Genie+ vs. Lightning Lane confusion?

[lukacseven]

What exactly is the difference between the Genie+ and Lightning Lane? From what I am reading, both do not allow you to select attractions until 7:00 am of the day of your park reservation, right? So, no more advance booking like with FastPass? Also, from what I gather, Lightning Lane allows you to only purchase a reservation for individual premium attractions (usually the top 2-3 per park). While Genie+ includes many more attractions (but not the premium ones) per park at $15 per ticket rate. Sound about right? I'm primarily looking to secure a spot on ROTR during a Spring trip and trying to figure out how this whole thing works. I'm also assuming this does not include "dining" and Oga's can only be booked through the dining reservation system. Seems like I only really need to purchase Lightning Lane for ROTR and I can't do so until the day I am visiting DHS, right? Does ROTR offer standby?

 

[nickys]

There is some confusion over terminology.

Think of lightning lanes as the actual “FP queue”. These lines allow you to skip the standby lines.

There are two tiers of ride. Firstly the ones for which you pay per ride, called Indivdual Lightning Lane (ILL) of which there are 2 in each park. And then there are Genie+ rides, for which you pay $15 per day.

Rise of the Resistance has both ILL and stand-by. If you are staying onsite you can buy 2 ILLs at 7am. These allow you to choose your return time. If you are staying offsite you can buy them at park opening of each park you want to buy one for. You can buy these completely independently of Genie+.
The other ILL rides are currently MMRR, Remy, Frozen, Space Mtn, 7dmt, FoP and EE. Of these, Remy only has ILL or the virtual queue system (at 7am and 1pm).

Dining is booked at 60 days (and for length of stay for onsite - up to 10 days). Same for things like droid and light sabre building, cabanas, VIP tours etc.

 

[TP2000]

They’ve designed a system that’s not only confusing and chock full of rules and exceptions, but also requires customers paying for an expensive vacation to get up at 7am (on their vacation, remember) and get on an App to be able to buy tickets for a ride.

Perfection.

If that doesn’t say “We don’t care about our customers“, I don’t know what does.

 

[lukacseven]

They’ve designed a system that’s not only confusing and chock full of rules and exceptions, but also requires customers paying for an expensive vacation to get up at 7am (on their vacation, remember) and get on an App to be able to buy tickets for a ride.

Perfection.

If that doesn’t say “We don’t care about our customers“, I don’t know what does.

Disney has not really been a "vacation" for quite some time. Once they started allowing advance attraction booking, I think it really ruined the experience. I liked the in-person ticket machines at the attractions, but even before that if you wanted to maximize your experience you had to be at the park when it opened and stay until closing. If you slept in it was at the expense of fewer rides and longer wait times. I felt like I needed a day of rest when I got home from a Disney trip.

 

[ShookieJones]

They’ve designed a system that’s not only confusing and chock full of rules and exceptions, but also requires customers paying for an expensive vacation to get up at 7am (on their vacation, remember) and get on an App to be able to buy tickets for a ride.

Perfection.

If that doesn’t say “We don’t care about our customers“, I don’t know what does.

Disney has not really been a "vacation" for quite some time. Once they started allowing advance attraction booking, I think it really ruined the experience. I liked the in-person ticket machines at the attractions, but even before that if you wanted to maximize your experience you had to be at the park when it opened and stay until closing. If you slept in it was at the expense of fewer rides and longer wait times. I felt like I needed a day of rest when I got home from a Disney trip.

Although I 1000 percent agree with both of your comments (needing to get up early to have a good experience and lack of a positive customer experience with advance planning etc.) I never understood the "Why do I have to get up early to get on lot of rides, etc. etc" complaint. When was the last time that WDW was a casual, relaxing roll in at 10am and be able to ride all the rides get the dining reservations you want, take your time and see everything" kinda place? I mean that's 1970s era maybe!? Maybe during certain short weeks/months up until the 1990s!?? But it's been a get your butt up at the crack dawn kinda place for a long time now. Not that management hasn't made it worse with staffing, lightning lane, fast pass etc. etc., but still man it's always been a get up and go if you want to ride rides. Also it's not like there aren't other leisurely ways to experience WDW, it's just NOT going to be the same as mine if I am up at 6am ready to go. I mean heck, I have to get up early to get a good spot on the shore during a Cape Cod beach vacation too.

