Remember when the most important part of a Walt Disney World vacation was making sure to pack sunscreen and comfortable shoes? As the company moves to more technology-based planning tools, your phone – and more importantly the My Disney Experience mobile app – has proven to be more important than ever.

After reopening in the midst of the pandemic, Disney Parks abandoned their long-running FastPass, a way to set aside time to visit different attractions, and instead offered guests only one option for visiting beloved attractions: the old-fashioned standby queue. Soon after, it was announced that FastPass would never return, and a new system for reserving ride times was in development.

Launched in October 2021, Disney Genie integrates directly into Disneyland’s existing mobile app and acts as a personal concierge service, offering customized suggested itineraries based on preferences and interests. The add-on, Disney Genie+, is a paid service that pays park guests an additional $15 per person per day in addition to the already expensive park admission. Genie+ works much like the defunct FastPass, which allowed guests to book expedited access to attractions on the day of their visit through “Lightning Pass.

Unlike FastPass, which offers attraction reservations up to 60 days in advance, the new system works on a day-by-day basis. Attractions can be booked starting at 7:00 a.m. on the day of your visit, every two hours or after scanning to the current attraction. Some high-demand attractions are excluded from this system and must be purchased a la carte for an additional fee, which averages an additional $8 to $12 per person per attraction.

The system was intended to add ease of planning and a degree of spontaneity, but real-world practice has proven to be a different matter entirely. In its less than a year of existence, the system has been plagued by application problems and attraction outages, as well as limited availability. In the fine print for the paid service, Disney suggested that users could only ride two to three attractions per day: a far cry from the previous free system that offered guests three guaranteed attractions and the opportunity to add a few more on the day of their visit.

“I didn’t initially care for the new Genie+ system,” explained Michelle Bullas, an attorney who has visited Walt Disney World a dozen times. “I had no problem with them monetizing the previous FastPass system, but I did have a problem with them making you pay for a system that offered less value than the free systems of the past.”

Although she was familiar with the new system by the time the holidays arrived, her experience with Disney Genie+ didn’t go exactly as planned, as it was fraught with problems.

“I found the system had horrible lag times, which meant I just didn’t get through the rides I had prioritized,” explains Blass. “I got up at 7:00 a.m. every morning, which meant I didn’t sleep once during my vacation. The Internet in the parks would get me down, so when it came time for the next pass, I had to refresh the app over and over and delay my next reservation – more time wasted on vacation.”

One day while using Disney Genie+, her party was unable to book attractions until the evening. She spent hours in customer service and couldn’t get any help. “There was nothing they could do, and they kept telling me, ‘It’s the app.'”

“It’s made me seriously rethink ever visiting these parks,” added the longtime Disneyland visitor.

Considering that services can be purchased in advance, but attractions can’t be scheduled until the day of their visit, this unreliable system can add unnecessary vacation stress to parents or guests looking to create a structured schedule.

I used to plan our Disney World days for half an hour because I like to plan, and Fastpass+ makes this possible. With my knowledge and planning, I was able to get a lot out of my day. Genie+ takes that away from us. Now months of planning must be done at 7am the morning of my visit

– Alexa (@alexanntoinette) May 19, 2022

Disney Fairies+ operates in direct contradiction to Walt Disney World’s dining system, which allows reservations 60 days in advance. To further complicate matters, if an attraction time window booked through Disney Genie+ conflicts with their scheduled dining reservations, guests will need to access customer relations to avoid the cost of missed meals, which quickly adds up to $10 per person.

Planning necessities for the day become more complicated when considering not only Disney Genie+ reservations, but also virtual queues and a la carte attraction purchases. Despite constant criticism and strong opposition, Disney has steadfastly maintained that the system has implemented many changes in its relatively short life.

And, as Disney Genie+ officially enters its first busy summer season, Walt Disney World has changed the rules once again. On May 18 it was announced that the paid service would no longer be available for pre-order, with the company emphasizing the service’s “subject to availability” terminology.

