Best Strategy for a trip in 2022? Lower Your Expectations

[limegreenpeanut]

I am speaking specifically to the perception that G+ requires you to be on your phone all day.

If you follow the stacking strategy there’s no need to fiddle faddle. Let go of FOMO

Set an alarm every 2 hours, and when it’s time to book, look at the phone to see what’s available and choose the best one. Pinning your top selections in Tip Board helps a lot here.

Yes, but in a park like Hollywood studios, all of the top tier rides are “sold out” on Genie+ by 2hrs after park open. You may get one at 7am, then another at park open, then one more two hours after that. That’s 3 rides out of ToT, MMRR, MFSR,SDD, RRC. Lately all of those rides have had no LL lanes available after 12:30. So, if you want to stack the others you have to fiddle faddle or just you won’t get them on Genie+. Theoretically you could just look at your phone every two hours and book what’s available if you really don’t care what rides you get on after the first 3. I would bet however, there are
a lot of people willing to spend more time on their phone refreshing to try and get times for other top tier rides to get ther money’s worth with Genie+. Again, it’s not required, just a matter of what’s important to you. In short, stacking top tier rides on Genie+ is not a matter of simply booking one every two hours, because they sell out. It’s likely possible to book them all, but it will require a lot of refreshing. If you only have 3 “must-do’s”, then by all means only look at your phone every two hours.

 

[Westerner]

Yes, but in a park like Hollywood studios, all of the top tier rides are “sold out” on Genie+ by 2hrs after park open. You may get one at 7am, then another at park open, then one more two hours after that. That’s 3 rides out of ToT, MMRR, MFSR,SDD, RRC. Lately all of those rides have had no LL lanes available after 12:30. So, if you want to stack the others you have to fiddle faddle or just you won’t get them on Genie+. Theoretically you could just look at your phone every two hours and book what’s available if you really don’t care what rides you get on after the first 3. I would bet however, there are
a lot of people willing to spend more time on their phone refreshing to try and get times for other top tier rides to get ther money’s worth with Genie+. Again, it’s not required, just a matter of what’s important to you. In short, stacking top tier rides on Genie+ is not a matter of simply booking one every two hours, because they sell out. It’s likely possible to book them all, but it will require a lot of refreshing. If you only have 3 “must-do’s”, then by all means only look at your phone every two hours.

Getting *all 5* of SDD, MMRR, ToT MFSR, RRC would have been quite an achievement and required considerable refreshing even under FP+. I trust that we are in agreement that you can get a decent selection of G+ LL’s by following the stacking strategy and booking every 2 hours, thus the complaint we sometimes see here that “G+ requires you to be on your phone all day” is an overstatement.

 

[aboveH20]

When I was at HS two weeks ago both Rise of the Resistance and M&M’s Runaway RR were down at the same time. Sure throws a monkey wrench in anyone’s plans.

 

[lovethesun12]

If you follow the stacking strategy outlined in the main G+ threads you only have to be on your phone perhaps 4 times total, at defined intervals, not all day.

I was at Universal beginning of March and used Express Pass, and while I loved its flexibility compared to G+, it’s also MUCH more expensive. Also, we often waited 15-30 mins in Express Pass lanes vs 5-10 mins in lightning lane at WDW. It’s a different product.

Thanks! I'm definitely going in with an open mind. I don't really enjoy having to pay extra, but it does seem to be more flexible (and it's affordable) and since we aren't people that need to do every single ride I like the idea of sleeping in some mornings for a change so it feels like an actual vacation, lol. I can handle using my cell phone occasionally, or while in line. I'm okay with missing a headliner here and there.

Also happy the cost isn't astronomical. High cost works for people visiting 1-2 days as mentioned earlier, but not those who enjoy a longer vacation with daily park time like us.

