The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[Tiggr88]

My plan was SDD first, then Rise if only I could do it.

But having us both on is our game plan, especially if one of our phones glitches.

Assuming current trends hold, you should definitely be able to get SDD and then have a fair amount of times available in the AM for Rise. It certainly doesn't hurt to have multiple people trying, but so far it would not be necessary. Again, things may change so there are no guarantees but the ILL times do not disappear in a minute like the old BGs.

 

[fly girl]

Assuming current trends hold, you should definitely be able to get SDD and then have a fair amount of times available in the AM for Rise. It certainly doesn't hurt to have multiple people trying, but so far it would not be necessary. Again, things may change so there are no guarantees but the ILL times do not disappear in a minute like the old BGs.

We will be there this weekend, let’s hope the trend holds a few more days!

 

[boop0524]

So we are staying offsite in a couple weeks. Should I be concerned that at 9 am there won’t be any time slots left for ROTR?

 

[Tiggr88]

So we are staying offsite in a couple weeks. Should I be concerned that at 9 am there won’t be any time slots left for ROTR?

I believe there have been slots available most days but they run out within minutes or less and may not be as varied as you like. Seems like someone reported they ran out before 9Am on one day so it is certainly possible.

While wait times have certainly hit 90 minutes or more, late in the day I've also seen them come down and be almost reasonable in the 60 minute range. FWIW, this past Saturday my daughter got in line 5 minutes before closing to a 35 minute posted, 15-20 minute actual wait so that is always an option as well if you don't get an ILL. As long as there isn't significant downtime late in the day and its up and running you may not get quite that lucky but it would not be unreasonable to have a 30 minute actual wait at closing.

 

[Foreveraprincess17]

If anyone could help with my question I would be very grateful. We are taking a last minute trip, just one night at Beach Club and two park days, this Sunday (Halloween) and Monday. We are annual passholders but I was not expecting the trip and as such am overwhelmed by trying to figure things out.

Day 1 we plan on rope dropping with the 30 minutes early arrival at Hollywood Studios, long break at Beach Club, then Epcot in the evening. We would ideally get a Lighting Lane for RotR and Genie+.

My question is how hard will it be if we are on promptly at 7AM to get a RotR LL before noon then a SDD Genie+ before noon? Is that basically impossible to get both? I can't seem to figure out a way to purchase Genie+ in advance, it says we have to do it later. The RotR LL is higher priority to us than SDD.

Day 2 we are going to Animal Kingdom and we are iffy on using Genie+ there.

I would say, buy the G+ BEFORE 7 am like at 6:45 or something then have two people on phones at 7 with one trying for ROTR and one trying for SDD. The reports have been that Slinky has been going to afternoon times very quickly. Good luck and have fun!

Agreed, working on two phones would be your best bet. If you use one phone by the time you book the ILL for ROTR, the GP+ time for SDD is going to be late morning at the earliest (not likely).... most likely the booking time will be in the early afternoon.

 

[Tiggr88]

FWIW, I believe Rise ILLs have lasted until at least 9:15 most days. I think almost to noon on 10/24. I'm not sure what the return times were, but according to thrill data, they were available.

 

[PepperjackDragon]

I believe there have been slots available most days but they run out within minutes or less and may not be as varied as you like. Seems like someone reported they ran out before 9Am on one day so it is certainly possible.

While wait times have certainly hit 90 minutes or more, late in the day I've also seen them come down and be almost reasonable in the 60 minute range. FWIW, this past Saturday my daughter got in line 5 minutes before closing to a 35 minute posted, 15-20 minute actual wait so that is always an option as well if you don't get an ILL. As long as there isn't significant downtime late in the day and its up and running you may not get quite that lucky but it would not be unreasonable to have a 30 minute actual wait at closing.

we got in line last week during a week day at like 6-7 pm, can’t remember now. The line said 70 min. I asked if it was an overestimate and the guy snapped at me that this was disneys official time so he can’t say anything else. Was actually 30min. Unless HS evenings really pick up soon people should just wait and do it in the evening imo, though 30 minutes might stil be worth it. It was one of the best lightning ones though. Despite still having to wait in line, the LL takes you immediately to the beginning of the “experience” def wouldn’t want to cut any of that part out, so for those with the the money it’s def the one ILL actually worth it.

 

[hdrolfe]

We were at HS yesterday and purchased RoR for 10:15. We didn't get genie+ but did rope drop. We rode everything but tower and rockin rollercoaster. We got on slinky dog first, did toy story and aliens so well before park opening, then rode milenium falcon with a short wait. There are not a lot of rides at HS. We had a snack break before our Rise time and.... it broke down while we were on it. We got an any time pass but when it came back up that line was crazy, I am sure it was 40 minute wait in the lightning lane line so we went for a break at the hotel and back after dinner. We ended up riding TSMM again, got our Rise ride (which was awesome BTW, worth the cost to avoid the 100 minute posted wait most of the day) and then did Runaway Railway and ended with 3 more rides on Slinky.

