Disney Genie and Genie+ at Walt Disney World

[MisterPenguin]

So after I use a G+ selection, I may have to wait from 90-120 min before I can request another?

If there is a reset clock as with MaxPass it is reset when you show up at your next LL/FP, OR..., after 90 (or 120) minutes transpire.

So, if it's 9 AM, and you get a LL for PPF at 10 AM, then when you show up at PPF at 10 AM, you can chose your next LL.

Or, this scenario: It's 9 AM and you see a LL for PPF isn't available until 5 PM. So you grab it. Then, for the next 90 (or 120) minutes, you do whatever you want: go on a standby line, or eat breakfast, or watch the Dapper Dans. Then, when it's 10:30 AM (90 minutes later) or 11:00 AM (120 minutes later), then you can grab your next LL. Perhaps it's for HM at Noon. This means you now have two LLs: One a 12-1 PM for HM and one for 5-6 PM for PPF.

The Maxpass rule is that you can grap your next FP when you show up for your FP, or after 90/120 minutes, whichever is soonest.

And again, we haven't confirmed that LL will follow this Maxpass rule.

 

[IHeartGlaciers]

Yes, exactly. That made all the difference with Eisner's ouster when it ultimately materialized, as great as he was for the company in his first decade.

At the same time, I don't hate the Genie concept as much as some here do. There's a good chance I'd give it a try for myself. That said, I can totally understand why many are turned off by it. The sheer complexity of simply doing anything fun at this stage (standby, Genie+, Lightning Lane à la carte, Virtual Queue, etc.) is getting a bit ridiculous.

It shouldn't be so difficult or expensive to ride Ratatouille, for instance; it's really not that good. Yet here we are.

I keep on seeing Rat cited as the example that people will be paying LL+ for. And I just can’t help but wonder how those people will react to it. If it’s a one to one clone of Paris then I’d be extremely disappointed to have a spent a single cent extra. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, but it certainly ain’t great either. It’s kinda a 6.5 or 7 out of 10.

Totally agree. I rode the Ratatouille ride in DLP right before the pandemic and was underwhelmed (and I'm a big Ratatouille fan). It felt dated. And that was before I rode Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway! I think it's going to feel even more dated in comparison.

I was more excited about the themed restaurant, but that's not coming to WDW.

 

[Waters Back Side]

No.

Joining the BG/VQ 'lottery' is still 'free' to all guests at 7 AM.

*Purchasing* an entry to Rat or RotR costs money. And on-site guests get a jump on the chance to *buy* access to these two rides.

This is going to be a tough decision. It's hard enough to get a Rise BG. Remy will not be as difficult but still risky. You can choose to gamble with a BG at 7am or just buy LL access. Since either takes all of seconds to get a BG I'd try it first and if no dice I'll hope I can still buy LL access.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Reminder: My Info Sheet on Genie is in my sig below.

WDWMagic's FAQ is at...

Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane FAQ for Walt Disney World

Your most frequently asked questions about the new Disney Genie service coming to Walt Disney World.

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[MisterPenguin]

This is going to be a tough decision. It's hard enough to get a Rise BG. Remy will not be as difficult but still risky. You can choose to gamble with a BG at 7am or just buy LL access. Since either takes all of seconds to get a BG I'd try it first and if no dice I'll hope I can still buy LL access.

That's the best course of action, IMO, unless you have *a lot* of disposable income. At which point, start considering the VIP Tours.

 

[DisneyDodo]

Do we know if the number of available lightning passes will vary based on the number of guests who purchase Genie+? I guess it would be hard to implement given that Genie+ is purchased day-of (I guess they would need to slowly release more availability as people buy more).

If not, Genie+ will be a lot more valuable the fewer guests who purchase, while standby waits wouldn't really be affected either way.

 

[DisneyDodo]

Do we know if the number of available lightning passes will vary based on the number of guests who purchase Genie+? I guess it would be hard to implement given that Genie+ is purchased day-of (I guess they would need to slowly release more availability as people buy more).

If not, Genie+ will be a lot more valuable the fewer guests who purchase, while standby waits wouldn't really be affected either way.

Also, do we know if you will be able to purchase a lightning pass for any available time in the future or if you are automatically assigned the next available time?

 

[TimeTrip]

The Maxpass rule is that you can grap your next FP when you show up for your FP, or after 90/120 minutes, whichever is soonest.

I expect there to be an asterisk on this since you can reserve before the park opens. I.e. 90/120 minutes, with the earliest time being 90/120 minutes after park open.

 

[dreday3]

Do we know yet if you can pick your own time for the upcharge rides, like Rat?

And if you can do the above, do you need to be on property to purchase the ride at 7 am or just have the park reservations and be a resort guest? Can we do on our way to resort on arrival day at 7 am? We have a reservation for Epcot that night.

 

[brettf22]

If there is a reset clock as with MaxPass it is reset when you show up at your next LL/FP, OR..., after 90 (or 120) minutes transpire.

So, if it's 9 AM, and you get a LL for PPF at 10 AM, then when you show up at PPF at 10 AM, you can chose your next LL.

Or, this scenario: It's 9 AM and you see a LL for PPF isn't available until 5 PM. So you grab it. Then, for the next 90 (or 120) minutes, you do whatever you want: go on a standby line, or eat breakfast, or watch the Dapper Dans. Then, when it's 10:30 AM (90 minutes later) or 11:00 AM (120 minutes later), then you can grab your next LL. Perhaps it's for HM at Noon. This means you now have two LLs: One a 12-1 PM for HM and one for 5-6 PM for PPF.

The Maxpass rule is that you can grap your next FP when you show up for your FP, or after 90/120 minutes, whichever is soonest.

