The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[Disturbia]

Did this happen before or after they started hiding the times on the tip board between 7am-7:30am? If after it seems like hiding the times is.. not solving anything?

March 2022, way before the tip board fiasco

 

[Disturbia]

Just read this and it clarified things for me:

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/08/11/confusing-genie-change-made-for-disney-world/

Given that around 11 am many rides push past 2 pm for HS and MK, you can still stack after you book rides for the first park 9-11 am (that’s not too bad). The advantage is reduced but not eliminated.

You don’t have to wait until 2 pm to start stacking.

 

[cjlong88]

Just read this and it clarified things for me:

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/08/11/confusing-genie-change-made-for-disney-world/

Given that around 11 am many rides push past 2 pm for HS and MK, you can still stack after you book rides for the first park 9-11 am (that’s not too bad). The advantage is reduced but not eliminated.

You don’t have to wait until 2 pm to start stacking.

This is a perfect explanation. Most people who utilize stacking already target rides that get pushed out late super fast (Remy, Slinky, PP), so I really think this will be a non-issue. The only park that might not have any ride push out past 2pm quickly is AK, but that’s not a park where you need to stack.

 

[shaqfor3]

I feel like stacking for DHS or Epcot didn't change much. Between 7am and park opening you should be able to get Slinky or ToT after 2pm and be able to get the other one after 2 hours of park opening and MF, RnR or MMRR as your third.

In Epcot at 7am you should be able to get Remy and 2 hours after you should be able to stack Frozen.

MK suffers as Jungle Cruise is probably the only one who gets after 2pm before opening with Peter Pan second. At 11am you should be able to start getting the mountains. If your plan is to stack after 5pm MK is going to be hard.

Stacking on AK was not needed maybe start with Navi River at 11am or later.

 

[binkeecat17]

Hi Columbus Day weekend will be my first trip since the pandemic so I have never used lightning Lanes before. My question is realistically if I get the package ( not individual) how many lightning Lanes will I be able to do in one day. What's the availability on crowded days? Once you use them in the morning is there really anything left by the afternoon to book another one? Thanks

 

[CynBeth]

We went around Thanksgiving had 2 days for each park with park hopper tickets. We are ride wimps don’t go on roller coasters or anything with a drop and got to do almost everything we wanted during the trip. We had some issues on the app every morning when trying to book our first LL and $ILL but finally got them and booked the next time we could and kept getting things until we left each park we tried to stay until each park closed or close to it. I know things have now changed where you have to buy Genie + each day instead of purchasing in advance and I do not know if they have now limited how many people can get it and if things run out quicker this way.

 

[Llama mama]

So best strategy for stacking purchased LL and Genie + rides. If starting this at 7am , best rides for late afternoon and evening stacking at each park. Some rides quickly go to late afternoon times , some take forever to get to afternoon times.
Is there a best time to use your purchase LL first when stacking? Last ?

 

[Boardwalk III]

Posted this on another forum in error earlier, meant to post here!

Looking for help with a 1/2 day DHS touring plan. Up-to-date on most things Genie+, including the news about now having to wait until times are available for afternoon stacking. However haven’t been since last November so if anyone has a good booking plan for the below list of attractions I’m all ears!

- DHS on a Thurs (Oct) between about 12pm -5pm
- 2 adults
- Top priorities are: Slinky DD, ROTR, M&M, & Toy Story Mania
- Open to using Genie+ and an ILL$ if it makes most sense
- Mainly looking for the best order to book these in, and assume I‘ll need to do so beginning right at 7 AM (unless one or more don’t quickly hit afternoon times)

Many thanks in advance to all you experts!

 

[cjlong88]

Posted this on another forum in error earlier, meant to post here!

Looking for help with a 1/2 day DHS touring plan. Up-to-date on most things Genie+, including the news about now having to wait until times are available for afternoon stacking. However haven’t been since last November so if anyone has a good booking plan for the below list of attractions I’m all ears!

