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The Lightning Lane Trick That Means You Can Do Two Things At Once

mickey-lightning-lane

FastPasses are gone, and Disney Genie is here with a “whole new world” for the Guest experience.

The free FastPass and FastPass+ services at Walt Disney World Resort were sadly retired last year and instead, the costly Genie + and Lightning Lanes debuted on October 19, 2021.

Disney Genie+ is a part of the new, digital Disney Genie program, a launch that has been met with divided opinions and lukewarm reviews.

Guests have vented their frustrations at the reservation system of Lightning Lane, especially when the app changes the time Guests originally selected for a reservation.

Well, we have a trick that will enable Guests to use their coveted Lightning Lane without sacrificing a special dining reservation booked for the same time.

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Credit: Disney

Disney Genie+ is a paid system that charges Disney World Guests $15.00 per person per day, and Disneyland Guests $20.00 per person per day, to utilize the Lighting Lane, which is the old FastPass+/FASTPASS queue.

Featuring technology to help Guests plan their day, the digital tool has been suffering issues following its launch last year. From sold-out attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Galaxy’s Edge to app failures on their phones, Guests have been quick to share their opinions on Disney Genie on social media.

Guests can only use a Lightning Lane once per ride per day, and often, the time Guests originally select from the app has changed to later in the day by the time they’ve selected their party and entered their credit card details.

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Credit: Disney

This happened to us at EPCOT when booking an Individual Lightning Lane for the popular Frozen Ever After attraction.

With children in our party, we were desperate to get a time for the ride featuring Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf. When we went onto the app, we selected a time in the early afternoon, but by the time we clicked “confirm” (a matter of seconds), the time had changed to 6:30 p.m.

Obviously, we wanted to keep the coveted Lightning Line slot, however, we also had a dining reservation for Space 220 at the same time!

As many Disney Guests know, making a dining reservation in advance on the My Disney Experience app is sometimes extremely difficult when trying to score that sought-after table at places like Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom, Boma – Flavors of Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the new Space 220 restaurant.

We had been so overjoyed and lucky to get that Space 220 table, so we weren’t giving that up anytime soon! Furthermore, if you have a reservation that you wish to cancel, you must do so 24 hours prior, or else you will incur a fee of $10.00 per person.

So, what do you do when you have a Lightning Lane and dining reservation at the same time?

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Credit: Disney

You do both!

Head to your already booked dining reservation and enjoy the amazing food. Then, head to your Lightning Lane attraction and show them a screenshot of your slot on your phone.

You can arrive any time in reality to your Lightning Lane ride – you have paid for the service and so they have to honor it. Don’t fret about canceling your reservations. We went to Frozen Ever After after Space 220 at around 8:30 p.m., showed them our screenshot of our 6:30 p.m. Lightning Lane, and they let us in no questions asked.

Across Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as Disney Springs, and the Resort hotels, Disney offers an array of cuisines for families to try – so don’t cancel your dining reservation for a Lightning Lane, do both!

From February 25, three popular attractions moved to the standard Disney Genie+ and are no longer offered as an Individual Lightning Lane experience. Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disney’s Hollywood Studios are all now part of the standard $15 a day per Guest Disney Genie+ service.

About Melissa Cannioto

Melissa is an author, adventurer, and chatterbox, who has worked at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Adventures by Disney! A British native, she has traveled the world seeking new experiences, and now resides in Florida with her husband, an Air Force pilot. Find her children's book at @bear.hug.book