Can’t afford genie+

[TikiRob]

Everyone (mostly) in this thread has provided great tips to make the most of your vacation, but ultimately it is all about attitude. Make a plan, expect the waits, and enjoy your time with family!

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

We don't buy Genie+. My kids aren't good with lines, so we only do 1 "long" (longer than 45 min) line a day. That's how we went on Splash Mountain, Frozen Ever After, Millennium Falcon, Test Track, and Kilimanjaro Safari. Other times, we have done an after hours ticket instead of a park ticket or DVC rental for after hours. Our biggest disappointment since the end of FP has been HS. One day we picked the Runaway Railway for our "long" line, it broke down after a 40 minute wait, so the kids were not in the mood to even attempt Toy Story Land. Lightening McQueen Racing Academy was cute though. Luckily we had hoppers and went to Epcot. Epcot has shorter lines at some rides, but we usually do a scavenger hunt ($10 per kid and they get a small prize) and some Kidcot (free) stops. AK has the Wilderness Explorer stops (free sticker book). MK usually has short enough lines for enough rides to fill the day, even if we skip some of the headliners.

 

[loves to dive]

You are going at a time that is not as busy as other times so you should be o.k. Yes, you will most likely wait in some lines but depending on the ages of your kids, that shouldn't be a big deal. I've been twice since Genie+ and haven't bought it either time and had a great time both trips. On one of those trips I stood in line for 4 different rides for a hour or more and the ride went down before I got to it. I could have let that ruin the trip but it happens, I moved on and eventually did ride all four rides (caveat I always have either an AP or hoppers so it's a little easier). If your kids have never been before, they can't miss what they have never had so if they don't ride a certain ride, it's o.k. When my son was little, FP had not been invented yet so you stood in line (we are talking a 3 year old) and he didn't have any issues. We would make up stories about things we saw or make up funny stories about people we saw (not rude just things like that guy is a spy and is uncover on a big op. things like that). We actually still do that and he is in his 40s. We did a whole backstory on a picture we saw on the wall in a restaurant that was very detailed and even had the waiter laughing when he would hear snippets of it.

 

[Vincek]

We just got back from our trip (Dec 27th- Jan 5th) and while we did buy genie+ some days, we found we didn't get much use of it.

From our experience, going early at rope drop, we were able to do a handful of rides that were our must dos. After that, yes the lines got long but we were ok with that and spent most of the rest of the day at shows and "lesser" rides. Granted it was just 3 of us, so half your number, but we had a blast and set our expectations correctly.

So definitely choose what is most important to make sure you get it, but after that it should still be manageable based on the time of year your going!

 

[Donnainnj]

When we have long lines we like to play Heads Up app. Not sure if they still offer it free when you are on property, but they have a Disney Parks edition.

 

[pryncess527]

When we have long lines we like to play Heads Up app. Not sure if they still offer it free when you are on property, but they have a Disney Parks edition.

I saw several families in line doing this, it seemed like a fun way to pass the time.

They did have the Disney edition and I forget what the answer was, but it was from something old and it was so funny to hear the kids confusion when no one recognized it . I wish I could remember, it cracked me & my mom up

 

[MomEadon]

How old are your children? There is so much more to Disney than the headliner attractions.
What parks are you visiting and where are you staying?

My first bit of advice is to consider 3 “must do” rides at each park. Then relax and enjoy the rest, what you get on you get on, what you don’t you don’t. Also, utilize rope drop. Make sure you know the time the park opens, if you’re eligible for early entry and calculate time for transportation etc to be at the head of the pack.

Think about shows, parades, and the fun and magic of less talked about yet beloved attractions (People Mover, Tiki Room at MK to make a few) look for hidden pascals in MK, find the kidcot stations at Epcot, and try some snacks from different countries). Look for hidden mickeys. Get silly with the characters and take lots of pictures. Your kids likely will find joy and excitement in unexpected places - savor this!

Yes, some of your lines will be long. Bring snacks, think of some fun games to play while in long and ways to entertain kids. Don’t push your kids beyond their limits. That’s not fun for anyone.

Good luck. Find the magic. Enjoy it.

3, 5, and 6 and that’s great advice- along with all the others who responded. Thank you all. We will not focus on the rides at all. The Epcot scavenger hunt looks so wicked!

Just doing Epcot and magic kingdom

 

[Timandalicia]

Can’t afford to add genie+ to our family of 6 going in 2 weeks.

Curious if our whole day will just be standing in hours long lines with our young children?

Just discouraged as we saved just enough for this trip and have been looking forward to it but now wonder if our day will be for nothing after spending $700+ to enter the park that day

I’m not going to lie, I think this would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for me, and I love Disney. But the wait times have gotten ridiculous no matter when you go, especially for the best rides.

 

[Timandalicia]

Everyone (mostly) in this thread has provided great tips to make the most of your vacation, but ultimately it is all about attitude. Make a plan, expect the waits, and enjoy your time with family!

Is it about attitude? Is attitude the supplement for not getting on Rise of the Resistance. I don’t know if I can summon enough attitude to wait 300 minutes for the 4 minute Avatar ride.

 

[Kingdome8]

If you rope drop you should get a good start.

But being honest. I will always buy genie plus.
It makes the day so much better. And at the end of the day it’s another hundred dollars. U will spend that on Mickey ice cream bars and sodas.