How the Genie+ 120 Minute Rule Works at Disney World
Walt Disney World’s Genie+ line-skipping service has a lot of unique wrinkles. One about which we’ve received many questions is the 120 minute rule, which can determine eligibility for your next Lightning Lane ride reservation. This post explains that policy, when it applies & doesn’t, and how it impacts the selections you should make. (Updated June 9, 2022.)
We’ve addressed the 120 minute rule in several info posts and itineraries, including our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ. However, this continues to be a huge source of confusion, so we’re going to explain the 120 minute rule specifically here with added details, examples and screenshots. That should (hopefully) answer a few questions while giving rise to about a dozen more. That seems to be how things are going with Genie+ (it’s not your fault–there’s a lot to know and this is overwhelming!).
Since Walt Disney World announced the paid FastPass option, we’ve been referencing the 120 minute rule in our info posts–even when Disney itself didn’t acknowledge that the 120 minute rule would actually be a feature of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. That’s not because I’m clairvoyant (I wouldn’t be using my powers for Disney planning purposes if I were!), but because the 120 minute rule is actually nothing new.
June 9, 2022 Update: After “only” 7+ months of the system being live, Walt Disney World has finally explained some of the “rules” for using Genie+ and Lightning Lanes–including the 120 minute rule. Below is the latest clarification from Disney, which doesn’t address everything–but it’s a start!
Per Walt Disney World, guests can use the Lightning Lane entrances offered through Disney Genie+ service and save time waiting in line. On average, Guests can enter 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using Lightning Lane entrances, if the first selection is made early in the day.
You can enjoy a Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane entrance once per day. If you’d like to experience an attraction again or see a certain show again within the same day, you are welcome to use our regular standby line.
What Are the Rules?
- Make sure you have valid admission and a theme park reservation to the same park on the same day.
- Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane selections can only be made one at a time. You must redeem an existing Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane selection or wait 2 hours—whichever comes first—before making another Lightning Lane entrance selection through Disney Genie+ service. Please note: the 2-hour wait to make another selection begins when the park opens, even if you made your first booking at 7:00 AM.
- All attractions and experiences are subject to availability.
- Guests may be able to purchase Disney Genie+ service the day of their park visit and make their first Lightning Lane selections at 7:00 AM.
Disney Genie+ service, attractions and experiences may vary by date, are subject to change or closure, are limited in availability and are not guaranteed and may not be available at all on the date of visit or at the time you make a selection. Price, terms and entitlements are subject to restrictions, and change or cancellation without notice.
Please Remember: To enter a theme park, both a valid admission and theme park reservation for the same park and same date are required. Parks and park reservations are limited, subject to capacity and availability, and specific dates or parks are not guaranteed.
What’s what else you should know about the 120 minute rule, from its history to practical applications and in-park examples…
The 120 minute rule is actually well established and has been a prominent feature of legacy FastPass systems since the beginning. That includes Walt Disney World’s paper FastPass, plus the same paper and digital systems in California, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Basically, every FastPass system ever has used the 120 minute–except two. The less notable exception is MaxPass at Disneyland, which used a 90 minute rule. There was actually some question as to whether Genie+ would follow in its footsteps, but our understanding is that did not occur due to the lower attraction counts at Walt Disney World’s parks as compared to Disneyland. Shortening the window could result in ride reservation inventory issues due to the lack of attractions. (Same reason there are no re-rides with Genie+ at Walt Disney World.)
For most of you reading this, the more prominent exception to the 120 minute rule is FastPass+ (see below). Ironically, this is the outlier even if it’s the system with which the vast majority of “modern” Walt Disney World fans are familiar.
FastPass+ didn’t have this rule because it was booked in advance, making it fundamentally different from all of Disney’s other line skipping systems. All of the rest are same-day and work very similarly to Genie+.
With that background established, let’s turn to the 120 minute rule.