- DHS on a Thurs (Oct) between about 12pm -5pm
- 2 adults
- Top priorities are: Slinky DD, ROTR, M&M, & Toy Story Mania
- Open to using Genie+ and an ILL$ if it makes most sense
- Mainly looking for the best order to book these in, and assume I‘ll need to do so beginning right at 7 AM (unless one or more don’t quickly hit afternoon times)

Many thanks in advance to all you experts!

I would use G+ and ILL$. Assuming a 9am park open and I was only visiting the park from 12-5pm, this is what I would do....

• 7am - Book Slinky LL. You will need to time it so the return is within your window, which means clicking in and out until you find a time you like, but you won't need to do that too much. Then book Rise ILL$. I would choose a 12-1pm return time with the reasoning being that if I choose a 4-5pm and the ride is down at that time, I have no way to ride it. A 12-1pm return gives you a buffer for your afternoon if the ride is being fussy, since it will convert to an anytime LL. It's best if you have the other person you are with to book one ride while you book the other so you don't miss your desired return windows.
• 11am - Book MMRR
• 1pm - Book TSM if you haven't yet used MMRR. If you tapped into MMRR before 1pm, then book TSM right after tapping.

 

[cakebaker]

Just read this and it clarified things for me:

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/08/11/confusing-genie-change-made-for-disney-world/

Given that around 11 am many rides push past 2 pm for HS and MK, you can still stack after you book rides for the first park 9-11 am (that’s not too bad). The advantage is reduced but not eliminated.

You don’t have to wait until 2 pm to start stacking.

It could actually work in our favor- We felt the need to start immediately stacking for our afternoon park other than maybe book 1 for our morning park. With the new system, no one can book for 2pm and after until the rides reach that time so we're free to go ahead and book at least 2-3 for the morning. And yes, we do book the ones that fill the fastest, knowing that by late afternoon or early evening, they will be gone.

 

[Boardwalk III]

I would use G+ and ILL$. Assuming a 9am park open and I was only visiting the park from 12-5pm, this is what I would do....

• 7am - Book Slinky LL. You will need to time it so the return is within your window, which means clicking in and out until you find a time you like, but you won't need to do that too much. Then book Rise ILL$. I would choose a 12-1pm return time with the reasoning being that if I choose a 4-5pm and the ride is down at that time, I have no way to ride it. A 12-1pm return gives you a buffer for your afternoon if the ride is being fussy, since it will convert to an anytime LL. It's best if you have the other person you are with to book one ride while you book the other so you don't miss your desired return windows.
• 11am - Book MMRR
• 1pm - Book TSM if you haven't yet used MMRR. If you tapped into MMRR before 1pm, then book TSM right after tapping.

Terrific, so helpful. Many thanks!

 

[set88]

Hi Columbus Day weekend will be my first trip since the pandemic so I have never used lightning Lanes before. My question is realistically if I get the package ( not individual) how many lightning Lanes will I be able to do in one day. What's the availability on crowded days? Once you use them in the morning is there really anything left by the afternoon to book another one? Thanks

Depends on the park. MK, you'll be able to get a few for sure. It also depends on when you start booking them. You'll want to book your first ride before the park opens to get the most use out of Genie+. I would suggest reading a few blogs that give you a priority list for what order to book the rides. If you follow that advice and start before park open, you can likely get 3-4 really useful ones at each park.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hi Columbus Day weekend will be my first trip since the pandemic so I have never used lightning Lanes before. My question is realistically if I get the package ( not individual) how many lightning Lanes will I be able to do in one day. What's the availability on crowded days? Once you use them in the morning is there really anything left by the afternoon to book another one? Thanks

App itself says 2-3.

 

[bluezy]

It could actually work in our favor- We felt the need to start immediately stacking for our afternoon park other than maybe book 1 for our morning park. With the new system, no one can book for 2pm and after until the rides reach that time so we're free to go ahead and book at least 2-3 for the morning. And yes, we do book the ones that fill the fastest, knowing that by late afternoon or early evening, they will be gone.

