Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland apps have been up to date to now permit purchasers of Genie+ the flexibility to switch their Lightning Lane choices. This publish will present the step-by-step course of for making modifications to journey reservations, why that is such a giant deal, and use it strategically to get extra worth out of paid FastPass.
Previously, you booked every Lightning Lane, you could possibly not change the time or the attraction. This was not like Advance Dining Reservations, FastPass+, or just about every other reservation bookable within the My Disney Experience app for Walt Disney World or the Disneyland app.
Instead, you wanted to cancel and rebook your Lightning Lane journey reservation in the event you had a change of plans or noticed a greater time. This was an objectively terrible system for a variety of causes, which we’ll contact on beneath. The modify button is an unequivocal improve and one that ought to’ve been current from day one. Regardless, right here’s use the modify function…
There are a pair other ways to entry the modify function. From the “My Day” display, it’s best to see a “…” in your Genie+ LL choice.
Tap “…” the button to convey up your choices for that Lightning Lane journey reservation…
From this pull-up menu, “select “Modify Plan.”
Should be fairly intuitive.
You may also do that from the My Disney Experience app’s house display, which reveals your upcoming plans together with Genie+ Lightning Lanes, however with out the “…” for no matter purpose.
Simply faucet on any of those, and it’ll pull up a separate display:
From there, the subsequent step ought to be apparent–click on the “Modify Plan” button. Do NOT click on “Cancel Plan,” even in the event you not need to do Jingle Cruise (or no matter journey reservation you’ve gotten booked).
(Apologies that my house display and modify display don’t ‘match.’ I believed I took a screenshot of the house display, however apparently not.)
That brings you to the Modify Experience display, which provides you the choice to pick a brand new time or a brand new expertise.
You’ll discover that I began this course of after 7:30 am, which is when return occasions first seem within the app for Walt Disney World (earlier than that it’s “Check Availability.”) The proper screenshot is definitely the sooner of the 2–you’ll be able to see me transfer ahead from 3:55 pm to 2:40 pm.
What this could illustrate play the ‘refresh game’ within the hopes of a cancellation or journey reservation refill. This is considered one of Walt Disney World’s greatest interactive video games, much better than something within the Play Disney Parks app. It was particularly in style through the FastPass+ days, because it offered an effective way of “upgrading” these 4th, fifth, and so forth. choices.
Even in the event you’re not attempting to attain extra Lightning Lanes, it could additionally make issues simpler for you. Return occasions repeatedly change, and in the event you’re involved about criss-crossing the park or return occasions conflicting with ADRs or different plans, refreshing and acquiring a unique time is a good repair for that. It’s not so good as selecting from a wide range of timeframes to start with, however it’s a particular step in the suitable course.
With a pair extra makes an attempt on the refresh sport, I used to be capable of transfer my return time ahead to 11:55 am. That’s a giant enchancment from my unique 3:55 pm return time…or so it will appear. I’m nonetheless topic to the 120 minute rule, so it didn’t actually matter ultimately. (If something, I might’ve appreciated a barely later time, as Jingle Cruise actually shines at nightfall!)
This additionally ought to reinforce the purpose that it’s not important to make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane choice proper at 7:00 am (besides Slinky Dog Dash, as that goes quick). I may’ve made this journey reservation anytime between 7:00 am and eight:59 am and it wouldn’t have impacted my whole variety of Lightning Lanes in anyway.
The screenshot above reveals a few issues. First, modify from the Tip Board. Again, it’s by way of the three dots that pull-up the assorted choices, together with modifying your plans.
Second, this reveals that I can nonetheless ebook my subsequent Lightning Lane at 11 am. I wouldn’t have triggered a reset even had I cancelled and rebooked for the reason that clock on the 120 minute rule doesn’t begin ticking till park opening, however it’s necessary to know that modifications don’t reset the clock on the 120 minute rule–whereas cancellations do.
Here’s a have a look at the opposite experiences out there from the Modify Experience display.
Strategy-wise, my greatest bets could be Peter Pan’s Flight or Jingle Cruise if I may get return occasions for both earlier than 11 am. In that case, I may make my second choice previous to 11 am, upon tapping into the attraction’s Lightning Lane. That’s a “big deal” as a result of it will give me a bonus over everybody topic to the 120 minute rule for his or her second choice.
Peter Pan’s Flight ended up being my 4th choice at Magic Kingdom on at the present time, as I performed the refresh sport a few occasions and ‘upgraded’ to near-immediate return occasions for each Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. Objectively, these aren’t as excessive precedence as Peter Pan’s Flight, however knocking them out quick continues to be superior. (There aren’t any arduous and quick guidelines for this–in the event you used FastPass+ sufficient, you in all probability bought a “feel” for what was greatest. The identical information/talent now kind of applies with Genie+ modifications.)
Anyway, what the above screenshot illustrates is the continuing time shift difficulty. On the left, Genie+ is exhibiting a 3:55 pm return time (which is the results of a cancellation, not a refill). By the time I click on by way of, it’s gone–and seven:20 pm is what’s truly out there. That’s 5 minutes worse than my present time, so I cancel the change.
