My wife and I took a quick trip down to WDW without the kids for a few days and we tried to push Genie+ to the limits.
We stayed at CBR and arrived on a Thursday July 14th and it was our first time at this resort and first time on the skyliner.
I did a Vlog of our four park day if you're interested (my channel/podcast is non-monetized in case anyone was wondering):
In the spoiler below, I took notes throughout the day because I love trip reports so if you want a minute by minute account of how much we got done, you can see it.
My biggest takeaway is:
Disney Genie+ ruined my vacation and I don't think I could ever could do Walt Disney World without it.
Some context about myself. I'm an uber planner, love numbers and maximizing efficiency at the parks. I'm the person with a spreadsheet prior to a trip, I have a podcast of my own (DBC Pod) where you were a guest back in November of 2020! So I'm not your average Disney World guest by any means.
So how did Genie+ ruin my vacation? Well I compare giving someone like me Genie+ like taking someone with a gambling addiction and putting them in a casino. Throughout my four days on property, I could not stop thinking about the timing, the planning and the scenarios to have the best outcome. I was constantly striving to collect as many Lightning Lanes (LLs) as possible each day to maximize my investment! The minute by minute, hour by hour planning that I was doing basically never allowed me to relax and enjoy my vacation. My brain just wouldn't shut off. It started the moment I woke up and did not stop until we left the parks. I hated it.
If you asked my wife, it was the best vacation ever and we only waiting on line longer than 20-30 minutes a handful of times. We got a lot done and G+ allowed me to do that.
So why does Genie+ provide a worse user experience than Fastpass+? It's in the flexibility and pre-planning aspect. With Fastpass+, the "stress" of waking up and getting the ones you wanted was 60 days prior to your trip. Selecting your 4th, 5th, 6th... fastpass was stress free. You could easily select times, change or update your selections without losing existing selections. You did have to worry or set alarms with the 2 hour rule. You did not have to worry about finding the right time, or losing time because a selection was too far out in advance of your plans. Fastpass+ kept your decision making DURING your vacation at a minimum. Genie+ forces you to do Disney Planning on the fly starting at 6:59am. In previous years, doing all my FP+ and ADRs 180 and 60 days in advance at least took a lot of the decision making out of my day-to-day while on vacation so I could relax. The other issue with G+ is that if you are returning to the parks later in the day, you have to hover over your phone so that you can monitor return times for later in the day so you don't miss them. Because often there was a large between 3pm selections and 6pm selections. If you missed the 5-6pm window, often you'll be out of luck with lightning lane selections for later in the day.
The complaints and issues with G+ aren't new, as they've been voices by thousands of people already. My contribution to it's failure is the mindspace it takes up.
That being said, here are some general themes and comments we had throughout the trip.
The skyliner is better than the monorail. Staying at CBR and being able to hop back and forth to DHS in 7 minutes with an awesome quiet ride to the park is fantastic. Same goes for Epcot. I hope they build more and connect everything possible. I don't think I could stay at a non-skyliner resort ever again. If you're staying at CBR make sure you get Jamaica.
If skyliner resorts get very expensive, I'll just go offsite instead of staying anywhere else I think.
MK staying open to 11 with double firework shows was awful. The parks were very crowded at night and it was just as bustling as if it were earlier in the day. I think the extra fireworks show just vacuumed in more people than just the park being open late would. Good if you want to get a few rides in, see Enchantment, but terrible if you hate crowds late at night. To each their own though. I don't think they had enough staff in place because it seemed that the parks were getting dirtier as the day went on. Lots of garbage in queues that hadn't been picked up at all.
Harmonious is a fantastic show. The barges are not an eyesore I thought they were. Enchantment is dull and should be replaced ASAP. There is no compelling reason for me personally to ever see the show again, so fireworks time will be used for rides or dining. Harmonious is a must see at the end of the day.
Hot take on Harmonious and the barges: I think the barges are pretty great. Not because they look good but because they are mechanical marvels. I can imagine a kid coming to Epcot for the first time and walking around World Showcase and seeing this setup and wondering what the heck that ugly contraption is that is so out of place.
He (I'm personally thinking of my son here) spends all day walking around it, seeing it from all angles and can't just figure it out with his imagination going crazy. Then once the show starts and it comes alive and puts on a show that is just truly amazing. I can't help that this show imprints itself on young kids every day like this.
Sure the show has it's issues etc. but I think it's incredible. My favorite show behind HEA.
It hailed on Thursday. I never saw that at Magic Kingdom before.
