Genie+ is a service park guests can pay for to skip the line at different Disney Parks. Select attractions use the system for guests to get past most of the standby line once Genie+ is purchased. The process of skipping the line is called Lightning Lane, replacing FastPasses. In this post, we’ll rank which attractions are the best and worst to use Genie+ on in Disney California Adventure.

In case you missed it, we’re on the fence about Genie+. Without a doubt, you can complete an entire park without utilizing the system but it does make things go faster. Not being able to repeat rides and the cost per person end up ultimately have us not recommend paying to skip lines. There is a time and a place for it though, especially if you’re on an abbreviated trip and want to hit the headline rides. It’s like a steak dinner – you’d like to have it all of the time but if you do that then you’ll eventually end up broke and maybe a little larger than you want to be. I’m not here to say that Genie+ will make you fat but the data is inconclusive (I kid, I kid). For those of you that do (ahem) partake in Lightning Lanes, you’ll want to know which attractions are the best to get first and that’s where this post comes in.

A quick rundown on how to use Genie+: After purchasing, you can select one of the attractions available at whatever park you’re in. All of the attractions will have a return window, essentially acting as a time that guests can go the ride and use the Lightning Lane. This process is repeated throughout the day, as guests can get access to another Lightning Lane either once they’ve scanned their pass inside of the previous attractions or 120 minutes after reserving a return window, whichever comes first. Typically, this will be once you tap into the attraction unless it’s a very busy day. All of this is done within the resort app.

These rankings, which don’t include the individual Lightning Lanes that you have to pay extra for, take into account the quality of the attraction, how much of the queue the Lightning Lane skips and how popular each ride is. The attraction that ranks at number one would be the one that we recommend getting a return window for first, second would be the one to get second and so on and so on.

California Adventure only has 9 attractions involved in Genie+ while having 1 individual Lightning Lane attraction. Radiator Springs Racers, the individual Lightning Lane ride, does have a single-rider line and we recommend using that. Overall, the field is not very deep here and we’d recommend staying away from Genie+ at DCA unless you can park hop over to Disneyland at some point or if it’s a very busy day. Even with that recommendation, the rankings must go on. We’ll go from worst to first, giving our reasoning as we go!

9. The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

California Adventure’s latest addition to the Genie+ roster is also the most frustrating. I don’t particularly like Ariel’s Undersea Adventure in the first place but before adding it to Genie+, walking on to the attraction wasn’t all that hard. Now there’s a line for a subpar dark ride that’s an omnimover. Still, the queue won’t be overly long and isn’t worth using a Genie+ slot on unless you make it through every other attraction at the park. You could make a case that this should be above number 8 on the list but that’s kind of like choosing between eating paste or tape – both do the same thing and aren’t meant to be eaten in the first place.

8. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue

Honestly, we question whether the attraction is even worth going on at all. It simply is not a very good ride. Monsters, Inc. does have long lines once in a while though and we would stay away from the standby line unless it’s under 20 minutes. The first few hours of the park day should offer just that, as should the last few. This finishes last mostly because there’s no way we’d prioritize over the top 5 and do think the 6th will be slightly better. The return windows should be open well into late afternoon and evening so save it for last. At times, the attraction offers a buddy pass which is a weird version of single rider that you can use with one other person. Check to see if they’re offering this at the front of the attraction.

7. Goofy’s Sky School

The bottom 3 attractions are pretty easy to pick as the top 6 are just a higher quality of attraction. Goofy’s Sky School is a wild mouse coaster with some Goofy tie-ins. It’s absolutely terrifying, at least for me. Please don’t judge me. The line is a pain to stand in but this is another case where the return windows won’t go up as fast as other attractions. Grabbing one here in the late afternoon shouldn’t be a problem.

6. Grizzly River Run

Spots 5 and 6 could flip on this list depending on the weather. If it’s an especially hot day then prioritize Grizzly River Run more because the line will start to fill up in the late morning. Still, I don’t think putting this river raft ride in the top 3 would be wise thanks to other attractions being more popular. The return windows shouldn’t start to stack up too much until the early afternoon.

5. WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure

I’ve moved WEB SLINGERS down the list pretty quickly since it debuted. The attraction does have a single rider line that will save guests massive amounts of time if they so choose. That said, WEB SLINGERS (I’m not yelling, whoever named the attraction is) is best experienced with your own group. The outdoor queue isn’t all that enjoyable to stand in, although arguably more detailed than any of the other top four. I have it fifth on the list partially because I think standby wait times will continue to go down over time and there are soft spots in the day where this is just as easy to ride via standby. It’s not as good of a ride as any in the top 6.

4. Incredicoaster

While we love Incredicoaster, it has a fairly high capacity so return windows don’t get too late in the day. This should be a dependable choice in the early afternoon after completing the top three attractions. Consider flipping this one with Grizzly River Run after looking at the times because Incredicoaster near sunset is ideal while you’d rather ride Grizzly during the hottest part of the day. That is, unless you’re hopping over to Disneyland then just get everything done as fast as possible!

3. Toy Story Midway Mania!

Has this attraction’s title always had an exclamation point at the end? Anyway, this standby line is a pain and the Lightning Lane skips almost all of it. As I’ve mentioned, there’s a clear top 3 but Midway Mania is definitely number 3 on the list. Also, it makes touring sense to start with your first Lightning Lane in the front of the park before heading back to Pixar Pier.

2. Soarin’

Soarin’ remains popular regardless of if this is the OG attraction or the second version. Sure, there are a few soft spots in the day especially compared to number one on this list but getting a Lightning Lane here early in the morning makes the most touring sense. If you want to get ahead of the game (not to be confused with getting your head in the game) then get a Lightning Lane for one of the top two and rope drop the other via the standby line. That’s the most efficient route, especially if you’re able to do Radiator Springs Racers via the single rider line.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

Mission: BREAKOUT! is a very popular ride and you’ll want to grab a Lightning Lane here in the morning, as the return windows can stack up. Guardians can be a little bit of a wildcard as the line really tends to fluctuate but more often than not, it is very long. If you’re a big thrill seeker then consider rope dropping this and getting a Lightning Lane for it later in the day!

What do you think of our Genie+ Rankings for the Disney California Adventure attractions? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to Disneyland Resort? Check out our Disneyland Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends and like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!