It’s been a few days since Disney Genie and Lightning Lane officially launched at Walt Disney World. Guests have been busy testing out Genie+ and trying to discover the service’s best tips and tricks.
The biggest question is whether the current $15 per person upcharge (or more if buy Individual Attraction Lightning Lane access) is worth it. The jury is out on that question as the answer varies wildly depending on the day and group.
But, Disney is covering their bases and telling guests they should not purchase Genie+ or Lightning Lane access based on Disney’s own posted wait times.
Check out this portion of the legal disclaimer for Genie+.
Wait times are estimates generated using a variety of factors. Wait time estimates can vary significantly from the wait time you may experience, and are subject to frequent changes within each day due to a variety factors such as attendance, guest interest, weather, and attraction downtimes.
Because we cannot guarantee the accuracy of these wait time estimates you should not rely on them when making purchase decisions.
Disney is covering all of their angles. This protects them in the event a guest buys Lightning Lane access after seeing a 50-minute posted wait, but then discovers the actual wait is far lower. Or if the guest encounters a long wait even while using Lightning Lane.
Conspiracy theorists will suggest Disney could artificially inflate wait times to drive Genie+ sales. Theoretically, more guests would buy the service if it feels necessary based on high wait times.
However, this is exactly the type of legal disclaimer we’d expect Disney to use for Genie+. There aren’t any surprises here. But, this does drive home that posted wait times are not as reliable or exact as they seem. Most guests have personally experienced wild inconsistencies with Walt Disney World wait times, both positively and negatively.
So, should you buy Genie+? We can’t determine for sure yet, but don’t make your decision solely on that day’s wait times.
