Disney Genie and Genie+ at Walt Disney World

dreday3

Well-Known Member
I'm looking at everything available right now. There is a lot at all the parks, but later time slots are starting to show up for some rides.

Basically, Genie + is going to work for people who get up at 7 to book ILLs and their first Genie +, and then get to the parks at open to get in as many Genie + rides as they can.
Unfortunately if you are not even starting to book until 10am or later, it's just not going to work for you.

I'm not saying this is good, but if you are going to use Genie +, best plan to be up and booking at 7am.
 

Jeff4272

Well-Known Member
I'm looking at everything available right now. There is a lot at all the parks, but later time slots are starting to show up for some rides.

Basically, Genie + is going to work for people who get up at 7 to book ILLs and their first Genie +, and then get to the parks at open to get in as many Genie + rides as they can.
Unfortunately if you are not even starting to book until 10am or later, it's just not going to work for you.

I'm not saying this is good, but if you are going to use Genie +, best plan to be up and booking at 7am.
And thats one of the main reasons why its terrible

But people keep paying for it so they wont change it as long as that happens

We are voting with our wallet, im just not sure it matters.......

Bummer b we loved WDW
 

soxpackersdisneyhawks

Active Member
At Epcot today. Waited 50mins for Frozen to go down. Told to leave by going forward. Ensues the chaos of ppl going backwards to leave and whatnot. No fast pass type deal given out for waiting in line and having it go down. Used the chat in the app. They told me to talk to those fancy ppl under a blue umbrella that they refer to as the experience team. That gal essentially told me to pound sand. Followed up with the genie chat and they told me thanks for the feedback. A true gem.
After the email they told me to see the front desk at OKW. They told me sorry and offered genie plus for the day.

what about the ppl that aren’t on site who would they get passed to in this jockeyeing of the problem. Genie chat. Customer experience team. Email. Front desk. I mean cmon that’s just dumb.
 

dreday3

Well-Known Member
I would also suggest for big groups - have 2 dedicated people with everyone in their friends/family list with a plan of attack!

When we had 4 of us, 2 of us got up at 7 am and we booked whatever ILLs we were getting for the day right at 7am. So one of us would purchased Rise for the group and the other purchased MMRR right 7 am.

Work out paying each other back later! :D
 

Chi84

Premium Member
I'm looking at everything available right now. There is a lot at all the parks, but later time slots are starting to show up for some rides.

Basically, Genie + is going to work for people who get up at 7 to book ILLs and their first Genie +, and then get to the parks at open to get in as many Genie + rides as they can.
Unfortunately if you are not even starting to book until 10am or later, it's just not going to work for you.

I'm not saying this is good, but if you are going to use Genie +, best plan to be up and booking at 7am.
So in other words, it's selling like hotcakes.
 

Jeff4272

Well-Known Member
I would also suggest for big groups - have 2 dedicated people with everyone in their friends/family list with a plan of attack!

When we had 4 of us, 2 of us got up at 7 am and we booked whatever ILLs we were getting for the day right at 7am. So one of us would purchased Rise for the group and the other purchased MMRR right 7 am.

Work out paying each other back later! :D
Sounds like a great vacation.......we did same thing every day we were there and everyone in the room woke up.........ruined the whole trip
 

dreday3

Well-Known Member
And lastly, if you don't mind waiting in line for between 30 and 60 minutes, I don't think you need to purchase ILL for Space Mountain, Everest or even MMRR.
Our experience was Everest never really had that long of a wait, Space would ebb and flow, and MMRR was practically empty near close. :)

And if you are staying on-site, that 30 minute early entry really is helping with rides like Rat.

(obviously during super crowded times, this won't apply)
 

dovetail65

Well-Known Member
I'm looking at everything available right now. There is a lot at all the parks, but later time slots are starting to show up for some rides.

Basically, Genie + is going to work for people who get up at 7 to book ILLs and their first Genie +, and then get to the parks at open to get in as many Genie + rides as they can.
Unfortunately if you are not even starting to book until 10am or later, it's just not going to work for you.

I'm not saying this is good, but if you are going to use Genie +, best plan to be up and booking at 7am.
Well yeah, but this is Feb, during the busier times by 7:15 am there may and actually was at one time nothing, all sold out. Let's think about it. If LL's not being available is the case how do we fix that? Many guests would rather change the dates of entire trip to be assured as long as an attraction was not down for being broken or down for maintenance that they could get on in less than 120 minutes by paying for an LL.