What does this mean for planning parents? Disney Genie+ is available for purchase on the day of your visit at 12:00 a.m. Planners responsible for making reservations will need to purchase the service late at night to avoid a potential sell-out. A few hours later, they will be responsible for preparing for the 7:00 a.m. booking window to open and begin booking attractions. As of the publication of this article, the same changes have not been announced for the Disneyland Resort’s version of the Genie service.

With the recent news, Micah Goldsberry and his wife, both former Disneyland employees and longtime park regulars, are concerned about the upcoming two-week family vacation with their children, ages 5 and 7.

“Until it’s announced, we’ll be playing it every day with Genie+ and getting it on some days and not others,” Goldsberry told Yahoo Life. “I don’t mind getting up early and getting it on the days we want it, but will it be available at that time? Or do we have to wake up at midnight? Will the price go up? Can we be turned away as guests of the resort and Disney Vacation Club?”

For the Disneyland-savvy couple, the questions continue to grow. “We’re definitely seasoned veterans, and it’s frustrating for us,” Goldsberry shared. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for people to go to Walt Disney World for the first time.”

Many have turned to social media to voice their concerns, and infrequent visitors feel completely overwhelmed.

Those planning upcoming Disney vacations have sought out travel planners to help navigate the complex system. Experienced travel agent Jenn Greene shared that her company even created how-to guides with step-by-step instructions to help their clients use Disney Genie+.

“Overall, my clients thought it was an unworthy experience,” Greene told Yahoo Life. “I had a handful (maybe 10) of customers book it, but they all hated it. They hate that you now have to pay for a free fastpass before the pandemic, and they hate that you can’t book attractions before 7 a.m. of that day.”

Paid line access services are nothing new in the theme park industry. Universal Orlando Resort has long used a system known as Fastpass, which gives you quick access to nearly every attraction. While more expensive than its new Disney World counterpart, which starts at $79.99, it has long been praised for its ease of use. Universal Studios’ one bulk rate covers nearly every attraction, including most high-demand attractions. Instead of booking time slots, guests have the option of free access to the Express at any time. In addition, Universal Orlando Resort guests staying at its highest level resorts receive the service free of charge.

As someone who visits Walt Disney World several times a month, I have become well versed in navigating Genie+, flaws and all. If you’re heading to Disney World and worried about the changes, this is what I’ve learned about navigation systems and getting the best experience possible.

Even if it interrupts your sleep, get up at 12:00 a.m. to purchase Disney Genie+, as it is expected to sell out during the busy summer months.

Use one device to book standard Disney Genie+ attractions when the booking window opens at 7:00 a.m. If you also want to book high-demand attractions such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Avatar: Flight of Passage, use the other device, which is available as a separate a la carte purchase only.

Take advantage of the service’s ability to book attractions every two hours, “stacking” your return time to later in the day. Since it is common to see attractions booked quickly in the morning and early afternoon hours, stack the late afternoon attractions into the evening. For example, when the booking window opens in the morning, select a late afternoon and evening time. When you can book more, continue to accumulate those times every two hours. (As long as you follow these guidelines, you can keep multiple reservations in the app, which is not widely understood.)

If you plan to park (a term used to describe starting at one Walt Disney World park and then moving to another park in the afternoon or evening), open the reservation window at 7 a.m. and use the standby queue for the first park of the second park ride. It may be helpful to set your alarm every two hours to ensure you make the most of your reservation time.

Try to avoid using your Disney Genie+ attraction reservations on attractions with low demand and instead use the standard queue to ride those attractions.

If you are unable to book the desired attraction, keep refreshing the app as it is known to pop up more times during the day.

There is often a well-publicized glitch in the app when guests see a single attraction time that works for them, only to find they are scheduled for a later time once they have paid. If this happens, a visit to the Guest Services area within each park (marked with a blue umbrella) can sometimes be helpful, as the staff there can adjust the timeframe for you.

Disney Fairies+ has proven to be more valuable when used at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you want to stick to a budget, consider forgoing this service when visiting Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.