Steakhouse 71 is AMAZING, go for lunch if you're ever able. My wife is a vegetarian and she LOVED the Wellington. Very Very BIG recommendation here for that menu. The rest of the loop was fun. Enchanted Rose at Grand Flo was very pretty (and crowded at 5pm)
Went to Sanaa on Friday and the restaurant and bread service was great. Not sure if I would ever want to stay at AKL. Beautiful resort but the transportation is rough. So I understand where all those comments come from.
If you click on the video above, and go to the channel videos you can see Trip Report 1 and 2 that goes over everything as well if you like video format.
We stayed at CBR and arrived on a Thursday July 14th and it was our first time at this resort and first time on the skyliner.
- Thursday - Land MCO after 8AM, Resort > HS > MK
- Friday - AK > Sanaa > Resort > HS > Epcot > MK
- Saturday - Epcot - Resort - Epcot
- Sunday - MK - Monorail Tour (Contemporary Lunch, Trader Sams, Grand Flo) - MK
I did a Vlog of our four park day if you're interested (my channel/podcast is non-monetized in case anyone was wondering):
In the spoiler below, I took notes throughout the day because I love trip reports so if you want a minute by minute account of how much we got done, you can see it.
My biggest takeaway is:
Disney Genie+ ruined my vacation and I don't think I could ever could do Walt Disney World without it.
Some context about myself. I'm an uber planner, love numbers and maximizing efficiency at the parks. I'm the person with a spreadsheet prior to a trip, I have a podcast of my own (DBC Pod) where you were a guest back in November of 2020! So I'm not your average Disney World guest by any means.
So how did Genie+ ruin my vacation? Well I compare giving someone like me Genie+ like taking someone with a gambling addiction and putting them in a casino. Throughout my four days on property, I could not stop thinking about the timing, the planning and the scenarios to have the best outcome. I was constantly striving to collect as many Lightning Lanes (LLs) as possible each day to maximize my investment! The minute by minute, hour by hour planning that I was doing basically never allowed me to relax and enjoy my vacation. My brain just wouldn't shut off. It started the moment I woke up and did not stop until we left the parks. I hated it.
If you asked my wife, it was the best vacation ever and we only waiting on line longer than 20-30 minutes a handful of times. We got a lot done and G+ allowed me to do that.
So why does Genie+ provide a worse user experience than Fastpass+? It's in the flexibility and pre-planning aspect. With Fastpass+, the "stress" of waking up and getting the ones you wanted was 60 days prior to your trip. Selecting your 4th, 5th, 6th... fastpass was stress free. You could easily select times, change or update your selections without losing existing selections. You did have to worry or set alarms with the 2 hour rule. You did not have to worry about finding the right time, or losing time because a selection was too far out in advance of your plans. Fastpass+ kept your decision making DURING your vacation at a minimum. Genie+ forces you to do Disney Planning on the fly starting at 6:59am. In previous years, doing all my FP+ and ADRs 180 and 60 days in advance at least took a lot of the decision making out of my day-to-day while on vacation so I could relax. The other issue with G+ is that if you are returning to the parks later in the day, you have to hover over your phone so that you can monitor return times for later in the day so you don't miss them. Because often there was a large between 3pm selections and 6pm selections. If you missed the 5-6pm window, often you'll be out of luck with lightning lane selections for later in the day.
The complaints and issues with G+ aren't new, as they've been voices by thousands of people already. My contribution to it's failure is the mindspace it takes up.
That being said, here are some general themes and comments we had throughout the trip.
The skyliner is better than the monorail. Staying at CBR and being able to hop back and forth to DHS in 7 minutes with an awesome quiet ride to the park is fantastic. Same goes for Epcot. I hope they build more and connect everything possible. I don't think I could stay at a non-skyliner resort ever again. If you're staying at CBR make sure you get Jamaica.
If skyliner resorts get very expensive, I'll just go offsite instead of staying anywhere else I think.
MK staying open to 11 with double firework shows was awful. The parks were very crowded at night and it was just as bustling as if it were earlier in the day. I think the extra fireworks show just vacuumed in more people than just the park being open late would. Good if you want to get a few rides in, see Enchantment, but terrible if you hate crowds late at night. To each their own though. I don't think they had enough staff in place because it seemed that the parks were getting dirtier as the day went on. Lots of garbage in queues that hadn't been picked up at all.
Harmonious is a fantastic show. The barges are not an eyesore I thought they were. Enchantment is dull and should be replaced ASAP. There is no compelling reason for me personally to ever see the show again, so fireworks time will be used for rides or dining. Harmonious is a must see at the end of the day.
Hot take on Harmonious and the barges: I think the barges are pretty great. Not because they look good but because they are mechanical marvels. I can imagine a kid coming to Epcot for the first time and walking around World Showcase and seeing this setup and wondering what the heck that ugly contraption is that is so out of place.