 

[GeneralTso]

It's not just Disney.
Everything is a little bit crappier right now. Covid has changed the world.
There's still so much unknown. It's getting better but it's nowhere near what it used to be.
With regard to Disney, same thing. Some parts are really great and will return, others are terrible. I hope for ongoing improvement and restoration.

We just returned last night from a 2 week WDW trip. We had a blast. We had realistic expectations and it was wonderful. Many unexpected perks and pixie dust. Very few disappointments.

People working were delightful, truly. Just so great.

 

[leebee]

Well, I guess I am just out of luck. I don't own a cell phone of any kind, smart or otherwise, so no app access. Also, Disney has $600 of my hard-earned dollars from tickets we purchased for a trip we had to cancel when DD got covid the day we were supposed to arrive. Sigh... Disney wins $$$$ again, I'm afraid. Why spend the bucks for a Disney vacation and not actually be able to ride anything?

 

[Magicbeans]

It is sad to hear all these people not getting the feeling or "magic" they once felt or believe they got from Disney. I have my second Universal trip planned for a 7 night stay at a premier hotel. I will be going during HHN this year, the actual Halloween week, 27th to the 3rd. I can honestly say instead of stress, all I feel is excitement and anticipation. I had a Disney trip booked and paid for last year, 2021, I canceled and swapped everything over to Universal. I can't see myself going to Disney any time soon, I wish I wanted to, but right now, it isn't for me.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Been following this thread and all the FP vs. G+ arguments. One thing that either no one has mentioned or maybe I've just missed it is how do ADRs fit into the planning with Genie+. Here's what I remember from right before Covid:

Always stayed on property. 120 days out I would make my ADRs based on the park order we chose while in the planning stages (BTW I loved the pre planning almost as much as the trip as I know many did).

Based on those ADRs and which parks I planned to be in, 60 days out I would do my best to get FP+ reservations for times and attractions I wanted which again would fit around the ADRs.

So now what? I'm going to make my park reservations (annoying but whatever) and I'm going to make my ADRs based on that of course. But if I buy Genie+ when I'm there, I'm spending money on what almost feels like scratch off tickets hoping to get a winner at 7 AM...BUT...even if I do get a ride I want it can clash with my ADRs and albeit loose plans on what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be? Am I correct in saying that?

Looking for answers from those that know the pre Covid planning routine I'm referring to and also have been using Genie+ currently. I'm trying to make this system work in my head without actually having experienced it so I know what to expect.

 

[acarsme123]

Been following this thread and all the FP vs. G+ arguments. One thing that either no one has mentioned or maybe I've just missed it is how do ADRs fit into the planning with Genie+. Here's what I remember from right before Covid:

Always stayed on property. 120 days out I would make my ADRs based on the park order we chose while in the planning stages (BTW I loved the pre planning almost as much as the trip as I know many did).

Based on those ADRs and which parks I planned to be in, 60 days out I would do my best to get FP+ reservations for times and attractions I wanted which again would fit around the ADRs.

So now what? I'm going to make my park reservations (annoying but whatever) and I'm going to make my ADRs based on that of course. But if I buy Genie+ when I'm there, I'm spending money on what almost feels like scratch off tickets hoping to get a winner at 7 AM...BUT...even if I do get a ride I want it can clash with my ADRs and albeit loose plans on what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be? Am I correct in saying that?

Looking for answers from those that know the pre Covid planning routine I'm referring to and also have been using Genie+ currently. I'm trying to make this system work in my head without actually having experienced it so I know what to expect.

