Walt Disney World’s Genie+ line-skipping service has loads of distinctive wrinkles. One about which we hear many questions is the 120 minute rule, which might decide eligibility in your subsequent Lightning Lane journey reservation. This submit explains that coverage, when it applies & doesn’t, and the way it impacts the picks you need to make. (Up to date February 22, 2024.)
We’ve addressed the 120 minute rule in a number of information posts and itineraries, together with our Information to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ. Nevertheless, this continues to be an enormous supply of confusion, so we’re going to clarify the 120 minute rule particularly right here with added particulars, examples and screenshots. That ought to (hopefully) reply a number of questions whereas giving rise to a few dozen extra. That appears to be how issues are going with Genie+ (it’s not your fault–there’s lots to know and that is overwhelming!).
Since Walt Disney World first introduced the paid FastPass choice, we’ve been referencing the 120 minute rule in our information posts–even earlier than Disney itself acknowledged that the 120 minute rule was a characteristic of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. That’s not as a result of I’m clairvoyant (I wouldn’t be utilizing my powers for Disney planning functions if I had been!), however as a result of the 120 minute rule is definitely nothing new.
February 22, 2024 Replace: We’ve got an fascinating on-the-ground replace shared by a number of readers within the feedback to this and different posts. Earlier than we get to that, let’s begin with the official guidelines for utilizing Lightning Lane entrances provided by Disney Genie+ service. Walt Disney World signifies that, on common, Visitors can enter 2 to three sights or experiences per day utilizing Lightning Lane entrances, if the primary choice is made early within the day.
There are a bunch of guidelines for Genie+ on the official DisneyWorld.com web page, however right here’s the pertinent pull quote for the needs of this submit: “Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane picks can solely be made one after the other. You have to redeem an current Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane choice or wait 2 hours—whichever comes first—earlier than making one other Lightning Lane entrance choice by Disney Genie+ service. Please word: the 2-hour wait to make one other choice begins when the park opens, even when you made your first reserving at 7:00 AM.”
Along with that, planDisney (an official useful resource by the corporate) answered this query yesterday (Feb. 21): “Can I e-book one other lighting lane with genie plus as soon as I faucet right into a reservation?
Regardless of the official coverage being fairly clear–and reiterated within the final day–we’ve acquired a number of studies from readers that solely the 120 minute rule is “working” and tapping into the prevailing Genie+ Lightning Lane choice doesn’t open the flexibility to e-book a brand new journey reservation. For no matter it’s price, we’ve acquired questions/feedback about this since at the very least late final 12 months, however by the point I had the possibility to check, I couldn’t replicate the issue–redeeming an current journey reservation did allow me to make a brand new one.
Truthfully, I chalked it as much as person error since I didn’t encounter the difficulty. Particularly provided that Walt Disney World’s official insurance policies had not modified and there weren’t widespread studies of this Lightning Lane choice limitation. Nevertheless, within the final month, I’ve been listening to this increasingly more. It’s to the purpose that persevering with to consider it’s person error–particularly given Disney’s lack of transparency about Genie+ insurance policies up to now and intermittent IT points–would pressure credulity. There aren’t immediately this many Walt Disney World visitors making the identical mistake and sharing their frustrations on-line.
Sadly, the final time I examined Genie+ was in late January, and I’m not going to have one other event to take action till early-to-mid March 2024. By then, it wouldn’t shock me within the least if this downside as soon as once more “magically” resolves itself. Or if Walt Disney World gives definitive clarification by way of a coverage change.
Primarily based on the studies of when this has been taking place, my very robust suspicion is that Walt Disney World is ‘disabling’ the redeem to unlock extra Lightning Lanes ‘characteristic’ as a method to throttle energy customers and protect journey reservation stock throughout busier occasions. In wanting by once we’ve acquired feedback of this nature, they’ve largely come throughout peak dates: final 12 months’s vacation season and this 12 months round MLK Weekend and now Presidents’ Week/Mid-Winter Break.
Whereas I can not independently verify what’s taking place or the motivation for Disney (probably) doing this, that’s what I think is going on. That additionally implies that after I check this subsequent month, I gained’t expertise the identical downside–however different customers will every week or so later when visiting for one of many peak weeks of Spring Break.
Quite than assuming that my (potential future) expertise is absolutely consultant of what has been taking place persistently for the previous couple of months–and everybody experiencing the difficulty is solely screwing up–I’m prepared to at the very least permit for the likelihood that Walt Disney World is quietly limiting customers on busy days with out making it the official, revealed coverage. In actual fact, I’d guess on that being the case.