I feel like we did really well. We could have done Rise at park close instead of Slinky and may when we go back on Thursday.

Today is MK and we should be on a bus at least by now but kiddo is tired so... I hope we will be able to do well without any costs, but know we will probably miss 7DMT unless we stay to closing. We go back there Saturday and may get the LL$ for it then.

I can certainly see why people would pay but we saw people in the LL late in the day when we waited 15 minutes for the same ride so I question the value. If the park was busier I guess, but with only being able to use it once per ride we would have had to wait in lines any way since we want to ride some things more than once.

 

[wisblue]

It has. I saw a video where ROTR sold out at 8:59

Edit: Just learned this: Disney changed the procedure 3 days in so there are different buckets because there was nothing left for offsite guests

On Day 3 of Genie, Disney Changes Protocol for Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane Availability

https://blogmickey.com/2021/10/on-d...f-the-resistance-lightning-lane-availability/
View attachment 616654

Interesting.

If this is now the standard procedure it raises the question of how long those “refilled” slots last. If you really want a morning time, and the earliest you can get shortly after 7 is in the afternoon, should you wait until 9 to try to get something earlier?

That seems like a gamble if there is nothing available before 9; you might end up with nothing. Plus, if I’m planning to be in the park at 8:30 for Early Entry I wouldn‘t want to have to alter my early riding to be in a place to hunt for a ROTR at the stroke of 9.

Unless something changes significantly before then, my plan for our DHS day is to be ready right at 7 and try to get Slinky for the earliest time I can get and then go immediately for booking ROTR and try to get a time around 10 or 10:30 or as soon after that as possible.

If I can get my daughters to help out with this, that might help us get the times close to what we want. My wife will have nothing to do with this silliness, and isn’t interested in ROTR anyway.

ETA: I checked this this morning. At 8:59 ET the available return time for ROTR was 4:00. At 9:00 on the dot there was no apparent earlier availability and by 9:05 the time had gone out steadily to 6:20 PM.

 

[Disturbia]

If ROTR is not a priority, I would book SDD; for a park like HS (little shade in Toy story land and elsewhere) we need a midday break, so booking the earliest pass and then catching a later pass when leaving for a break makes sense for us. It will save time in multiple lines vs one ride; we will also be stuck in rides longer due to rider switch. We will buy ROTR at 7 am first.

 

[Orsino]

My understanding is Disney changed to NOT have a non-resort bucket at 9am on day three. Day one and two they refilled rise of the resistance at 9am, but now they no longer do.

 

[ZeeWP]

I think to clarify how many G+ you can have, we need to stop thinking about it as "how many I am holding" and start thinking of it as:

You can get another G+LL when:
1) The clock of 120 min runs out OR
2) When you tap into a ride/attraction OR
3) The time runs out on your LL pass
Whichever is first

That's how it works.

 

[katyringo]

I see multiple strategies developing in this thread, which is great. What is less great is overlapping terms and discussions can get a bit confusing.

Here is what I've gleaned from this thread, with some made-up terms I'm using to try and keep the strategies distinct.

- "stacking" refers to the Genie+ implementation where a user becomes eligible for a new LL reservation 120 minutes after having not been eligible for some other reason. 'stacking' refers to the fact that this process will lead to holding more than one LL at the same time.

- "hop stacking" refers to the strategy of collecting LL reservations at a park other than your initial park reservation park. The system will automatically offer LL times after the 2PM park hop restriction to facilitate collection of useful LL.

- "double stacking" refers to the strategy of getting the initial LL reservation for a return time around 2 hours after park open so that the 120 minute "stacking" strategy comes into play (LL#2), followed shortly by redemption of the first LL and booking LL#3.

- "minimum cycle time" (jargony, sorry: maybe there is a better term. I wanted to avoid the term 'greedy' which is also jargony) refers to the strategy of getting as many LL as possible as quickly as possible to maximize the use of LL. Stacking is unlikely to come into play with this strategy as the user is trying to get their next LL quickly by using the previous one asap. The key to this strategy is to get the popular LL that winds up with late return times quickly for early in the day. A 7AM start with Genie+ is a must.

My view is that 'minimum cycle time' makes the most sense for users who are not interested in re-riding any attractions. If you aren't going to re-ride something, then using LL to skip a 'short wait' 15 minute line is perfectly reasonable since you aren't coming back anyway. However, for users interested in re-riding attractions, when to use LL for a particular ride becomes part of the strategy. In other words, re-rides means you have to use standby at some point, so that standby wait will want to be during the short wait opportunity.

