Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[BioInfoLib]

Can i ask where you stayed? thank you

Fort Wilderness cabin.

 

[boop0524]

So I just watched the Dis video from the Christmas party we were at where Rhyno was shoved, and I totally felt for him. The amount of rudeness this trip was incredible. I got yelled at by a guy in Epcot while trying to figure out how to exit the park. Walking into HS someone was rude to us, leaving HS my nephew got yelled at by a lady. In a separate incident in HS, someone almost backed into me with their scooter. No apologies.

After encountering the guy in Epcot, it took me several minutes to snap out of it. You know, being rude is a choice. When the parks are crowded we’re all just trying to move around and do our best.

Again, apologies for my negativity but this trip was not the same Disney for us.

 

[cjlong88]

Saturday 11/13

Woke up at 6:55 am. Purchased LL for Rise and Remy. Booked our first G+ (SDD in the evening). Breakfast at Ale & Compass — wonderful food and service! We got into Epcot before ETPE and the attractions were already open. Rode Soarin’ with a 15 minute wait and then ate and drank our way around World Showcase. During that time we booked more LL’s for HS (MFSR, RnRC, ToT, TSM) every two hours per the 120-minute rule.

Took a nap at the hotel. Had a lazy afternoon before grabbing a cocktail at one of the hotel bars and heading to the skyliner. Rode it to HS where we rode all of the attractions via LL. Grateful we stacked over the course of the morning and afternoon because by the time we got there all of the high-demand attractions had no LL availability (BUT, if you refresh the tip board you may see a last minute cancellation and be able to snag it…very similar to the refresh method during the FP+ days of old).

Walked back to Epcot to enjoy dinner at La Hacienda. Watched Harmonious afterwards — absolutely loved. The music was spectacular and I love how they utilized the fireworks so it didn’t overpower or take away from the water/light display on the barges. Walked in thinking I would hate it based on reactions on the boards, but I would definitely watch again. The new lighting on the EPCOT ball….SO COOL! I could have watched that all night. Walked back to the Swan and dozed right off.

Sunday 11/14

Decided not to rope drop AK. Woke up and booked FoP and Navi on Genie+. Got to AK and grabbed some breakfast before strolling into Pandora. Rode both attractions. Everest was down so we walked to Dinosaur and used G+ for that. Just as we were walking back towards Everest it was open again. Hopped in line with a 5 minute wait. When we left it was 50 minutes. That is some luck!

Walked to Nomad Lounge early and got a spot at the bar. I had one too many. It was wonderful. Headed back to Epcot at 2pm for some last minute eats and drinks. Snagged a last-minute cancellation for Test Track while in Canada and was able to ride that. We are en route to the airport now.

Final Thoughts:

This was a much-needed break from life. Husband and I had a blast and can’t wait to return.

I think Genie+ is as valuable as its user. I can see it being the most valuable for those who choose to park hop, stack rides for the evening, don’t mind refreshing here or there, etc. Stacking in the evening was so nice — we walked into HS at 5pm with 6 LL attractions (one was an ILL$). That made for an awesome evening, and that also meant our pace in the morning and afternoon was more relaxed.

At first I was frustrated with Genie+ but after learning how to navigate it, I became much better quickly and figured out how to maximize it. Overall, I don’t think I would buy it for my entire length of stay, just those few days where I want to focus on riding my highest-priority attractions.

I found I was on my phone less, especially when booking rides for the evening. The 120-minute rule helped with that. At first I was irked that I couldn’t modify an existing reservation, but that meant I just had to pick what I wanted and then I could put my phone away. I could see that if you started in the morning, you would potentially spend more time on your phone overall, especially at MK and HS.

It was crowded. Lines were long for everything including food booths in WS. We still had a great time and felt like the parks are moving closer to normal. Epcot had more live entertainment and not having to wear masks while outdoors was great.

 

[kappyfamily]

Saturday 11/13

Woke up at 6:55 am. Purchased LL for Rise and Remy. Booked our first G+ (SDD in the evening). Breakfast at Ale & Compass — wonderful food and service! We got into Epcot before ETPE and the attractions were already open. Rode Soarin’ with a 15 minute wait and then ate and drank our way around World Showcase. During that time we booked more LL’s for HS (MFSR, RnRC, ToT, TSM) every two hours per the 120-minute rule.