I think that kind of depends on what time of year you're (that's a general "you" -- not directed at anyone specific) there, and what parks and rides you're planning to hop to in the afternoon/evening. When we were there in June, the headliners at each park had return times after 2:00 by anywhere between 7:00-7:05 a.m. so we'd still have to reserve those first thing in the morning. Even today at a little after 8:00 a.m. MK, EP, and DHS had at least 1 ride each that had return times after 2:00 and 1 or 2 others approaching that mark. Remy was already gone for the day. If you're going during a slower time of year and don't have specific rides you want to stack (or don't want to do headliners), you can probably still book other rides for the morning and then switch to stacking for the evening. But if it's a busy time of year, you'll still need to reserve the headliner for the park you're hopping to pretty close to 7:00 am if that's the type of ride you want to stack in the evening.

 

[PoshMom]

I'm sorry to ask this. I'm sure it's been asked numerous times. Can't find answer anywhere. Are you able to book LLs at 7am with basic genie? And how many can you book per day with basic genie (not genie+)? And if you do decide to purchase genie+, do you do that from app each morning while on vacation? Or is that purchased with package when you book the trip? This is insanity. I'm not sure who Disney thought this would be easy on...first timers, old timers. It isn't easy nor user friendly. I wouldn't even be attempting a trip back or doing all of this research, except my teenaged children want to return. We haven't been in 7 yrs. They remember the old system. I hope it is as enjoyable as it once was. We plan on visiting in November.

 

[HeiHei2018]

I'm sorry to ask this. I'm sure it's been asked numerous times. Can't find answer anywhere. Are you able to book LLs at 7am with basic genie? And how many can you book per day with basic genie (not genie+)? And if you do decide to purchase genie+, do you do that from app each morning while on vacation? Or is that purchased with package when you book the trip? This is insanity. I'm not sure who Disney thought this would be easy on...first timers, old timers. It isn't easy nor user friendly. I wouldn't even be attempting a trip back or doing all of this research, except my teenaged children want to return. We haven't been in 7 yrs. They remember the old system. I hope it is as enjoyable as it once was. We plan on visiting in November.

Free genie does not get you access to any lightning lanes. You purchase Genie+ each day you want to use it. It is no longer available for pre-purchase.

 

[Disturbia]

I'm sorry to ask this. I'm sure it's been asked numerous times. Can't find answer anywhere. Are you able to book LLs at 7am with basic genie? And how many can you book per day with basic genie (not genie+)? And if you do decide to purchase genie+, do you do that from app each morning while on vacation? Or is that purchased with package when you book the trip? This is insanity. I'm not sure who Disney thought this would be easy on...first timers, old timers. It isn't easy nor user friendly. I wouldn't even be attempting a trip back or doing all of this research, except my teenaged children want to return. We haven't been in 7 yrs. They remember the old system. I hope it is as enjoyable as it once was. We plan on visiting in November.

Would highly recommend delegating tasks to teenagers.

You can buy 1 LLIA (extra individual rides like SDMT). If you have a park hopper you can book 1 in each park, so SDMT and FOP (if going to MK and AK). For LLIA you can choose the time (caution: from booking to final payment screen the selected time changes; if staying onsite front desk can fix issues). Resort guests can buy these at 7 am; offsite only at park opening.

on top of this you buy Genie+ for the rolling fast pass feature but are able to book the first pass (hopefully for sometime between 9-11 am. Resort and non resort guests both book at 7 am. Prioritize booking this first.

So technically you can still walk into the park with 3 booked passes but have to pay approx $45 per person to do so.

on checkin day you can also book passes (1 LLIA (2 if hopping) and watch out for Genie+ passes to go into the evening and then book evening passes. You can book a Genie+ pass every 120 mins if the pass you booked is over 2 hours away.

