Disney Genie Is Now Live Post Your Hints and Tips

[Ladyslug]

Complete access. Not having used Photopass before I downloaded each days photos to my laptop when I got back to my hotel each night as I didnt know how long they were available. I just checked now, all the photos are still in the App, even though my park days were January 30, January 31, February 2.

Photopass photos are supposed to remain available for download in your account for 45 days from the date of the picture being taken.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Photopass photos are supposed to remain available for download in your account for 45 days from the date of the picture being taken.

Thanks, this was my first time using photopass, so I wasnt sure how long they would stay

 

[DisneyAndreaM]

When we went to DLR last summer, they gave us a ticket printed on a little 2x4 souvenir card even though we scanned in with our phone app. Do they still give that out @superdeluxe? If so, that little card would be sufficient for your uncle to get back in, @sddc, if he doesn't have or want to keep his phone on him

They’re still giving out the card passes, so he can use that. (Got one yesterday)

 

[Piglet99645]

Sorry if this has been answered but I don't have time to read 22 pages right now! The app is not letting me see my second park to make selections for a future reservation. I can fiddle around all I want for Disneyland in May (I understand it cannot really do me any good until the day of), but I can't figure out how to toggle to CA.

I'm starting to worry I booked a single park with my parkhoppers. Is it possible to make that mistake? (I don't think it is.)

 

[JohnR5101]

Sorry if this has been answered but I don't have time to read 22 pages right now! The app is not letting me see my second park to make selections for a future reservation. I can fiddle around all I want for Disneyland in May (I understand it cannot really do me any good until the day of), but I can't figure out how to toggle to CA.

I'm starting to worry I booked a single park with my parkhoppers. Is it possible to make that mistake? (I don't think it is.)

You don't book a second park. Just know that you can hop at 1:00

 

[soniam]

I'm going to admit I have not read through this whole thread. I've used genie at WDW really successfully (and stressfully!). I understand the differences at Disneyland. So the concepts and such isn't new to me.

are there any really good posts/blogs you have found about the order of rides to book at Disneyland? We won't have hoppers but have 5 days of genie+. I'm looking for some good play by plays of folks who have used genie+ with rope drop. I'm not too worried as I can navigate myself around a Disney park, but I always like to have a general plan in place.

I didn't see this answered. I haven't been to DLR since 2019, but I am going in June. However, on our previous trips, the Fantasyland stuff in DL park gets long waits. They are not on G+ or ILL. GE is probably next, but Smugglers is on G+. The mountains, Matterhorn, Space, Splash, and Big Thunder, also get long waits but are also on G+. Indiana Jones can also get long waits about like the mountains; it's on G+. HM, pirates, and JC are probably next. HM and JC have G+, and pirates is currently closed for refurb. JC doesn't seem to be as long as WDW JC waits currently though. Star Tours and Buzz are about on par with Adventureland, except Indy. Nemo subs can be long. That's pretty much the order for DL park. Pooh is rarely long, even though the waits get long at WDW.

At DCA, Web Slingers is very long but has ILL. Cars Land and Mission Breakout are long but have G+ or ILL. Incredicoaster and Soarin' are next; both with G+. The ferris wheel can get long sometimes and doesn't have G+. Toy Story isn't bad, especially compared to WDW, and has G+. Everything is minimal.

If any of this is inaccurate for current times, please correct. Thanks

 

[Piglet99645]

You don't book a second park. Just know that you can hop at 1:00

Thanks. But will Genie+ let me make plans for the day? Or do I have to be in the park first?

 

[JohnR5101]

Thanks. But will Genie+ let me make plans for the day? Or do I have to be in the park first?

