Whether you love it or hate it, Genie+ is here to stay.
Lightning Lane
The paid, skip-the-line service isn’t exactly intuitive to use, especially if you’re not in Disney World every day like we are. Luckily, we’ve used Genie+ plenty of times at this point, and we know the ins and outs pretty well by now. If you’re heading to the parks soon, don’t forget about these critical Genie+ rules!
We’ve been using Genie+ for a while now, and there are some important things you need to remember if you’re planning on using the service to skip the lines. There are two different types of Lightning Lanes — those included with the base Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, which are paid per ride. For the regular Genie+ rides, you’ve got to learn a few rules.
Disney Genie+
Once you’ve made a selection, you won’t be able to make your next one until a few things happen. More specifically, once you’ve made a selection, you can make your next Lightning Lane selection when:
- You have used the first one you booked;
- Your first return time window has ended (if you miss it); or
- 120 minutes have passed since you booked your last one* (or 120 minutes after park opening, depending on the situation). Essentially, you can book another Lightning Lane 2 hours (120 minutes) after reserving a previous one if the return time for the first Lightning Lane is more than 2 hours away.
Kali River Rapids LIghtning Lane
Are you confused? No worries, we’ve got you. Rule number one says you can’t make your next Genie+ selection until you’ve used the first one you’ve booked. This is true, but in our experience, you can actually make your next selection once you’ve scanned into your current one (some rides have two checkpoints while others only have one!)
Tower of Terror Lightning Lane sign
Rule number two states that you can make your next Genie+ selection once your current return window has ended. So, if you make a Lightning Lane reservation and are unable to make it for whatever reason, you can pick your next ride after the current window passes.
Disney Genie+ allows you to book the Lightning Lane for rides.
The final rule is a bit tricky. Essentially, this is what’s referred to as the “120-minute rule.” Let’s say that at 9AM you booked a Haunted Mansion Lightning Lane with a return time of 2PM. You don’t have to wait until 2PM to make another Lightning Lane reservation. Instead, 2 hours after you made that reservation, you can make another one. So at 11AM, you can choose another attraction AND you’ll still have the 2PM Haunted Mansion reservation.
Expedition Everest Lightning Lane
If you booked your first Lightning Lane at 7AM, though, the 2 hours don’t start until park opening time. So if you book one at 7AM but the park opens at 9AM, you can book the next one at 11AM — 2 hours after park opening time. But remember, if you make that first Genie+ selection BEFORE the park opens, your 120-minute timer actually starts when the park OPENS. In this case, you booked the Genie+ selection at 7AM, but Hollywood Studios doesn’t open until 9AM. So you’ll be able to book that next Genie+ selection at…11AM (or after you’ve scanned into your first ride!)
Peter Pan’s Flight Lightning Lane
Genie+ doesn’t have to be confusing, but just in case you still need a refresher, we’ve got plenty of videos with tips and tricks on using the service — just click the link below. We’ll be keeping up with all the latest news and updates from around Disney World, so stay tuned to DFB for more!
Still Confused About Disney Genie+? Check Out These Videos!
Planning a Trip to Disney World? We’ve Got Everything You Need to Know
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What do you think about Genie+? Tell us in the comments.
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I honestly don’t think we’ll be using Genie+, won’t be tied to my phone all day worrying about when my next opportunity to ride a ride comes.
Just gonna let the magic flow, if I get to ride a certain ride fine, if not that’s fine too!
Our tradeoff is we stay off property now to offset cost of Genie Plus and ILL’s each day. We can save at least $100 each day staying off property and then pay that back to Disney with parking fee and genie plus. Would we rather stay on property and have old free fast pass system….oh my goodness YES!
Don’t forget that the Genie+ LL/ILL page should show a timer for when you can make your next selection. At least it did a year ago when we went multiple times. I also find it incredibly helpful to set my phone alarm to go off at that 2 hour mark. I go in and the timer shows me when I can make another choice. Usually just minutes. Spending more money stinks, but, utilizing these tips will help you get on almost all the rides in the park, in a day, sometimes multiple times! Getting the most bang for your buck. These “hacks” (ugh, that word anymore….) work, people! Listen to and follow sound advice from people who’ve used it multiple times and WDW can be just as enchanting for you as it is for us die-hards! And don’t forget the “wait times” displayed are just a number. Most of the time, the line goes much faster and stand-by is absolutely awesome for some rides (7 Dwarves, Peter Pan, Everest, Slinky Dog….). Later in the evening, Ratatouille will show a 15-20 minute wait, but you’ll walk right on… just enjoy what you’re dealing with because you can’t fight it/fix it, and it becomes such a great experience.