 

[lukacseven]

Although I 1000 percent agree with both of your comments (needing to get up early to have a good experience and lack of a positive customer experience with advance planning etc.) I never understood the "Why do I have to get up early to get on lot of rides, etc. etc" complaint. When was the last time that WDW was a casual, relaxing roll in at 10am and be able to ride all the rides get the dining reservations you want, take your time and see everything" kinda place? I mean that's 1970s era maybe!? Maybe during certain short weeks/months up until the 1990s!?? But it's been a get your butt up at the crack dawn kinda place for a long time now. Not that management hasn't made it worse with staffing, lightning lane, fast pass etc. etc., but still man it's always been a get up and go if you want to ride rides. Also it's not like there aren't other leisurely ways to experience WDW, it's just NOT going to be the same as mine if I am up at 6am ready to go. I mean heck, I have to get up early to get a good spot on the shore during a Cape Cod beach vacation too.

Solid assessment. I can recall in the early 2000's there were several years of no new attractions in any of the parks and going there for the marathon weekend and already getting up at 3:30 AM, we didn't really care that much about rides. We went to the parks in the afternoon and got on a few rides, but again, that was back when you had to be in the park and physically get Fastpass tickets at the kiosks. So, maybe the top 1-2 attractions you waited an hour in standby because all FP were distributed, but you were able to get some other rides in between that weren't as crowded, especially that time of year.

 

[ShookieJones]

Solid assessment. I can recall in the early 2000's there were several years of no new attractions in any of the parks and going there for the marathon weekend and already getting up at 3:30 AM, we didn't really care that much about rides. We went to the parks in the afternoon and got on a few rides, but again, that was back when you had to be in the park and physically get Fastpass tickets at the kiosks. So, maybe the top 1-2 attractions you waited an hour in standby because all FP were distributed, but you were able to get some other rides in between that weren't as crowded, especially that time of year.

Aside from a couple of trips in the early 90s when my wife and I were dating, back when we could go in the "downtime" month of October and the weather and crowds were both pretty perfect, the early paper fast days were definitely my favorite 'era'. We could do rope drop, get on a bunch of rides, then easily use 8-10 FP a day and still only wait in 15-20 min lines at most for other rides. I mean you still had to be a commando, but man could you truly maximize your time. Ahhh...the good ol' days!

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Aside from a couple of trips in the early 90s when my wife and I were dating, back when we could go in the "downtime" month of October and the weather and crowds were both pretty perfect, the early paper fast days were definitely my favorite 'era'. We could do rope drop, get on a bunch of rides, then easily use 8-10 FP a day and still only wait in 15-20 min lines at most for other rides. I mean you still had to be a commando, but man could you truly maximize your time. Ahhh...the good ol' days!

Absolutely agree with this. I had the exact same experiences as an adult in the later 90s and it was awesome. I miss those days. It was simple and still worked well. Sure, they could get with the times and instead of using paper FP just let you walk up to the machine and scan your magic band, phone, or whatever. It can be completely electronic, and still work well. They've just found ways to squeeze every last dime out of each visitor. FP used to be a convenience or way to make it up to guests who found themselves looking at a 90+ min wait. Now it's a way to make money.

I haven't been there on vacation for over a decade now, and mostly because the experience isn't the same. Vacationing at WDW is no longer fun. It's worse than work. Now with new systems, paying extra for premium rides, and confusion for even the smartest of us, it's still just not worth it to me. I guess I'll wait and hope for a new era of simpler times. At least my absence will shorten lines just a bit for the rest of you. You're welcome. I just don't like the need for a masters degree just to maximize your experience on vacation. And for those who are able to maximize their experience, that's awesome, but for me it's just too much work to have fun. I've felt for years that TWDC has taken the fun out of having fun.

 

[ShookieJones]

Absolutely agree with this. I had the exact same experiences as an adult in the later 90s and it was awesome. I miss those days. It was simple and still worked well. Sure, they could get with the times and instead of using paper FP just let you walk up to the machine and scan your magic band, phone, or whatever. It can be completely electronic, and still work well. They've just found ways to squeeze every last dime out of each visitor. FP used to be a convenience or way to make it up to guests who found themselves looking at a 90+ min wait. Now it's a way to make money.

I haven't been there on vacation for over a decade now, and mostly because the experience isn't the same. Vacationing at WDW is no longer fun. It's worse than work. Now with new systems, paying extra for premium rides, and confusion for even the smartest of us, it's still just not worth it to me. I guess I'll wait and hope for a new era of simpler times. At least my absence will shorten lines just a bit for the rest of you. You're welcome. I just don't like the need for a masters degree just to maximize your experience on vacation. And for those who are able to maximize their experience, that's awesome, but for me it's just too much work to have fun. I've felt for years that TWDC has taken the fun out of having fun.

