Genie/LL Hopper Strategy

[NoWayJose]

Curious as to what the board thinks is the best approach.

I have one day to do a DHS/Epcot on Saturday, 10/21 before a work conference starts. I will be solo.

My general thought process is to start at DHS and hop over to Epcot at 2-3ish. I’m planning to buy Genie and the individual LL’s, as I’ve never been on ROTR or Guardians.

I’m thinking I’ll get target smugglers run with my first genie and try to buy an individual Rise to start the day..

Questions since it’s my first time using Genie…

Can I buy LL’s for both ROTR and Guardians at the same time?

Should I start in Epcot first? Looks like both parks will be an 8/10 crowd calendar wise and using the same operating hours.

Any other outlines or strategies for a single person? I will try to utilize the single rider lines when I can, but not sure how much of a boost I’ll get.

 

[Marionnette]

Curious as to what the board thinks is the best approach.

I have one day to do a DHS/Epcot on Saturday, 10/21 before a work conference starts. I will be solo.

My general thought process is to start at DHS and hop over to Epcot at 2-3ish. I’m planning to buy Genie and the individual LL’s, as I’ve never been on ROTR or Guardians.

I’m thinking I’ll get target smugglers run with my first genie and try to buy an individual Rise to start the day..

Questions since it’s my first time using Genie…

Can I buy LL’s for both ROTR and Guardians at the same time?

Should I start in Epcot first? Looks like both parks will be an 8/10 crowd calendar wise and using the same operating hours.

Any other outlines or strategies for a single person? I will try to utilize the single rider lines when I can, but not sure how much of a boost I’ll get.

I would start at Epcot and stack rides for later in the day at HS. Stacking will allow you to group your reservations for the late afternoon and evening. The disadvantage will be that you won't be able to hold any G+ for Epcot attractions such as Frozen or Ratatouille because you will be focused on obtaining G+ for HS.

Unless you want a chance at being a pilot, use the single rider line at MFSR. You will end up being an engineer but you could also end up being an engineer if you use Genie+. Make SDD your first G+, followed by ToT. MMRR is the #3 priority. Do RnR via the single rider line. Use the modify feature to move reservations to more convenient times as the day moves on.
Set a timer on your phone to remind you when you can obtain another G+ (7 AM, then 2 hours after park opening and every 2 hours after each G+ is made). Molly from Mammoth Club has a great YouTube video out for using G+ to stack rides in HS. I highly recommend it.

ETA: Yes, you can purchase ILL$ for both GotG and RotR. If you're going to Epcot first, buy GotG first and then purchase RotR. But you cannot purchase either one prior to park opening if you are not staying onsite. However, you can still reserve your first G+ at 7 AM regardless of where you are staying.

 

[NoWayJose]

Thank you so much for this and all of the detail! You’ve swayed me and I will start in Epcot.

It’s a but abnormal, but when I go to DHS, I’m actually planning to forego SDD, ToT and MMRR. Hopefully skipping these 3 will allow me some flexibility to hit everything else on the list in that afternoon window.

 

[BraveGirl]

I'm doing a split HS and Epcot day and doing HS first. I would rope drop MF because you will be able to walk on while everyone runs to RotR or SDD. Save your LL for something else (I would say SDD but you said you don't want to do that, so then Toy Story Mania). You can also single ride RRC if that's something you want to do.

I wouldn't start at Epcot because World Showcase isn't open yet and you'll have a lot of walking if you are just trying to get to rides. In my experience, rope dropping at Epcot isn't as effective because the rides are so spread out so by the time you get to the next one, lines are already big. With things being so close in HS (ToT and RRC/RotR and MF/SDD, TSM, and Alien Swirling Saucers, etc) you can easily get on at least two rides with no waits before crowds start. Just my experience!

 

[JAB]

Another thing to keep in mind now is that there were recent changes to using G+ when hopping that affect stacking.

Previously, You could start stacking at your 2nd park immediately, and if the LL return time was before 2pm, it just automatically bumped the return time to 2pm, so it used to be a valid strategy to start stacking your 2nd park immediately.

However, they've recently changed G+ so that you cannot book a LL in a 2nd park until the actual return time is past 2pm. If your first LL was something like SDD or ToT where the return times shoot pretty quickly into the afternoon, this doesn't make too much of a difference, but if the first LL you planned to stack is something less popular and it doesn't get past 2pm until 2 hours or more after park open, then you've missed an opportunity to book a LL in your first park without affecting your stacking.

Then again, there's no way to know for certain when a particular LL will get past 2pm, so if you're not concerned about using LL in your first park, and would rather just start stacking ASAP you still can, you just won't be able to book your first LL right at 7, and you'll need to keep refreshing return times until the LL you want gets past 2pm.