Took a nap at the hotel. Had a lazy afternoon before grabbing a cocktail at one of the hotel bars and heading to the skyliner. Rode it to HS where we rode all of the attractions via LL. Grateful we stacked over the course of the morning and afternoon because by the time we got there all of the high-demand attractions had no LL availability (BUT, if you refresh the tip board you may see a last minute cancellation and be able to snag it…very similar to the refresh method during the FP+ days of old).

Walked back to Epcot to enjoy dinner at La Hacienda. Watched Harmonious afterwards — absolutely loved. The music was spectacular and I love how they utilized the fireworks so it didn’t overpower or take away from the water/light display on the barges. Walked in thinking I would hate it based on reactions on the boards, but I would definitely watch again. The new lighting on the EPCOT ball….SO COOL! I could have watched that all night. Walked back to the Swan and dozed right off.

Sunday 11/14

Decided not to rope drop AK. Woke up and booked FoP and Navi on Genie+. Got to AK and grabbed some breakfast before strolling into Pandora. Rode both attractions. Everest was down so we walked to Dinosaur and used G+ for that. Just as we were walking back towards Everest it was open again. Hopped in line with a 5 minute wait. When we left it was 50 minutes. That is some luck!

Walked to Nomad Lounge early and got a spot at the bar. I had one too many. It was wonderful. Headed back to Epcot at 2pm for some last minute eats and drinks. Snagged a last-minute cancellation for Test Track while in Canada and was able to ride that. We are en route to the airport now.

Final Thoughts:

This was a much-needed break from life. Husband and I had a blast and can’t wait to return.

I think Genie+ is as valuable as its user. I can see it being the most valuable for those who choose to park hop, stack rides for the evening, don’t mind refreshing here or there, etc. Stacking in the evening was so nice — we walked into HS at 5pm with 6 LL attractions (one was an ILL$). That made for an awesome evening, and that also meant our pace in the morning and afternoon was more relaxed.

At first I was frustrated with Genie+ but after learning how to navigate it, I became much better quickly and figured out how to maximize it. Overall, I don’t think I would buy it for my entire length of stay, just those few days where I want to focus on riding my highest-priority attractions.

I found I was on my phone less, especially when booking rides for the evening. The 120-minute rule helped with that. At first I was irked that I couldn’t modify an existing reservation, but that meant I just had to pick what I wanted and then I could put my phone away. I could see that if you started in the morning, you would potentially spend more time on your phone overall, especially at MK and HS.

It was crowded. Lines were long for everything including food booths in WS. We still had a great time and felt like the parks are moving closer to normal. Epcot had more live entertainment and not having to wear masks while outdoors was great.

First of all, thank you again for a great review. I've been following what you have been saying. We've done Disney many times but I'm just driving myself crazy with what to do. We have a hotel reservation at Swan Reserve and another at the new JW Marriott (they have shuttles you reserve to take you straight to the parks). We know they will both be new and beautiful. My hesitation is offisite vs onsite. We have our 20 year old daughter with us and she says she will do some early mornings but not really wanting to do the 7:30am early entry days (I could probably talk her into it). My question is : in regards to Genie+ and the paid rides, is it worth $700 more to stay at Swan Reserve? We will be there the 20th-26th and we know it will be crazy. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I know I am WAY overthinking this........ I have until tomorrow evening to cancel one of them. thanks again

 

[tsme]

I’m trying so hard not to get discouraged, but am finding it difficult. We’re AP & usually go twice a year & LOVE Disney. But I’m think the whole Genie +, LL, ILL is so confusing & annoying (not to mention the cost sucks). We have a trip booked for January, so I’m trying to read everyone’s opinions and experiences. I’m just struggling. And I know no one cares if we don’t like it, understand it, or never go back, heck I don’t think Disney even cares any bit if they lose people like me & my DH. But the truth is I don’t want to give up on Disney. So is dealing with the new system that confusing, annoying, exasperating as most reviews say. Really needing some positive feedback. TIA