I’d love to listen to from readers who’ve just lately been to Walt Disney World and had been ready–or unable–to make subsequent Lightning Lane picks after redeeming the prior one. Please additionally embrace your journey dates and parks visited, so we will get an concept of how crowd ranges overlap (or don’t) with this situation. Hopefully we get sufficient crowdsourced knowledge factors that we will draw additional conclusions.
What’s what else you need to know in regards to the 120 minute rule, from its historical past to sensible functions and in-park examples…
The 120 minute rule is definitely nicely established and has been a outstanding characteristic of legacy FastPass techniques for the reason that starting. That features Walt Disney World’s paper FastPass, plus the identical paper and digital techniques in California, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Mainly, each FastPass system ever has used the 120 minute–besides two. The much less notable exception is MaxPass at Disneyland, which used a 90 minute rule. There was really some query as as to whether Genie+ would comply with in its footsteps, however our understanding is that didn’t happen because of the decrease attraction counts at Walt Disney World’s parks as in comparison with Disneyland. Shortening the window might end in journey reservation stock points because of the lack of sights. (Identical cause there are not any re-rides with Genie+ at Walt Disney World.)
For many of you studying this, the extra outstanding exception to the 120 minute rule is FastPass+ (see under). Sarcastically, that is the outlier even when it’s the system with which the overwhelming majority of “fashionable” Walt Disney World followers are acquainted.
FastPass+ didn’t have this rule as a result of it was booked prematurely, making it basically completely different from all of Disney’s different line skipping techniques. The entire relaxation are same-day and work very equally to Genie+.
With that background established, let’s flip to the 120 minute rule.
No matter whether or not you’re staying off-site or on-site, you possibly can e-book your first Genie+ choice at 7 am on the day of your go to. The best way Genie+ journey reservations work is you could e-book one after the other, and may both make one other choice after two hours (120 minutes) or when you faucet into your earlier Genie+ choice (each tapstiles at sights which have two)–whichever comes first.
The 120 minute rule exists in order that visitors selecting extra common sights aren’t unduly penalized for that, and don’t get shut out of Lightning Lane reservations later within the day.
The above screenshot ought to assist illustrate why this rule is required. As you possibly can see from my telephone’s timestamp, this was taken at 7:18 am, by which period Slinky Canine Sprint had a return time of 6:05 pm. By 9 am, its return time could be inside an hour of park closing. If you happen to booked a Slinky Canine Sprint journey reservation earlier than 9 am and there was no 120 minute rule, that will be your solely Lightning Lane number of the day. (It could principally turn out to be a de facto Particular person Lightning Lane expertise with out the 120 minute rule.)
The clock on the 120 minute rule begins ticking at park opening, which means that you simply can not make one other Genie+ choice at 9 am (e.g. 120 minutes from 7 am).
If the park opens at 9 am, you’d be capable to make your subsequent Genie+ journey reservation at 11 am or upon tapping into the Lightning Lane in your first Genie+ journey reservation, whichever happens first. That is in all probability complicated, so let’s use an illustrative instance…
Throughout My Day Utilizing Genie+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, my first Lightning Lane journey reservation was Slinky Canine Sprint. As defined in that submit, we strongly advocate reserving this primary–proper at 7 am.
The screenshot above exhibits my Lightning Lane arrival window of 10:45 am to 11:45 am for Slinky Canine Sprint.
On today, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened at 9 am. This might probably make the 120 minute rule or my precise arrival relevant, relying upon whether or not I entered the Slinky Canine Sprint Lightning Lane earlier than or after 11 am.
The second a part of that is mirrored within the Genie+ system, which signifies I’ll be eligible for an additional Lightning Lane choice beginning at 11 am (see above). Nevertheless, on journey reservations that probably “overlap” the 2 guidelines, it doesn’t point out that both might apply. (In all probability as a result of that will be too complicated!)
Since I entered the Lightning Lane for Slinky Canine Sprint at 10:40 am (5 minutes earlier than my window formally opened–a completely different wrinkle to the convoluted system!) and tapped into each checkpoints by 10:41 am, I used to be then eligible to e-book one other Lightning Lane journey reservation at that time.
As you possibly can see within the screenshot above, I booked the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at 10:47 am–13 minutes earlier than the Genie+ system indicated I used to be eligible. Once more, this occurred as a result of I tapped into each checkpoints of Slinky Canine Sprint. Had I not returned to SDD till 11:05 am, the 120 minute rule would’ve kicked in, and I might’ve been eligible for an additional Lightning Lane journey reservation by way of Genie+ at 11 am.