You are at the mercy of the Genie+ system. You get what you get. If the paid Genie+ regular LL times clash with your ADR, just don’t pick those. Simple as that. Where it’s a huge issue is with the paid Individual Lightning Lanes…gee, is it any wonder the acronym is “ILL”
On a really high demand ride like Rise, you’ll select a time that works for you…only to find out AFTER you paid that your slot has now been changed to something much later than you selected. This happened to us the second time we bought ILLs for Rise. We had dinner reservations at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for 6:30pm. I had selected a 1pm time slot for Rise. But after, and ONLY after I paid for it, did it show me my time slot for Rise was now at like 5:05pm. Wayyyyy too close for comfort to be able to be able to make dinner on time. I was absolutely furious. I was in full on freak out mode. I even made a post on here asking for opinions if we would even make our dinner slot. The consensus was that we would not. I was fortunate enough to be able to snag a later 7pm time slot for Boma. We tapped into Rise right at the start of our window and had no delays getting on. We then walked fast to the bus stops and were fortunate enough to have an AKL bus pulling up within 2 mins. We got to AKL about 30 mins before our dinner reservation. Extremely stressful but we made it work out. But I’m sure many others aren’t so lucky. It’s a shady system for sure. Disney needs to lock in your time selection for at least 30-60 seconds for you to check out. Ticketmaster couldn’t get away with charging you money, then changing your seat or performance time. Disney shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this. There almost needs to be a class action lawsuit over the practice.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

You are at the mercy of the Genie+ system. You get what you get. If the paid Genie+ regular LL times clash with your ADR, just don’t pick those. Simple as that. Where it’s a huge issue is with the paid Individual Lightning Lanes…gee, is it any wonder the acronym is “ILL”
On a really high demand ride like Rise, you’ll select a time that works for you…only to find out AFTER you paid that your slot has now been changed to something much later than you selected. This happened to us the second time we bought ILLs for Rise. We had dinner reservations at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for 6:30pm. I had selected a 1pm time slot for Rise. But after, and ONLY after I paid for it, did it show me my time slot for Rise was now at like 5:05pm. Wayyyyy too close for comfort to be able to be able to make dinner on time. I was absolutely furious. I was in full on freak out mode. I even made a post on here asking for opinions if we would even make our dinner slot. The consensus was that we would not. I was fortunate enough to be able to snag a later 7pm time slot for Boma. We tapped into Rise right at the start of our window and had no delays getting on. We then walked fast to the bus stops and were fortunate enough to have an AKL bus pulling up within 2 mins. We got to AKL about 30 mins before our dinner reservation. Extremely stressful but we made it work out. But I’m sure many others aren’t so lucky. It’s a shady system for sure. Disney needs to lock in your time selection for at least 30-60 seconds for you to check out. Ticketmaster couldn’t get away with charging you money, then changing your seat or performance time. Disney shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this. There almost needs to be a class action lawsuit over the practice.

No really for the life of me I can't believe how Disney is allowed to do that with the ILL. This is a multi-national corporation not a used car dealer from the 1970's! And people wonder why Disney is getting so much hate recently.

Well that really stinks about being at the mercy of Genie+ and ILL time slots. Wouldn't be so bad if they gave you a week's worth of warning maybe but to have to shell out the money before hand and basically spin the wheel of fortune a la a casino game just isn't right. It was so nice knowing that your plans were set before you got to Disney and then you could always change it up and play it by year if you wanted. Reading through all the Genie+ complaints I was willing to hold out judgement until I had tried it but now that I'm thinking about ADRs and it can really screw up your plans I'm thinking everyone is probably right about their negative opinions about it. Not to mention we all know it's just monetizing what was basically free except now that you've clarified it for me it's even worse because I'm paying for something that was free and something that gave me peace of mind knowing I had plans even if they weren't perfect.

 

[SLThomas318]

Been following this thread and all the FP vs. G+ arguments. One thing that either no one has mentioned or maybe I've just missed it is how do ADRs fit into the planning with Genie+. Here's what I remember from right before Covid:

Always stayed on property. 120 days out I would make my ADRs based on the park order we chose while in the planning stages (BTW I loved the pre planning almost as much as the trip as I know many did).

Based on those ADRs and which parks I planned to be in, 60 days out I would do my best to get FP+ reservations for times and attractions I wanted which again would fit around the ADRs.

