Another day of app issues at 7am. 10/16

[Grumpy by Birth]

Recently, it's sounding like frustration is the "plus" in G+.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

My experience is the opposite in that I see no one saying that Genie+ is a good system, or an improvement over Fastpass+. What some do say is that Genie+ is a necessary evil, this is how to use it, etc. My understanding is that it is going to undergo some major changes next year, such as being able to select rides ahead of time, because people are so unhappy with it.

"This hasn't affected enough people to bother to fix it yet." That would be a very appropriate slogan for the current Disney product. And it may be why their stock is less than 50% of what it was just 4 years ago.

To some extent, there are times where we were able to put it to good use, or at least we were able to bypass quite a bit of waiting.

Though that comes with big qualifiers. Genie has ruined HS. It is miserable with G+, and firmly not worth visiting without G+.

 

[disneymouse16]

It would seem that some people are able to use Genie+ on mornings there are problems since the return times go up on attractions. I'm wondering does it possibly have to do with the kind of phone people have or the version of the app being used? Do we have that information somewhere? I'm just trying to wrap my head around why it may work for some and not others.

 

[wisblue]

I'm wondering what the deal is with this too.

I have a short trip coming up in 3 weeks and started looking at MDE and Thrill Data to get some ideas on what to do about Genie+ and LL. When I saw this thread I started logging in to MDE just before 7 AM to see availability. For the last 3 days I have had the exact same experience:

1, Before 7:00 AM the G+ attractions say "Make first selection at 7:00 AM".

2. At 7:00 AM that note changes to "Check Availability". When I click on that I get a screen that shows the members of my Friends and Family List and reasons why they can't make selections (No park reservation, no linked admission, or no Genie+ purchased). So, the system won't even let me see the available return times that I can't select. It has never been like that before.

3. Around 6:15 the available return times appear and when I click on one I get the same (correct) reasons why I can't select times. But the return times, especially for popular attractions like Slinky and Remy, pretty clearly indicate that other people have been able to make reservations for the last 15 minutes.

If it was just this, I would think that the system is simply not showing times in those first 15 minutes to discourage people who aren't eligible from gumming up the system. Also, last Saturday my daughter who lives in Orlando had a park reservation at Epcot and was able to get a VQ spot for GOG and make a Genie+ reservation right at 7AM. Again, suggesting that having a valid park reservation and Genie+ makes a difference.

But, from the comments here it sounds like even some people with valid tickets and park reservations have been unable to make selections right at 7 AM and for some time after. But others apparently are able to make selections right at 7. It makes me wonder if there's any explanation for that or if it's just dumb bad luck.

Is there anyone who has been able to make selections right at 7 AM on any of the last few days that can confirm that some people are getting in while others aren't?

 

[SkyGuy]

I'm wondering what the deal is with this too.

I have a short trip coming up in 3 weeks and started looking at MDE and Thrill Data to get some ideas on what to do about Genie+ and LL. When I saw this thread I started logging in to MDE just before 7 AM to see availability. For the last 3 days I have had the exact same experience:

1, Before 7:00 AM the G+ attractions say "Make first selection at 7:00 AM".

2. At 7:00 AM that note changes to "Check Availability". When I click on that I get a screen that shows the members of my Friends and Family List and reasons why they can't make selections (No park reservation, no linked admission, or no Genie+ purchased). So, the system won't even let me see the available return times that I can't select. It has never been like that before.

3. Around 6:15 the available return times appear and when I click on one I get the same (correct) reasons why I can't select times. But the return times, especially for popular attractions like Slinky and Remy, pretty clearly indicate that other people have been able to make reservations for the last 15 minutes.

If it was just this, I would think that the system is simply not showing times in those first 15 minutes to discourage people who aren't eligible from gumming up the system. Also, last Saturday my daughter who lives in Orlando had a park reservation at Epcot and was able to get a VQ spot for GOG and make a Genie+ reservation right at 7AM. Again, suggesting that having a valid park reservation and Genie+ makes a difference.

But, from the comments here it sounds like even some people with valid tickets and park reservations have been unable to make selections right at 7 AM and for some time after. But others apparently are able to make selections right at 7. It makes me wonder if there's any explanation for that or if it's just dumb bad luck.

Is there anyone who has been able to make selections right at 7 AM on any of the last few days that can confirm that some people are getting in while others aren't?

