Disney Genie announcement

[Disturbia]

Funny this topics got bumped...I had an alarm to look at Epcot at 1pm.

So, thinking of hopping to Epcot and making my first G+ (at 7am) for say Test Track a say 3pm. Right now, the G+ return time for Soarin is 1:10pm (which basically means now) so if you book TT first and started looking around 1pm ) based on today only you could easily lock up two G+ for TT and Soarin for an afternoon park hop. Remy ILL is only $9 right now so you could also add that and to me, thats a pretty solid afternoon

No guarantee that at 7-10 am you would get test track at 3 pm as a park hopper.

 

[PaladinButters]

Different things are valuable to different people. I strongly expect that this might be the best thing so far for those who show up at Disney with no plan just expecting that they will have a good time.

Agree with all of that.
I just saw a post elsewhere that somebody got all the way into the parks while having no idea that it was the 50th anniversary. Somehow. Somebody with enough knowledge to seek out specific Disney related social media to post on about it- missed that. That person (who didn't book FP+ in advance, has no ressies, etc) doesn't have a chance at figuring out Genie/Genie+/ILL$ but the great news is they will never know what they missed and be totally happy grabbing that one pass per ride per day at a reasonable cost!

 

[Disturbia]

From what I heard the 2 hours is based on booking time, not redemption time, so once the 2 hours has expired or you’ve redeemed your preciously booked one (whichever comes first), you can book your next one. This means you can potentially stack a bunch that even have overlapping times. Looking forward to seeing more in person reports of it working this way.

It appears it’s 2 hours from park opening not from 7 am (confusion comes from MK and HS being open at 9 am)

 

[miprender]

If I am reading everything right....I do not have to purchase genie+ to buy the individual rides like RotR? I thought you could only add on after purchasing. Luckily my trip isn't until April so I can get a better understanding of how this is going to work.

 

[Disturbia]

It would be easier if Disney would just change Genie+ to park opening or extra hours for all resort guests which ever is first.

 

[TheMick424]

I don't

APs have to be added the day of
For anyone who has a ticket, it can either be added the day of OR have the ticket converted into a G+ ticket in advance.

My advice to you would be wait until the day of for everyone

I don't mind waiting until the day of for everyone, but I was hoping to confirm that it doesn't require me to purchase Genie+ for my party in two transactions each day I want it (1 for the AP and 1 for the Tickets)

 

[LSUfan4444]

I don't

I don't mind waiting until the day of for everyone, but I was hoping to confirm that it doesn't require me to purchase Genie+ for my party in two transactions each day I want it (1 for the AP and 1 for the Tickets)

So long as it is the day-of and there is an existing ticket, it shouldn't matter. The only obstacle should come when adding it in advance.

 

[Disturbia]

If I am reading everything right....I do not have to purchase genie+ to buy the individual rides like RotR? I thought you could only add on after purchasing. Luckily my trip isn't until April so I can get a better understanding of how this is going to work.

Yes you can choose to just pay for one or both LLIa$ rides, Genie+ is separate and can overlap

 

[LSUfan4444]

No guarantee that at 7-10 am you would get test track at 3 pm as a park hopper.

There is never a guarantee but if thats the park you are hopping to your window doesnt even start until 2pm

 

[miprender]

Yes you can choose to just pay for one or both LLIa$ rides, Genie+ is separate and can overlap

Thank you...that makes planning a lot easier.

 

[DavidNYC]

Here’s a puzzler.

I had a chat exchange with a CM today mainly to address my questions about our party with members with 2 different ticket types (annual pass and regular daily tickets). I’ll address what I was told there separately, maybe in a separate thread.

But I also asked about making G+LL reservations in a second park. I used the specific example: If we have hopper tickets and park reservations at MK, can we make a G+LL reservation at Epcot as long as our selection window is open
and the return time is after 2 PM.

The response I got was that we could not even select anything at a second park until 2 PM. The CM cited the following language from their official information: “At 2 PM ET- Guests with Park Hopper Options can plan Lightning Lane Selections in another theme park”.

This advice seems inconsistent with what others reported yesterday. That language is a little ambiguous because “plan“ could mean when you make the plan or when you execute the plan.

To be clear, I am not criticizing this CM because that language is not as clear as it could be. Sometimes an example or two can clarify general language.

I was just having this conversation on another thread. It seems that you can in fact make regular LL reservations in your 2nd park for post 2pm even if the distribution time hasn't reached that for people who started off in that park with their reservation. I was very surprised that it worked that way and curious if that was what they intended. (I'm still so skeptical that it really worked that way that I keep looking for more first hand accounts). It seems a big loophole . . . and one that definitely lends itself to some good touring strategies.