So now what? I'm going to make my park reservations (annoying but whatever) and I'm going to make my ADRs based on that of course. But if I buy Genie+ when I'm there, I'm spending money on what almost feels like scratch off tickets hoping to get a winner at 7 AM...BUT...even if I do get a ride I want it can clash with my ADRs and albeit loose plans on what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be? Am I correct in saying that?

Looking for answers from those that know the pre Covid planning routine I'm referring to and also have been using Genie+ currently. I'm trying to make this system work in my head without actually having experienced it so I know what to expect.

welcome to genie+…. it felt like gambling to us and we are NOT gamblers. At this point, genie+ is nothing more then a money grab for Disney. I don’t see how it “fixed” any of the fastpass+ “issues” other then Disney being able to collect money for line skipping. If I’m going to shell out extra money, then I want to know what I’m getting. With genie+ I’m shelling out extra cash and have no clue if it will work out. I don’t see what is “flexible” with this new system… park reservations are sold out so I can’t switch parks if I want to change things up. ADR’s were made 60 days ago… there is no changing those last minute. Wake up at 7am to book a ride and hope it fits into the plans. We used it after Thanksgiving and were not impressed…we’ll see how things go without it for our June trip.

 

[imbelle]

It is sad to hear all these people not getting the feeling or "magic" they once felt or believe they got from Disney. I have my second Universal trip planned for a 7 night stay at a premier hotel. I will be going during HHN this year, the actual Halloween week, 27th to the 3rd. I can honestly say instead of stress, all I feel is excitement and anticipation. I had a Disney trip booked and paid for last year, 2021, I canceled and swapped everything over to Universal. I can't see myself going to Disney any time soon, I wish I wanted to, but right now, it isn't for me.

I just booked a trip to Hawai'i and normally I would stop on the way for a few days at Disneyland. This time the thought of park reservations/park hopping limitations/Genie+/IAS just stressed me out and I chucked it.

 

[Summer2018]

Been following this thread and all the FP vs. G+ arguments. One thing that either no one has mentioned or maybe I've just missed it is how do ADRs fit into the planning with Genie+. Here's what I remember from right before Covid:

Always stayed on property. 120 days out I would make my ADRs based on the park order we chose while in the planning stages (BTW I loved the pre planning almost as much as the trip as I know many did).

Based on those ADRs and which parks I planned to be in, 60 days out I would do my best to get FP+ reservations for times and attractions I wanted which again would fit around the ADRs.

So now what? I'm going to make my park reservations (annoying but whatever) and I'm going to make my ADRs based on that of course. But if I buy Genie+ when I'm there, I'm spending money on what almost feels like scratch off tickets hoping to get a winner at 7 AM...BUT...even if I do get a ride I want it can clash with my ADRs and albeit loose plans on what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be? Am I correct in saying that?

Looking for answers from those that know the pre Covid planning routine I'm referring to and also have been using Genie+ currently. I'm trying to make this system work in my head without actually having experienced it so I know what to expect.

I used to plan using Tourguide Mike. We went to the least crowded parks, then planned ADR’s, and finally FP’s. When he went out of business, we used least crowded calendars and did the same thing. Eventually we evolved into only going to the parks at rope drop, gave up park hopping, and spent the rest of the day at the pool and nights at a table service restaurant. We watched fireworks from our resort or on a fireworks cruise. We found this to be much more enjoyable than being in the parks all day and evening. If my rides can’t get done by 1:00 pm, I am not interested. I can’t imagine how this hot mess genie+ or ILL would ever work for us. We do not really love Universal, so that isn’t an option. I have money to spend at Disney, but if this doesn’t change, they won’t be getting it.