He (I'm personally thinking of my son here) spends all day walking around it, seeing it from all angles and can't just figure it out with his imagination going crazy. Then once the show starts and it comes alive and puts on a show that is just truly amazing. I can't help that this show imprints itself on young kids every day like this.
Sure the show has it's issues etc. but I think it's incredible. My favorite show behind HEA.
It hailed on Thursday. I never saw that at Magic Kingdom before.
Steakhouse 71 is AMAZING, go for lunch if you're ever able. My wife is a vegetarian and she LOVED the Wellington. Very Very BIG recommendation here for that menu. The rest of the loop was fun. Enchanted Rose at Grand Flo was very pretty (and crowded at 5pm)
Went to Sanaa on Friday and the restaurant and bread service was great. Not sure if I would ever want to stay at AKL. Beautiful resort but the transportation is rough. So I understand where all those comments come from.
If you click on the video above, and go to the channel videos you can see Trip Report 1 and 2 that goes over everything as well if you like video format.
Thursday (9 LL many others lost due to weather)
7AM - Rise ILL at 315 // SDD for 5:15pm
8:30AM Change SDD to TOT for 12
9:30AM get to room
10:00 AM arrive at HS
10:30AM Mmrr booked for 1pm
Star tours walkon standby
Slinky standby 70m wait
12:30 Midway mania booked for 3pm
12:30 TOT
Lunch
Booked minetrain for 820
2:00pm MMRR
2:30pm Big thunder booked for 520pm
3:00 Midway mania
3:30 Rise
4:04 Leave park
4:20 back to hotel in room
4:30 HM booked for 650
520 caught bus to mk
535 Bus arrive at MK
5:55 Big Thunder closed due to lightning... free LL
6:25 dinner at Skippers Canteen
RAIN!!!!!!
THUNDER!!!!!!
HAIL!!!!!!!
ALL Lightning Lanes are Canceled!! (I had 5 free anytimes for the day at this point)
820 booked Mermaid
830 Used mermaid
838 booked space for 945pm (left the park before we could use it)
Friday (9 LL used)
7am - ILL FOR FOP AND LL FOR NAVI RIVER FOR 9AM
737 - ILL FOR COSMIC REWIND FOR 435
7:30 - Arrive at AK
800 EE #1
810 EE #2
822 EE #3
832 EE #4
910 navi
910 LL for safari at 1035
940 fop
1010 kali standby 25m wait
1050 marahaja jungle trail
1120 safari
1120 book ll for mmrr at 320
1210 bus for akl
1230 sanaa
130 to dhs ... resort first
320 back from pool heading to dhs
339 mmrr
340 booked soarin for 420
417 skyliner to epcot
440 Epcot arrival
510 Cosmic rewind (September)
547 Soarin
540 booked LL for SSE FOR SAME TIME
612 Soarin done heading to SSE
625 SSE
630 booked speedway for 740
740 speedway
740 ll for Dumbo for 740
800 Dumbo down change to small world for 800
816 harbor house pickup
846 small world
846 booked pirates LL for now
918 pirates
930 standby splash!! Long wait
1007 splash complete
Heading home
Saturday (only 3 LL)
700 ll for remy at 940
700 no Virtual Queue, ILL for Cosmic at 1130
748 epcot skyliner
757 off of skyliner
758 tap in to EPCOT
805 rope drop remy walkon
815 remy over
830 frozen standby walkon
838 frozen done
848 test track standby 45m wait posted
900 space 220 booked (what a waste of money by the way)
937 test track done
943 grand Fiesta tour walkon
1023 remy ll used
1024 get frozen ll for 130
1039 remy done
1045 crepes
1140 guardians ILL used
1202 guardians done "one way by blonde"
100 exit space 220
100 VQ for 730
120 frozen ll used
135 frozen done back to resort
220 back to resort
700 arrived epcot
700 - 900pm - ate and drank alot, Harmonius
NOTE: G+ not worth it at all except to make sure we got on Remy.