Regardless of whether you’re staying off-site or on-site, you can book your first Genie+ selection at 7 am on the day of your visit. The way Genie+ ride reservations work is that you can book one at a time, and can either make another selection after two hours (120 minutes) or once you tap into your previous Genie+ selection (both tapstiles at attractions that have two)–whichever comes first.
The 120 minute rule exists so that guests choosing more popular attractions aren’t unduly penalized for that, and don’t get shut out of Lightning Lane reservations later in the day.
The above screenshot should help illustrate why this rule is needed. As you can see from my phone’s timestamp, this was taken at 7:18 am, by which time Slinky Dog Dash had a return time of 6:05 pm. By 9 am, its return time would be within an hour of park closing. If you booked a Slinky Dog Dash ride reservation before 9 am and there was no 120 minute rule, that would be your only Lightning Lane selection of the day. (It would basically become a de facto Individual Lightning Lane experience without the 120 minute rule.)
The clock on the 120 minute rule starts ticking at park opening, meaning that you cannot make another Genie+ selection at 9 am (e.g. 120 minutes from 7 am).
If the park opens at 9 am, you’d be able to make your next Genie+ ride reservation at 11 am or upon tapping into the Lightning Lane for your first Genie+ ride reservation, whichever occurs first. This is probably confusing, so let’s use an illustrative example…
During My Day Using Genie+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, my first Lightning Lane ride reservation was Slinky Dog Dash. As explained in that post, we strongly recommend booking this first–right at 7 am.
The screenshot above shows my Lightning Lane arrival window of 10:45 am to 11:45 am for Slinky Dog Dash.
On this day, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened at 9 am. This could potentially make the 120 minute rule or my actual arrival applicable, depending upon whether I entered the Slinky Dog Dash Lightning Lane before or after 11 am.
The second part of this is reflected in the Genie+ system, which indicates I’ll be eligible for another Lightning Lane selection starting at 11 am (see above). However, on ride reservations that potentially “overlap” the two rules, it doesn’t indicate that either could apply. (Probably because that would be too confusing!)
Since I entered the Lightning Lane for Slinky Dog Dash at 10:40 am (5 minutes before my window officially opened–a different wrinkle to the convoluted system!) and tapped into both checkpoints by 10:41 am, I was then eligible to book another Lightning Lane ride reservation at that point.
As you can see in the screenshot above, I booked the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at 10:47 am–13 minutes before the Genie+ system indicated I was eligible. Again, this occurred because I tapped into both checkpoints of Slinky Dog Dash. Had I not returned to SDD until 11:05 am, the 120 minute rule would’ve kicked in, and I would’ve been eligible for another Lightning Lane ride reservation via Genie+ at 11 am.
In response to my Genie+ day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, several of you question how I ended up “stacking” the above Lightning Lane reservations for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Toy Story Mania.
The 120 minute rule is the explanation. I booked Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run upon tapping into the Tower of Terror Lightning Lane at 12:10 pm. Since that Smugglers Run ride reservation did not start until 6:05 pm, I was eligible to book another Lightning Lane reservation at 2:10 pm (two hours after 12:10 pm). At 2:10 pm, I booked the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster reservation for 5:25 pm. Since that was more than 120 minutes away, my next window opened at 4:10 pm, at which point I booked Toy Story Mania for 6:35 pm.
That is how I ended up with “stacked” Lightning Lane ride reservations for the late afternoon and early evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I was able to do the same thing again at Magic Kingdom once I had used up my DHS late afternoon stockpile, essentially trading one warchest of Lightning Lane ride reservations for another.
Anyone who has experience with the legacy FastPass systems can likely attest to how common it is/was to unintentionally be an “evening FastPass hoarder.” If you prioritize grabbing Lightning Lane reservations for popular rides early in the day, this is probably how your reservation lineup will look as the return times will be kicked out further into the future.