In response to my Genie+ day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a number of of you query how I ended up “stacking” the above Lightning Lane reservations for Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Toy Story Mania.
The 120 minute rule is the reason. I booked Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run upon tapping into the Tower of Terror Lightning Lane at 12:10 pm. Since that Smugglers Run journey reservation didn’t begin till 6:05 pm, I used to be eligible to e-book one other Lightning Lane reservation at 2:10 pm (two hours after 12:10 pm). At 2:10 pm, I booked the Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster reservation for five:25 pm. Since that was greater than 120 minutes away, my subsequent window opened at 4:10 pm, at which level I booked Toy Story Mania for six:35 pm.
That is how I ended up with “stacked” Lightning Lane journey reservations for the late afternoon and early night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I used to be in a position to do the identical factor once more at Magic Kingdom as soon as I had used up my DHS late afternoon stockpile, basically buying and selling one warchest of Lightning Lane journey reservations for an additional.
Anybody who has expertise with the legacy FastPass techniques can possible attest to how frequent it’s/was to unintentionally be an “night FastPass hoarder.” If you happen to prioritize grabbing Lightning Lane reservations for common rides early within the day, that is in all probability how your reservation lineup will look because the return occasions shall be kicked out additional into the longer term.
In contrast to FastPass+, Genie+ doesn’t care when you overlap journey reservations–identical to the legacy FastPass system, it’s “dumb” in that regard. This implies the onus is on you to be aware about not making conflicting picks, which must be fairly simple since the entire return occasions are displayed on “My Day” within the app. If you happen to’re involved a few time being too near an current Lightning Lane reservation, both select a unique attraction or wait 5-10 minutes for the return time clock to maneuver ahead and provide you with extra of a buffer between them. Nothing says you need to make one other reservation the moment you’re eligible!
In contrast, you would go along with much less common sights which have shorter wait occasions and get extra fast return occasions, utilizing these back-to-back-to-back. Sarah prefers this technique, and you possibly can see her leverage it to nice success throughout her day utilizing Genie+ at Magic Kingdom. (This method solely actually works on the fort parks–I don’t assume it’s a good suggestion at second gates or past.)
Now that you simply (hopefully) perceive the fundamentals of how the 120 minute rule works, this could open up a variety of strategic prospects. One is Sarah’s “Small Ball” Technique mentioned above. One other is the “Park Hopper Protocol,” through which you begin at one park and knock out as a lot as potential by way of standby, whereas accumulating Lightning Lane journey reservations for a second park within the afternoon and night. (Animal Kingdom to DHS or Epcot are improbable for this.)
In the end, I hope this has helped you perceive the 120 minute rule and never made it extra complicated, however it’s laborious to convey a few of this by way of weblog posts. Sadly, Walt Disney World doesn’t assist make this simpler to know, as there’s no handy method to see if you’re eligible for an additional Genie+ reservation (a significant design flaw, when you ask me–however they didn’t).
You merely attempt to e-book one other Lightning Lane reservation, and both succeed or get the error message in the direction of the highest of the submit–however even that is perhaps incorrect, as tapping into a previous choice (as was the case with me and Slinky Canine Sprint!) will set off eligibility even earlier than Genie+ signifies you’re eligible.
Up to now, the 120 minute rule wasn’t this complicated as a result of paper FastPasses plainly said on the underside if you’d be eligible in your subsequent choice–and that was it. Genie+ not solely gives much less readability, however is variable. On prime of that, the person interface has quite a lot of different choices, making it appear to be you possibly can e-book Lightning Lane journey reservations if you really can’t, utilizing unclear language and meaningless warnings, and organizing issues in unintuitive methods. However these complaints and issues are largely past the scope of this submit.
If you happen to nonetheless don’t perceive all of this, we’d advocate merely attempting to make a journey reservation by way of Genie+ each two hours or after tapping into each checkpoints at each Lightning Lane. It’ll work when you’re eligible and gives you an error message if not. At this level, that’s the “finest” method of understanding when you possibly can e-book one other Genie+ Lightning Lane choice. That is all powerful to maintain observe of, and it’s higher to be protected than sorry!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Did this aid you perceive the Genie+ system’s 120 minute rule? Ideas on technique for making Lightning Lane journey reservations in mild of this rule and the flexibility to stack picks for later within the day? Do you agree or disagree with my evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
