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What is Genie+?



Pay to skip the line service (the “new” Fast Pass)


Tiers:



Genie (free – Tip Board; personalized itinerary under “My Day” according to MDE)


Genie+ - paid service with daily pricing and varies per park (and includes Disney Photo pass attraction images and Audio Tales access; purchased at midnight on park day):



Magic Kingdom – on average $27/person


EPCOT – on average $17/person


Hollywood Studios – on average $21/person


Animal Kingdom – on average $15/person


Park Hopper – on average $27/person


Prices can range $15-35 (day-based pricing)



ILL – separately purchased lightning lanes for most popular attractions (can purchase up to two ILLs per day):



Magic Kingdom – Seven Dwarfs and TRON (expecting one for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure)


EPCOT – Guardians of the Galaxy


Hollywood Studios – Rise of the Resistance 


Animal Kingdom – Flight of Passage



Honorable Mention: Virtual Queues 


Lightning Lanes, ILLs and Virtual Queues can all be booked at 7am on park day




How long is your lighting lane valid? – 1 hour (can check in 5 minutes before, and up to 20 minutes after your window)


When can you book your next lightning lane? – 2 hour rule and badging in


How do you cancel/modify a lightning lane? - Can look for a different return time via the MyDisney Experience app




Conventional wisdom using Genie+:



Magic Kingdom - Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain


EPCOT - Test Track, Remy’s, Frozen, Soarin’


Hollywood Studios - Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, Rockin’ Roller Coaster, Millenium Falcon Smuggler’s Run, Toy Story Mania, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway


Animal Kingdom - Na’vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest



Helpful resources:






AllEars.net (YouTube)


Ear Scout (YouTube)


Somewhere Worthwhile Genie+ toolkit

Get ready to cover reservation timelines, Disney Dining Plan, and Enchanting Extras!



60-Day Reservations



Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs)



Reservations can be made 60 calendar days in advance of your arrival day at WDW



If you’re staying at a Disney resort, you can book reservations for your entire trip on the 60-day mark (up to 10 days)


If you are staying off property, you must make reservations in sequential days 


Example: for our August trip, I can begin booking reservations on June 5th, 2024



Reservations open around 6am (however, Disney likes to open time slots around 5:45am on occasion)


Reservations could be your ticket into the park early – you may dine at a park table service restaurant before park opens!



Enchanting Extras Reservations (examples below):



Bibbidi Boppity Boutique



Reservations can be made at midnight for BBB



VIP Tours


Harmony Barber Shop


Golf


Spa services


Dessert Parties and Fireworks Cruises


Surf Lessons at Typhoon Lagoon 


Savi’s workshop




Helpful Apps/Service Providers (can only be used within 60 days of your trip)



Mousewatcher


Stakeout – this is what I use, personally


Best Mouse Dining Watcher


MouseWait fo Disney World


Magical Alerts



1 alert = $5


7 alert bundle = $30



Add More Magic 



Paid service that takes reservations off of you and on to a provider – you will not be charged unless your desired booking is secured


Pricing



Enchanting Extras - $12/guest (BBB, Harmony Barber Shop, Savi’s Workshop)


Dining - $3/guest





Canceling reservations



Be sure to check the policy for each restaurant and/or enchanting extra. For the majority, you may cancel up to 2 hours ahead of your reservations without a fee. A $10 fee will be charged for no-shows or under the 2-hour window. 



However, there are some such as Bibbidi Boppity Boutique that require 24 hours notice, or you incur the $10 fee. 



Policies can be found on the My Disney Experience site and app



Disney Dining Plan (DDP)



When purchasing the DDP, must be purchased per night of your stay, and for all guests ages 3 and up


Disney Quick Service Dining Plan - $22.40 per child per night, $53.55 per adult per night



2 Quick-Service Meals (per night of stay) – per night of your vacation stay


1 Snack/Nonalcoholic Drink (per night of stay) – per night of your vacation stay (can sub for an alcoholic beverage if over 21)


Quick service locations participating



Disney Dining Plan - $27.90 per child per night, $88.55 per adult per night



1 Quick-Service Meal (per night of stay) – per night of your vacation stay


1 Table-Service Meal (per night of stay) – per night of your vacation stay



Some restaurants require redeeming 2 table service credits (examples: Cinderella’s Royal Table and Toppolino’s for lunch and dinner)



1 Snack/Nonalcoholic Drink (per night of stay) 🡪 per night of your vacation stay


1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug – refillable at any Disney World Resort


Table service locations participating (includes character dining)

We are still taking a break from packing lists and planning tips to talk about some of our Walt Disney World - Orlando favorites (or least favorites).



Taylor is firing off some more rapid fire questions related to the parks, resorts, food, events, experiences, and even transportation options around the parks.



What are your favorites or least favorites? Tell us on instagram @wayfaringwillards - we would love to hear your take on this episode!

Let's take a break from packing lists and planning tips to talk about some of our Walt Disney World - Orlando favorites (or least favorites).



Taylor is firing off some rapid fire questions related to the parks, resorts, food, events, experiences, and even transportation options around the parks.



