The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[GBRforWDW]

Did you see this article? https://insidethemagic.net/2021/12/disney-genie-plus-malfunction-guests-irate-ad1/

Apparently one person on twitter from the central time zone equates to guests being irate. Got to love journalism. I had to leave a comment on that one.

Bahaha thanks. I did not see that. I also blasted that account last week for linking to a Disneyland article from 2020 to talk about new information regarding the Magic Kingdom fire last week

 

[conniehar90]

G+ Newbie here - have scrolled through a few pages of this long thread. Looking to purchase G+ for EP on the 28th and MK on the 30th for my son and gf. They may RD EP but they will probably show up late to MK on the 30th since it is open until 1am and we live an hour away. If I go on at 7am will I be given morning options and I just keep refreshing for later times? They will not be purchasing any ILLs. I appreciate any advice. I am a Disney veteran but this is all new to me!

I agree with whoever said this makes standby waits worse than with FP. We went last week with no G+ and got in line for HM at a 45 minute posted time and it was 90 minutes until we got out. Not liking this one bit!

Thanks!

 

[GBRforWDW]

If I go on at 7am will I be given morning options and I just keep refreshing for later times?

With Genie+, they do not allow you to choose a time yourself, that being said, if they can watch the app for a few minutes at 7am, jungle cruise and possibly Peter Pan will make it into afternoon time slots fairly quick. With the park opening at 9am, they won’t be able to select next ride until 11 anyway, so might as well sit on the selection until the time is good. So yes, just keep refreshing to get to your time

 

[kboo]

December 20 - first attempt at ILL/G+ (HS)
minutes before 7A, DH and I are trying to get to the page to book ILL/G+ and it defaults to MK, signs us out, all sorts of shenanigans, even though we THOUGHT we’d gotten it all set up last night.

after several seconds he gets ILL for RotR. For 7pm. We have a dinner reservation at EP. …
I’m shut out of SDD but get MFSR at 12:45.
we attempt to RD, actually enter the park around 7:40am
Head directly to SDD which the kids love.
60 min wait (posted 70)
“Can’t book next LL until 10:30” … it is now about 8:45 and lines are loooong everywhere.
TSMM ~45 min SB?
AS2 ~35 min SB?
I started watching LL availability around 10:25 to see what I should book at 10:30; around then the return times for the other popular rides started going into the afternoon since we had a dinner reservation at EP.
booked an 11am Star Tours LL (posted wait ~35-45) and walked right on after AS2, got to lunch early at 11:45 and we were all exhausted and hangry.

we did 4 rides in 4 hours.
after star tours and MFSR, though we did manage to stack 3 EP LL (Soarin, SE, the seas) for the 80 minutes before our dinner reservation. But because we napped/rested and it takes a while to get kids up and showered, we only had a half hour and ended up only riding Soarin. Then dinner, then hoofed it back to HS for RotR.

it was a lot more running around than we did in the days of FP or standby days earlier in the pandemic, but given the crowds today I guess it wasn’t too bad. For $15pp for G+ we rode star tours, MFSR and Soarin without much of a wait, and if we’d been more organized ourselves we could have gone on SE and the seas. And this was with two ADRs, one in HS and one in EP. All in all, a good but tiring day. I *think* I now have a better plan for tomorrow.

 

[Madame]

RD’d DHS this morning. Got here at 7:15. Tip board defaulted to MK this morning and had erased my priority selections.

Only SDD was late PM when we have a Planet Hollywood reservation. I didn’t take anything and about 7:13 SDD popped for 10 so snagged it.

In line for Rise. Wait says 180. Been 1/2 hr so far. Will report back with actual wait.

I am pining for FP - we wanted to sleep in after our party last night but it’s just not possible if you want to ride more than a couple rides. Not the thread for this but as a family stuck with the busiest times to visit… we are seriously not impressed. DAK tomorrow and we’ll have to do it all again

Update: Rise took a bit over 2 hrs from getting in line to getting out. SDD at 10:00 took under 5 mins but I couldn’t get anything before an 11:40 TSMM so we did ST standby and then TSMM.

We had MM lunch at 12:30 and I kept refreshing for about an hour for ToT (8pm and beyond available only) and MMRR (sold out) and ST (4pm and out only). We ended up leaving after lunch around 1:30.

Had we arrived earlier we might have gotten more rides standby without an 80 min wait, but it wouldn’t have changed the fact that we could only get 2 G+ without staying open to close and that is not how we tour.

I tried to purchase Rise after being unsuccessful getting SDD right at 7, but again, times were only offered at 7pm and beyond. I canceled the very few dining reservations we had - it’s too difficult with this floating G+, no guarantee of return time.