I think 'double stacking' makes the most sense for users interested in riding the same ride multiple times. Ride standby at rope drop when standby lines are most reasonable, then use the double stack after the first 120 minutes of the day.

The final strategy I'm trying to formulate is 'late arrival stacking.' (No hopping) On arrival day, I'm getting to MCO around 3PM. This is too late to make use of 'hop stacking.' I'm eyeing rides that get pushed to late return times early in the day (e.g. Jungle Cruise). I don't think I'd be able to get a 4PM or 5PM return time at 8:55AM so this strategy is one I'll be watching for feasibility.

this is amazing and what a great summary!

 

[leeniewdw]

I have what I presume is a simple question (as compared to stacking strategies!), but where in the app do I indicate my plan is to hop to a 2nd park. It's my understanding that in doing so, when I want to reserve a LL in a hop-to park, it will show me 2pm+ times. OR is the fact that I currently have a park reservation in Park 1, that if I flip the tip board to Park 2 it will automatically show me post-2pm times once I click "book experience".

 

[snikki]

I have what I presume is a simple question (as compared to stacking strategies!), but where in the app do I indicate my plan is to hop to a 2nd park. It's my understanding that in doing so, when I want to reserve a LL in a hop-to park, it will show me 2pm+ times. OR is the fact that I currently have a park reservation in Park 1, that if I flip the tip board to Park 2 it will automatically show me post-2pm times once I click "book experience".

When you go to the My Day portion of the app, and you do the prompts for park 1 it’ll take you back to the main My Day screen. It’ll show you the prompt for “plan for the next park.”

 

[wisblue]

I have what I presume is a simple question (as compared to stacking strategies!), but where in the app do I indicate my plan is to hop to a 2nd park. It's my understanding that in doing so, when I want to reserve a LL in a hop-to park, it will show me 2pm+ times. OR is the fact that I currently have a park reservation in Park 1, that if I flip the tip board to Park 2 it will automatically show me post-2pm times once I click "book experience".

There is a feature of the app that lets you identify a second park that you expect to visit. (ETA- the previous post describes this).

I‘m quite sure that you don’t have to do that in order to make LL reservations at that park.

If you try to make a LL selection at a park other than the one for which you have a park reservation, the app will only offer you return times beginning at 2PM.

For example if you are at MK at noon and intend to hop to Epcot, and would like a LL for Soarin, just go to the Tip Board screen for Epcot. Even if the posted LL return for Soarin is before 2 PM, if you click on it, the app will offer you a return time of 2 PM (or maybe later, I guess) with a note “adjusted for park hopping”.

 

[leeniewdw]

Thank you. I do not have the blue "Plan for Your Next Park" section. We do have a park reservation for that day and we show the 1 day Park Hoppers listed in MDE. These were leftover 1 day hoppers because we were in WDW when it closed (and left with a day left on our package). I wonder if there is still something left to do. The good news is that we'll have time to talk to Guest Services when we arrive the day prior. We have to stop there anyway because we'll be buying 1 day passes to add to this free one and we'll need to make sure on day 1 it uses the 1 day/1 park pass instead of the hopper.

Thanks again.

 

[snikki]

Thank you. I do not have the blue "Plan for Your Next Park" section. We do have a park reservation for that day and we show the 1 day Park Hoppers listed in MDE. These were leftover 1 day hoppers because we were in WDW when it closed (and left with a day left on our package). I wonder if there is still something left to do. The good news is that we'll have time to talk to Guest Services when we arrive the day prior. We have to stop there anyway because we'll be buying 1 day passes to add to this free one and we'll need to make sure on day 1 it uses the 1 day/1 park pass instead of the hopper.

Thanks again.

I had to go and plan out my day for park 1 before that showed up.

 

[leeniewdw]

I had to go and plan out my day for park 1 before that showed up.

Thanks so much for your help. I added plans for my park reservation and then it showed up. It's not showing me eligible to Hop on the next screen once I clicked that, so still a little bit of an issue. But I appreciate the repeated help!

 

[vinmar4]

Good morning,

We are arriving this Sunday for 4 nights for Food and Wine. We are going to try to get Remy that day at 7am and if not at 1 PM . So far ,we are just planning on buying FOP if we don't want to get up that early for our AK day. We will do the early EMH for HS and Epcot to get on some rides, we will hop to MK maybe one time. We will also do the evening EMH at MK on our last night. The rest of the time just enjoy Food and Wine, eat eat at some resorts or DS. Our party is 19 and over, not crazy about getting on all the rides, so we feel Genie plus is not needed during this trip, plus we will be back in March.

Just playing with the Genie app. I saw that I could choose our preferences for our first day and it listed my whole party, but when I tried to choose the next day from my genie day, it tells me that none of us are eligible in our party .

Is this normal ? or should I contact them ? I don't want to run into this issue once we there.

thank you