 

[Kjdisney]

First of all, thank you again for a great review. I've been following what you have been saying. We've done Disney many times but I'm just driving myself crazy with what to do. We have a hotel reservation at Swan Reserve and another at the new JW Marriott (they have shuttles you reserve to take you straight to the parks). We know they will both be new and beautiful. My hesitation is offisite vs onsite. We have our 20 year old daughter with us and she says she will do some early mornings but not really wanting to do the 7:30am early entry days (I could probably talk her into it). My question is : in regards to Genie+ and the paid rides, is it worth $700 more to stay at Swan Reserve? We will be there the 20th-26th and we know it will be crazy. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I know I am WAY overthinking this........ I have until tomorrow evening to cancel one of them. thanks again

I was in a similar position when planning our trip for my husband and I. I ultimately chose the Swan Reserve, mainly for the walking access to Epcot, HS and the boardwalk. After reading so many trip reviews, I think having the option of early hours/extended hours will be nice if we can’t get on everything we want during regular hours. I won’t even consider changing now that it seems to be the only way to get the ROTR ILL$, which we both want to experience, but wouldn’t wait in a long SB line.
We would have saved less than $700, it was only about $380 difference for us, but I think considering we only go every few years, I would even pay the $700. I wouldn’t if we went to WDW more often.

 

[boop0524]

I’m trying so hard not to get discouraged, but am finding it difficult. We’re AP & usually go twice a year & LOVE Disney. But I’m think the whole Genie +, LL, ILL is so confusing & annoying (not to mention the cost sucks). We have a trip booked for January, so I’m trying to read everyone’s opinions and experiences. I’m just struggling. And I know no one cares if we don’t like it, understand it, or never go back, heck I don’t think Disney even cares any bit if they lose people like me & my DH. But the truth is I don’t want to give up on Disney. So is dealing with the new system that confusing, annoying, exasperating as most reviews say. Really needing some positive feedback. TIA

I admit our trip this past week was frustrating and our experience with G+ wasn’t the greatest. We knew all the tricks and how to use the system, but being offsite combined with mass amounts of people was just a bad combo for us. Your experience may be very different, so don’t lose faith! I think the thing with G+ to keep in mind is you just have to roll with it. There’s so many things outside of your control, you have to just do the best you can. That’s my biggest takeaway. Sometimes it works great, sometimes not, and you really can’t predict how it will turn out. But no matter what, there is always magic to be found at Disney, you just have to look for it

 

[coolbrook]

Curious how long you waited in VQ line? Trying to decide if it is worth it with a toddler...

Not the OP but we waited about 20 minutes in VQ line. Then we rode right after with our ILL and sailed right in. We liked that better, but it was fun to ride twice in a row and notice things we missed the first time.

 

[cjlong88]

First of all, thank you again for a great review. I've been following what you have been saying. We've done Disney many times but I'm just driving myself crazy with what to do. We have a hotel reservation at Swan Reserve and another at the new JW Marriott (they have shuttles you reserve to take you straight to the parks). We know they will both be new and beautiful. My hesitation is offisite vs onsite. We have our 20 year old daughter with us and she says she will do some early mornings but not really wanting to do the 7:30am early entry days (I could probably talk her into it). My question is : in regards to Genie+ and the paid rides, is it worth $700 more to stay at Swan Reserve? We will be there the 20th-26th and we know it will be crazy. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I know I am WAY overthinking this........ I have until tomorrow evening to cancel one of them. thanks again

Personally I think being on-site was a huge advantage. The early theme park entry can be a tremendous asset to families that plan to rope drop. Being able to book our first LL each day also means we got first pick of the litter.

For us the location alone makes Swolphin worth the $$. Being able to walk to two parks AND get early access (and extra time at MK and Epcot on select nights) nowadays seems like a great deal to me. But that’s not true for everyone.

Do what makes you happier and less stressed. We were reminded this weekend why we love the Boardwalk area so much.

