The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[NJlauren]

I have an MK day that will start after park hoping, so figure we arrive around 2.

However I don’t think I plan to use Genie in the morning at AK, what is a good first ride to select at 7 for MK that might have a return time of 2 or later?

It will be a few minutes after 7 as I’m going to buy ILL for FoP and Space.

 

[DiannaVM]

Here is one example. This was November 6 at Hollywood Studios:

7:05 am: Book Slinky Dog Dash for 5:25-6:25
11:00 am: Book Millenium Falcon for 4:20-5:20
1:00 pm: Book Tower of Terror for 7:30-8:30
3:00 pm: Book Rock n Roller Coaster for 6:55-7:55
5:00 pm: Could have booked Toy Story Mania for 6:30-7:30

OK, so does that mean that once you start booking, you can choose ANY return time for your Genie+ AND then you can book your ILL accordingly?

 

[Ohiostatefan606]

I have an MK day that will start after park hoping, so figure we arrive around 2.

However I don’t think I plan to use Genie in the morning at AK, what is a good first ride to select at 7 for MK that might have a return time of 2 or later?

It will be a few minutes after 7 as I’m going to buy ILL for FoP and Space.

Based on what I've read (we don't go until mid-February). If you have park hoppers and try to book a ride in the park you are hopping to, it will automatically push you after 2:00 pm. Because you won't be at that park until 2:00 or later.

 

[NJlauren]

Based on what I've read (we don't go until mid-February). If you have park hoppers and try to book a ride in the park you are hopping to, it will automatically push you after 2:00 pm. Because you won't be at that park until 2:00 or later.

now this i like!

 

[wisblue]

Our upcoming trip will be during the week leading up to Easter (Tue-Sat). I'm mentally prepared for it to be the worst crowd levels I've ever experienced so I'd love some insight for those that experienced the Christmas/New Year's crowds this year as it relates to G+. I've never been during this week of Spring Break - we had a trip in 2020 planned maximizing things like DAH and stuff, but, as you know....

Anyway, conventional wisdom here and on trusted blogs would say that G+ is not worth it for EP and AK. But for this particular week, do we think it would be worth it? Our arrival day, for example, we have a PR for EP. Maybe start stacking LLs for the day as we're en route to Orlando? (We land at MCO at 8:30 am and estimating we'd be in the parks by 11-12). In trying to maximize the stacking strategy for this busy week and I'm researching a couple of different strategies:

1. RD reserved park to get a couple of rides in using early entry and stacking afternoon/evening rides at second park (i.e the "burning the candles at both ends" plan), or
2. skipping RD altogether and only going to reserved park and stacking afternoon/evening rides while taking it easy at the resort (my kids are perplexed that I would even consider not RDing)

So question here - on this day, did you have a reservation for MK or a different park that day? Wondering how you were successful in getting only afternoon time slots. I do worry that on this busy week, if I'm going with strategy #2, LL options will run out earlier in the day and so I may not have the luxury of just waiting for the times to refresh to the afternoons. But I know if I set out to grab LL for my second park, I will only be given options after 2 pm.

Appreciate any insights and suggestions!

On that day, 4 family members were running the half marathon and I was out cheering them on at the TTC (mile 4) and Poly (Mile 8). Two of the runners didn‘t do a park that day because they were doing the marathon on Sunday. The other 2 and I had reservations at MK.

After the runners went through I walked over to MK and did a few rides before going to Disney Springs to meet the group for lunch.

Because we weren’t going to MK until later, we started making the LL reservations later in the morning as the return times moved into the 3-4 PM range: first JC, then BTMRR, then HM. We stayed at MK to see the fireworks at 8.

Genie+ allowed us to do 3 attractions that had pretty long standby lines at that time, plus Small World where the line was only about 20 minutes. We could have gotten a few more G+LL, but just opted for the Peoplemover before getting a spot for the fireworks.

That day wasn’t typical for us because we usually are at a park for early entry, but what we did at MK could also be done if you started the day at DAK or Epcot, used maybe one or two LL early there (like for the Safari, or Test Track), and then started stacking LL at MK for the afternoon and evening. There aren’t that many things at DAK and Epcot where G+LL helps that much.

I think MK is the best park for this approach because of the number of attractions. On busy days return times will obviously move into the afternoon faster, and at DHS the popular rides will run out sooner.

 

[SwanVT2]

I got it Christmas week. Worth it? Debatable, but we didn't stand in line for anything we wanted to do. Rode Navi, dinosaur and Kilimanjaro Safari as well as watched Festival of the Lion King. Could have done a few other things as well. We were in the park less than 8 hours and it was raining most of the day, so was nice in that perspective. I probably wouldn't get it at AK again unless we were going on a busy holiday week though.