 

[Jfsag123]

I used to plan using Tourguide Mike. We went to the least crowded parks, then planned ADR’s, and finally FP’s. When he went out of business, we used least crowded calendars and did the same thing. Eventually we evolved into only going to the parks at rope drop, gave up park hopping, and spent the rest of the day at the pool and nights at a table service restaurant. We watched fireworks from our resort or on a fireworks cruise. We found this to be much more enjoyable than being in the parks all day and evening. If my rides can’t get done by 1:00 pm, I am not interested. I can’t imagine how this hot mess genie+ or ILL would ever work for us. We do not really love Universal, so that isn’t an option. I have money to spend at Disney, but if this doesn’t change, they won’t be getting it.

This is our main problem with it as well. We liked to rope drop, be in the parks until early afternoon, then go back to the resort for pool time knowing we may or may not come back out in the evening. Our strategy was to hit it hard in the morning, then take it easy/play it by ear more in the evenings. Now it seems the only way to get any value out of G+ will mean stacking rides into the late afternoon/evening when we often prefer to be done for the day. And I've had a baby in the time since our last trip, so late nights in the parks sounds even less appealing. We are still planning to go this summer, as we're dealing with 3 years of pent-up demand at this point (like so many others), but I'm definitely taking the advice of this thread and lowering my expectations. However, being in the position of needing to lower my expectations when this trip is costing a lot more money for less than we would have had with our trip that was cancelled in 2020 is leaving a bad taste in my mouth before I even get there.

 

[acarsme123]

This is our main problem with it as well. We liked to rope drop, be in the parks until early afternoon, then go back to the resort for pool time knowing we may or may not come back out in the evening. Our strategy was to hit it hard in the morning, then take it easy/play it by ear more in the evenings. Now it seems the only way to get any value out of G+ will mean stacking rides into the late afternoon/evening when we often prefer to be done for the day. And I've had a baby in the time since our last trip, so late nights in the parks sounds even less appealing. We are still planning to go this summer, as we're dealing with 3 years of pent-up demand at this point (like so many others), but I'm definitely taking the advice of this thread and lowering my expectations. However, being in the position of needing to lower my expectations when this trip is costing a lot more money for less than we would have had with our trip that was cancelled in 2020 is leaving a bad taste in my mouth before I even get there.

You can get value out of Genie+ in MK even if going in the morning. I felt I got use out of it for Epcot too. HS and AK not so much. Just do early entry if you can and try to be near the front of the pack. You’ll knock out 1-3 good rides before the park opens to the non on-site guests.

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

Back from our trip and it felt busier than our Christmas trip. I noticed rides seemed to be down more often as well.

I tried Genie+ and it worked pretty well but I used it on a day where we started in HS and hopped to MK. Booked SDD at HS and then stacked Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, BTMR and Winnie the pooh. I should also mention that I researched Genie+ strategy in advance of our trip. I would've been lost had I not done that as booking is fairly confusing.

 

[Love Tink]

The biggest "Disney Person" I know (besides myself) is in the parks this week and she sounds miserable. She hates Genie+ and says she's on her phone all the time, and still not getting value out of it. They left MK for the day at 3:00 yesterday because the hassle had exhausted them to the point they didn't even want to be there. She says no more trips for her for the foreseeable future. I trust this person on park matters...she knows what she's doing, and if WDW has lost her, I don't feel I need to spend the thousands I'd have to invest to try it myself.

 

[Timandalicia]

You can see in my signature that I have been to Disney many times.

I even made my second trip on my current Annual Pass and was at Bay Lake Tower and then Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House just a few days ago.

If you are going in 2022 you need to lower your expectations a lot.

I have used Touring Plans and been a rope dropper for many, many years.

I was often able to get 90 percent of my rides/shows done by lunchtime .....and wrapped up each day with a feeling of joy and happiness.

I was able to ride some rides more than once each day and sometimes would hop to a second or third park if I wanted to........I felt free as a bird.

This is not the case anymore.

For the moment, let's put aside the huge cost of resorts, food/beverage, Genie+, and ILL.

Even if G+ were free, it is an inferior product to FP+.

I can even accept the Park Pass requirement for the first park of the day, but park hopping at 2pm is like hitting my kneecaps with a baseball bat.

