VACATION GUIDES

Let’s face it: there is a LOT of lingo when it comes to Disney World vacations. I created the following glossary and appendix to be used in tandem with my “Vacation Guides” to make reading them as easy to read as possible!

 

Fast Pass System1

• The free “skip the line” service that was replaced with Genie+. 

Genie+2

• The new service that allows guests to pay to skip the line at select rides and attractions or book premium viewing for select shows.

MyDisneyExperience App3 

• Free holistic app for Disney World. Genie+, dining reservations, hotel information, parking, wait times, photopass, and more can all be accessed through this app. (Must download this app in order to use Genie+)

Standby Lane4

• This is the standard queue for all guests that are not using a Lightning Lane. The entrance to both lines is clearly indicated at the front of the ride. 

Lightning Lane5

• This is the separate line that guests can scan in if they have a reservation through Genie+ to skip the longer standby line  

Best visit times6

• Mid September through mid November and mid January-mid March (aka when kids are in school)

Theme Park Reservations7

• You used to be required to make a reservation for the park you planned to attend that day. These are no longer required after Jan 9 2024. 

Ticketed / Extra Events at Disney8

• Disney often has seasonal programming and other special events going on throughout the year. During the Halloween and Christmas season, these ticketed “parties” will occur on select nights and will require a ticket for entry (non ticketed guests will be asked to leave even if they are already in the park before the party and have  valid park admission). Also, RunDisney Marathons, Cheer competitions, D23 Expo are all various events that will draw in higher than usual crowds. 

Park Hopper9

• This is a type of park ticket. It is a premium price, but allows the guest to visit multiple parks in one day. I am a huge fan of the flexibility you get with park hopper. The catch: make sure to check hours of operation each day of your trip on the My Disney Experience app. Once you start your day at a park, you’ll usually have to wait until a certain time (usually around 2PM) to hop to another park. 

Single Lightning Lane10

• This is a separate skip the line method from multi pass lightening lane. These will cost an additional fee outside of your multi pass purchase. However, you CAN select what you would like your return time to be on these. These will be limited to the MOST popular rides in the park.

Virtual Queue11

• This is a new system introduced in 2023. It works very similar to a Lightning Lane in the sense that you do need to make a reservation for rides that require this, however, you do not need to pay for it. There is no traditional standby line for these rides. The only way to ride is through the virtual queue reservation window which opens at 7AM for guests staying on property and opens at park opening for everyone else. Another booking window will open at 1:00PM. Once these are full, that ride is no longer available for the day. At this moment (12/27/23), the only rides that do this are Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom and Cosmic Rewind in Epcot. You have to be quick if you want to use the virtual queue and I recommend watching a Youtube video beforehand that demonstrates the process.

Return Time12

• The window of time you have to use your reserved Lightning Lane

Rope Drop (Early and Regular)13

• Rope dropping just means when the park opens. So the “early” rope drop is for guests staying on property and means they have 30 minutes of early access to the parks. Regular rope drop is park opening for everyone else. Oftentimes this term is used when discussing strategy and is most important if you don’t have Genie+ and need to jump on rides as early as possible to avoid afternoon wait times.

Two Hour Rule14

• No longer used. Genie+ selections can only be made one at a time. You must redeem an existing Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane selection or wait 2 hours—whichever comes first—before making another Lightning Lane entrance selection through Disney Genie+ service. 

Stacking15

• A method for planning out Genie+ reservations 

Cast member16

• Someone who works at Disney

Single and Multi Lightening Lane Pass17

• The current “skip the line” system used in the parks 

Tiers18

• With the current “skip the line” system used in the parks, this is a parameter you have to follow when making selections. Each ride that offers a lightening lane will be categorized into a tier and you can only pick a certain amount from each tier​