About genie+

[snowwite]

I know there's debate, but I don't see Genie+/LL impacting standby lines any more than FP and FP+ did when they were the choices for skip-the-normal-line for attractions. It's the same process. Can you do the attractions without G+? Absolutely, but you'll wait more. If you're going the last 2 weeks of March, the combination of approaching the Easter holiday, along with spring break crowds - it's going to be busy and very crowded. If we were in your situation, we'd plan on purchasing Genie+ some days, but probably not all. We'd use it on the longer park days when we hope to do more attractions.....

I expect the standby lines in late March to be pretty long. If you do decide to purchase Genie+, keep in mind you can save a couple dollars some days by purchasing just for a single park (EP and AK tend to be a couple dollars cheaper than MK and HS or the 'all parks' option). But in the whole budget for an entire WDW trip, that savings would be very minimal!!

Ugh. I completely forgot about Easter when I booked. I fly home the day before it! Oh well.

 

[tony67]

I cant imagine going without it, if its offered.

Last time I went was 2021 and there were no FP or G+ etc... that was nice IMO

I am going again this year, the last time for a long time, and no doubt I'll get G+.
I've already spent far more than I want to on tickets and hotel.

That said,
I am NOT happy about getting up at 7AM to book a ride.
I am NOT happy about buying it after midnight every day.
I am NOT happy about paying for it.
I am NOT happy with the option to pay even more for specific rides
I am NOT happy with rides that are VQ only or pay for it.
I am NOT happy that you must be the specific park to get the 1PM drop for VQ rides.
I am NOT happy with all the research I have to do to figure it all out.

 

[snowwite]

I cant imagine going without it, if its offered.

Last time I went was 2021 and there were no FP or G+ etc... that was nice IMO

I am going again this year, the last time for a long time, and no doubt I'll get G+.
I've already spent far more than I want to on tickets and hotel.

That said,
I am NOT happy about getting up at 7AM to book a ride.
I am NOT happy about buying it after midnight every day.
I am NOT happy about paying for it.
I am NOT happy with the option to pay even more for specific rides
I am NOT happy with rides that are VQ only or pay for it.
I am NOT happy that you must be the specific park to get the 1PM drop for VQ rides.
I am NOT happy with all the research I have to do to figure it all out.

You sound like Grumpy.

Totally agree with you. this is a giant PITA

 

[tony67]

You sound like Grumpy.
View attachment 834099
Totally agree with you. this is a giant PITA

 

[snowwite]

View attachment 834100

 

[melissa70]

I cant imagine going without it, if its offered.

Last time I went was 2021 and there were no FP or G+ etc... that was nice IMO

I am going again this year, the last time for a long time, and no doubt I'll get G+.
I've already spent far more than I want to on tickets and hotel.

That said,
I am NOT happy about getting up at 7AM to book a ride.
I am NOT happy about buying it after midnight every day.
I am NOT happy about paying for it.
I am NOT happy with the option to pay even more for specific rides
I am NOT happy with rides that are VQ only or pay for it.
I am NOT happy that you must be the specific park to get the 1PM drop for VQ rides.
I am NOT happy with all the research I have to do to figure it all out.

Absolutely! I’m beginning to wonder if I should have just gone to the Caribbean and be waited on , on the beach. I hate how stressful this is

 

[Minnie1222]

Absolutely! I’m beginning to wonder if I should have just gone to the Caribbean and be waited on , on the beach. I hate how stressful this is

I would rather sit near Pirates of the Caribbean while enjoying a Dole Whip. Thankfully, I don't have an issue with Genie+.

 

[tony67]

Absolutely! I’m beginning to wonder if I should have just gone to the Caribbean and be waited on , on the beach. I hate how stressful this is

There is always the new Evermore Resort in Orlando which is pretty tempting - opening soon I guess

 

[melissa70]

I would rather sit near Pirates of the Caribbean while enjoying a Dole Whip. Thankfully, I don't have an issue with Genie+.

I hope I don’t have an issue with genie+ being sold out

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I hope I don’t have an issue with genie+ being sold out

It really depends on when you're going and the crowds (and which park(s) you want), but I seem to recall on days it did sell out, it was mid-morning. If you buy it at 6:50AM (or even midnight), you shouldn't have an issue. If you decide to do it later in the day on a very busy day, then it becomes a concern.

 

[FallsChurchDad]

I guess I was asking what happens if literally almost everyone buys genie+, how would anyone ride anything. I didn’t realize genie+ passes are limited.

The other way it is limited is that you can only book each ride once with G+. So even if everyone bought it, there may not be a ton of people in the LL line for certain rides at certain times of the day. At AK, the standby line for Everest usually moves quickly in the late afternoon (even if the line is long), in part because anyone who bought G+ for AK has already used a LL for Everest earlier in the day.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I am wondering if everyone that is going to the park has purchased Genie+ And all book lightning lanes, what does that mean for lines?

The one positive of charging for G+ over the old free Fast Pass, is a lot less people use it. So the G+ lines tend to be a bit shorter than the FP lines were.

 

[jlstwinmommy]

The one positive of charging for G+ over the old free Fast Pass, is a lot less people use it. So the G+ lines tend to be a bit shorter than the FP lines were.