 

[JK World]

Here now, just wanted to share some thoughts. Just me and my 6yo (turning 7 tomorrow!), got here Wed and headed straight to HS from the airport (arrived around 2pm). Purchased Genie+ and started booking LL at 6am CST, even paid for WiFi on the plane to book 2 more, lol. So we had Slinky Dog, Millennium Falcon, and Toy Story Mania booked before arrival, plus I purchased MMRR. ROTR was sold out by the time I could purchase (staying off-site).

Pouring rain when we arrived, made me hopeful for shorter lines (didn't happen). Our ride reservations didn't start until around 5pm, so we just tried for short lines until then. Did Star Tours, MuppetVision, and Slinky Dog standby because TP said it was only a 15 minute wait (posted around 40). TP was wrong, which is an ongoing theme for us, their times have been way lower than what we experience. Then it was time for MMRR, which was very cute.

Then a quick dinner at ABC Commissary (mobile order was perfect), and off to Millennium Falcon. I have never had motion sickness on a ride, but that one had me queasy and it's a one and done for me. Toured Galaxy's Edge a bit, then off to our Slinky Dog LL. Ride stopped on the part where you back up, which was interesting, but recovered after about a minute. Next was TSM, which also broke down towards the end but recovered after a few minutes. My son thought the stoppages were exciting, lol. Finished with Frozen show and headed out. Would have liked to do ROTR, but honestly don't want to dedicate another full park day to HS, feeling over it.

Today was Epcot, and TP continued to be very wrong on wait times. MDE is also very wrong, so average the 2 together and you may get close. Bought Genie+ mostly for Test Track, but then it broke down in the rain and we never got to ride it anyways. We did enjoy Nemo, Soarin, LWTL, Journey, Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Gran Fiesta, and Remy. Got boarding group 101 at 1pm, called around 5:36pm, off the ride around 7pm. As soon as it was over, my son said "well that was definitely not worth the wait..." and I completely agree with him. It was cute, but felt like a slightly better Winnie the Pooh.

Tomorrow is AK, and I will not be doing Genie+ or purchasing FOP (just gonna rope drop with my extra 30 Disney+ minutes and hope for the best). Party tomorrow night for my son's birthday, so a long but hopefully fun day!

Just got home, thought I'd share a few more thoughts from the rest of our trip!

Friday was AK, followed by the holiday party at MK. We entered AK at 7:30am due to Disney+ Day and went straight to FOP. MDE said 55 minutes, but the line moved quickly and we were off the ride in just under 45. First time on FOP and it was a lot of fun. The line is also very entertaining and plenty to look at. I realized that this is also part of what made Ratatouille a terrible wait, the line is very boring with nothing to see until the end. Next we did the Safari, danced with the African drummers, enjoyed the bird show, rode Expedition Everest, and did It's Tough to be a Bug before lunch at Pizzafari around 12:30. Used mobile ordering again, worked beautifully. Enjoyed lunch, then playtime in The Boneyard and a quick ride on Dinosaur before we left the park at 2pm for some pool time and dinner. Overall, it was fine without Genie+ or ILL$.

We entered MK for the party at 7pm and stayed until about 1:30am (we were in a ride line at 1am). I was shocked my little guy lasted that long, but it was his 7th birthday and he wanted to stay up. I did have to carry him to the car from the ferry, which was not fun! From 7pm-9pm we: visited Mickey in Town Square, rode PeopleMover, watched Enchantment while riding AstroOrbiter, did Tomorrowland Speedway and Winnie the Pooh. Party started at 9 and the snack cart lines were crazy. We decided to wait on that and hit up Little Mermaid instead. Then we grabbed cookies and hot chocolate and headed to IASW. After that the lines were gone and we went back for popcorn and bottled water. Next was Haunted Mansion, BTMR, and Pirates. We were on Jingle Cruise during the fireworks, so we didn't see much. Waits for Peter Pan and SDMT stayed over 30 minutes, so we headed to Buzz Lightyear instead and then grabbed a spot on Main Street for the 12:05am parade. Afterwards we got in line for SDMT, which was about a 45 minute wait, and that finished off the night. Good times, but you definitely have to choose between entertainment or rides. Oh, and we never found Santa or any other characters around the park.