The stress this is causing in the mornings (sitting here again while everyone else sleeps) does not make for a relaxing vacation for whichever parent is tasked with securing rides.

 

[wisblue]

Did you see this article? https://insidethemagic.net/2021/12/disney-genie-plus-malfunction-guests-irate-ad1/

Apparently one person on twitter from the central time zone equates to guests being irate. Got to love journalism. I had to leave a comment on that one.

Especially since the problem was corrected within about 15 minutes.

That is also an example of a headline writer not exactly capturing the point of the article.

 

[Juventus]

A couple questions:

1) when on the tip board at 7:00am, if I click on the attraction too early (before 7:00), can I simply click the back button on my phone (android) and reclick the attraction (or once back on the tip board do I have to pull down to refresh)

2) is the above procedure (tapping back and immediately reclicking) what people are doing throughout the day if they are looking for alternate G+ return times?

3) if I don't start my day at Epcot, is $ILL the only way to ride it?

 

[Mome Rath]

A couple questions:

1) when on the tip board at 7:00am, if I click on the attraction too early (before 7:00), can I simply click the back button on my phone (android) and reclick the attraction (or once back on the tip board do I have to pull down to refresh)

If I remember correctly, I just hit the back button. If you click on the attraction, it will refresh for the next page. I will add that the app was glitchy as far as not always loading the same, or smoothly, so just be prepared for that. I assume it is because the number of people on there at the same time.

2) is the above procedure (tapping back and immediately reclicking) what people are doing throughout the day if they are looking for alternate G+ return times?

The app seemed to refresh more on its own than in the past, so through the day when you open the tip board, or look at your plans or click on an attraction, it kept refreshing on its own. Trying to look at the lay of the land through the day, I just would click on the tip board to refresh the time. Or, you can click on the individual attraction and it should update the time when it opens.

3) if I don't start my day at Epcot, is $ILL the only way to ride it?

I think you are asking about Rat? Yes, if you want VQ chances, your park reservation has to be at EPCOT. If you are hopping to EPCOT, you need ILL$ to ride Rat, as there is no stand-by.

 

[KLK622]

I put this in another thread, but thought I would share here also about Genie+ at HS on a busy day now that MMRR is an option:

Just wanted to report that I was able to book MMRR for my second Genie+ selection on 12/20…I booked Slinky at 7 am for 1:15-2:15 and then at 10:30 I was able to get MMRR for 6:20-7:20. I was able to get TSMM at 12:30 for 6:55-7:55. The park was busy (touring plans had it as an 8) so I was pleasantly surprised. Also ROTR was still available for booking right after I did Slinky Dog.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Have an Animal Kingdom reservation today. FoP passes ran out at 7:58, just before offsite guests were able to book, so thought I missed out, but just after 9am, several slots between 11 and 1 opened up! We're not there yet, decided to let the storms pass a bit. Hopefully the afternoon storms aren't too crazy.

 

[Delilah1310]

Saturday, Dec 18 - 2 adults, 1 teen

Kiddo and I both on phone at 7 am, same MDE account

Kiddo got a SDD Genie+ for 10:30-11:30
I got RoTR ILL$ for 11:40-12:40
And then I got a MMRR ILL$ for 10:55-11:55

So we felt pretty good about how the timing worked out.

Arrived at park at 8 am
Rode Tot standby
Rode RRC standby
Kiddo’s magic band came off on RRC so we made a detour up to guest services
Rode TSMM standby

Used SSD genie+
Got Star Tours genie+
Made mobile order lunch ressie for 11:30
Used mmRR ILL$
Used Star Tours genie+
Got test track genie+ for 7:25

Went to ride Rise after lunch but it went down

So we took break back at hotel.
Returned around 4:15 for Rise
Then left for dinner ressies at Epcot 6:15 and barely made it
Could have used TT genie+ but we were exhausted

2 ILL$
3 genie + rides
3 standby

We did not do everything possible … we prioritized favorites and went at a relaxed pace.

Other days we have wanted a later start so picked our genie+ or a ILL$ and worked around it.

Yes we are only getting a max of 3 or so genie+ rides (we could get more but we are not interested in some of the remaining options)

For us - for the crowds we have this week - we found genie+ plus worth it for having a favorite ride or two locked in. But we are not trying to do it all.

 

[brockash]

Update: Rise took a bit over 2 hrs from getting in line to getting out. SDD at 10:00 took under 5 mins but I couldn’t get anything before an 11:40 TSMM so we did ST standby and then TSMM.

We had MM lunch at 12:30 and I kept refreshing for about an hour for ToT (8pm and beyond available only) and MMRR (sold out) and ST (4pm and out only). We ended up leaving after lunch around 1:30.