Unless something goes down. Last week we waited 30 minutes for Soarin and 35 minutes for Remy, both WITH Genie+.

I know Remy had been down for part of the day, not sure on Soarin.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Last two weeks of March

1. That will be a busy time period this year. If you are only planning say, 4 days in the parks, you might want G+. If , on the other hand you'll have more like 10 park days, then you can afford to take a slower pace, IMO.

2. Unfortunately, you will also have to pay peak G+ prices.

We have done both G+ and non-G+ days at WDW. The choice is a very personal one that depends on a number of variables in how you plan to tour.

Favoring G+: high energy touring, hate waiting, want to see everything, want to maximize your time, don't mind using MDE in the parks.

Less inclined to buy G+: on a budget, relaxed touring, don't care about riding everything, don't care about coasters/thrill rides, happy to meander-touring, low crowds, dislike using your smartphone (or don't have one), days with a visit to Disney Springs.

When the parks are crowded, we tend to buy G+. IMO, HS is miserable no matter which you choose. You might pay $24+ for G+, but miss out on getting Slinky. On the other hand, if you don't buy G+, expect to wait 70+ minutes for Slinky- even at Rope drop, and then to wait 120+ for all the other popular rides. If you buy G+, all the worthwhile HS passes will be gone by 1pm: MMRR, MF:SR, Slinky, TSM, and ToT. (also RnRC, but it is closed for a rehab.)

There's also Rise. It is an expensive ILL. No matter what, the actual attraction takes about 18minutes. Rushing to it at rope drop = you can't be in line for other HS rides until you are done riding it. At RD, a LARGE group of people rush to Rise. Odds are slim that you will be at the front of that crowd. Most of the day, the standby will be a LONG wait. We have been on Rise a number of times, and find our HS days are often better if we skip it, especially during busy weeks. Many people choose otherwise.

In AK, on the other hand, if you arrive for rope drop, and don't plan to hop, then there is less value in buying G+. Again though it depends on your tolerance for waits, and how much you value going on all the attractions and seeing all the shows. If you plan to skip one or two of the popular attractions and/or rope drop, and/or stay past 3pm, it is easier to do without G+.

If you are eating multiple TS meals, you will have less time for rides. for some folks, that = not getting G+. Other folks might see added value in having G+.

If we visit WDW over busy weeks, we tend to buy G+, and not just G+ but the multipark G+. The only ILL we have ever bought is FoP. I don't think any ride is worth $25 per person. Yes, we've been on all the WDW rides. On busy weeks, our approach is to skip Rise and only go on 7dMt late at night or skip it. We tend to leave HS mid-day. On short trips, we skip HS.

On busy weeks, we tend to make good use of peripheral park hours. We arrive early +stay out late, but often take an afternoon break when crowds peak. To make good use of G+, we book passes for our evening park, but that requires keeping track of all the times. you not only have to keep track of all your passes, but also when to book each pass. Some days, we don't feel like making that much effort.

We also tend to skip G+ on arrival and departure days, especially our departure days.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Unless something goes down. Last week we waited 30 minutes for Soarin and 35 minutes for Remy, both WITH Genie+.

I know Remy had been down for part of the day, not sure on Soarin.

No doubt. It gets ugly when that happens.

 

[elvispursley]

I cant imagine going without it, if its offered.

Last time I went was 2021 and there were no FP or G+ etc... that was nice IMO

I am going again this year, the last time for a long time, and no doubt I'll get G+.
I've already spent far more than I want to on tickets and hotel.

That said,
I am NOT happy about getting up at 7AM to book a ride.
I am NOT happy about buying it after midnight every day.
I am NOT happy about paying for it.
I am NOT happy with the option to pay even more for specific rides
I am NOT happy with rides that are VQ only or pay for it.
I am NOT happy that you must be the specific park to get the 1PM drop for VQ rides.
I am NOT happy with all the research I have to do to figure it all out.

I did read that as long as you’ve tapped into the park with the VQ you want before 1pm, you can still try for the VQ (eg if you tapped into Epcot for GotGand then left to take a break at your hotel, you can still try for it.) Someone tried it and had no difficulty. I guess they don’t track when you exited the park.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I cant imagine going without it, if its offered.

Last time I went was 2021 and there were no FP or G+ etc... that was nice IMO

I am going again this year, the last time for a long time, and no doubt I'll get G+.
I've already spent far more than I want to on tickets and hotel.

That said,
I am NOT happy about getting up at 7AM to book a ride.
I am NOT happy about buying it after midnight every day.
I am NOT happy about paying for it.
I am NOT happy with the option to pay even more for specific rides
I am NOT happy with rides that are VQ only or pay for it.
I am NOT happy that you must be the specific park to get the 1PM drop for VQ rides.
I am NOT happy with all the research I have to do to figure it all out.

This made me laugh! Great post.

It is sad they moved FastPass to a paid system. All of what it offers used to be free.

It does work though, very well. You can ride everything with minimal waits. You don't even need VQ if you're willing to pay (and VQ has a much longer wait than Genie+...it's basically an appointment to wait standby.)