Issues Adding Genie+ In Advance: Any Advice?

[MaisyLou22]

Hello everyone. I’m still new to the forum so I hope I have placed this thread in the correct discussion board.

My husband and I booked a hotel and ticket package directly through Disney (with 5-day regular park tickets) for Jan. 24-Feb. 1. We booked this trip back in June before Genie+ was announced as a thing.

I’ve spent hours trying to add Genie+ to our existing reservation. I’ve read lots of articles (many from Disney themselves). I’ve even read threads on this very forum. There are clear-cut instructions for how to add Genie+ to existing reservations online or on the My Disney Experience app. Online, if I attempt to add Genie+ to our tickets, the page reboots and takes me back to where I started (I've tried on a computer, iPad, and iPhone). In the app, I don't even have the option to change my tickets like I've seen other people showcase in screenshots on this forum.

I assume I am facing these issues because the tickets were purchased as part of a package and aren't easy to alter.

I finally caved in and called the customer service line on Monday afternoon (December 13). After being on hold for two hours, I spoke to an incredibly kind cast member…who unfortunately could not help me.

The cast member said they were sending my information on to guest services and to expect a call from them in 30 minutes so they could add Genie+ to my tickets. Well, it has now been two days, and I have not received a call back. I’m at my wit’s end with trying to add Genie+ to this reservation.

Before I attempt calling Disney again, I wanted to ask those of you with Genie+ experience if I’m wasting my time trying to add it to our resort/ticket package in advance?

I have read that once you arrive on Disney property and your trip “begins,” you can purchase Genie+ for each individual day as you prepare to enter the parks. Is this correct? I do have concerns with taking this approach, since I don’t want to run the risk of the website/app continuing to malfunction while I’m at Disney and time is precious.

So what should I do? Continue on my quest to add Genie+ to my package in advance? Or just wait until we’re at WDW and buy it while we’re there?

Thank you!

 

[DVC Ted]

I wouldn’t spend anymore time on it. It’s trivial to buy Genie+ when you’re at WDW. On our recent trip, I would buy it about 6:45 AM. It only takes a minute to buy, then you’re ready to go at 7:00. Also, for your trip dates at the end of January, I would buy Genie+ only for MK and HS days.

 

[MaisyLou22]

I wouldn’t spend anymore time on it. It’s trivial to buy Genie+ when you’re at WDW. On our recent trip, I would buy it about 6:45 AM. It only takes a minute to buy, then you’re ready to go at 7:00. Also, for your trip dates at the end of January, I would buy Genie+ only for MK and HS days.

Thanks for the advice, I'm relieved to hear it isn't that much of a hassle once you're in WDW...certainly seems less cumbersome than trying to buy in advance has been!

And thank you for the advice regarding which parks to use it at. We're visiting all four and spending two days in Magic Kingdom, so we'll definitely get it for MK day one and see if we want it for our second day as well.

And yes, we picked these January dates hoping that would be a calmer time! We haven't been to WDW since we were kids and this is our trip before we have kids of our own...so we're wanting to cover as much ground as we can!

 

[CynBeth]

Sorry you went through that. We called the day it went on sale in October to add to our park hopper tickets for our November trip and the rep did it there was no transfer. It took a few days to show up correctly on the website and app.

 

[Diamond Dot]

I wouldn’t spend anymore time on it. It’s trivial to buy Genie+ when you’re at WDW. On our recent trip, I would buy it about 6:45 AM. It only takes a minute to buy, then you’re ready to go at 7:00. Also, for your trip dates at the end of January, I would buy Genie+ only for MK and HS days.

That sounds like great advice. I've just been looking at it on the WDW site and I'm not overly interested after all. I thought it would be like the DL Maxpass, but, you are only allowed to go on an attraction once, unlike the Maxpass (as it was in 2019)