When the new Genie system started at Walt Disney World in October 2021, guests entered a whole new world of theme park planning. As with all new systems, the guests experience different levels of success. Of course, a few failures happened along the way. Today, we will mention a few Genie+ mistakes guests have made. Now, these will not include technical glitches with Disney products. Also, these errors will not include errors in judgment in which specific Gene+ lightning lane selections to make.

Some resources were created back in 2021 to help with suggestions for which Genie+ attraction to select. Those articles reflect conditions back then. Some variables have changed but should give a good idea until updated versions of those articles are published.

Okay, that finishes the disclaimer. Here is the list of some (not all) Genie+ errors guests might make:

1. Waiting (too late) to buy it!

I do not mean waiting until 6am that morning to buy Genie+ for the day. This refers to people showing up around noon for their park day. These same people see a crowded theme park. They go to buy Genie+ for $15 plus tax per person only to see limited attractions available until almost park closing. You need to decide before you get to the park whether to buy it or not. If you wait, the value of the product diminishes quickly.

2. Buying it as a part of vacation package but not using it!

If you book a Walt Disney World vacation package, you have the option to purchase Genie+ (at no discount for USA based packages) for length of your stay. Yes, this is only way to buy Genie+ in advance currently. However, numerous guests purchase Genie+ for over a week-long stay while only visiting the parks for two or three days. They got to avoid getting up before 7am to buy Genie+ each morning but wasted a large amount of money. If this was a group of five or more, that wasted money could add up quickly.

3. Guests fail to book first Genie+ lightning lane soon after 7am!

Speaking of 7am, a significant number of guests fail to wake up to book their first Genie+ lightning lane before even entering the theme parks. Failing to start booking Genie+ lightning lanes at 7am puts your far behind other guests. If you desire to get a lightning lane slot for Slinky Dog Dash or Jungle Cruise, failing to start process at 7am will leave you few options.

On a related note, some guests struggle with the system since people are not properly linked together within the “My Disney Experience” so double-check that well in advance. Being prepared with proper set-up beforehand increases your success using this product.

4. Buying Genie+ so they may purchase an individual paid access lightning lane!

I have been hearing this one way more lately. In simple terms, if you only want to buy access to a individual paid access lightning lane attraction such as Rise of the Resistance, Flight of Passage, or Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train, you DO NOT need to buy Genie+. I have heard several stories from guests visiting during “Spring Break” time who bought Genie+ for $15 plus tax thinking they had to do that. They then paid $15 more to buy an individual paid access lighting lane for Rise of the Resistance. If you just want to pay for Rise of the Resistance for example, that fee is totally separate so plan accordingly. Also, may the force be with you in terms of getting a lightning lane slot and/or the attraction not breaking down regarding Rise of the Resistance.

5. Only booking one Genie+ lightning lane!

Yes, you may only book one Genie+ lightning lane at a time. However, some guests, during this “Spring Break” period, report thinking that could only book one Genie+ attraction for entire day. This led them to book Tower of Terror for example. They then rode Tower of Terror. After seeing nothing but long queues after that, they gave up returning to their resort pool. They repeated a similar process for several days. Make sure you understand how to book an additional Genie+ lightning lane after first use each day and/or when your 2-hour window concludes.

6. Forgetting to double-check actual lightning lane time slot!

I know this sounds odd BUT your expected lightning lane time slot could change drastically after you select the attraction. In other words, you see Jungle Cruise time slot starting at 11am. You use you Genie+ slot for that attraction and time. After selecting, you need to make sure what time slot you got. As tough as this is to believe, you very likely will get a slot later than you expected. In this scenario, you might be given a 4pm time slot. Yes, I know that seems unfair, but this is a system we have. Please be careful not to show up at 11am, for example, when you time slot indicates you should be there later.

7. Last one for today, make sure you picked the correct attraction!

I know this sounds like another odd one but hear me out. This issue happens more often now at Magic Kingdom since Space Mountain was added to Genie+ attractions. Cast members report that guests arrive at Splash Mountain, for example, with lightning lane time slots for Space Mountain instead (and vice versa). Though this might be a small problem for you, the walk of disgust back across Magic Kingdom will not enhance your theme park day.

We hope you enjoyed hearing about some of unexpected errors with Genie+.

Let us know in the comments if you have seen or made any other errors like these with the Genie system.