So we walked into Epcot at 4:30 pm having booked:

1. LLIA Remy (now book Guardians) (for 4-5 pm) at 7 am
2. G+ Frozen (waited until times pushed into evening 5-6 pm) at 10 am
3. G+ Test Track 6-7 pm at noon
4. G+ Mission Space 7-8 pm booked at 2 pm
5. G+ SE 4-5 pm booked at 4 pm (took skyliner and it broke down for 30 mins)

It takes time to book (boarding flight, airplane mode etc) so times will vary. Some sold out passes will show up again, so refreshing works.

https://smallworldbigfun.com/navigating-disney-genie-lightning-lane-attractions/

Nov is no longer a low crowd time. There are runDisney events in addition to Epcot food and wine and festival of the holidays and Christmas parties and Jersey week.

Free Genie is where you select rides that get pinned to the top of the tip board.

always check disboards AND the app for any crazy updates Disney throws last min and doesn’t notify (Park hours change 2 weeks prior)

 

[Marionnette]

I'm sorry to ask this. I'm sure it's been asked numerous times. Can't find answer anywhere. Are you able to book LLs at 7am with basic genie? And how many can you book per day with basic genie (not genie+)? And if you do decide to purchase genie+, do you do that from app each morning while on vacation? Or is that purchased with package when you book the trip? This is insanity. I'm not sure who Disney thought this would be easy on...first timers, old timers. It isn't easy nor user friendly. I wouldn't even be attempting a trip back or doing all of this research, except my teenaged children want to return. We haven't been in 7 yrs. They remember the old system. I hope it is as enjoyable as it once was. We plan on visiting in November.

The free version of Genie (what you're calling basic genie) will make suggestions on where to go. It does not reserve lightning lane times for you. It is supposed to take your preferences into account but what it actually does is make suggestions which will spread crowds out while ignoring your pinned attractions.

IMO, whoever penned the names for Genie, Genie +, Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes needs to go back to school to take a refresher course in marketing. The confusion that these terms create for guests is totally unnecessary and could have been avoided if they had just used different terms for very different things.

 

[Mome Rath]

I'm sorry to ask this. I'm sure it's been asked numerous times. Can't find answer anywhere. Are you able to book LLs at 7am with basic genie? And how many can you book per day with basic genie (not genie+)? And if you do decide to purchase genie+, do you do that from app each morning while on vacation? Or is that purchased with package when you book the trip? This is insanity. I'm not sure who Disney thought this would be easy on...first timers, old timers. It isn't easy nor user friendly. I wouldn't even be attempting a trip back or doing all of this research, except my teenaged children want to return. We haven't been in 7 yrs. They remember the old system. I hope it is as enjoyable as it once was. We plan on visiting in November.

Just to clarify, there are 3 different things; Genie, Genie (+), and ILL$.

Genie is just a free planning tool, you cannot book any rides with this.

Genie (+), or G+, is paid for by the day and is the most similar (not identical) to the old fastpass + system. You can buy this before 7am through the app. You can book your first ride at 7am.

Individual Lightening Lane Selections (ILL$) are separate, but also purchased via the app. If staying onsite, you can make ILL$ selections at 7am. You pay per person per ride; as an example, you can buy Guardians ILL$ at 7am if you are staying onsite. If staying offsite, you can buy when the park opens.

 

[PoshMom]

The free version of Genie (what you're calling basic genie) will make suggestions on where to go. It does not reserve lightning lane times for you. It is supposed to take your preferences into account but what it actually does is make suggestions which will spread crowds out while ignoring your pinned attractions.

IMO, whoever penned the names for Genie, Genie +, Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes needs to go back to school to take a refresher course in marketing. The confusion that these terms create for guests is totally unnecessary and could have been avoided if they had just used different terms for very different things.

For sure!! It's like they intended for us to get frustrated and give up...thank you for advice also