
Backups to consider if you have time are Buzz Lightyear, the Little Mermaid and “its a small world”.
Dont Forget: to consider are character meet and greets and the Festival of Fantasy Parade wait times for meet and greets can have very high wait times.
Genie+ Individual Lightening Lane Fastpass
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train– The wait time for this ride mid-day is around 3 hours for the standard stand by line. Ride this one first thing in the morning and then if you wish to ride it again, purchase the ILL Fastpass and schedule it for mid-afternoon so you can ride it twice!
Hollywood Studios
Slinky Dog Dash– Because this ride is still new, it is very popular and is one of the harder Lightening Lane Fastpasses to get. The standby que line is usually very long, and you are standing in the hot sun for a good portion of the wait.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway– This ride is the newest to Hollywood Studios and still has quite the wait time. This standby queue is mostly outside with only umbrellas to provide shade. This trackless ride is super fun and well worth the wait.
Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster– This ride will almost always have about an hour to a hour and a half wait. Why? Because its super fun!
Pro Tip: We have sat in both the front and the back to compare which one is better, it’s the back 😉 If you prefer the front or the back, let a
Also, your magic band could be one of the lucky ones to get scanned and your name showcased on your own Rockstar flyer.
The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror– I am really not sure why the wait on this ride is so long now. Before California switched their Tower Of Terror ride over to The Guardians, there was a 25-minute wait for this ride, tops.
Now you will see it get up to 2 hours!
Pro Tip: This ride is much better when you put your hands up!
If you have a mini backpack or purse put that in your hand while your hands are up. When the ride drops, you will feel it float like a balloon for a couple of seconds!
Toy Story Mania– This is a fan favorite, and is now about an hour wait. It used to hover around 2 hours for stand by, but it looks like the new expansions have alleviated some of the overcrowding.
Pro Tip: Don’t lose!!!
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run– You really won’t see the queue spike to over an hour on most days. On busy days or times when the new ride, Rise Of The
Pro Tip: There are 3 jobs you can do on this ride, the pilots, the gunners, and the engineers. If you have small children with you, put them in the gunner seats or the ride also has an autopilot mode.
The better you do as a team on this ride, the longer it lasts!
I recommend trying out all 3 stations, I love being the right-hand pilot! If you don’t get the spot you were hoping for, a cast member will tell you to trade amongst yourselves.
Backups for this park are, Alien Swirling Saucers and Star Tours.
Genie+ Individual Lightening Lane Fastpass
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance- The best times to try and ride Rise of the Resistance with the lowest wait time is rope drop or making it the last ride of the day. Most of the time you are going to see at least a 2-3 hour wait. Or you can purchase the ILL early in the morning and skip the long line.
The Animal Kingdom
Na’Vi River Journey– This new ride has died down a little. We usually see wait times at an hour and a half. It is a really neat ride, but there is zero thrill to it.
Pro Tip: Only pick this Fastpass if the Flight Of Passage is already taken. It is also a tier 1 ride.
Kilimanjaro Safaris– Mid-day you will see up to a 3-hour wait
Why is it so popular? Because the giraffes are close enough to lick your vehicle. Its pretty awesome to see that Disney has been able to keep these animals as close as they can to their natural habitat.
Pro Tip: Try to sit on the edge of the vehicle so you don’t have to look around others to see all of the animals.
Make sure you fill your water bottle before you get in line if you are waiting in stand by.
Kali River Rapids- This ride can have a long line during the warm months with up to a 2 hour wait. It’s not one that I have personally gone on, but I can tell you to be sure to pack your ponchos!
Dinosaur- The wait time for this one has gone up to at least an hour wait. The good news is, if you don’t want to Fastpass this ride, the queue is all indoors and air conditioned.
Expedition Everest– This is one of my favorite rides but it can get up to an hour and a half wait.