Unlike FastPass+, Genie+ doesn’t care if you overlap ride reservations–just like the legacy FastPass system, it’s “dumb” in that regard. This means the onus is on you to be mindful about not making conflicting selections, which should be pretty easy since all of the return times are displayed on “My Day” in the app. If you’re concerned about a time being too close to an existing Lightning Lane reservation, either choose a different attraction or wait 5-10 minutes for the return time clock to move forward and give you more of a buffer between them. Nothing says you must make another reservation the instant you’re eligible!
By contrast, you could go with less popular attractions that have shorter wait times and get more immediate return times, using those back-to-back-to-back. Sarah prefers this strategy, and you can see her leverage it to great success during her day using Genie+ at Magic Kingdom. (This approach only really works at the castle parks–I don’t think it’s a good idea at second gates or beyond.)
Now that you (hopefully) understand the basics of how the 120 minute rule works, this should open up a range of strategic possibilities. One is Sarah’s “Small Ball” Strategy discussed above. Another is the “Park Hopper Protocol,” in which you start at one park and knock out as much as possible via standby, while accumulating Lightning Lane ride reservations for a second park in the afternoon and evening. (Animal Kingdom to DHS or Epcot are fantastic for this.)
Ultimately, I hope this has helped you understand the 120 minute rule and not made it more confusing, but it’s hard to convey some of this via blog posts. Unfortunately, Walt Disney World doesn’t help make this easier to understand, as there’s no convenient way to see when you’re eligible for another Genie+ reservation (a major design flaw, if you ask me–but they didn’t).
You simply try to book another Lightning Lane reservation, and either succeed or get the error message towards the top of the post–but even that might be wrong, as tapping into a prior selection (as was the case with me and Slinky Dog Dash!) will trigger eligibility even before Genie+ indicates you’re eligible.
In the past, the 120 minute rule wasn’t this confusing because paper FastPasses plainly stated on the bottom when you’d be eligible for your next selection–and that was it. Genie+ not only offers less clarity, but is variable. On top of that, the user interface has a variety of other options, making it look like you can book Lightning Lane ride reservations when you actually can’t, using unclear language and meaningless warnings, and organizing things in unintuitive ways. But those complaints and problems are mostly beyond the scope of this post.
If you still don’t understand all of this, we’d recommend simply trying to make a ride reservation via Genie+ every two hours or after tapping into both checkpoints at every Lightning Lane. It’ll work if you’re eligible and will give you an error message if not. At this point, that’s the “best” way of knowing when you can book another Genie+ Lightning Lane selection. This is all tough to keep track of, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Did this help you understand the Genie+ system’s 120 minute rule? Thoughts on strategy for making Lightning Lane ride reservations in light of this rule and the ability to stack selections for later in the day? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Tom, thank you for the great explanation of the 120 minute rule and excellent examples. I did not mind the original Fast Pass + system (loved the last system) but am not sure if Genie + would be useful for my situation. One of my favorite things at WDW is dining and have made dining reservations every night of my stay. To get to the restaurant we be leaving the park around 4:30 PM. My plan it to rope drop (see a main attraction) and then wing it (standby – plain Genie will help) for everything else and suck it up on long waits. My fear is that, if we got Genie+, we would have to gamble that the rides we want are offered before we leave for dinner. As other readers have said, this implies that to use Genie+ you must be very flexible. I think that people who need to go back to their resorts to power up their kids, rest, pool break would be in the same situation as myself. Any suggestions? Lastly doing the math, if a Park is open from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, there is only roughly seven times (120 minute intervals) one can use Genie+ to book a ride (7 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM). This would translate to the max number of bookings is limited to 7 for a day. I’m not including using Individual lightning lanes. If you leave the park early means you would only use Genie+ 4 maybe 5 times and assuming you get ideal selections. Is this a correct assumption? I still deciding whether Genie+ is worth it in my situation. I am paying for 10 people (including myself) for 9 days (two trips to each park plus one waterpark day) and the cost of adding Genie+ (Park Hopper?) is enormous. Thanks again for the info. P.S. the first time I went to WDW I recall waiting over 3 hours for Pirates so I’m used to waiting so don’t mind – whether the rest of my party is, we’ll see (somewhere in the wait, the enjoyment of WDW might get lost). If this upcoming trip isn’t enjoyable, I may not be coming back (hate to sound negative in the Happiest Place in the World).
