Ever since Disney World’s Genie+ system was introduced it has caused confusion and frustration for guests. Even those of us who are Disney World Genie Plus experts find the system exhausting while we seem to spend all day on our phones managing virtual queues, Lightning Lane selections, and Individual Lightning Lane purchases. Standby Skipper promises less phone time managing your Walt Disney World day, but does it deliver?
- What is Standby Skipper?
- Do I Need To Pay For Genie+ and Standby Skipper?
- Standby Skipper Review
- Standby Skipper Set Up
- Tips For Using The Service
- Is Standby Skipper Worth It?
What Is Standby Skipper?
Standby Skipper is an independent company providing Disney World Genie+ booking services, for a fee.
The Skipper books included Genie Plus Lightning Lanes like Peter Pan’s Flight, but you are responsible for booking your own Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or Tron Lightcycle Run virtual queues. Standby Skipper also can’t purchase Individual Lightning Lanes, you must buy your own ILL for rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Use our Disney World Genie+ guide to understand the difference between Individual Lightning Lanes, Lightning Lanes, and virtual queues.
How Much Is Standby Skipper?
Standby Skipper costs $25 per day or $45 for 7 consecutive days. This fee includes up to 12 linked Disney World guests for one price.
Do I Need To Buy Genie+ For Standby Skipper To Work?
Yes. Standby Skipper is a service that books your Genie+ Lightning Lanes, but only works if you also purchase Genie+.
Disney World Genie Plus pricing varies by day and park. Find out more about the service with our full guide.
What If I Don’t Like The Return Time Standby Skipper Booked?
Does the return time not work with your plans? Simply go into the MDE app and modify selections for existing LLs. Change your ride choice or return time, subject to availability, without impacting your next booking window.
Standby Skipper Review
The first time I tried Standby Skipper was when we were getting ready for bed around 1:30 am after a late night at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I decided the last thing I wanted to do after going to bed so late was set an alarm before 7 am to book Lightning Lanes.
This motivated me to take a few minutes before bed to set up a Standby Skipper account. Although there was a little sign up snafu, I was able to buy Genie+ and set up my search preferences in just a few minutes.
When I woke up I found that Standby Skipper had already booked my first Lightning Lane, the difficult to get Slinky Dog Dash, for 4:50pm.
Slinky was strategically the right choice, but we really wanted Test Track earlier at Epcot so I dropped Slinky Dog and picked up Test Track.
Once in Epcot I also manually reserved Soarin’ before letting the app take over for the day. I also re-added Slinky Dog as an active search in case something opened up during the day.
During our first testing afternoon at Hollywood Studios Standby Skipper successfully booked us:
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Toy Story Mania
- Slinky Dog
- Star Tours
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Tower of Terror.
Since our first test day we have used Standby Skipper at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios during several other Walt Disney World trips. Each time I buy Standby Skipper service I am continually impressed with how easy it makes our Disney trip compared to booking our own Lightning Lanes.
In fact, on our most recent trip we purchased Standby Skipper for a split day at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Standby Skipper reserved Lightning Lanes for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Test Track, Slinky Dog Dash, Millennium Falcon, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway while I enjoyed the parks with my mom.
The only attraction we didn’t get, but wanted, was Frozen Ever After. However, trying to get all three big Epcot Lightning Lanes is a tough assignment for anyone including Standby Skipper. I generally can’t reserve Test Track, Remy’s Ratatouille, and Frozen Ever After in a day even when booking my own Lightning Lanes.
How Do I Set Up And Use Standby Skipper?
Download The Standby Skipper App
Standby Skipper is available on both the App Store for iPhones or Play Store for Android phones.
Sign In Using Same Email As Disney World App
Open the app and enter your email address. USE THE SAME EMAIL ADDRESS AS YOUR DISNEY WORLD ACCOUNT.
Standby Skipper sends a confirmation code to your provided email address. After entering the code you’ll be given some information on what the service can, and can’t do, if you are friends on My Disney Experience, also known as the Disney World App.
Click the box next to “I agree to the Standby Skipper Terms of Use” and then tap the blue “Become Friends” button at the bottom of the page.
At this point you’ll get a friend request on the Disney World App.
Confirm Friends and Family Request From Standby Skipper
This confirmation step can be completed through the Disney World app or through an email Disney sends.