Saturday was another MK day, but after that late night we slept in and didn't get to the park until around 2pm. I decided not to do Genie+, since we already did most of our big rides the night before. The only thing we really wanted was Splash Mountain, but it was down almost all day so we never got to ride it. We did do several things that we've never done before, like the Swiss Family Treehouse and Tom Sawyer Island. We enjoyed a few of the cavalcades, and I introduced my son to churros (he's a fan now). We also did COP, Buzz Lightyear, PeopleMover, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Mickey's Phiharmagic, and Pirates. We watched Enchantment from PeopleMover this time, and we were riding past Tinker Bell right as she flew by! We also enjoyed an early dinner at Pecos Bills, hot dogs at Casey's, and brownie sundaes at the Plaza. I meant to leave earlier, but we ended up staying until about 9:15pm. We had a nice time even without Genie+, and the TP Lines app was much better this day at helping us find low wait times.

This morning we squeezed in a quick trip to Epcot before our flight home. We only had 2 hours, and the main mission was to ride Test Track. We rope dropped and headed straight over there, the line was posted at 55 minutes and it took about 45 minutes. But another great queue made for an entertaining wait and we didn't mind at all. We wanted more churros, so a stop at the Cantina and a quick ride on Gran Fiesta finished us off. We got to wave goodbye to Mickey and Minnie on our way out!

Overall, we had fun. Genie+ was necessary at HS, but not the other parks. The only ILL$ we purchased was MMRR. I would have purchased Ratatouille if we didn't get a boarding group, and would have purchased ROTR if it hadn't sold out before off-site guests could buy it. I didn't enjoy using Genie+, the return times for rides you want are always hours away, and the only rides with close return times are the rides you don't even need Genie+ to ride (think Star Tours, Journey Into Imagination, and Barnstormer). This was my son's 4th trip (went for his 3rd, 4th, 5th, and now 7th birthdays), and it was the first time he's indicated that it was starting to feel boring. I think that's because there are no good character interactions (the meet with Mickey at Town Square was awful, they encourage you to take selfies but the CM will use your camera if you ask, but the lighting is bad and they rush you out), and the things that used to make the days more fun for us are missing (parade @ MK, Indiana Jones and Fantasmic @ HS, more entertainment @ AK). Epcot's World Showcase is so packed you can't enjoy it at all, you can't even walk around and look without being jostled (this was on a Thursday, can't imagine the weekend). We are among those planning to do other Orlando attractions next visit, with possibly one day at Epcot and one at MK, spending the rest of our vacation on Universal, the beach, and other attractions.

 

[kappyfamily]

Personally I think being on-site was a huge advantage. The early theme park entry can be a tremendous asset to families that plan to rope drop. Being able to book our first LL each day also means we got first pick of the litter.

For us the location alone makes Swolphin worth the $$. Being able to walk to two parks AND get early access (and extra time at MK and Epcot on select nights) nowadays seems like a great deal to me. But that’s not true for everyone.

Do what makes you happier and less stressed. We were reminded this weekend why we love the Boardwalk area so much.

Thank you for that! I should know this….if I’m at swan reserve, I don’t have to be at the park to start booking rides, right? So my daughter could still sleep in a bit and I can start stacking?

 

[JK World]

What is everyone’s recent experience with mobile ordering at magic kingdom?

I have a Be Our Guest reservation for lunch that day. It is pricier than I’d like to spend, and we’ve done it before, but I also don’t want to be stuck without food options/a place to sit in the park. I have a 4 year old and 1 year old. Thanks!

I didn't have any trouble with mobile ordering. I was there yesterday and was able to create an order less than 30 minutes before I wanted to eat with no issues!

 

[cjlong88]

Thank you for that! I should know this….if I’m at swan reserve, I don’t have to be at the park to start booking rides, right? So my daughter could still sleep in a bit and I can start stacking?

Correct!

 

[Jnjtrio]

Magical moments were harder to come by this trip. Partially the time period we are in but also the fact we were taking older family members and it simply did not work for genie+. We wasted money buying genie+ as it took them twice as long to be ready and leaving early. My dad wanted to take his sister who is 76 and never been to Disney, she did love FoP (sorry to anyone on the ride as she sounded like a hoot owl). It seemed really crowded, but perhaps that was just trying to herd 3 scooters around everywhere (sorry to all, especially the gentleman at soarin my aunt tried to run over).