I wonder if the system allows Canadian credit cards at the moment of purchase G+ ?
I assume that as long as all the guests are created in your profile as part of your party and tickets linked you will be able to handle. Same as we manage our kids into the same account profile.
Say I have stacked lightning lane reservations, both within the same hour, however I booked the 2nd reservation 30 minutes before the reservation opens. Will I be eligible for a new reservation after checking into both checkpoints of the first attraction even though it’s before 120 minutes? Or will I need to use both reservations if it’s within 120 minutes, even though the second attraction was booked earlier in the day?
Tom, great article and how-to primer and explanations.
I do hope you’re right about some of the subtle differences between WDW and DLR historically on the reasons for FP+ and Maxpass.
This leaves me hope that Genie+ on DLR will retain some Maxpass characteristics (rerides in particular) and maybe even the 90minute cutoff — here’s to hope.
Answers to the more recent questions below:
For ALL, I recommend perusing through the article linked in my name.
It doesn’t say anything different than what Tom has said, it just has a few extra screenshots to clarify Tom’s already-good advice.
@Rob
FIRST – In my opinion, If you’re fine with the cost, then Genie+ and ILL(Individual Lightning Lane, what an amazing acronym) purchases WILL make for a more pleasant touring day, especially when it’s crowded. But, it’s still possible to have a great time without. For me? I’d plan on purchasing Genie+ and rope-dropping ILLs with early park entry…or alternately using the Touringplans app and purchasing an ILL or two.
SECOND – From screenshots I have seen on other sites, you can book both of your ILLs (like Frozen Ever After and Rise of the Resistance) at 7am. To select the attraction in the park you will be hopping to, you go to the Tip Board tab and select ‘change park.’ Then, all the rides there will be shown to you and should have availability starting at 2pm.
@Sam
Yes, you can handle all the reservations for your party. Starting at midnight of the day you intend to use Genie+ you can go in and set everything up – purchasing the pass for yourself and anyone you have linked to your account. From there, when you start making reservations you can select who will be joining you. If you miss someone, you can even add them in later!
@Emily
No, the 120 minute rule doesn’t apply to the A-la-carte purchased attractions. You can buy both of them for your day right at 7am.
@Christi
Not Tom so he might have a different opinion, but it really depends on how your family feels about lines. Some attractions have consistently high waits all day, so even if you come in the evening you will still have to stand in line for those and Genie+ might be worth it. Additionally, if you start stacking your reservations in the morning, then you can show up in the evening and just fly through rides. But, if you only have a few attractions you want to do and your family is tolerant of waiting, there’s also no need for Genie+ with your strategy. Up to you!
@Kari
You’re right, the answer is no. You can schedule a ride any time between 7am and 9am and still have another one available at 11am – IF your first ride selected doesn’t start until after 11am (or you don’t tap in until after 11am). But you don’t get two right at 11am if you haven’t already made a selection.
@Kelly and @Judge
Genie+ only gives you the next-available ride time. Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) purchases can be scheduled, however.
@Hillary
This is the exact plan I’m considering employing, actually. Since AK generally opens earlier than the other parks, I intend to race through an early morning there and start stacking for park-hopping elsewhere. You can make Genie+ reservations for your second park by clicking the Tip Board tab and changing your park, from what I’ve seen on other sites.
@Rosy
See answer to Sam above!
@Kevin
When you start setting up your Genie+ day (available at midnight the day of use) you will have the option to purchase for everyone then AND also to tell Genie+ which park you will be hopping to. Then, you should be able to make selections in that park (see Hillary above).
