Disney band trip, told no Genie plus

[DanielleC]

Disney sells many "different" tickets. I ran a national convention a few years ago and they let us sell after 2 pm and after 4 pm single day ticket to any park but no matter what, you couldn't park hop with any of them.

Based on the ticket sold and similar to how a "Park Hopper Option" works, Disney can add or limit the options you can receive on any ticket they sell, either retail to consumers sold at Disney. to groups that buy directly from Disney, or wholesale to any tour operator or tour group coordinator.

And if I recall correctly, you can trade nearly most any unused ticket or portion for any other one available. They probably sold the group a discounted ticket.

 

[JereMary]

From what I understand we are getting physical tickets once we arrive. Getting the app was never even brought up at the parent meeting, so all the 1st timers have no idea about the app or anything else.

I'm also going as a chaperone, we stop at Disney Springs first so I figured I'd see what guest services can do, of course I don't know if I'll even have my ticket when we are at DS.
After seeing the crazy wait times this week I really want to add Genie. Seems crazy that they wouldn't want my money!
The band is marching at MK next friday. We are also receiving meal vouchers so no mobile order either I have to keep reminding myself and my daughter that we will be back again other times, but it really sucks for the kids that this is their only chance to go.

Wondering if there is a way to add a meal voucher code in Mobile ordering. Wouldn't it be similar to paying with a gift card? Then again, this is Disney IT we're talking about.....

 

[DanielleC]

Wondering if there is a way to add a meal voucher code in Mobile ordering. Wouldn't it be similar to paying with a gift card? Then again, this is Disney IT we're talking about.....

I would ask, what is the meal voucher for? Where are you staying? Who sold the group the meal voucher? Is it for limited restaurants?

I sincerely doubt Disney IT is the issue. They don't pick and chose what they work on or the features they create. Those come from way up the management food chain. If they didn't add an option to link something to MDE, it's because no one told them to add the feature or they were told they didn't need to do that.

How would adding a meal voucher be similar to paying with a gift card? A disney gift card has a 16 digit "account" number that starts with 61, similar to credit cards. Visa starts with a 4, Mastercard with a 5, Amex starts with a 3. Discover starts with 60. When you add a CC it validates the 16 digit number and knows it's a Disney Gift Card by the 1st 4 numbers. if that's valid, then it verifies the balance left and makes that much available. Does the meal voucher have a 16 digit number on it?

 

[d-train]

I brought my choir spring break 2023. I requested the park reservation days, the whole group was in the same park each day. No need for hopping... When we received our tickets from the travel agent, we were able to input the number into MDE no problem. We were able to purchase Genie+ no problem as well - with the student group tickets. But we could not purchase ahead of time - had to follow the same rules as everyone else...

Can't comment on the meal cards - I did those for one trip and it was a waste of money for most kids. Too much food each meal - they threw alot away. So I now teach them how to budget and what to budget for meals. They spend much less and only purchase what they want to eat. Those meal cards are limiting as to where they can eat too. Just not helpful for most.

 

[bluezy]

I used to work in groups and conventions for WDW. There is no way to "get you your tickets in advance" unless they mail them to everyone individually. It's just not going to happen. Tickets get lost, its a mess. I would get screamed at by cheerleading moms time and time again on the phone because I "wouldn't give them their tickets so they could do FP". Its just not how things work unfortunately with these special tickets. They are provided when they arrive.

In your mind, you may be reading this as "50 band kids are bad, and should be allowed to use G+" which is not what I'm saying. The uplift of trying to get everyone to download and use the app isn't practical for these large groups so they wait till they are provided their individual tickets in order to add it manually for the ones that want to use the system while others don't. Again, 6 groups of 6 kids making LL is great! some rides don't have time allocations for larger groups that would just always turn out a "nothing available" if you were trying to make a reservation for 1 large group at a time.

The positive for these kids is that, unlike FP+ they do actually have opportunities to use the system to its fullest ability. Although I did like that FP+ was free, doing everything same day does make it a little less "plan in advance" heavy than it used to be. Also, it sounds like if they give them a multi day ticket, at least they can purchase it for other days at 7 am it sounds like which is good.

Cheer moms. Say no more.

I never imagined or said that one person would be making G+ reservations for the entire group of 50 or more people. I always assumed the kids would be in small groups and make their own reservations for what they wanted to do. That's why I didn't understand why 50 kids buying G+ would be a problem. I think you misinterpreted something I wrote.