Yes, it will. I just tried it for my first reservation day of May 1. I can make "Plans" using the Genie. I can tell it which LL attractions I'm interested in. It is true that it only shows the attractions in the first park for that day. It does not show attractions in the park you can hop to.
However, be advised that this feature of telling what you are interested in is totally useless to most people. You are not actually booking the LL's. You are only telling Genie what you might like to ride. Then on that day it will try to guide you around to things you indicated. But so far the reports are that it is not really helpful at all. It sends you back and forth across the park and does not really make your day efficient.
You still can only book an LL after entering a park and choosing the next available time it shows you. Forget the basic Genie planning service. Just use Genie+ and decide for yourself where you will go next and what LL's you will book and when.
The other type of plans you can make at anytime are dining reservations. Do that on the app at 6:00 am Pacific time 60 days out before the day you want to eat (do it for each day 60 days before that day). Some reservations go quickly. If you don't get it at 60 days out, keep watching for cancellations, use one of the services that will alert you. Or on the day of, go see if there are walk ups available (often the case).

 

[Ladyslug]

Thanks. But will Genie+ let me make plans for the day? Or do I have to be in the park first?

My understanding is that if you have a parkhopper ticket, once you have scanned in to your reserved park, you can make Genie+ selections for either park, but the return times for your LL selections at the hopper park will automatically be made for return times after 1pm (and thus the 2-hour rule for the next LL booking will be in effect).

As far as Genie planning (for whatever that is worth), once you go through and select your favorite attractions and other experiences for the reserved park (or skip ahead), you should see a blue banner near the bottom of the screen (below the purple "Buy Genie+" banner) that says "Plan for Your Next Park" and you can tell it if you plan to park hop to the other park, and if so, for how long, and then go on to select top attractions/experiences there as well.

 

[JohnR5101]

As far as Genie planning (for whatever that is worth), once you go through and select your favorite attractions and other experiences for the reserved park (or skip ahead), you should see a blue banner near the bottom of the screen (below the purple "Buy Genie+" banner) that says "Plan for Your Next Park" ...

I see the "Get Disney Genie+ for Today" purple banner. But below that there is only:
"Is Anything Missing?" and
"Need Help?"

I don't see plan for your next park. I do have hoppers and I also purchased tickets with G+ on them. And this is for a future date. Can you only see the next park on the day you are there and in the first park?
But in any case, I find the Genie plans to be lame.

 

[GBRforWDW]

I see the "Get Disney Genie+ for Today" purple banner. But below that there is only:
"Is Anything Missing?" and
"Need Help?"

I don't see plan for your next park. I do have hoppers and I also purchased tickets with G+ on them. And this is for a future date. Can you only see the next park on the day you are there and in the first park?
But in any case, I find the Genie plans to be lame.

Have you made park reservations? If so, try changing the date to the day of your reservation.

 

[Ladyslug]

Have you made park reservations? If so, try changing the date to the day of your reservation.

This. The blue banner only shows up if I have selected one of the dates for which I have a reservation. I also think the Genie plans are lame (but I wasn't sure which info you were interested in).

 

[KaystotheKingdom]

So- this is our one and done trip to Disneyland, I had decided we would do genie plus and not worry about it. Im dealing now my son cannot ride the majority of the eligible rides as he is 3. My daughter, husband and I can.

Do we just skip it for him?

How does rider swap work with this? If I rode with my daughter, and then my husband wanted to ride with my daughter is that allowable, or is one of us always going to end up riding alone while the other 3 wait.

Thanks!

 

[chezcurrie]

So- this is our one and done trip to Disneyland, I had decided we would do genie plus and not worry about it. Im dealing now my son cannot ride the majority of the eligible rides as he is 3. My daughter, husband and I can.

Do we just skip it for him?

How does rider swap work with this? If I rode with my daughter, and then my husband wanted to ride with my daughter is that allowable, or is one of us always going to end up riding alone while the other 3 wait.

Thanks!

Rider Swap works as before - up to 2 people can re-ride with the person stayin back with the non rider. This was our experience in Dec 2021. We did still purchase Genie+ for our 5 year old as there were things we wanted to do as a family (Haunted Mansion, Toy Story, etc etc etc so for me it was *worth* the $20 for him for lack of lines (and not to mention the number of re-rides my older 2 got over the course of the day!)

 

[xipotec]

Thanks, this was my first time using photopass, so I wasnt sure how long they would stay

You need to remember the G+ Photopass is NOT automatic, as the WDW one is with the Magic Bands.