Had we arrived earlier we might have gotten more rides standby without an 80 min wait, but it wouldn’t have changed the fact that we could only get 2 G+ without staying open to close and that is not how we tour.

I tried to purchase Rise after being unsuccessful getting SDD right at 7, but again, times were only offered at 7pm and beyond. I canceled the very few dining reservations we had - it’s too difficult with this floating G+, no guarantee of return time.

The stress this is causing in the mornings (sitting here again while everyone else sleeps) does not make for a relaxing vacation for whichever parent is tasked with securing rides.

What time did you get in line for RotR? Was this at rope drop? 2 hrs just seems so long...unless did you not have early entry?

 

[Madame]

What time did you get in line for RotR? Was this at rope drop? 2 hrs just seems so long...unless did you not have early entry?

We arrived at 7:15 (EE). The CM at the end of the line said about 2 hrs and was spot on - that line twisted all over the place, through the Muppets backstage area at one point. The constant shuffling made my feet and back ache. It was pretty miserable. I won’t ride again without LL access. We gave in and paid for FOP this morning so we could sleep in a bit.

 

[cubed]

Will it be impossible to get anything next week, when crowds are at max capacity? We have reservations for MK on 12/31 and AK for 1/1 and staying offsite. This is a super last minute trip and I am still scrambling to get my ILs park reservations for the same days. We've done peak capacity days for years with the FPP system and no issues, but I am so afraid we will only end up on two or three rides this time. Argh.

 

[wiggy500]

Especially since the problem was corrected within about 15 minutes.

That is also an example of a headline writer not exactly capturing the point of the article.

And also it wasn't actually a "problem" and instead was a common occurrence of popular lightning lanes not lasting very long and then popping back up a few minutes later. Maybe the headline could have been "One Person In Nebraska Notices Something Not Too Surprising?"

 

[brockash]

We arrived at 7:15 (EE). The CM at the end of the line said about 2 hrs and was spot on - that line twisted all over the place, through the Muppets backstage area at one point. The constant shuffling made my feet and back ache. It was pretty miserable. I won’t ride again without LL access. We gave in and paid for FOP this morning so we could sleep in a bit.

Wow, so you were in the park 45 mins. before early entry "started" and it took 2 hours to get through the ride...ughh does not sound fun at all. I wonder what time the first 100 guests or so showed up today...so crazy...thanks for the info. and good luck with the rest of your trip!

 

[Madame]

Wow, so you were in the park 45 mins. before early entry "started" and it took 2 hours to get through the ride...ughh does not sound fun at all. I wonder what time the first 100 guests or so showed up today...so crazy...thanks for the info. and good luck with the rest of your trip!

No. EE started at 7 but I was too focused on trying to get an SDD G+ to properly make my way to the back quickly. Both things were happening simultaneously and we weren’t at the front of the EE crowd anyway. I should have focused on one or the other but Disney had us doing both at once.

 

[brockash]

No. EE started at 7 but I was too focused on trying to get an SDD G+ to properly make my way to the back quickly. Both things were happening simultaneously and we weren’t at the front of the EE crowd anyway. I should have focused on one or the other but Disney had us doing both at once.

Oh, I thought I saw EE was 830 this morning...yikes yeah 7am EE and 7am booking is tough.

 

[princesswahooey]

Not sure if you've followed in the past but wanted to give you a heads up that your Remy BG return time will likely be pushed back numerous times. Many report it gets pushed out by hours. Not the news you want to hear but just something to keep in mind.
Multiple people can be signed into the same account.

Amazingly, Remy worked out perfectly, (although tight.) We had an ADR at 1, so was actually hoping it would get pushed out a bit. But it stayed the same! Luckily we were still able to eat and get back to Remy and tap on just a few minutes before our call back window expired. Figures the one day they stay on schedule.

 

[Disturbia]

Not sure if you've followed in the past but wanted to give you a heads up that your Remy BG return time will likely be pushed back numerous times. Many report it gets pushed out by hours. Not the news you want to hear but just something to keep in mind.
Multiple people can be signed into the same account.

All 11 can be linked in one account (only those linked in the friends and family list and with same? tickets would get a pass-everyone needs park hopper to get park2 pass) I believe and then multiple people can log in and get try to get a pass/BG and it would grab it for all. Sometimes times do get pushed out or even earlier than displayed as Genie+ tries to not conflict with ADRs (showed 11 am but gave us 9 am ROTR due to Oga’s ADR conflict-party of 4 riders; so 11 might make it harder to get earlier times).

Check height restrictions and deselect anyone who doesn’t meet height requirements