What are your favorites or least favorites? Tell us on instagram @wayfaringwillards - we would love to hear your take on this episode!

Equipment Rental Options

Scooterbug - became the official equipment rental partner in 2019. This means Scooterbug can coordinate with resort cast members to deliver & collect your rental equipment without you having to be present. Important to note that this only applies to deliveries to Disney Resorts - they cannot deliver to the parks themselves.

Pricing for a double stroller comes out to roughly $20/day for rentals of 4-days, and becomes slightly less expensive for lengthier rentals ($15/day for 6-days, $14/day for 7-days). With this rental fee you’re getting the stroller & the delivery/collection.

Additional accessories are available for additional charges, i.e.: rain cover, snack tray, bag hooks, or drink holders. They have some strong and reputable brands such as Bob and City Mini, but it’s something to be aware of.

BabyQuip - This was our equipment rental provider for our trip last October. We learned that, while the website mentions delivery to your resort, the only company authorized to do so is Scooterbug.

Their pricing makes it very attractive to work with them, and they were very communicative throughout the whole process.

This company utilizes local providers to organize rental equipment, so you have multiple options available to you as far as inventory goes (NOT JUST STROLLERS!). Their local providers do offer airport delivery/pickup (for an additional fee).

Disney rentals:

Pricing: certainly not going to be your cheapest option as the price break for longer rental periods is certainly not as good as the other two mentioned providers. Single strollers are $15/daily or $13/day for a multi-day rental; double strollers are $31/daily or $27/day for a multi-day rental.

Quality: They don’t look overly comfortable or convenient. It’s not like they’re falling apart, but I wouldn’t expect your kids to love every second of sitting on hard plastic.

Convenience: what you really pay for is the convenience factor - the stroller (if rented in advance) is awaiting your arrival at guest services. When you leave the park, you drop the stroller at guest services and that is that.

Notable mention: Kingdom Strollers - very similar to BabyQuip if you want to compare inventory and pricing (they are definitely more limited in their inventory, but pricing is competitive)

Grocery delivery:

Highly recommend using Kroger as opposed to other supplies such as DoorDash/InstaCart/Amazon Prime/etc, as those tend to add a hefty delivery fee on top of your order

Top needs: bottles of water, yogurt pouches/tubes, applesauce pouches, snack bars, individual bags of a favorite snack (like Goldfish)

You are permitted to bring as much food/liquids into the theme parks as you would like! Of course security will need to check all bags, but they will not stop you from packing an entire lunch (if you so choose)

Fun fact, WDW does not carry a common “essential”: Cheerios! Check the resort websites (or call/chat WDW resort cast members) to confirm whether or not some of your “must haves” such as a certain brand of diapers, or diaper ointment, or even OTC medications are available at a nearby Disney convenience store (or in the parks!)

Why do you need to pack a park bag?

Snacks for the kiddos & yourselves

Refillable water bottles - honestly, there’s no reason to ever pay for bottled water in any of these parks

The weather - be prepared for the weather with a poncho, extra socks, or even extra outfits

Extra outfits for the youngest toddlers/babies who may have an accident in the park (and even yourself especially if you’re expecting to get wet!)

Wipe storage, extra sunscreen, band-aids, and mole skin (think anything first aid that could be needed such as Advil, Tums, etc) – Baby Centers also an option for emergencies while in the parks

“Activities” for the kids (i.e. coloring pads/set of crayons, doodle pads, finger puppets, whatever it takes to keep kids entertained while “waiting around be it f

Are you ready to plan your trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida?



Then you've come to the right podcast!



Our Disney 101 series will take you through every single aspect of planning your trip through the lens of a first-time Disney traveler.



In this episode, we will cover:



Packing, Packing, Packing!



MagicBand+ - is it worth it (general rule is to order >2 weeks before resort check-in)

What is a MagicBand+?

A wearable device that lets you do the following (comes in a variety of colors and patterns, and can be discounted through your resort if you are staying on property):

Acts a key to your room at any WDW resort

Allows for check-in to all theme parks and water parks (ensure your tickets are linked in your MDE app)

Allows for check-in for any scheduled lightning lanes and virtual queues

Allows for interactive elements in the parks such as nighttime spectaculars and character sculptures throughout the Disney parks

Ability to make purchases throughout WDW (ensure you have linked a card to your MDE app; does not work for Disney gift cards, unfortunately)

Visit Disney website for a comparison of the MagicBand+, original MagicBand, and Disney Magic Mobile service to decide which is best for you and your family!

Do not purchase through a third party such as Amazon or eBay; oftentimes these devices are no longer operational, or transferring ownership can be a headache if the device has been used.



Packing Strategies:

Advise one adult to bring a large backpack as a personal item for the flight & double as your park bag during the day.

Include snacks and a change of clothes for kiddos (maybe even swimsuits depending on when you are planned to land and can take advantage of the resort pool while you wait for your room).

We utilized air tags for our luggage (and stroller) to give a peace of mind while traveling.

If you're comfortable, give your kids backpacks to keep up with while traveling. This can allow them to put toys or autograph books in their own bag when heading into the parks.






Our Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wayfaringwillards.com/travel-blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



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