The return times have not been available at 7am for quite a while. Since there is such a huge demand on the system at 7am, and Disney IT hasn’t figured out how to copy Ticketmaster (or any other system that allows you to keep something in your cart until processed), the time you originally picked used to widely vary from the time you actually received - like choosing 9am for Slinky and ending up with 6:20pm. This inevitably led to angry guests at the blue umbrellas or the front desks. So, several months ago, they removed all the times for the first selections of the day, and it became a grab bag free-for-all. Good news is that it’s much easier to modify now, and I can’t think of an instance that I wasn't able to choose an earlier time when I got a later slot since that change was made.

 

[wisblue]

The return times have not been available at 7am for quite a while. Since there is such a huge demand on the system at 7am, and Disney IT hasn’t figured out how to copy Ticketmaster (or any other system that allows you to keep something in your cart until processed), the time you originally picked used to widely vary from the time you actually received - like choosing 9am for Slinky and ending up with 6:20pm. This inevitably led to angry guests at the blue umbrellas or the front desks. So, several months ago, they removed all the times for the first selections of the day, and it became a grab bag free-for-all. Good news is that it’s much easier to modify now, and I can’t think of an instance that I wasn't able to choose an earlier time when I got a later slot since that change was made.

That’s helpful. It was not like that the last time I visited WDW early this year. If I clicked on 9 AM for Slinky at 7:00:00, I knew that I might get something later. But at least I was offered something.

From what you’re saying it sounds like when I am actually at WDW with park reservations and purchase G+ I should be able to see and select return times at 7 AM and would at least have a fighting chance to get early times for popular attractions. Given how many people are trying to do the same thing at the same time that’s all I can ask.

BTW, I’ve heard the Ticketmaster references before and I think the comparisons are not really valid. Selling thousands, if not tens of thousands, of individually identifiable seats is a lot different than selling about 100-150 time slots with maybe 100 spots available for each.

Ticketmaster has its own problems when demand exceeds supply (witness Taylor Swift and others). I had a situation where I was trying to select 4 seats for a show and by the time I clicked on the fourth seat I was told that the first seats I selected were no longer available. With Genie+ if 500 people representing 1500-2000 guests are all trying to get slots for Slinky within seconds of each other, there is no way they could all be given the same time slot.

 

[SkyGuy]

That’s helpful. It was not like that the last time I visited WDW early this year. If I clicked on 9 AM for Slinky at 7:00:00, I knew that I might get something later. But at least I was offered something.

From what you’re saying it sounds like when I am actually at WDW with park reservations and purchase G+ I should be able to see and select return times at 7 AM and would at least have a fighting chance to get early times for popular attractions. Given how many people are trying to do the same thing at the same time that’s all I can ask.

BTW, I’ve heard the Ticketmaster references before and I think the comparisons are not really valid. Selling thousands, if not tens of thousands, of individually identifiable seats is a lot different than selling about 100-150 time slots with maybe 100 spots available for each.

Ticketmaster has its own problems when demand exceeds supply (witness Taylor Swift and others). I had a situation where I was trying to select 4 seats for a show and by the time I clicked on the fourth seat I was told that the first seats I selected were no longer available. With Genie+ if 500 people representing 1500-2000 guests are all trying to get slots for Slinky within seconds of each other, there is no way they could all be given the same time slot.

No. You will not be able to see return times at 7am even with a ticket, a park reservation, and Genie+. It’s luck of the draw until the times populate around the 7:15 mark. If you don’t like the time you drew for an LL, once the times are visible, you can refresh and modify. You can choose your time for the ILL$ for GotG, Tron, FoP, and Rise.

 

[wisblue]

No. You will not be able to see return times at 7am even with a ticket, a park reservation, and Genie+. It’s luck of the draw until the times populate around the 7:15 mark. If you don’t like the time you drew for an LL, once the times are visible, you can refresh and modify. You can choose your time for the ILL$ for GotG, Tron, FoP, and Rise.

Maybe I didn’t say that clearly. What I meant was that I would see “check availability” at 7 and when I click on that and select my group I would see a time.

All I’m asking is to be able to join the initial draw, not having to wait until 7:15 while others are receiving times.

Or are you saying that you wouldn‘t even see what time you were assigned until 7:15? That is not how it worked for my daughter when she made selections last weekend.

 

[SkyGuy]

Yes, sorry. If everything is working correctly , you will be able to choose your first LL at 7am (as well as join a VQ and buy an ILL$), but there will not be times listed when you choose the LL. As soon as you have made your choice, the time slot you were allotted will appear; you will not need to wait until 7:15ish to see the time. So, yes, you will be able to make a selection at 7am, and no, you won’t be able to choose a time or see your time until after you make said selection.