We will be there Wed. 2/23. Busy time? I'm not sure?

 

[SwanVT2]

We also purchased at the end of December. I find that Genie+ (and ILL$) all come down to an individual's value of time vs. money.

We used it for Navi River Journey, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest (it was included that week). If I had to guess, we waited 20 minutes total for these rides vs. about 120 minutes in posted wait times. So we saved 100 minutes of standing in line for $30 (2 of us). We felt that was worth it. Of course there is also a "magical" feeling when you walk by all the people in the standby queue!

As far as strategy, I think stacking is hard here and would just book one early and just grab one at a time. If you wait two hours between, pickings could get slim in this park.

So once I use it for a ride, I can automatically book the next ride, right? Thank you!

 

[Ohiostatefan606]

We will be there Wed. 2/23. Busy time? I'm not sure?

You are there during President's Day week, which is winter break for the upper east coast. So the potential for crowds does exist. I follow WDW Prep School for updated crowd calendars. She always accounts for school breaks and cheer / dance / twirl competitions.

 

[wisblue]

I keep seeing a lot of you mention stacking your LL and ILL$ but I can't find exactly how you do that. What's the best way to stack?

If you are hopping to a second park, or won’t be arriving at a park until later in the day, you can make multiple LL reservations to use in the park when you arrive.

For example, if you are flying in and plan to arrive at DHS about 2 PM, you can make a LL reservation at 7 AM, another at 11 AM (assuming a 9 AM park opening), and another at 1 PM. You would then have 3 LL reservations (plus any IALL reservations you choose to purchase) “stacked” and available to you when you arrive at the park.

 

[SwanVT2]

You are there during President's Day week, which is winter break for the upper east coast. So the potential for crowds does exist. I follow WDW Prep School for updated crowd calendars. She always accounts for school breaks and cheer / dance / twirl competitions.

You are there during President's Day week, which is winter break for the upper east coast. So the potential for crowds does exist. I follow WDW Prep School for updated crowd calendars. She always accounts for school breaks and cheer / dance / twirl competitions.

Thanks. I went ahead and got me and DD Genie +. Time is certainly money, especially with a kid!

 

[TikiRob]

So once I use it for a ride, I can automatically book the next ride, right? Thank you!

Yep!

 

[Taylor Newman]

Going to Disney next month - what are your recommendations for using Genie+?? I need some pro tips!

 

[lockets]

the way we did it:

AK - Everest is closed. Just bought individual lightning lane for Avatar. No Genie+. Was still able to ride everything else.

MK - Splash Mountain is closed. Bought individual lighting lane for 7 Dwarves and Space Mountain. Bought Genie+ and was able to use it for Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear. Did standby for Astro Orbiter, Monsters show, Haunted Mansion and during the fireworks we did Small World, and Space Mountain again.

Epcot - Did individual lightning lane for Remy and Frozen. Got on everything else we wanted via standby but we were more focused on going to the festival food booths so we only did Soarin and Tres Caballeros. If we didn’t focus on the festival we could have done every ride standby.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Here's a question: On a not terribly crowded day, when you want to be able to stack, can you:

1. Step 1 make a genie+ reservation for a park that you are "hopping" to so that the first reservation is for the afternoon;
2. Step 2: Switch your park pass to the park you just made the first genie+ reservation for;
3. Step 3: Make the remainder of your genie+ reservations for that park as normal?

For example, let's say that I'm going to start in Magic Kingdom, but know that I'm not getting there till noon. Can I:
1. Make a park reservation for Epcot;
2. At 7:00 AM make a genie+ reservation for, lets say peter pan, which will now be at 2:00;
3. Then cancel my park reservation and make one for Magic Kingdom instead;
4. At 11 AM (2 hours after park open), make a genie+ reservation for, lets say Buzz Lightyear, at noon?
5. After I swipe into my buzz reservation, continue making reservations as normal?

 

[ComeToSocialize]

I know that ROTR has been consistently selling out ILL before park open (so only onsite guests have been able to buy ILL). Has Remy had the same problem?

We are staying offsite, and are planning a DHS morning / Epcot afternoon day, taking the skyway to park hop. MMRR and Remy are our priority attractions by far (the 2 rides we haven't ridden before). Is it likely we'll be able to get a pre-1pm ILL for MMRR and an evening ILL for Remy if offsite? If we can do that, we'll probably just buy those 2 instead of G+.

 

[g-dad66]

OK, so does that mean that once you start booking, you can choose ANY return time for your Genie+ AND then you can book your ILL accordingly?