Either standby everything or have a system so every single guest has a 100% certainty of being able to pay to skip the line. This 7am lottery system is not right.

So how is that achieved? It is pretty simple actually.

WDW takes 50%(or some %) of the LL and allow them to be reserved and paid for 30, 60 even 180 days in advance. Then the guests that want or can plan their travel trips to get this assurance of an LL can get that. The guests that do not want to plan can wake up at 7:00 and take their chance like now, and it is a chance right now. A system like that will work. People that are no shows for the reservations, Disney can just let those LL out at 1 PM. Guests that don't to want to plan/pay ahead for LL can wake up at 7 and try like now. I would back up my trip a year to get reserved LL if it was a once in lifetime trip, many people would.

It is far better me going to WDW knowing I could have planned my LL, chose not to reserve it, then found out at 7am I could not get one than me going to WDW with no choice and not getting one. I believe a system like this some day in the future will happen. WDW refuses to go the Universal or 6 flags skip the line route, so how else WDW can do this skip the line thing and be different I don't know. For me so far the LL Genie+ is a mixed bag at best.

Oh and just check at 1:00pm I think you are going to find they seem let a bunch more out at that time, whether they are supposed to or not or if it was luck or coincidence that's how it was working out for me.
 
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Purduevian

Well-Known Member
~2:45 on Friday 1/28
LL that are more than two hours away:
MK
Big Thunder 8:30pm
Buzz 5:10PM
HM: 7:45PM
Small World: 4:55PM
JC: Sold Out
Magic Carpets: 5:00PM
Pooh: 6:20PM
Pan: 9:30PM
Pirates: 6:30PM
7D: Sold Out
EPCOT
RAT: Sold Out
Soarin: 4:50PM
TT: Sold Out
DHS:
Alien: 5:30PM
MMRR: 7:40PM
MFSR: 8:25PM
RnRC: 8:10PM
SDD: Sold Out
RotR: Sold Out
TSMM: 5:10PM
ToT: 4:55PM
AK:
FoP: Sold Out
Dinosaur: 5:55PM
Na'vi: Sold Out
 

dovetail65

Well-Known Member
It has to go.

I want a holiday, not a bloody have to take a lesson in computer technology before arriving.

I'll give them an extra $50 in my tickets to make them stop this nonsense.
I agree, the new system is fairly complex.

That might 50 a day might work for 2 or 3 lines where you had a time in advance at WDW, but to just go to a fast line with no set times I suspect it would need cost 150 to 200 a day at WDW. Universal has a system where you pay and just head wherever you want for the most part and it cost more than 50.00.

Skip the regular lines at most popular rides and attractions once per ride. Separate theme park admission required 79.00.
Skip the regular lines at most popular rides and attractions as many times as you want. Separate theme park admission required 109.00.
And Universals AP holders get the skip the line once per ride scheme included after 4pm each day.


Six flags it cost even more money PER DAY and they have more options(Bronze Flash Pass 20% faster lines cost 90 bucks, Gold Flash Pass 60% faster lines cost - 125.00 and Platinum Flash Pass 90% faster lines for 170.00.


One of the Six Flags parks is following Disney by offering a skip the line charge on a per ride basis too!


If there are no set times then the price needs be way higher to where everyone just doesn't pay it or the fast line could end up being longer than the regular standby line. If Six Flags charges 170.00 and people pay it, then Disney charges what, 300? I dont think the no reservation scheme works at Disney unless the cost is very high, but a reserved pay system could, even if it is daily like it is now. The reservations for FP far ahead of time is what made Disney better for me (I know we beat this to death) and I can not afford another 170 per person per day. 50 or 60 bucks may be a nice way to do it, but I just do not think that is feasible at WDW.
 
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HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
IMO since they are keeping this system, Disney's best bet is to up the ratio for LL to Standby. Make it 90% LL and that will up availability.

They are already letting LL people go ahead of standby by a large margin in most cases. But if they make lines 90% LL, then everyone will need to be "special". And when everyone is "special"... no one is.
 