In the old days, I would often rope drop park number 1 and then hop to park number 2 sometime in the morning.

The present system makes each day feel like we have a national speed limit of 55 again and I am driving around with my parking brake engaged.

If we had little ones in our group, the focus of a typical day would be very different.....even only doing 3 or 4 rides with a child/grandchild, the day's enjoyment is derived from seeing the little ones have a wonderful day.

For years, I tried to maximize the number of days I could be at WDW with my AP.

I would stay off site and on site.

These days, it is not so much that the on site folks have a huge advantage compared to the past.......it is that the off site people barely get adequate leftovers by the time they can enter the park and/or buy ILL rides.

I have trips planned for April/May/Sept/Oct on this AP. (I do not like the super hot months)

I am not going to focus on max days at Disney this year.

I went in Dec 2021, Jan 2022 and have a trip with our daughter (a teacher) over the President's Day weekend.

I will have been 3 times on this AP.......I feel I have broken even on the cost.

I will be cancelling the rest of the trips I had on the books for later this year.

That money and time will be spent elsewhere.

Although some of the environment has been impacted by Covid...... a large part of the reduced experience is due to decisions made by management.

Now......I have not said much about the nickel and diming that really adds up now.

At a value resort, a couple on a trip has to pay an extra $47 each day just to park and use Genie+.

When you add the impact of a diminished experience with the very high cost, the value of the experience has been greatly reduced.

Look......I am a Disney fan.

Disney, Coke, a Big Mac, are all part of a truly American experience. I can not imagine life as we know it if they were to all disappear.

Disney has very good customer service.....if the IT situation was not so mediocre, I would say Disney has some of the best customer service of any company.

However, at this time, the overall experience requires a lot of money, a lot a planning, and each day has a lot of chaos caused by the unpredictability of getting a LL or ILL,........and to be under the gun to compete at 7am for a seat on a ride is not relaxing or enjoyable.
And having my face buried in the phone a good part of the day does not add to my enjoyment either.

I composed this because I saw some small headlines about Disney guests not being really thrilled right now.....I thought I may have been the only one that felt this way.......but there is now a bit of rumbling going on........and social media has the ability to provide us to look at the good and the bad comments.

The experience has changed for the worse.

They better improve it substantially and quickly.

I think many of the 2022 visitors may be so unhappy, they may not return or postpone future trips.

In a way, Disney has messed up my Happy Place................and I am a bit sad about that.

Since you’re a long timer then you’ve seen posts like yours many many times before. People getting frustrated to the point of ditching Disney. And all of them can cite a change that has occurred that made them feel that way. To your point, I think the more the changes, the more people are going to feel that way… especially people who have been going a long time. And there have been so many changes over the last few years.

 

[gorkt]

I am curious what the average feedback is for Genie +, not just maximizers like us on the DISBoards. Like it or not, it might just not be made for us, but more for the average consumer. I think the biggest disappointment I have heard of is the paid options not displaying the time until after you pay, but is the average consumer paying for ILL?

 

[Princesca]

We are going in spring 2023, and I'm dreading G+. We're going with my in-laws, and they're fairly spendy, and I'm pretty sure she's going to want it, thinking that it'll mean no lines at all for her family. (We here all know it doesn't work like that.) I am a mega-planner, and I actually LOVE planning Disney trips, but the thing is, in the past, it was structured so you could put in some blood, sweat, tears, and late nights waiting for midnight and maximize your trip. Then, when your trip actually came, you could just easy peasy do your plan. I have a hard enough time being 'in the moment' without stressing about getting enough value out of G+. My current plan is to forego G+ and do ILL just for ROTR. After that, que sera, sera.

I've always enjoyed Disney because it taps into my childlike side like nothing else can. It's buried under a LOT of adulting. And having to be a 'ride scheduler' while I'm in the parks sounds a lot like adulting/work.