When you leave a ride, you need to look for your picture and enter the number of the picture into your app. Or better yet, take a screenshot of the number and enter it in later.
If you do not, you will have no photos.

 

[Federalist45]

So- this is our one and done trip to Disneyland, I had decided we would do genie plus and not worry about it. Im dealing now my son cannot ride the majority of the eligible rides as he is 3. My daughter, husband and I can.

Do we just skip it for him?

How does rider swap work with this? If I rode with my daughter, and then my husband wanted to ride with my daughter is that allowable, or is one of us always going to end up riding alone while the other 3 wait.

Thanks!

If this is really a once in a lifetime trip, Disneyland is way more fun & rewarding with an adventurous 5 year old than with a 3 year old.

 

[kpd6901]

So, first trip since 2019 (family of 5). Last visit, we used Maxpass and we loved it so much better than the WDW FP+, even though FP+ was free and we paid for Maxpass. From everything I had read when Disney announced Genie+, it was a huge change for WDW, but I didn't see any huge difference from what DL already had had. The only things I saw was that the free paper ticket option (which we weren't using anyway) went away and was our Maxpass an extra $15/20...minimal price difference if any, in addition to the change where there is ILL selections for the "fancy rides", where Maxpass was for every available ride. Now, for us, we would be utilizing DAS as well, so that would be the means for us to work through those via virtual standby. At WDW, we had purchased Memory Maker for our pics, but pics being included at DL, that seems like a no-brainer to me.....unless I'm missing something.

Did someone say earlier in the thread that there is a photo pass package available for a week stay? I wasn't aware of that. Does that get added to our vacation package thru the TA, or do we add that in the app....if we choose this instead of the G+.

Thanks!

 

[mom2rtk]

So, first trip since 2019 (family of 5). Last visit, we used Maxpass and we loved it so much better than the WDW FP+, even though FP+ was free and we paid for Maxpass. From everything I had read when Disney announced Genie+, it was a huge change for WDW, but I didn't see any huge difference from what DL already had had. The only things I saw was that the free paper ticket option (which we weren't using anyway) went away and was our Maxpass an extra $15/20...minimal price difference if any, in addition to the change where there is ILL selections for the "fancy rides", where Maxpass was for every available ride. Now, for us, we would be utilizing DAS as well, so that would be the means for us to work through those via virtual standby. At WDW, we had purchased Memory Maker for our pics, but pics being included at DL, that seems like a no-brainer to me.....unless I'm missing something.

Did someone say earlier in the thread that there is a photo pass package available for a week stay? I wasn't aware of that. Does that get added to our vacation package thru the TA, or do we add that in the app....if we choose this instead of the G+.

Thanks!

One big difference is the lack of re-rides.

 

[Kerr84]

So, first trip since 2019 (family of 5). Last visit, we used Maxpass and we loved it so much better than the WDW FP+, even though FP+ was free and we paid for Maxpass. From everything I had read when Disney announced Genie+, it was a huge change for WDW, but I didn't see any huge difference from what DL already had had. The only things I saw was that the free paper ticket option (which we weren't using anyway) went away and was our Maxpass an extra $15/20...minimal price difference if any, in addition to the change where there is ILL selections for the "fancy rides", where Maxpass was for every available ride. Now, for us, we would be utilizing DAS as well, so that would be the means for us to work through those via virtual standby. At WDW, we had purchased Memory Maker for our pics, but pics being included at DL, that seems like a no-brainer to me.....unless I'm missing something.

Did someone say earlier in the thread that there is a photo pass package available for a week stay? I wasn't aware of that. Does that get added to our vacation package thru the TA, or do we add that in the app....if we choose this instead of the G+.

Thanks!

And at DL, the rides do not sell out by 10:00am. You can actually get a LL for big rides all day long.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Does anyone have experience booking LLs for large groups? We have 7 in our family, but are also traveling with a family of 6. The youngest two won't be tall enough for some of the LL rides, but even with just 4 that would put us at 11. Will it let us book for all 11 or should we book separately as individual families and just hope they are close to the same time?