Everything Genie, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane - Please Read Posts 1-7

[Betsyp]

Can you modify your booking or, did you miss the return window? It's worth asking to see if they can help you with the understanding it could go either way.

They just deleted it...they were very helpful

 

[Rags]

I am staying at Polynesian and have reservations for MAGIC Kingdom.

I wanted to pre-select my party for TRON but it isn't allowing me. I checked and it shows in my Plans that I have an active reservation for today.

Are no longer able to pre select party?

TIA

 

[MidnightMeeko]

Hours late...but I had the same issue one morning. It was a glitch. I have no idea what caused it, but it was fine again later.

 

[TinkB278]

Hi there! This is my first time using the service since they added the modify option! When I click the three dots I don’t get the modify option. Does anyone know why?

 

[PDXmouse]

Hi all, just back from a week-long trip in the heart of this past week's Spring Break crowds and can offer a few tips. Not breaking any new ground here, but as someone who considers himself an expert at using this new system there were a couple of things I learned and a few beliefs reinforced.

• Rope Drop - I am a lifelong Rope Drop evangelist and I found that it just does not really work anymore in these heavy crowd weeks. I think the word is out about the value of Rope Drop but also given the surge prices of the Genie+/ILL alternatives, it creates even more motivation for people to get there early. You just cannot get through 2-3 attractions early anymore, which drastically changes the value proposition of getting up early (especially as I have two teenage daughters). It felt that you could maybe get one thing done, even with Early Entry.
• We found Genie+ Stacking to be the absolute best strategy, hands down, especially given how rope drop was not working out. As examples, we arrived at WDW mid-day our first day and I had already stacked several rides at DHS. So we rolled into DHS around 1:00 and had SDD, TOT, TSMM and Rise already booked and ready to go. Was able to book more as well during our time there and we filled in the gaps with other things like Launch Bay, One Man's Dream, Frozen Sing-A-Long, Muppets, etc. with no waits. We basically finished that park in a half a day and that includes Fantasmic. On our second day we stacked Magic Kingdom and spent the morning relaxing at the resort and arrived around 2:00 with a number of rides already in hand and was able to continue to book more. This also worked well with park hopping. We started day 4 at Epcot and since there are only so many rides there you can Genie+, we booked and rode those early and then started stacking to MK for that evening, which we went to after a break at the resort. Same for Animal Kingdom - booked and cycled through the Safari, Everest, Lion King and Nemo and then started booking for DHS later that night and was able to get 4 more rides that night.
• Modify/Refresh is key - don't sleep on this feature, especially when stacking! Train yourself on how to do this. For a relatively small investment of time you can really arrange your day how you want/need it to be. I could continually move our bookings around to the times I needed them to be. The return time availability was always changing and we often saw rides that had no availability show times available after just a few minutes of trying. Happy to elaborate if anyone is interested in details, but I am sure it has been covered somewhere in here.
• Re: Using Genie+ for shows at Animal Kingdom - I believe I read somewhere on here that someone said not to use Genie+ for the shows - I disagree, at least for our party's purposes. The lines were enormous for the Lion King and Nemo shows. If we had not used Genie+ for them, we would have waited maybe 2 shows for them and that would have been 2+ hours. Luckily my kids were not interested in Kali River Rapids or Navi River Journey, so I could get away with this - just saying that it is something to consider on the heavy crowd days.
• If you have the means, I suggest going right to booking the ILL for Tron - I was able to easily get a booking while everyone else was trying to get Virtual Queue.

We do not normally visit at such peak crowded times, and the only way we could/would do it is with Genie+ and ILL. Expensive for sure, but the only way this would have worked for our group - we are fortunate that we can do it of course. Looking at the wait times across the parks this week, the time savings alone for what we were able to accomplish were worth the money.

So we will be going late June and overlapping over july 4th and your post has me rethinking my plans. I was going to try avoiding G+ everywhere except MK but now I’m thinking I need it? We’re in the parks 10 days. So for a family of four that could add $1200 give or take…

 

[hayesdvc]

If an individual LL next availability time shows, for example, 6 PM could that time become earlier during the day or does the availability time ONLY moves to a later time?

TIA

 

[musicguy856]

If an individual LL next availability time shows, for example, 6 PM could that time become earlier during the day or does the availability time ONLY moves to a later time?

TIA

It can move up but that is very rare.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

So we will be going late June and overlapping over july 4th and your post has me rethinking my plans. I was going to try avoiding G+ everywhere except MK but now I’m thinking I need it? We’re in the parks 10 days. So for a family of four that could add $1200 give or take…

We have been to the parks around spring break and the summer holidays and we only buy G+ for MK and DHS. We've also skipped buying it sometimes too and just decided to rope drop and/or stay till close. We never do it for Epcot or AK. It's not enough bang for our buck for us but we will do iLL$ if we decide to. However, you do have 10 park days. You could try to skip paying for G+ on your first visit to the parks and if there's something you're really itching to do, maybe you try G+ or iLL$ on your second park day if you have one scheduled. You have 10 park days, that's a long time to get stuff done.