Accept Via Email
The email comes from Disney Destinations and inside the email there is a green “accept” or white “decline” button. Tap “accept” and you are done.
Accept Via Disney World App
- Click the three lines at the bottom of the main Disney World app screen to access the menu
2. Scroll down to “My Profile” and click on it
3. Click on “Friends & Family List” at the top of your screen and accept Standby Skipper’s request
Pay For Standby Skipper
After accepting Standby Skipper’s friend request it’s time to set up Lightning Lane searches. If you choose a pay search option you’re asked to pick which pay option you want, one or seven days.
Standby Skipper has a $25 day pass or $45 for premium search access for seven days.
Set Up Active Searches
Setting up Genie+ Lightning Lane searches on Standby Skipper is easy. Scroll through the available options and tap on your preferred attraction.
Then choose a time frame: morning, afternoon, evening, night, anytime, or as soon as possible.
Choosing “Anytime” means Standby Skipper will book the next available Lightning Lane for the desired attraction no matter the return time. “As soon as possible” means Standby Skipper will book your preferred LL if the return time is within 2 hours and is best used for nearby attractions.
Morning time slots are between park opening and noon, afternoon is noon until 4 pm, and evening is 4 pm until the park closes. I’m excited that Standby Skipper just added another time slot: night.
Night time slots are 6 pm until park close. This new time window helps work around dinner reservations more easily.
Next select which guests want to ride before confirming. Confirm by sliding the “Swipe to Save” button at the bottom of the screen.
Check all active searches under “My Searches” where you can delete any you no longer want searched.
Standby Skipper Tips
Everyone In Your Group Not Showing Up? Check Your Settings
I successfully set up my account, paid for Standby Skipper and Disney World Genie+, but when I went to make my first search the app only showed my name instead of my whole group.
This error usually means your planning list is not shared correctly. To fix this scroll to the bottom of the Family & Friends List.
There is a section that asks “Want to Share Your List?”. Click the button for “Yes, share my Family & Friends List”.
Anyone who manages their own My Disney Experience account, like my teenage daughter, will then get a friend invite like you did when signing up. Have them accept Standby Skipper and you’ll be all set.
Make Sure Standby Skipper Has Push Notifications On
Standby Skipper sends push notifications when a Lightning Lane is booked. Other than continuously checking the Disney World app, which defeats the purpose of Standby Skipper, there’s no other way to know.
I had my phone on extreme battery saver mode which turns off non-essential apps. Because of this mistake, I didn’t get a booking notification and almost missed our return window.
Standby Skipper has added a new feature where you can tap “Currently Scheduled LLs”. Found under “My Searches” this button brings you to My Disney App and lists your current plans including upcoming Lightning Lanes.
You Might Need To Manually Adjust Lightning Lanes
The program does a good job with selecting Lightning Lanes with enough time to get to or from other booked attractions or dining reservations. However, it sometimes packs Lightning Lanes too tightly and a slight adjustment helps with timing.
Trust The Process
After being conditioned to check the Disney World app every two hours, or once we tap into our Lightning Lane, I had a hard time breaking the habit.
I also noticed the app wasn’t always booking our next lane when it became available.
However, when I manually checked options there was nothing that matched my search criteria. After checking on it a couple times I decided to trust the process and have been happy with the results.
Curious when you are eligible to book your next Lightning Lane? Find how many minutes remain until your next booking window under “My Searches”.
Is Standby Skipper Worth It?
Although having another Disney World expense is annoying, Standby Skipper improves my experience at Walt Disney World for $25/day or $45/week and I feel like the extra money is worth it.
After working with Disney Genie Plus regularly since it first launched, taking some days off from self-managing Lightning Lanes has been incredible. Having Standby Skipper book my Disney World Genie+ Lightning Lanes has been so much better than I expected.
During our test day the service managed to do as well, or better, than I would have by manually checking through the day, but without the stress of being on my phone constantly. The booking process is easy and finds better times for hard-to-book rides like Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, and Slinky Dog Dash than booking manually.
After several other testing days, I enjoy my Disney trips better when I let the skipper book my Lightning Lanes. Although the extra expense can add-up, I now include Standby Skipper’s cost in my Walt Disney World vacation budget for each future trip.