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Just got back from a 10-day trip, with a mix of onsite and off, G+ users and non, race weekend and hard ticket after parties, rain, cold, sun, heat - it was quite a trip!

First things first, staying onsite is a huge advantage for the free transportation if you don’t have your own car or intend to rent - rideshares were difficult to come by. We stayed the first weekend at Coronado Springs which is bus-only, middle of the week offsite which required rideshares, and last weekend at Caribbean Beach which was AWESOME for the Skyliner alone - Skyliner is such a game-changer and a vast improvement over the buses this time of year.

Onsite is also a huge advantage for the early entry if your touring style always includes rope drop - they hold offsite guests at the tapstiles, so you are physically further back than before and behind quite a few onsite guests for all attractions, especially the headliners. It felt so nice to breeze right past the crowds and on to the attractions.

Genie+ was a hassle - good for the people who have figured out how to game the system with it already, but we got so frustrated at MK and HS trying to secure spots that we eventually gave up and just stuck with standby, which was perfectly fine. Wait times were way overstated - Rise posted 110, we were at the preshow/drop shop in 50, Peter Pan posted 95 we waited 40, Mine Train posted 90 we waited 19 minutes, Slinky posted 70 we waited 45 - all with line pauses to allow LL guests, but from what I can tell they’re interspersing the same # of LL and Standby as compared to the old FP+ which makes the lines move better than the old system. It’s now much easier to judge accurate wait times visually based on where the line starts. For some reason to me it felt less crowded than Spring Break but that’s just my perception.

Genie+ also necessitated a lot of criss-crossing of the parks - my in-laws used it on different days and while they were able to figure it out in the app, this was their biggest complaint.

We did the Very Merriest After Hours on Friday night and it was WAY better than the Halloween After Hours! Having that extra hour to the event was great to get more done, plus the park felt probably 70% LESS crowded because there were more parades/shows/events to keep people out of the ride lines. Everything was a walk-on, Mine Train was a 10-minute wait in the middle of it. We got a great spot for the parade right as it came down Main St. standing in front of the Bakery. I ate 3 buckets of popcorn and washed them all down with the surprisingly palatable hot chocolate and I was loving my life.

Overall a really fantastic, magical trip and I’ll be happy to NEVER pay for Genie+ again lol.

 

[DisneyGayl]

My family returned from a week-long trip to WDW on Saturday. We had great success with Genie+ and stacking after we got the hang of it! We bought Genie+ for our MK and HS days because the crowds were large, the standby lines were long, and both parks have a lot of rides. If I had to buy Genie+ for just one park it would definitely be for HS! The wait times for rides at HS were very long last week!

I woke up at 6:45 am most mornings to purchase Genie+ for the six of us and then wait for 7:00 am to make our first selection. BTW, it's important to refresh your MDE screen before 7:00 am or you won't be able to make a selection. A couple mornings our first Genie+ selection was for a time later in the morning than I wanted because the times go fast and my screen wasn't refreshed!

For stacking with Genie+, we'd book a second ride at 11:00 am and then again after we tapped the second time for the current Genie+ ride. After that, we just kept making Genie+ selections after we tapped into another ride.

I liked using Genie+ and found that it saved us A LOT of time waiting in lines. We bought ILL$ for RotR because even with rope drop, the wait times always seemed very long! We also got a BG for Remy but still had to wait about an hour for the ride.

I dislike having to pay more money for shorter wait times since the park tickets are already so expensive! However, since we only visit WDW every few years, it was worth it to get on the rides we wanted without having to wait a long time!

PS - we all loved riding on the Skyliner! It was way better than waiting for the crowded buses!

 

[kappyfamily]

Just got back from a 10-day trip, with a mix of onsite and off, G+ users and non, race weekend and hard ticket after parties, rain, cold, sun, heat - it was quite a trip!

