Over thousands of visits to Disney World, we’ve learned plenty of life-saving tips!

We know how to navigate the crowds, make the most of the My Disney Experience app, and where to find the best snacks, bathrooms, and hidden gems around the parks. But if you’re going to Disney World soon, we’ve got one super important tip to share — it’s about the “m-word” that can make or break your day!

What’s the M-word?

What’s the word we speak of? Well, it’s “modify!” There are several times in the course of a Disney World trip where you can modify your plans if necessary, and it can be a huge help to make your day run smoothly.

Choosing to “modify” in the app rather than cancel the plans you already have is usually the best way to go, because if there’s not a better choice available when you look, you still have your old reservation. But there are also some plans that you can’t modify in advance, so let’s break down the list!

What You CAN Modify

Genie+ Lightning Lanes

First of all, we’ve got to mention Lightning Lanes made through Genie+. After booking, these can be modified through the My Disney Experience app. At that point, you can change the time of your reservation or you can swap your Lightning Lane for a different attraction within the same park.

Modifying can be particularly helpful when dealing with the 120-minute rule for Genie+. If you book a Lightning Lane that’s more than 2 hours away, you have to wait 2 hours before booking another. Modifying a Lightning Lane you already have will not restart the 2-hour countdown, but canceling it and booking something else will.

We’ve also sometimes found that it’s easier to find a time or attraction we want when modifying Lightning Lanes versus when booking them outright. This isn’t a guarantee, but it’s a trick that has worked in our favor many times.

Dining Reservations

Another plan that can be modified is a dining reservation! You can change or cancel your Disney World dining reservations through the My Disney Experience app or Disney World website up to two hours before your reservation time. Once you’re within a two-hour window, you’ll need to call Disney and you may be subject to cancelation fees.

This can be particularly helpful if you want to make your reservation time earlier or later, or if you just decide that you want to dine somewhere else. But we definitely suggest choosing to “modify” an existing reservation rather than cancelling the old one — just in case there’s nothing available you’d rather have instead.

Things You Can’t Modify

Individual Lightning Lanes

Individual Lightning Lanes are available for five different rides in Disney World — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Rise of the Resistance, and Flight of Passage. For access to these Lightning Lanes, you’ll need to pay for them individually, as they’re not included with the cost of Genie+. And once you book an Individual Lightning Lane, you cannot modify your return time.

This can be difficult if you have overlapping plans, like a dining reservation at the same time, or Genie+ Lightning Lanes that happen to conflict. If you run into a particularly difficult issue and need to get your Individual Lightning Lane modified, you can always try visiting Guest Relations or Guest Services (one of the blue umbrellas around the parks) to see what they can do. Nothing is guaranteed, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Virtual Queues

Booking a virtual queue for a ride is kind of like using a lottery system. When virtual queue bookings open at 7AM, those who are fast enough will be assigned a boarding group number, and you don’t get any control over which boarding group number you get or when that group is called to return to the ride. Once you’re in a boarding group, you cannot modify your virtual queue.

If you find that your return window doesn’t work for you (usually Disney gives you an hour to return to the ride once your group is called), you can sometimes try to rebook your virtual queue. This only works if there are still virtual queue spots left for the day, but it might be a good option if your plans aren’t lining up!

Special Experiences

The final things we want to mention are special experiences! If you book a tour, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, or some other “magical extras,” you typically cannot modify those reservations. Depending on the individual cancelation policy, you may be able to call Disney to cancel and rebook.

It’s a good idea to set realistic schedules for your family when planning things ahead of time so that you don’t run into this problem! Make sure to add extra cushion time around your dining reservations, Lightning Lanes, and rope drop plans so that your day can go as smoothly as possible. 

We’ll keep you updated with any more tips and tricks that you need to know for Disney World, so stay tuned to DFB!

Disney Is Lying to You About Dining Reservations — Click Here!

Have you ever modified your plans in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!