Pro Tip: This ride does shut down during Rivers Of Light. Also, the queue line is decorated very well so there’s always something to look at if you choose not to use a F
Backups well there really aren’t any. This park is not that big and if the wait times weren’t so long, you could be done with this whole park in just a couple of hours.
Genie+ Individual Lightening Lane Fastpass
Avatar Flight of Passage– This has to be the most popular ride out all of the parks. It usually hovers around a 3 hour wait. If you get in at rope drop, you are looking at about 2 hours outside with no bathrooms. Make sure you take a drink and snacks with you while you are waiting in standby. For the easiest drinks and snacks to pack into the park, check out our snacks list!
Pro Tip: If you can’t get a ILL Fastpass for this ride and don’t want to waste your day in line, hop in line for it 2 minutes before close. You will wait in line at night and not in the blistering sun. Also, the cast members push people through the lines much faster at the end of the night.
Epcot
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure– The newest trackless ride at Disney World has been very popular with wonder reviews. The wait times can be quite long. I recommend riding this attraction at rope drop if you aren’t able to secure ta Lightening Lane pass.
Frozen Ever After– This is still a fairly new ride for Epcot so the stand by line can get up to a 3 hour wait and can leave you out in the blistering hot sun.
Pro Tip: Some of queue line is indoors and you get to walk through Arendale. The downside, it really is freezing cold in the building! Wear a jacket!
Soarin’– For some reason this ride remains very popular, It usually stays around an hour wait.
Pro Tip: The queue is inside an airconditioned building, the down side is that its super boring and long. Grab a snack from Sunshine Seasons to keep up your energy!
Test Track– When we went in May, the wait was around 45 minutes but during the heavy crowd times it will get up to 2 hours long.
Pro Tip: This is an inside queue line and you will be able to design your very own car.
Mission Space: Depending on the time of year, the wait is between 30 minutes and an hour.
Back up Fastpasses are Spaceship Earth and Living Off the Land.
Genie+ Individual Lightening Lane Fastpass
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind– Disney World’s newest attraction has both a virtual queue line and ILL passes. I suggest trying your best to secure a virtual pass, but if you can’t you can always purchase an ILL Fastpass.
Rides You Don’t need Fastpasses For:
Magic Kingdom
Mickeys PhilharMagic -10 minutes
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor-15 minutes
Mad Tea Party- 25 minutes
Splash Mountain-30 minutes on colder months
The Magic Carpets Of Aladdin-30 minutes
Pirates Of The Caribbean-30 minutes
Winnie The Pooh-40 minutes
Under The Sea-15 minutes to 45 minutes
Hollywood Studios
Any shows, such as The Beauty and The Beast (which was terrible) or Indiana Jones.
Muppet Vision 3D-10 minutes
Alien Swirling Saucers-30 minutes- 45 minutes
Star Tours-30 minutes- 1 hour
Animal Kingdom
Its Tough To Be A Bug– 10 minutes
Dinosuar-35 minutes
Expedition Everest-30-55 minutes
Epcot
Turtle Talk With Crush– 10 minutes
The Seas with Nemo and Friends-10 minutes
Living With The Land-10-20 minutes
Journey Into Imagination With Figment– 10 minutes
Grand Fiesta Tour, The Three Caballeros– 10 minutes
Spaceship Earth- 15 minutes
Mission Space- 30 minutes
IllumiNations- I never recommend using Fastpasses for shows with a lot of viewing areas.
Tips To Maximize Your Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpasses:
You get one Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpasses at a time. If you are staying at a Disney World resort, you can start reserving your
See our article on all 14 perks to staying at a Disney World resort here.!
If you are staying off site, you will be able to reserve your Fastpasses when the parks open.
I recommend trying to reserve your Fastpasses for after 11:00 am. Mainly because in the morning around rope drop, you should be able to get in at least 3 rides by 11:00 am. After that, the parks do get a whole lot busier.
You can move your Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpass time slots around on your mobile app and the moment you use your Fastpass you can then pick out a new Fastpass one at a time.