I mean this with sincere earnest: Kodus to you times 1000! You're doing the EXACT thing you should do when you're unhappy with what WDW (or any other company that's not meeting your needs) don't buy the product.

I am not much of a complainer, but I have been very unhappy with a lot of the changes over the years, but ultimately I've been part of the problem, and to some extent some would say a "sucker" or a "rube", because even though, my experience has lessened to some degree I continue to go and give the Mouse my money. I haven't really voted with my wallet.

The truth is I have not reached that breaking point where my overall experience and value are out of balance. I do have a feeling our trip this year will be telling though.

We all still have a great time and I do love planning, (even though as you mentioned, this is becoming some what tedious even by my ultra-planner standards). So right now, I am still a rube. Let's see what 2022 has in store though.

 

[Raxel7851]

They’ve designed a system that’s not only confusing and chock full of rules and exceptions, but also requires customers paying for an expensive vacation to get up at 7am (on their vacation, remember) and get on an App to be able to buy tickets for a ride.

Perfection.

If that doesn’t say “We don’t care about our customers“, I don’t know what does.

Instead of you choosing the time you would like to enjoy an attraction, Genie + tells you the time IT wants you to enjoy an attraction. No Thanks!!!

 

[Diamond Dot]

I don't know about any of you, but, the rise of social media either caused the changes that have gone on or is it merely a coincidence that all this has happened at the same time. Why should Disney care about customers when people still go despite the extras we now have to pay for. My holiday is in March and I'm hopeful that it's going ahead after a bit of a doubt when Omicron reared it's ugly head. I got Dining credits and a $200 gift card worth $704 with my booking that I'd lose if I had to cancel. That really offsets the cost of my trip. I still haven't booked Genie+ or Lightening Lanes, I thought they would be like the MaxPass at Disneyland, but, it doesn't sound like it and quite frankly I'm so confused it's putting me off booking them even though the gift card would cover that cost, espentially making it a kind of freebie. Once I got the hang of MaxPass I loved it, but, Disney aren't catering to real vactioners and long time Disney fans anymore they are catering to those who will pay the extra bucks for 'experiences', but, I don't count an escorted day around the parks as a vacation or something for true Disney fans, only the entitled rich fork out $1000 to get on rides quicker.
Another thing is that not all of us live by our smartphones. I have one, but, I have no idea how to use it in the US, I ended up buying a cheap one in WalMart with a PAYG card simply for My Disney Experience, I'm not on social media nor do I use the internet all that much, if it wasn't for Disney putting so much on apps or whatever I wouldn't need a phone at all!

 

[Mdcruz75]

This was give to us when we bought our tickets.

 

[mellyf]

Absolutely agree with this. I had the exact same experiences as an adult in the later 90s and it was awesome. I miss those days. It was simple and still worked well. Sure, they could get with the times and instead of using paper FP just let you walk up to the machine and scan your magic band, phone, or whatever. It can be completely electronic, and still work well. They've just found ways to squeeze every last dime out of each visitor. FP used to be a convenience or way to make it up to guests who found themselves looking at a 90+ min wait. Now it's a way to make money.

I haven't been there on vacation for over a decade now, and mostly because the experience isn't the same. Vacationing at WDW is no longer fun. It's worse than work. Now with new systems, paying extra for premium rides, and confusion for even the smartest of us, it's still just not worth it to me. I guess I'll wait and hope for a new era of simpler times. At least my absence will shorten lines just a bit for the rest of you. You're welcome. I just don't like the need for a masters degree just to maximize your experience on vacation. And for those who are able to maximize their experience, that's awesome, but for me it's just too much work to have fun. I've felt for years that TWDC has taken the fun out of having fun.

Wow...all of this! This was my experience as well. Our first trip was in 1996, and we went 10-12 times in the 15 years following. Most of the time as a family (or with extended family), but a couple of times it was just my husband and me. We loved it. Our last trip was in 2011 or 2012, I think. Even though I was very much a planner, especially in the beginning, I'm not interested in the level of planning now required for a Disney vacation. And I'm certainly not interested in the cost.

We're going to California over spring break, and we thought about spending a day at DL, but the cost of a 1-day ticket (with Park Hoppers, because I'd at least want to see both parks) was ridiculous, and I hadn't realized that Max Pass, which I'd read about it and thought sounded fantastic, was gone.