And again, we haven't confirmed that LL will follow this Maxpass rule.

And this was truly the best part of MaxPass. Get there early, start by grabbing a hard to get pass (no matter how late they are), get on some rides, grab another 90 min later, rinse and repeat. You can end up riding a lot at rope drop, eat lunch, all the while grabbing FPs so that you were holding 3 before 1pm.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Also, do we know if you will be able to purchase a lightning pass for any available time in the future or if you are automatically assigned the next available time?

Everything we've seen is next available time.

No scrolling thru time slots like it was for FP.

 

[SamusAranX]

No.

Joining the BG/VQ 'lottery' is still 'free' to all guests at 7 AM.

*Purchasing* an entry to Rat or RotR costs money. And on-site guests get a jump on the chance to *buy* access to these two rides.

Which is rather dumb and unfair as what if for each new attraction they do VQ and BG? Imagine if Tron and GoTG open with this as well. That’s FOUR e-tickets that even after the hundreds or even thousands you’ve paid for this vacation, you now have no guarantee or getting to ride and have to drop another $60 per ride (family of four) or more for each ride. And that’s if you get them before the Genie determines the VQ is full for the day.

Aye carumba.

 

[donsullivan]

Everything we've seen is next available time.

No scrolling thru time slots like it was for FP.

That's the way Max Pass worked. But if gave you a list of all the available attractions and when the next MaxPass was available for each. Then you could choose which attraction and time you wanted to select.

 

[Padraig]

Totally agree. I rode the Ratatouille ride in DLP right before the pandemic and was underwhelmed (and I'm a big Ratatouille fan). It felt dated. And that was before I rode Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway! I think it's going to feel even more dated in comparison.

I was more excited about the themed restaurant, but that's not coming to WDW.

The restaurant was great and one of the few places we got decent food there. Also, the outside area was lovely, but yeah that ride.

It just needs a whole lot more physical props and scenery to better integrate with the screens. It’s just moving from one large empty room with a screen to another with a token effect to marry it all together. Again, we just walked on it, and shrugged our shoulders afterward. I’d be seriously ed off paying 75 dollars + for that.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Do we know yet if you can pick your own time for the upcharge rides, like Rat?

Looks like, no.

Everything is next available time (even if that available time is much later in the day).

And if you can do the above, do you need to be on property to purchase the ride at 7 am or just have the park reservations and be a resort guest? Can we do on our way to resort on arrival day at 7 am? We have a reservation for Epcot that night.

LL$ purchases can only happen the day of.

Having a park reservation is a requirement currently for a BG ride, but nothing has been said it is needed for the rest of the Top Eight.

The 7 AM LL$ is only for those staying at a Disney Resort. If you haven't checked in yet, you might not be able to get it. OR, Disney knows you'll be checking in and they'll let you do it... we don't know yet which one they'll opt for.

 

[DCLcruiser]

This isn't that complicated.

MDE = The app we use
DG = The AI wizard w/in MDE for scheduling/questions
DG+ = $15 access to use Lightning Lanes (aka FP Entrances), one at a time, except IAS rides
LL = Old FP Entrance
IAS = Paid ticket to a specific tier 1 ride at a specific time, enter using LL

 

[dreday3]

Looks like, no.

View attachment 580865

Everything is next available time (even if that available time is much later in the day).




LL$ purchases can only happen the day of.

Having a park reservation is a requirement currently for a BG ride, but nothing has been said it is needed for the rest of the Top Eight.

The 7 AM LL$ is only for those staying at a Disney Resort. If you haven't checked in yet, you might not be able to get it. OR, Disney knows you'll be checking in and they'll let you do it... we don't know yet which one they'll opt for.

Thanks! I will put hopes of riding Rat on our first night out of my mind, no big deal. And I can always try for a boarding group for Rat on the plane (if indeed that is happening) and hope I get a late in the day one!

 

[MisterPenguin]

This isn't that complicated.

MDE = The app we use
DG = The AI wizard w/in MDE for scheduling/questions
DG+ = $15 access to use Lightning Lanes (aka FP Entrances), one at a time, except IAS rides
LL = Old FP Entrance
IAS = Paid ticket to a specific tier 1 ride at a specific time, enter using LL

I can't imagine "IAS" is going to be a lasting thing. It needs a branded name to avoid confusion.

 

[Waters Back Side]

And this was truly the best part of MaxPass. Get there early, start by grabbing a hard to get pass (no matter how late they are), get on some rides, grab another 90 min later, rinse and repeat. You can end up riding a lot at rope drop, eat lunch, all the while grabbing FPs so that you were holding 3 before 1pm.

So when they say you can grab one at a time..that's motnactually true. You can have two at a time. This is good because there is no need to worry when it comes time to grab your next one as to when it will be available. You can still get a other in 90 minutes.

 

[willsdad01]

Since my family began visiting Disney in 2007, we've seen the following:

1. Annual ticket price increases
2. The disappearance of a nighttime parade at MK
3. Pay for better viewing for firework shows
4. Increase in room rates for all Disney hotels
5. Increase in food costs
6. Magical Express ending
7. NOW will have to pay for access to lighting lane vs. having the option of FastPasses

Along with many other families who have loved the experience of Disney, we'll be retiring from the Mouse. It doesn't make sense to pay more for less. I used to be able to justify as there was no where you could see the quality of entertainment (stage shows, parades, etc.) have an experience where they make arrival and departure simple and immerse you in their environment, and then give you the ability to choose some rides each day to get FastPasses. It's called Genie because it magically takes more money from you making you feel like you received a benefit, when in actuality they found a way to grab more for the same access. It's been a good run and fun to see, but the Disney World I have loved for years has changed, and not for the good.