No, for Genie+ LL, you are given the next available time. I was able to do my stacking because I had researched previously and knew which ride at 7am would have return time late in the day (SDD), and then I knew that at 11am, Millenium Falcon would have a late return time, etc.

For the ILL, you can pick your time (from what is available), but not for Genie+ LLs.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

So for all the people who lamented BGs for ROTR being difficult to obtain via the virtual queue "lottery"... how do you like having to enter a similar "lottery" that fills up in a minute or two allowing you the privilege of paying extra for a BG?

But, hey... at least we can choose to wait in the SB line now (for 1, 2, or 3+ hours).

Just a few days ago, the actual wait for Rise was only 25 minutes about a half hour before closing time. The posted wait was 60 minutes.

There’s no need to wait hours for this attraction, even if you can’t hit that “lottery”.

 

[g-dad66]

Here's a question: On a not terribly crowded day, when you want to be able to stack, can you:

1. Step 1 make a genie+ reservation for a park that you are "hopping" to so that the first reservation is for the afternoon;
2. Step 2: Switch your park pass to the park you just made the first genie+ reservation for;
3. Step 3: Make the remainder of your genie+ reservations for that park as normal?

For example, let's say that I'm going to start in Magic Kingdom, but know that I'm not getting there till noon. Can I:
1. Make a park reservation for Epcot;
2. At 7:00 AM make a genie+ reservation for, lets say peter pan, which will now be at 2:00;
3. Then cancel my park reservation and make one for Magic Kingdom instead;
4. At 11 AM (2 hours after park open), make a genie+ reservation for, lets say Buzz Lightyear, at noon?
5. After I swipe into my buzz reservation, continue making reservations as normal?

I don't know about the cancelling park aspect, but it shouldn't be necessary to reserve a different park in the morning in order to gt post-2pm LLs for Magic Kingdom.

It won't take very long after 7am for Peter Pan LL to be 2pm or later, and Jungle Cruise will be post-2pm even sooner than Peter Pan.

 

[g-dad66]

I know that ROTR has been consistently selling out ILL before park open (so only onsite guests have been able to buy ILL). Has Remy had the same problem?

We are staying offsite, and are planning a DHS morning / Epcot afternoon day, taking the skyway to park hop. MMRR and Remy are our priority attractions by far (the 2 rides we haven't ridden before). Is it likely we'll be able to get a pre-1pm ILL for MMRR and an evening ILL for Remy if offsite? If we can do that, we'll probably just buy those 2 instead of G+.

According to thrill-data.com, for the past several days Remy sold out between 10am and 10:05am, so you will need to be quick on the trigger at 10am.

 

[Brian4891]

I keep seeing a lot of you mention stacking your LL and ILL$ but I can't find exactly how you do that. What's the best way to stack?

Here is how I did this on Thursday 1/20. We were having a pool day and heading into Hollywood Studios at night for dinner, toy story land and one other ride.

Woke up at 6:30am and purchased Genie Plus for my group.

At exactly 7am everything opens. I wanted Slinky Dog for around 7:30pm so I needed to wait a few seconds for the booking time to move to that point. Remember with Genie Plus reservations you cannot choose a time slot. You get the earliest available. Slinky Dog moves extremely quickly. Every time I refreshed the page it moved about one hour. Right at 7am, the first available time is 9am. After one refresh, the first available time is now 10am. Another refresh and it moves to 11am and so on. So I would say around 30 seconds after 7am, I grabbed Slinky Dog for 7:30pm - 8:30pm.

At this point I am done until 11am. I cannot book my next Genie Plus until two hours after the park has opened.

At 11am I look again but the return times for everything I am interested in is only at around 3pm. I’m not heading into the park until around 5pm so I wait another half hour and check again.

At 11:30am, Rock n Roller Coaster has moved to 5pm so I book it. Now I cannot make another one until 1:30pm.

1:30 pm I check and see that Toy Story Mania is at 6pm. Not bad but it interferes with my dinner so I keep checking every few mins for the next half hour. Finally it has moved to 7pm and I grab it. Now I cannot make another one until 3:30pm.

The only thing remaining that I want at this point is AlienSwirling Saucers and I want it late, for around 8pm. Checking at 3:30pm it’s only out to around 5pm. I keep checking for the rest of the night and eventually grab it for 8pm.

So that’s a summary of how you can stack. When I walked into the park at 5pm I had 4 Lightning Lanes ready to go. The week before my trip I would kinda practice every day. I would check the app throughout the day and pretend I was in the park and see if I could book the things I wanted at the times I wanted. It helped a lot to get a feel for what time slots would be available at different booking times throughout the day. Good luck!