First things first, staying onsite is a huge advantage for the free transportation if you don’t have your own car or intend to rent - rideshares were difficult to come by. We stayed the first weekend at Coronado Springs which is bus-only, middle of the week offsite which required rideshares, and last weekend at Caribbean Beach which was AWESOME for the Skyliner alone - Skyliner is such a game-changer and a vast improvement over the buses this time of year.

Onsite is also a huge advantage for the early entry if your touring style always includes rope drop - they hold offsite guests at the tapstiles, so you are physically further back than before and behind quite a few onsite guests for all attractions, especially the headliners. It felt so nice to breeze right past the crowds and on to the attractions.

Genie+ was a hassle - good for the people who have figured out how to game the system with it already, but we got so frustrated at MK and HS trying to secure spots that we eventually gave up and just stuck with standby, which was perfectly fine. Wait times were way overstated - Rise posted 110, we were at the preshow/drop shop in 50, Peter Pan posted 95 we waited 40, Mine Train posted 90 we waited 19 minutes, Slinky posted 70 we waited 45 - all with line pauses to allow LL guests, but from what I can tell they’re interspersing the same # of LL and Standby as compared to the old FP+ which makes the lines move better than the old system. It’s now much easier to judge accurate wait times visually based on where the line starts. For some reason to me it felt less crowded than Spring Break but that’s just my perception.

Genie+ also necessitated a lot of criss-crossing of the parks - my in-laws used it on different days and while they were able to figure it out in the app, this was their biggest complaint.

We did the Very Merriest After Hours on Friday night and it was WAY better than the Halloween After Hours! Having that extra hour to the event was great to get more done, plus the park felt probably 70% LESS crowded because there were more parades/shows/events to keep people out of the ride lines. Everything was a walk-on, Mine Train was a 10-minute wait in the middle of it. We got a great spot for the parade right as it came down Main St. standing in front of the Bakery. I ate 3 buckets of popcorn and washed them all down with the surprisingly palatable hot chocolate and I was loving my life.

Overall a really fantastic, magical trip and I’ll be happy to NEVER pay for Genie+ again lol.

thanks for the report back, it is appreciated! I'm trying to decide between an offisite and Swan Reserve. I have to make up my mind by tonight. The offisite I'm booked at does have a shuttle but is only a few times a day. When you say trouble with rideshare do you mind going a touch more into detail on that? We would probably be using Uber for rides a couple times a day (for breaks). thank you again! ***will add we are there for busy thanksgiving week

 

[dwonderz]

thanks for the report back, it is appreciated! I'm trying to decide between an offisite and Swan Reserve. I have to make up my mind by tonight. The offisite I'm booked at does have a shuttle but is only a few times a day. When you say trouble with rideshare do you mind going a touch more into detail on that? We would probably be using Uber for rides a couple times a day (for breaks). thank you again! ***will add we are there for busy thanksgiving week

Not the OP - but when we were down there last week (staying onsite) - we sometimes had a 15+ minute wait for our rideshare/sometimes it would notify us that there were "very limited cars" available. Also - we noticed surge pricing for the first time (previous trip we never noticed it) - one night leaving MK it soared to $40 (from the usual $9) and on the way back to the airport we paid $45 - but 10 minutes later looked again and it was at $92.

 

[kappyfamily]

Not the OP - but when we were down there last week (staying onsite) - we sometimes had a 15+ minute wait for our rideshare/sometimes it would notify us that there were "very limited cars" available. Also - we noticed surge pricing for the first time (previous trip we never noticed it) - one night leaving MK it soared to $40 (from the usual $9) and on the way back to the airport we paid $45 - but 10 minutes later looked again and it was at $92.

thank you for the quick response back!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

thanks for the report back, it is appreciated! I'm trying to decide between an offisite and Swan Reserve. I have to make up my mind by tonight. The offisite I'm booked at does have a shuttle but is only a few times a day. When you say trouble with rideshare do you mind going a touch more into detail on that? We would probably be using Uber for rides a couple times a day (for breaks). thank you again! ***will add we are there for busy thanksgiving week

dwonderz covered it but there are several times a day you’ll be waiting 15+ minutes for your ride to arrive - assuming you get connected at all. If you’re planning on using several times a day I don’t think it’s worth staying that far offsite, Swan Reserve sounds like an excellent alternative!