Here are just a few extra issues to find out about modifying Genie+ Lightning Lane choices:
- You can modify the modified Lightning Lane (and so forth), that means there’s no restrict to modifications. I modified my Jingle Cruise Lightning Lane about 5 occasions earlier than all was stated and completed.
- Modifying doesn’t reset the clock on the 120 minute rule. Again, that is big. In the instance above, I may’ve stored modifying my Jingle Cruise Genie+ LL till 10:59 am and nonetheless booked my subsequent choice at 11 am. Each time you cancel and rebook, that does restart the 120 minute clock.
- Modifying doesn’t lose your current Genie+ LL choice. In the instance above, I attempted to grab an earlier time for Peter Pan’s Flight, however had the rug pulled out from below me…so I merely stored my earlier time. Had I cancelled and rebooked, I might’ve been caught with the later time…and reset the 120 minute clock. Double whammy!
- For this purpose…NEVER CANCEL. Modifying offers you a security web, and lets you improve with out the chance of ending up worse off. Cancelling and rebooking has no security web. Nine occasions out of 10, you can be worse off when cancelling and rebooking. Your threat won’t repay.
- Use the modify function to securely change occasions in the event you don’t like the primary out there choice, or it conflicts along with your plans. Start by reserving the very best precedence, no matter it being a “bad” time. Get that 120 minute clock stopped!
- With a robust refresh sport (because of information of journey reservation refill guidelines) and an additional ~15 to twenty minutes of display time per day, Genie+ is instantly a lot better for many educated (that’s you!) customers.
As we wrote when this was first introduced, the introduction of the modification function is HUGE, and unattainable to criticize. It’s an enchancment for everybody, a giant leap ahead on the ‘quality of life’ entrance that makes Genie+ extra intuitive and user-friendly. Obviously, it’s not a panacea for all that ails the app function, however it’s good to see UI points are being addressed.
This brings Genie+ extra consistent with FastPass+ (a system a lot of you appeared to like) and far nearer to MaxPass at Disneyland, which was our perfect journey reservation system. It nonetheless lacks a number of the (superior) choices of MaxPass, however it’s shut in nearly each materials manner. For us, this was the conspicuous omission, and including the modify button is a gamechanger.
While the modify button is an anticipated function that’ll enhance the expertise for everybody, there’s no denying the truth that it’ll profit energy customers extra. Anyone who perceive how cancellations and journey reservation refill guidelines work has a definite benefit right here. First-timers are much less more likely to play the ‘refresh game’ so they’re much less more likely to profit from that–and can thus be deprived to a point.
We’ve been advocates for modifications that helped first-timers or much less educated guests on the expense of diehards, however nonetheless, the modify button is such a fundamental and anticipated function that it’s unattainable to quibble with this. The modify button makes the UI simpler and extra intuitive. This is the type of function the common consumer–even the common inexperienced consumer–seemingly expects to see, so it’s a giant step ahead.
Ultimately, the modify button is a function that may scale back complications for each ‘level’ of Genie+ consumer, because it eliminates all the frustrations that flowed from cancelling and (trying to) rebook journey reservations. I might say it’s a game-changer for everybody, because it eliminates one of many extra widespread complaints and sources of friction. While the Genie system continues to be convoluted and complicated, it’s making steps in the suitable course and is now way more intuitive and simpler to make use of than a yr in the past right now–and even 6 months in the past.
The largest beneficiaries of the modify button are energy customers. Without query, it’s an absolute game-changer for anybody who reads sources like this one, placing it at the very least on par with FastPass+ (minus the fee and lack of advance-booking, for these of you who appreciated that) and inching nearer to MaxPass territory.
During this ‘test’ day in Magic Kingdom, I used to be capable of rating 2 Lightning Lanes that I might not have gotten in any other case because of modifying and taking part in the refresh sport. The solely purpose that quantity was not increased was as a result of I maxed out my variety of ‘useful’ Lightning Lanes (however I did achieve this sooner than regular). This has me actually intrigued to make use of the function at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the place I believe probably the most advantages exist in a robust refresh sport.
Between this and many of the Genie+ ticket add-ons being gone (that means that utilization will presumably be decrease), I’m actually trying ahead to utilizing Genie+ in 2023. It nonetheless gained’t be good–and clearly, it would proceed to price cash–however the app function ought to be considerably simpler to make use of within the new yr.
If you’ve gotten questions in regards to the fundamentals of utilizing–or not utilizing–the paid FastPass service, see our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for all the foundational need-to-know data. This complete system is complicated and convoluted, so that you may need a query or two-dozen. That solutions all the most typical ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Pleased that Genie+ has added a modify button to alter Lightning Lane choices with out shedding them? Do you view this as a game-changer, or do you not need to spend extra time in your cellphone taking part in the “refresh game” for higher Lightning Lane choices or occasions? What do you consider the latest UI modifications to Genie+ at Walt Disney World? Do you take into account this a meaningfully constructive enchancment to the paid FastPass service? Will you buy Genie+ or does this all sound like an excessive amount of of a headache? Do you agree or disagree with my evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!