Jrb1979

Well-Known Member
They are already letting LL people go ahead of standby by a large margin in most cases. But if they make lines 90% LL, then everyone will need to be "special". And when everyone is "special"... no one is.
Then they need to limit how many people can buy it as well. Disney has screwed this up so bad by trying to keep it fair and available for everyone.
 

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Then they need to limit how many people can buy it as well.
But then that limits revenue, and revenue must be maximized.

I'm not disagreeing, BTW. They've gotten themselves into a bit of a pickle with yet another short-sighted revenue stream, and I'm genuinely curious how they will get themselves out of it. There is not an insignificant number of people who have actually bought this and have sworn it off due to their experiences with it. Do they A) stay the course and be content with a growing population of park consumers who are unhappy with this new G+ system and either refuse to buy it or, worse, refuse to go, B) Make adjustments which may or may not make things better, or C) Junk it entirely and/or come up with another, probably even-more-confusing system in its place?
 

gerarar

Premium Member
IMO since they are keeping this system, Disney's best bet is to up the ratio for LL to Standby. Make it 90% LL and that will up availability.
I mean for Rise it's like that. At the merge point it was all LL parties plus one standby party. (I personally counted 7 LL parties plus myself as a party of 1 when entering the Rey room).

That usually occurred after the ride reopens from a breakdown due to the large influx of LL's.
 

MrPromey

Well-Known Member
I agree, the new system is fairly complex.

That might 50 a day might work for 2 or 3 lines where you had a time in advance at WDW, but to just go to a fast line with no set times I suspect it would need cost 150 to 200 a day at WDW. Universal has a system where you pay and just head wherever you want for the most part and it cost more than 50.00.

Skip the regular lines at most popular rides and attractions once per ride. Separate theme park admission required 79.00.
Skip the regular lines at most popular rides and attractions as many times as you want. Separate theme park admission required 109.00.
And Universals AP holders get the skip the line once per ride scheme included after 4pm each day.


...

Remember with Universal, that option serves more to "show the value" of staying on-site in one of their premium resorts than anything else.

It's a brilliant move and one Disney couldn't mimic even if they wanted to since their ratio of on-property room to attraction capacity is so insanely out of wack. I don't think they could offer something like this even if they were to just limit it to deluxe resorts and have it not be a nightmare for everyone concerned.
 

dovetail65

Well-Known Member
Remember with Universal, that option serves more to "show the value" of staying on-site in one of their premium resorts than anything else.

It's a brilliant move and one Disney couldn't mimic even if they wanted to since their ratio of on-property room to attraction capacity is so insanely out of wack. I don't think they could offer something like this even if they were to just limit it to deluxe resorts and have it not be a nightmare for everyone concerned.
The option is there for the hotel guests, brilliant I am not so sure about that, necessity more like. And it's not that Disney can't, why the heck should they or want to? It would cost them money and they dont need kick in free LL's to sell rooms, they are sold out 6 month out at 600 night a pop. Add in free LL and it might take a year to get a room at WDW or the cost would jump another 200 a night so that didn't happen, it's the last thing we need.

It's nice universal offers that skip the line in some of the room costs, but from my perspective Universal has to offer it as that is a huge reason people even stay there at their price point. Take that perk from universal away and far less universal rooms would be sold, it's just not the case at WDW they don't need to do it.

In a discussion on about how to make LL better at WDW, giving LL included to onsite hotel guests might just jam up the Genie + LL system up even more. It's is the last thing needed in my opinion.
 
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TrojanUSC

Well-Known Member
IMO since they are keeping this system, Disney's best bet is to up the ratio for LL to Standby. Make it 90% LL and that will up availability.

It's close to that already. The default is 80% LL 20% SB. When LL gets packed up its 90/10. Defaulting to 90/10 would be horrible. Standby lines are already at a standstill, upping it to 90% would massively penalize anyone in a standby line.

They're better off just limiting how many people can purchase it per day.
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
, they are sold out 6 month out at 600 night a pop.
Are they?




It's nice universal offers that skip the line in some of the room costs, but from my perspective Universal has to offer it as that is a huge reason people even stay there at their price point.
Is it?

$2xx a night for RPR which is a very nice hotel, you can get Portofino for the 200s on offer. For that price plus four unlimited express passes I consider it a deal as do others.
 

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