 

[Brocktoon]

You can only cancel LL booked with genie+ (your rolling pass, no modifications): not the fixed LLiA$ rides

From what I've been reading / hearing, it sounds like you can only cancel a G+ LL BEFORE the window starts. Once the LL window opens for an attraction you can no longer cancel and it counts as a G+ ride whether you rode or not.

ie. If you miss your G+ window for Big Thunder, you can't select it again for that day even if you didn't ride.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

DFB reported that it sold out around 10am both yesterday and today.

Rix Flix was at HS on the 19th at 945A and Rise was gone.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

inability to conjugate the verbs "lie" and "lay."

I had an English grammar teacher who used to mockingly ask, ‘are you a chicken?’.

 

[Miffy]

Genie is actually $16 per day with tax.

Hey, don't exaggerate!!! It's a mere $15.98!

 

[GoingSince1990]

Hey, don't exaggerate!!! It's a mere $15.98!

You just had to put your two cents in, didn't you?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

From what I've been reading / hearing, it sounds like you can only cancel a G+ LL BEFORE the window starts. Once the LL window opens for an attraction you can no longer cancel and it counts as a G+ ride whether you rode or not.

got it! pretty much the same as fastpass.

 

[Miffy]

First off, I want to thank all of you for posting the info from your experiences. That is great information for those of us who have upcoming trips and are planning.
I am a seasoned Disney vacationer. I love/lived for the planning process. I even would plan trips for family and friends for free..... it's a hobby. But having read pages and pages about this new system, I am confused and frustrated. I updated my app, tried to get things set up for future trips.. only to find out that as an AP holder, everyone else in my group and I can't plan Genie + or ILL$ together. What a hassle. The app is clunky and confusing. I don't think I will use it at all when we are there on our next trip. We have decided that we won't be forking out any $ for this new service. It just doesn't seem worth it in time, money and satisfaction. I don't want to be tied to my phone all day. I don't want to be chasing rides across the parks. I don't want to be worried about maximizing my money's worth from Genie +.
I am happy for those that see this as a benefit for them and the way that they do the parks, but for me and our group of friends and family, this is not an upgrade at all. I would happily pay for something that was going to enhance my vacation... and have done so in the form of many parties, tours and experiences. This just isn't going to be one of them.
My next research is to really see how stand by lines are truly effected by all of this once the initial frenzy dies down. We generally don't mind waiting in line for the things we like to do. We use the time to play heads up, meet new people, chat about life, plan our meals for the day etc.

Wait . . . Are you saying that an AP holder can book G+ and ILL$ for only her/herself and not for another member of their group? Even another AP holder?

If so, that makes it completely useless for my sister and me, since we're both AP holders. If we can't book our G+ and ILL$ together, then . . . disaster!

 

[fumanchu2488]

A few notes from 1.5 days of using genie. Day 1 only used an ILL for Remy. Booked an 11:30 return at 7 am for 3 people. About $30. Walked right on the ride and the virtual queue line was at least 45 minutes or an hour. I also tried for virtual queue and got boarding group 76. The app said I should be called around 1 pm. It didn’t end up getting called until around 4 pm. They should probably get rid of the virtual quest and just make it standby.

This morning used Genie+. With two small kids we were not interested in ROTR. We got a 9:20 Slinky at 7 am. Then did early access for Mickey Runaway Railroad then did toy story mania as walk ons. After slinky we got another LL for Alien Saucer at 10:35. It was around 9:30 at that point so we did Star Tours and then the Disney junior dance party before our 10:30 LL. We did that around 11 and then walked around Battu and got lunch then left for current hotel rest. If we stayed around and didn’t have small kids we could have done RnR and Tower. We have a reservation later at EPCOT and Test track LL around 11:30 was showing 3:30, so we have a 3:30-4:30 window for test track and I may end up buying ILL for Frozen.

long story short, experiences are a lot different if you pay than if you don’t. Tomorrow is our last MK day and will be a good gauge for us because we had a MK day on Sunday before genie. We will see how it goes since I plan on Genie+ and ILL for SDMT.

 

[FCDub]

I'm a professional copy editor and I see misspellings like "lightening" instead of "lightning" all the time in manuscripts written by authors whose names you'd recognize. It's a very common error, along with an inability to conjugate the verbs "lie" and "lay."

So, fellow DISers, don't feel too bad if you're calling it "Lightening Lane." It's a mistake even the pros make. And, if you think about it, it is lightening your wallet!

Considering how many people have an issue with the four-letter word “Oga’s,” there will be a lot of “lightening” to go along with lots of “dinning”