I guess I'm not understanding something about the tickets because our kids *did* have access to their tickets ahead of time. The director got them at least 3 weeks before the trip. And it's been like that in the past when my older kids performed at Disney with their HS musical groups. Prior to this year, the director didn't usually hand them out ahead of time, but she has always received them before leaving on the trip. One year my daughter and her friend were able to convince the director to give them their ticket number a few days ahead of time so her friend's grandfather (who worked at Disney at the time) could add them to his MDE account and schedule FPs for them before they arrived. I can understand why group leaders don't want to hand them out ahead of time -- way too high of a risk of loss -- but it can be done in some circumstances (as I know of at least 4 trips from our HS where the director had them before the trip -- and 3 of those trips the groups were performing in Disney and staying on property). If group leaders are gong to give kids access to their tickets ahead of time, they can do it similarly to what our director did this year. She made the student meet with her, she watched them enter their ticket number in MDE, she took back the hard ticket, and then handed them back out 2 weeks later on the way to the park. She assigned specific tickets to specific people and put each person's name on their individual ticket so that everyone got *their* ticket back when they were handed out. She divided the tickets by chaperone/group so it was super easy to hand them out. The chaperones collected them again at the end of the day. It would have been a huge undertaking if all 150 kids wanted to get their tickets ahead of time, but only about 50 of them took advantage of doing that. And far fewer bought G+ or ILLs. I can understand how this wouldn't work if the group wasn't originating from one location, but for school trips, it should be possible for kids to have access to their tickets ahead of time *if* the director/group leader wants to do that. But I guess maybe it depends on the type of group tickets they're getting???? I'm not sure what our group travel agents (and I know we've used at least 2 different agencies over the years) did to get the tickets ahead of time for our trips. Maybe it's because we're not part of some large convention/group event at Disney (like the Cheer/Dance events or Pop Warner football) but rather a small group simply performing at a park on a random day.

 

[rollo]

From what I understand we are getting physical tickets once we arrive. Getting the app was never even brought up at the parent meeting, so all the 1st timers have no idea about the app or anything else.

I'm also going as a chaperone, we stop at Disney Springs first so I figured I'd see what guest services can do, of course I don't know if I'll even have my ticket when we are at DS.
After seeing the crazy wait times this week I really want to add Genie. Seems crazy that they wouldn't want my money!
The band is marching at MK next friday. We are also receiving meal vouchers so no mobile order either I have to keep reminding myself and my daughter that we will be back again other times, but it really sucks for the kids that this is their only chance to go.

If they're getting physical cards, they won't be able to add anything to it. I made that mistake years ago. I got my family's park tickets through ITT (military travel agent) because it had a really nice discount. But when we arrived at DW we were told that we couldn't add the tickets on to our room key card, we couldn't add any upgrades, nothing. Plus, it was just one more thing to carry around. Once we entered a park, I took all the tickets and held onto them because if you lost one it would be a real pain to replace unlike a room key card. Hope everyone enjoy their visit.

 

[bluezy]

If they're getting physical cards, they won't be able to add anything to it. I made that mistake years ago. I got my family's park tickets through ITT (military travel agent) because it had a really nice discount. But when we arrived at DW we were told that we couldn't add the tickets on to our room key card, we couldn't add any upgrades, nothing. Plus, it was just one more thing to carry around. Once we entered a park, I took all the tickets and held onto them because if you lost one it would be a real pain to replace unlike a room key card. Hope everyone enjoy their visit.

Not always true (at least for non-military tickets). My daughter just went on a school trip to Disney in February. They had physical ticket cards but were able to add them to MDE and she linked to to an old Magic Band so she could just keep the card in her wallet all day and not risk losing it.

 

[bchbetha]

My oldest went with his band pre-Genie+ and none of them were interested in snagging Fast Passes. They just walked around and waited in lines. They didn't care. They had fun talking to each other in lines and playing games like Heads Up. They just hit the parks differently than I ever would but had fun none the less!

 

[TAnsley]

My daughter's high school band is heading to WDW next week. We were told this week that we cannot add Genie plus due to the type of ticket we will have.
Does anyone have any experience with band trips and if you truly cannot purchase Genie plus?

Nobody can add Genie+ to their tickets, been that way for a while now. You can only add it the day you want it, day by day. Goes on sale at midnight. Has nothing to do with student groups, this is normal for everyone now. If they want Genie+ they each have to buy it the day they want it.
Ted

 

[bluezy]

Wondering if there is a way to add a meal voucher code in Mobile ordering. Wouldn't it be similar to paying with a gift card? Then again, this is Disney IT we're talking about.....