So for now, even though we have really happy memories of WDW, we'll hold off going back. The bolded above perfectly captures my feelings.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Wow...all of this! This was my experience as well. Our first trip was in 1996, and we went 10-12 times in the 15 years following. Most of the time as a family (or with extended family), but a couple of times it was just my husband and me. We loved it. Our last trip was in 2011 or 2012, I think. Even though I was very much a planner, especially in the beginning, I'm not interested in the level of planning now required for a Disney vacation. And I'm certainly not interested in the cost.

We're going to California over spring break, and we thought about spending a day at DL, but the cost of a 1-day ticket (with Park Hoppers, because I'd at least want to see both parks) was ridiculous, and I hadn't realized that Max Pass, which I'd read about it and thought sounded fantastic, was gone.

So for now, even though we have really happy memories of WDW, we'll hold off going back. The bolded above perfectly captures my feelings.

Absolutely. You and I have had very similar experiences it seems. My ex-wife (and even before marrying) had gone at least a half dozen times having a fantastic time, rope drop for each park, park hopping more later in the trip to have dinner in Epcot after a second day at HS, AK or whatever. We just really experienced the parks in a great era. It was always a full day at each park for the first 4 days, and then hopping the heck out of the last 3 or 4 days to re-experience our favorite parts of each day, at the best times. Epcot and MK always consumed the evenings it seemed. Even as adults without children, who couldn't appreciate watching Wishes. And after one or two Wishes in the trip, it was riding the heck out of Pirates and HM while everyone else was consumed with the parade and fireworks.

I just couldn't get enough of the parks back then, but I really hate every line-managing system I've read about since the original paper FP. The new systems just make it a challenge to enjoy yourself, making people stare at their phones more than they already do. People aren't living their lives anymore. I have to admit, I did spend one day at MK about 3 or 4 years ago while I was in Orlando for business. I went solo the one day I had to myself. FP+ was awful and ruined the experience for me. I miss the days of walking past a ride and say, "hey, the line is only 20 mins". Let's get on. That's non-existent now. And charging premiums for premium rides... give me a break. Raise the ticket prices and be done with it. Don't hide the cost of a trip behind add-ons. That's bull$h!t. It screams dishonesty and cheating people.

Caveat btw, I realize that there are folks who LOVED FP+ and were able to maximize their experiences with it. I understand and respect that. My opinion was it was just too much work for a vacation. Too much preparation, staring at your phone, refreshing to keep an eye on FPs that opened up, and too little enjoying the atmosphere. WDW is supposed to be an experience of escapism that stimulates all of your senses... not one staring at your phone in search for that rat maze pellet to appear so you can snag your next FP. That's only my opinion though and realize others enjoyed it that way. No disrespect intended if you preferred FP+ the last decade.

 

[mellyf]

Absolutely. You and I have had very similar experiences it seems. My ex-wife (and even before marrying) had gone at least a half dozen times having a fantastic time, rope drop for each park, park hopping more later in the trip to have dinner in Epcot after a second day at HS, AK or whatever. We just really experienced the parks in a great era. It was always a full day at each park for the first 4 days, and then hopping the heck out of the last 3 or 4 days to re-experience our favorite parts of each day, at the best times. Epcot and MK always consumed the evenings it seemed. Even as adults without children, who couldn't appreciate watching Wishes. And after one or two Wishes in the trip, it was riding the heck out of Pirates and HM while everyone else was consumed with the parade and fireworks.

I just couldn't get enough of the parks back then, but I really hate every line-managing system I've read about since the original paper FP. The new systems just make it a challenge to enjoy yourself, making people stare at their phones more than they already do. People aren't living their lives anymore. I have to admit, I did spend one day at MK about 3 or 4 years ago while I was in Orlando for business. I went solo the one day I had to myself. FP+ was awful and ruined the experience for me. I miss the days of walking past a ride and say, "hey, the line is only 20 mins". Let's get on. That's non-existent now. And charging premiums for premium rides... give me a break. Raise the ticket prices and be done with it. Don't hide the cost of a trip behind add-ons. That's bull$h!t. It screams dishonesty and cheating people.

