This Change to Genie+ Impacts EVERYTHING About Its Value!

Genie+ has recently received a features upgrade. Check out why this matters immensely for you!

Genie+ at Disney Parks

Since the inception of Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes in the Disney Parks, we’ve seen a series of changes in implementation. Rules about time between bookings, the ability to stack lightning lanes, and even the inclusion of particular rides as Genie+ general attractions versus a la carte Individual Lightning Lane purchases have changed in the last few years. Even changes regarding the price of the service have occurred!

Many of these changes have been relatively negative overall for users. The inclusion of variable pricing brought the price of Genie+ from $15 a day per person to an almost double $29 per person in peak season. Even the addition of the paid service and the removal of the free FastPass+ system has been a negative process for guests.

Recently, however, Disney made a change to the Genie+ process that actually drastically improves the functionality of the Genie+ system. Read on to learn more!

Genie+ Modifications

Right before the Christmas holiday, Disney announced the ability to modify Genie+ reservations. What does this mean exactly? This means that guests can choose a return time for a particular attraction and then later, for whatever reason, modify the return time or the ride selected, so long as the new ride is located in the same park as the original selection.

A real life example might be beneficial here. Imagine, for a moment, that you really want to ride Slinky Dog Dash. You grab a lightning lane for 12 p.m.-1 p.m. as it is the only time available and you know that this ride has a lightning lane selection that is likely to run out of availability. You realize, though, that you have a lunch reservation at Roundup Rodeo BBQ for the exact same time. Instead of skipping Slinky Dog altogether, you can grab the Lightning Lane at the less desirable time and choose to modify it for a time that better fits your plans later on in the app.

Here’s another example. Imagine that you are planning to start your morning in EPCOT and hop to the Magic Kingdom in the afternoon/evening after taking a break at your resort hotel. You are finishing up at EPCOT around 2 p.m. and do not plan to arrive at the Magic Kingdom until around 6 p.m. Your two hours have passed since you booked your last lightning lane and it is now time to book again.

When you toggle to the Magic Kingdom, you see no options are available late enough for your desired arrival time of 6 p.m. Under the old system, you would simply have to wait and keep refreshing until a time showed up that worked for your plans. Now, you can grab an available Lightning Lane, for example, for Pirates at 4:30 p.m. and check back to modify it for a later return time without waiting longer, allowing the two hour countdown clock to continue so that you can book and stack more lightning lanes for your evening.

Why Does This Matter?

This change matters in a big way! Guests have more flexibility with their Lightning Lane return times and can make changes more easily “on the fly.” In Disney, some of the best laid plans are disrupted by things out of our control like ride breakdowns and weather circumstances. Having the flexibility to make changes to return times as you go makes the system more user friendly and functional for guests.

Additionally, the change in the service allows skilled and knowledgable guests the ability to use strategies like stacking Genie+ Lightning Lanes more easily to allow for more efficiency and overall effectiveness of the system. Prior to the change, I (Jaelyn) remember checking back repeatedly on my Tip Board for a time that would work for my plans and, when a time wasn’t available, I would go long stretches of time without a Lightning Lane booked. This effectively cut into the total number of Lightning Lanes I could use in one day and decreasing the overall value of the service.

Now, when I purchase Genie+ for a day, I make sure to grab something every two hours, even if I intend to modify it later, just to make sure I am able to get the maximum number of lightning lanes afforded to me with the purchase of the service. Genie+ is not a cheap product, especially for larger families and for guests visiting during peak season, and I want to squeeze as much value out of the service as possible.

Your Thoughts

Though we all have our qualms about Genie+, it is a hugely popular product in the Disney parks. While many changes have begun to take place after leadership changes, it does not appear that Genie+ will be going away any time soon (if ever). This paid system for premium access seems to be a system that is here to stay. For these reasons, it is so important to learn how to maximize the system’s value when using the product.

Though I am not a person who purchases Genie+ every time I visit, nor do I think it is a necessity for visits depending upon the season in which you visit, the parks you plan to visit, and the touring style of your group and frequency of your visits, I do believe that if you select to use the service, you should be able to maximize its value. Learning how to do this by using the modify tool is just one great thing you can learn by reading our blog or by subscribing to Character Locator. Be sure to check it out for the latest and greatest tips and hacks to make your trip that much more magical!

What are your thoughts about the changes to Genie+? Does the ability to modify a reservation make the system more palatable for you, or are you still a firm anti-Genie+, pro-FastPass+ person? Share your thoughts below and be sure to share this post with your favorite Disney parks pals!