I just double checked with my daughter. She was able to use her meal card on mobile ordering. She said it was just a gift card but they were told (and she thinks it also said this on the card) that it could only be used to purchase food items. She didn't try to use it for anything but food so I have no idea if it was truly just a regular gift card with instructions to just use it for food (so that kids don't spend the $25 on souvenirs and then pass out from not eating. ). I'm not confident that Disney IT could code a card so that it could only be used for food. My daughter said she just entered the number on the back as the payment method when she mobile ordered.

I brought my choir spring break 2023. I requested the park reservation days, the whole group was in the same park each day. No need for hopping... When we received our tickets from the travel agent, we were able to input the number into MDE no problem. We were able to purchase Genie+ no problem as well - with the student group tickets. But we could not purchase ahead of time - had to follow the same rules as everyone else...

Can't comment on the meal cards - I did those for one trip and it was a waste of money for most kids. Too much food each meal - they threw alot away. So I now teach them how to budget and what to budget for meals. They spend much less and only purchase what they want to eat. Those meal cards are limiting as to where they can eat too. Just not helpful for most.

I think there are 2 different kinds of meal cards. I know on my older daughter's band trip in 2018, the kids got the meal vouchers where they were good for basically a QS meal (entree, dessert, drink) at most QS locations. There was no dollar value on them, they were simply good for a complete meal. But when my friend's son went on his band trip (different school, same month), they got Disney Food Gift Cards and they could use them for any food -- full meal, ala cart, snacks, etc. Each card had a $20 value. She gave me his leftover partial cards and we used them on our trip a few months later. My daughter just went in February and they had the same type of Disney Food Gift Card that my friend's son had 5 years ago. They had a value of $25 and could be used however the holder wanted to use them (for food). The $25 cards worked well because the kids still had to budget their money, but at least they had enough money to eat a meal and the get snacks and drinks later.

 

[Gizmo74]

My daughter is there now with Orchestra group. How did your kid buy genie plus if they are under 18. My daughter who is 17 did not have the “buy” option because she could not link her credit card in the app. I’ll feel bad if she could have bought it and just didn’t know how to do it.

 

[mom2diskids]

Wondering if there is a way to add a meal voucher code in Mobile ordering. Wouldn't it be similar to paying with a gift card? Then again, this is Disney IT we're talking about.....

I chaperoned a band trip in January of this year. We used meal cards exactly like gift cards in the app, I had my daughter and her friends and my groups of kids put the number in the notes app and paste it in the payment screen when mobile ordering just like a gc.

 

[mom2diskids]

My daughter is there now with Orchestra group. How did your kid buy genie plus if they are under 18. My daughter who is 17 did not have the “buy” option because she could not link her credit card in the app. I’ll feel bad if she could have bought it and just didn’t know how to do it.

Don’t feel bad! My group had 165 kids in January, I heard of only two who had any luck purchasing genie+ or ILL and his mom is a disney travel agent.

 

[g-dad66]

My daughter is there now with Orchestra group. How did your kid buy genie plus if they are under 18. My daughter who is 17 did not have the “buy” option because she could not link her credit card in the app. I’ll feel bad if she could have bought it and just didn’t know how to do it.

My grandson, who is 15, was able to purchase Genie+ with his parents' credit card which was in the app.

 

[Gizmo74]

My grandson, who is 15, was able to purchase Genie+ with his parents' credit card which was in the app.

We couldn’t even add the credit card to her app. She has had this account ever since they came out. Her account is linked to my account and I always bought with family. We didn’t realize until night before she left that she could not purchase. I told her I would purchase from my account which would have solved her issue but at this point all of her friend group created their account and all under 18. None of them could purchase and she didn’t want me to purchase if she was the only one.

 

[bluezy]

My daughter is there now with Orchestra group. How did your kid buy genie plus if they are under 18. My daughter who is 17 did not have the “buy” option because she could not link her credit card in the app. I’ll feel bad if she could have bought it and just didn’t know how to do it.

My daughter is over 18. She actually added her friends to her account so she could manage their plans. After the trip was over, she deleted them from her account. I know a few of the other kids just used a parent's account (mom/dad gave the kid their password and then changed that password after the trip). The student's ticket was loaded on the parent MDE account and assigned to the student. Then the student logged in as the parent (who managed the child's account) to purchase G+/ILL.

