Outsmart Disney’s Genie+ | Standby Skipper Booked My Disney World Lightning Lanes for Me
This post is in partnership with Standby Skipper
We used a Lightning Lane booking service to outsmart Genie+ by booking our preferred attractions without having to constantly be on my phone. Sound like magic to your MousekatEARS?! I’ll let you know exactly how I did it.
Who is Standby Skipper?
I think of them as an automated lightning lane booking experience add-on for Disney’s genie plus services. Put concisely, straight from their website they are “a lightning lane finder app.”
Can’t I just book my LL’s through the Disney App?
Yes, you can but the highlight of using the Standby Skipper app is that you don’t have to don’t have to constantly be on your phone.
Now this was a huge plus for me! If you’ve done Disney before with genie +, you know that you spend a lot of time on your phone searching for lightning lanes, refreshing the app to see if the time you want is available, then once you’re in the queue you know to go search for your next lightning lane so you can book them asap. Standby Skipper removes the needs to do that, as long as you set up your preferences. Those are moments that were once taken away from me, having to be on my phone, now given back because of this amazing app.
“Skippers have reported that they spend 80% less time on their phones while in the parks when using the standby skipper app.”
Via Standby Skipper Website
The MDE app is complex enough, now I have to learn another Disney app?
This app is super user friendly – like took me a few minutes to actually understand it. The captain created the app to be concise and simple to use. I’ll explain it here but I walk through the process on my YouTube video if you’re more of a visual learner.
Before you can use the app you need to have a park ticket, park reservation (unless you’re hopping), and purchased Genie+ for the day. You can purchase Standby Skipper up to 30 days in advance. Note you can only purchase Genie+ at Disney World at midnight on the day of your visit.
Once you pull up the Standby Skipper app you will search for the attractions you’d like. You can filter by park to make this easier. You’ll then choose what time of day you’d like your preferred return time: any time, morning, afternoon, evening, or as soon as possible.
You can have the app actively searching for multiple attractions at a time. Standby Skipper shared that guests have the most success when having active searches for multiple experiences all at once.
I’ve compared the Standby Skipper App to a crockpot, so why a crockpot – well you do some prep work then set it and forget it! I break down different ways to go about my way in my YouTube review.
HUGE PERK: If you’re visiting the park on a travel day and will be flying during a LL booking – program the app and Standby Skipper will book your LL while you’re in the air!
I’ve spent so much money already, is it worth it?
We’ll definitely be a reoccurring Standby Skipper family, especially when going with to Disney World with toddlers. On a previous trip we didn’t use standby skipper, I had gotten so fed up of being on my phone making LL selections. I felt like I was missing out with my kiddos because we were booking the next lightning lane or checking wait times. With standby skipper you’re somewhat batching your lightning lanes and it schedules them for you with the same genie plus rules of every 2 hours or as soon as you band in at your next attraction.
Do we need to follow the Genie+ rules?
Yes, all the Genie+ rules still apply. LL bookings are not guaranteed though Standby Skipper does do some great magic! You are able to still cancel, modify, and book lightning lanes in the My Disney Experience app.
Standby Skipper has an informative FAQ page that covers almost any question you may have. And if it’s not covered, just reach out to them. They are so friendly and kind to work with.
Ok, I’m sold! What’s the investment?
They have a few attractions you can trial for free. You can purchase the day pass at $25, or you can purchase the captain’s premium search, which covers up to 7 days of searching for, you ready, $45. So if you’re at the parks for 7 days that’s less than $7 a day. If being more present while still getting the best use of your Genie+ I definitely recommend adding on Standby Skipper.
I want more info!
I shared a YouTube review that includes some more details about the Standby Skipper app.
If you really want to get the best bang for your buck, watch my second video (coming soon) where I share tips on how to use the app.
Here is another great INSIDER TIPS video