Hi Tom, great post as always! My question is regarding park hopper. If you have a PH ticket, does the Genie+ system automatically offer you reservation options at all of the other 3 parks starting at 2pm? The system doesn’t know what second park you would be planning on visiting, right? At what point in the day can you start making reservations at your second park?
Thanks!!!
Great posts to Sarah & Tom! I’m finally understanding how this works for our trip in January, mostly due to this blog I’m sure others will have these questions too. If I have my husband in my planning party, can I buy Genuie+ for us both in the app? What about 2 friends we are traveling with that are in my Other Family & Friends group? Can I buy theirs too and make lightening lane reservations for all 4 of us? That might be easier than trying to coordinate on 2 phones.
I don’t have any answers for you except your extended family vacations sound shockingly murderous to ours LOL!!!!!!
My head feels like it just rolled around in a teacup all day. How do you enter lines early? Is it the first or second tap that has to be at your return time?
Are you always allowed to add people to your party or only if there are passes available?
#TeamBringBackPaperFastPassBecauseItMadeSense
I think my head is going to explode! I am glad we postponed our trip now until next spring to give more time to understand all this. The thing that most irritates me is the way you have to constantly be on your phone. I liked booking in advance and have the ability to actually enjoy the visit to the park. This just seems to add a layer of stress I don’t want on vacation
This is also my question [asked by Kelly]. When I try to book SDD at 7am, with HS as my park pass, will I see multiple possible times to select[for example 6 pm] or only the next available?
You mentioned visiting one park, then stacking passes at another park (if you have a park hopper ticket). If I decided to purchase Genie+ with a park pass reservation for AK. Can I make a 2pm (or later) reservation at DHS at 7am and start stacking passes for DHS while enjoying a morning at AK?
Hi a great article thank you. Not sure if this has been covered but does Genie + give you multiple return time options or just the next available? So for example if we were going to MK for the fireworks and only wanted evening lightning lanes would that be possible at 7am to pick a 7pm Peter Pans Flight Lightning Lane ? Hope that makes sense
Yes you can book all the LL reservations! If you are all linked together when you tap on to make the reservation it will come up with everyone’s name in your group and you just select on the ones that want to ride or select all for everyone! I am not great with apps but after using it a few times it got easier! Have fun!
If I have G+ and do not schedule anything at 7 am, would I have 2 G+ reservations available to me 120 minutes after park opening? I think the answer is no, but would love your thoughts
Tom, we have a lot of young kids so we will probably be taking an afternoon rest at our hotel. With this in mind, would you say the purchase or genie plus would be worth it? Our morning will really be our “golden hours” when the kids are fresh and it won’t be too useful if the return times begin in the afternoon or later. Perhaps Sarah’s strategy would be best for us? Interested in your thoughts!
“both tapstiles at attractions that have two” – any chance of a list of which attractions have one and which have two?
Does the 120 min rule apply to “magic carpet access” as well? If you purchase genie+, can you book a LL for Slinky Dog AND “magic carpet” for RoR at 7am? Or would you have to wait 120 min after booking the “magic carpet” before booking slinky?
This is an excellent guide Tom, thank you! I’m one of those people who had Fastpass+ figured out to an art form, and was aghast at the change, but I need to roll with the punches.
I was hoping someone here might be able to help me figure out a question — we’re taking my daughter to DW for her birthday in March, and have finally convinced my ageing parents to come with us once before they kick the bucket. Neither are smart phone savvy (my mom doesn’t use a cellphone at all, because they’re evil, or the government wants her to have one, or something). If I’m the one booking tickets myself, will I be able to make Genie+ reservations for everyone in my party? Trying to help my father book a Frozen Ever After reservation at 7AM will potentially lead to murder, either me or him, it’s unclear.
Thank you anyone who has the answer!