Sunday (8 LL booked with 5 hours out of park)
Anytime minetrain (Our ILL was transferred to today due to weather on Thursday)
700 jungle cruise booked for 915
752 on bus to mk
834 Peterpan rope drop get on line
859 off of pan
910 cruise LL used
912 booked splash for 1210 (I got screwed on the time, I thought it was for 1015AM)
925 cruise over
930 main st for food
950 food outside Casey's
1007 people mover
1022 cop closed
1030 dumbo standby
1040 barnstormer standby
1048 mermaid standby
1130 country bear standby
1150 festival of Fantasy
1225 line for splash
1225
112 try to stack for after 5 ... no choices yet
105 off splash... got stuck on drop b4 laughing place
105 heading to Steak House 71
130 SH71
145 book space LL for 5pm
330 poly
3:45 book thunder for 650
500 trader sams
540 grand flo
545 LL for pooh
606 space
624 cop
703 thunder
720 minetrain
729 off minetrain
732 booked pan for 1010
735 pooh
745 off of pooh
756 lined up treats and seats
Fireworks
933 book pirates for same time
957 pirates
957 used pirates booked hm
1027 hm
1043 hm dome
Time to go
7AM - Rise ILL at 315 // SDD for 5:15pm
8:30AM Change SDD to TOT for 12
9:30AM get to room
10:00 AM arrive at HS
10:30AM Mmrr booked for 1pm
Star tours walkon standby
Slinky standby 70m wait
12:30 Midway mania booked for 3pm
12:30 TOT
Lunch
Booked minetrain for 820
2:00pm MMRR
2:30pm Big thunder booked for 520pm
3:00 Midway mania
3:30 Rise
4:04 Leave park
4:20 back to hotel in room
4:30 HM booked for 650
520 caught bus to mk
535 Bus arrive at MK
5:55 Big Thunder closed due to lightning... free LL
6:25 dinner at Skippers Canteen
RAIN!!!!!!
THUNDER!!!!!!
HAIL!!!!!!!
ALL Lightning Lanes are Canceled!! (I had 5 free anytimes for the day at this point)
820 booked Mermaid
830 Used mermaid
838 booked space for 945pm (left the park before we could use it)
Friday (9 LL used)
7am - ILL FOR FOP AND LL FOR NAVI RIVER FOR 9AM
737 - ILL FOR COSMIC REWIND FOR 435
7:30 - Arrive at AK
800 EE #1
810 EE #2
822 EE #3
832 EE #4
910 navi
910 LL for safari at 1035
940 fop
1010 kali standby 25m wait
1050 marahaja jungle trail
1120 safari
1120 book ll for mmrr at 320
1210 bus for akl
1230 sanaa
130 to dhs ... resort first
320 back from pool heading to dhs
339 mmrr
340 booked soarin for 420
417 skyliner to epcot
440 Epcot arrival
510 Cosmic rewind (September)
547 Soarin
540 booked LL for SSE FOR SAME TIME
612 Soarin done heading to SSE
625 SSE
630 booked speedway for 740
740 speedway
740 ll for Dumbo for 740
800 Dumbo down change to small world for 800
816 harbor house pickup
846 small world
846 booked pirates LL for now
918 pirates
930 standby splash!! Long wait
1007 splash complete
Heading home
Saturday (only 3 LL)
700 ll for remy at 940
700 no Virtual Queue, ILL for Cosmic at 1130
748 epcot skyliner
757 off of skyliner
758 tap in to EPCOT
805 rope drop remy walkon
815 remy over
830 frozen standby walkon
838 frozen done
848 test track standby 45m wait posted
900 space 220 booked (what a waste of money by the way)
937 test track done
943 grand Fiesta tour walkon
1023 remy ll used
1024 get frozen ll for 130
1039 remy done
1045 crepes
1140 guardians ILL used
1202 guardians done "one way by blonde"
100 exit space 220
100 VQ for 730
120 frozen ll used
135 frozen done back to resort
220 back to resort
700 arrived epcot
700 - 900pm - ate and drank alot, Harmonius
NOTE: G+ not worth it at all except to make sure we got on Remy.
Sunday (8 LL booked with 5 hours out of park)
Anytime minetrain (Our ILL was transferred to today due to weather on Thursday)
700 jungle cruise booked for 915
752 on bus to mk
834 Peterpan rope drop get on line
859 off of pan
910 cruise LL used
912 booked splash for 1210 (I got screwed on the time, I thought it was for 1015AM)
925 cruise over
930 main st for food
950 food outside Casey's
1007 people mover
1022 cop closed
1030 dumbo standby
1040 barnstormer standby
1048 mermaid standby
1130 country bear standby
1150 festival of Fantasy
1225 line for splash
1225
112 try to stack for after 5 ... no choices yet
105 off splash... got stuck on drop b4 laughing place
105 heading to Steak House 71
130 SH71
145 book space LL for 5pm
330 poly
3:45 book thunder for 650
500 trader sams
540 grand flo
545 LL for pooh
606 space
624 cop
703 thunder
720 minetrain
729 off minetrain
732 booked pan for 1010
735 pooh
745 off of pooh
756 lined up treats and seats
Fireworks
933 book pirates for same time
957 pirates
957 used pirates booked hm
1027 hm
1043 hm dome
Time to go
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