 

[PDXmouse]

We have been to the parks around spring break and the summer holidays and we only buy G+ for MK and DHS. We've also skipped buying it sometimes too and just decided to rope drop and/or stay till close. We never do it for Epcot or AK. It's not enough bang for our buck for us but we will do iLL$ if we decide to. However, you do have 10 park days. You could try to skip paying for G+ on your first visit to the parks and if there's something you're really itching to do, maybe you try G+ or iLL$ on your second park day if you have one scheduled. You have 10 park days, that's a long time to get stuff done.

We have two days at MK. The first day we will participate in EEH. The second date is July 3rd and so crowds will be very high. Thoughts on G+ those days?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We have two days at MK. The first day we will participate in EEH. The second date is July 3rd and so crowds will be very high. Thoughts on G+ those days?

If I were you, I would wing it your first MK day and then do your second day at MK using G+. EEH will allow you to get a good amount done so long as you stay for the duration of the event. It will still be a little busy when EEH first kick off but it will empty out.

 

[SuperTink]

Hi! Oy the changes! Feeling like Rip Van Winkle, wondering if I'm too old (and tired) to schedule a DW trip with my two adult children AND one of the boydfriends. I have been reading, but you can please help with this one question regarding Genie +: Does every person on the MDE have to purchase the Genie+ or can one person, leader of pack (moi) purchase to create a plan for the group? TIA a million times!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Hi! Oy the changes! Feeling like Rip Van Winkle, wondering if I'm too old (and tired) to schedule a DW trip with my two adult children AND one of the boydfriends. I have been reading, but you can please help with this one question regarding Genie +: Does every person on the MDE have to purchase the Genie+ or can one person, leader of pack (moi) purchase to create a plan for the group? TIA a million times!

Each person who wishes to use the LL access needs to have Genie+ purchased. They can purchase it themselves if they have their own MDE account or, if all are linked to you, you can purchase and pay for all.

So in your case, if there are 4 people in your group, if each wants to ride using the Lightning Lanes, each must have G+ purchased for each day you wish to use the LL access.

 

[SuperTink]

Each person who wishes to use the LL access needs to have Genie+ purchased. They can purchase it themselves if they have their own MDE account or, if all are linked to you, you can purchase and pay for all.

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[Scalemaster34]

Just had a short weekend trip.... opted to do a Lightning Lane for RISE. Only to find a 40 minute wait, and when they let us in we bypassed the preshow and even the Transport... took us down a back hallway (not themed) and onto the Hanger Bay.

Kylo's Blade didn't come down in the elevator, the cannons didn't move (don't think the even try that anymore) and at the end the pod didn't light up with Bek.

Went to a Blue Tent but they were of no help... said we got to ride it. But it's a shame to charge a premium for something that's missing a big portion of the overall experience.

We were in line for a long time and talked with a family behind us that had never rode it before. We didn't want to spoil anything so didn't talk specifics, but really hate that was there first (and maybe only) experience with the ride.

 

[Raya]

Can someone help with Tron timing? We'll have two adults awake at 6:59. I'd like to get Tron for the evening. One person will try for the ILL$ another for the virtual queue/boarding group. If we get the Tron boarding group can we change the timing until evening?

If we can secure Tron through ILL$, I'd like to grab Tower of Terror or Expedition Everest for the afternoon. Should I start trying for them immediately after the ILL$ goes through, or keep trying for a Tron boarding group?

 

[Scalemaster34]

Can someone help with Tron timing? We'll have two adults awake at 6:59. I'd like to get Tron for the evening. One person will try for the ILL$ another for the virtual queue/boarding group. If we get the Tron boarding group can we change the timing until evening?

If we can secure Tron through ILL$, I'd like to grab Tower of Terror or Expedition Everest for the afternoon. Should I start trying for them immediately after the ILL$ goes through, or keep trying for a Tron boarding group?

With ILL$ you can select your time... it's the VQ that your pretty much stuck with what you get.

Not sure about visiting DHS, DAK and MK all in the same afternoon.... it's doable, but it will be rushed.

 

[SuperTink]

How does Genie+ or even ILL$ work with party tickets? Inactive entirely during the party hours? TIA

 

[scrappinginontario]

How does Genie+ or even ILL$ work with party tickets? Inactive entirely during the party hours? TIA

You may book an ILL$ or LL good for the hours you can enter the park until the party begins. Once the party begins these cannot be used.

 

[SuperTink]

You may book an ILL$ or LL good for the hours you can enter the park until the party begins. Once the party begins these cannot be used.

Thank you!

 

[PDXmouse]

You may book an ILL$ or LL good for the hours you can enter the park until the party begins. Once the party begins these cannot be used.

Is this true of EEH also?