Caveat btw, I realize that there are folks who LOVED FP+ and were able to maximize their experiences with it. I understand and respect that. My opinion was it was just too much work for a vacation. Too much preparation, staring at your phone, refreshing to keep an eye on FPs that opened up, and too little enjoying the atmosphere. WDW is supposed to be an experience of escapism that stimulates all of your senses... not one staring at your phone in search for that rat maze pellet to appear so you can snag your next FP. That's only my opinion though and realize others enjoyed it that way. No disrespect intended if you preferred FP+ the last decade.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but wow...so much of this was us. We almost always stayed at Epcot resorts just so we could zip into World Showcase for dinner...even if it was just counter service. Those were the days! (er...wasn't that a song title? )

And your last paragraph...I have a friend who loved FP+ for her family, so I know people loved it. It just wasn't for me.

 

[lukacseven]

I was told by a cast member that I would love the new Genie+ because it's basically the same as the old FP ticket kiosks except you do it on your phone and you don't have to be at the attraction. Hmmmmm...we'll see.

 

[networkpro]

I wouldnt equate here and now with there and then as there are more dynamics in play currently than just replacing FP+ with Genie and ILL. Travel was limited, staffing was laid off and subsequently, lots of them found other ways to make a living and now that the parks are reopened, there are lots of people who were regular visitors have in some cases two years of pent-up demand to expend on visiting the parks. Logistics are still in a big mess. Once the new "normal" equilibrium has been established a fair assessment can be made.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

I was told by a cast member that I would love the new Genie+ because it's basically the same as the old FP ticket kiosks except you do it on your phone and you don't have to be at the attraction. Hmmmmm...we'll see.

It sounds kind of like it, but like you said, we'll see. I'm hopeful, but not counting on it.

I'm not a fan of the ILL for premium rides tho. It's too affordable and will make not getting it cost hours of time. Terrible idea. They should've created "skip-the-line" tickets for double the entry price for each day or something like that. If you can afford it, great, but not enough people would get it to really bog down standby.

I wouldnt equate here and now with there and then as there are more dynamics in play currently than just replacing FP+ with Genie and ILL. Travel was limited, staffing was laid off and subsequently, lots of them found other ways to make a living and now that the parks are reopened, there are lots of people who were regular visitors have in some cases two years of pent-up demand to expend on visiting the parks. Logistics are still in a big mess. Once the new "normal" equilibrium has been established a fair assessment can be made.

All fair points. I sincerely hope for the best, but not counting on it unfortunately. I'll remain hopeful.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Two points...what Nickys posted was true at the time it was posted, but WDW is already tweaking some of the details - like Remy adding a standby line. As I recall, FP+ ALSO was initially a terrible system that improved over time. None of the above is meant as an endorsement of ILL or Genie+.

Second, while I have been fairly avid about personally making it to the parks approximately for rope drop - ish for many years, I have many times traveled with family, and RD was not ESSENTIAL to have a 'good' day, or even a rather complete day at WDW, especially during the busier weeks. Busier weeks = extended park hours, or at least that was the case. There were quite a few years EMH ran well past midnight, especially in MK. MK after midnight is the best!

Or it WAS the best. I have little interest in paying for the crazy high-priced PM parties. It sucks if you pay that much $$$ but don't feel up for the event or the weather is lousy.

I suppose in way, you could say we sacrificed sleep, but it didn't feel that way.

Mind, there have been many times though where..I dunno, we forgot to eat lunch because we were having fun on rides. Maybe we rushed a pool break. But we've also taken afternoon WDW naps, and slow strolls though the roses....

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

. The new systems just make it a challenge to enjoy yourself, making people stare at their phones more than they already do. People aren't living their lives anymore.

This - IMO - has little to do with WDW though. People are addicted to their phones, WDW just found a way to...accommodate or maybe a better word is incorporate - their addiction into the WDW experience.

I haven't used Genie+ yet, but it isn't essential to use it. And even less important to use it all day.

That said, if one is using Genie+ - a KEY time to use one's phone ALSO happens to be a time when many others will SEE you using your phone: the line queue.

Just as in my last post....if there are 'rewards' for making rope drop (getting your bum out of bed early), or not eating lunch at noon, there are rewards if you are willing to make a small trade of looking at your phone over looking at walls while waiting in a queue. Oh, and also at 7a.m. But you just have to be awake at 7am. (not dressed or anything.)

Alas though...if I was WDW, it would be interesting to see all the ways I could manipulate people.... I imagine a corporate challenge was issued, "Can we manipulate people into waking up at 8am? What about 7am? BONUS if it also encourages them to use thier phones more!"

More phone time is good for WDW though. It is SO easy and far less expensive than building rides and other experiences.