 

[nw6675]

If they're getting physical cards, they won't be able to add anything to it. I made that mistake years ago. I got my family's park tickets through ITT (military travel agent) because it had a really nice discount. But when we arrived at DW we were told that we couldn't add the tickets on to our room key card, we couldn't add any upgrades, nothing. Plus, it was just one more thing to carry around. Once we entered a park, I took all the tickets and held onto them because if you lost one it would be a real pain to replace unlike a room key card. Hope everyone enjoy their visit.

Military tickets from ITT can be loaded to magic bands and are eligible to purchase G+, etc. Those are the tickets we always use.

 

[subtchr]

My grandson is on the bus right now returning from a band trip. He and 4 friends were able to purchase G+ every day, and they performed at Disney Springs on Monday.

All he had to do was enter the park tickets for all 5 into his MDE app. The charges all went to his parents' credit card, but his friends are paying him for their G+.

The only part that puzzles me is the park reservation aspect. He didn't have to make park reservations, because the app already knew which park they were doing which day (which is good since MK and HS were "booked up" on their days). I had assumed that the tickets were already in someone else's app for them to have made the park reservations previously, so I was pleasantly surprised that he was simply able to enter the ticket numbers into his app.

And I made some timely LL bookings for them when they were unable to do so (for example, they were in Flight of Passage when it was time to book their next LL).

For about a year now, groups have had the option to pay $1 extra per ticket, and have the park reservations bundled with the ticket. When Disney first reopened after Covid, we (I work for a company that creates trips for high school music groups) had to create dummy accounts and book park reservations for hundreds of kids each trip. It was a total PITA. We were very grateful when Disney offered the option to have the reservations booked right with the tickets.

From what I understand we are getting physical tickets once we arrive. Getting the app was never even brought up at the parent meeting, so all the 1st timers have no idea about the app or anything else.

I'm also going as a chaperone, we stop at Disney Springs first so I figured I'd see what guest services can do, of course I don't know if I'll even have my ticket when we are at DS.
After seeing the crazy wait times this week I really want to add Genie. Seems crazy that they wouldn't want my money!
The band is marching at MK next friday. We are also receiving meal vouchers so no mobile order either I have to keep reminding myself and my daughter that we will be back again other times, but it really sucks for the kids that this is their only chance to go.

My company waits to pass out physical tickets upon arrival, but we share the ticket numbers with each guest a few days before, via our online dashboard, so that they can link them to their MDE account. The ticket cards have their names on the back.

Thank you everyone for your amazing suggestions and help. I will report back next week on what happens once I receive my tickets. And if anyone happens to be in MK next friday (3-24) the Vicksburg marching band puts on a good show!

I will be there with a choir! I've had 4 marching bands, and orchestra, and 2 choirs so far this spring, and I have 3 more marching bands to go after next week. I love my job!

Wondering if there is a way to add a meal voucher code in Mobile ordering. Wouldn't it be similar to paying with a gift card? Then again, this is Disney IT we're talking about.....

As far as I know, there are no more meal vouchers sold. Now we give the kids a Disney Dining card, which is a Disney gift card which can only be used at food and beverage locations. You can use it to pay for mobile orders, by entering (or copy/paste) the gift card number on the payment page, or scanning the barcode on the back of the card. Unfortunately, the system will not save the number, so this has to be done for each payment.


As to the original question, about Genie+, YES, once linked to MDE, student group tickets are eligible for the purchase Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. One potential issue is that the purchaser must be 18. The way our groups get around this restriction is to either have one student in the group who is over 18 purchase it for others, and they just pay them back (Venmo is awesome), or to have a parent at home go into MDE and buy it for the student, and his or her friends.

As to the PP who mentioned their under-18 year old being able to purchase it because the parent's credit card was linked, that's not typically how it works. Age is not checked on a credit card. What I suspect happened was that the student signed into MDE under the parent's profile (which is perfectly fine), so the system thought someone 18 or older was making the purchase.

 

[g-dad66]

For about a year now, groups have had the option to pay $1 extra per ticket, and have the park reservations bundled with the ticket. When Disney first reopened after Covid, we (I work for a company that creates trips for high school music groups) had to create dummy accounts

Ah, mystery solved. Thanks for explaining this!

 

[disny_luvr]

I did not read all of the responses, but when my boys went with their band last April they were able to purchase Genie+. Thank goodness because it was the week before Easter and crazy busy and I don’t think they would’ve been able to ride much without it.