How is your Genie+ Experience?

[bobbiwoz]

Once you get a BG for Remy, and return when you're supposed to, any idea what the wait may be like if you want to do this all for free? So I guess I'll be getting up at 7:00 and hoping.

We want to do it for free too!

We got a boarding group before Genie came about. #80. But it was for our last day, and we were leaving at 3. We didn’t make the ride, although if we were leaving BCV at 5, we could have done it.

 

[badeacon]

Once you get a BG for Remy, and return when you're supposed to, any idea what the wait may be like if you want to do this all for free? So I guess I'll be getting up at 7:00 and hoping.

2 weeks ago iIwas able to get BG's on 2 different days and the wait in line after group was called was 45 minutes one day and 35 minutes another.

 

[Simba's Mom]

2 weeks ago iIwas able to get BG's on 2 different days and the wait in line after group was called was 45 minutes one day and 35 minutes another.

Thanks! That sounds pretty do-able.

 

[johnb3]

Thanks! That sounds pretty do-able.

we were there last week I got BG 81 at 7:15am and we got called around 4pm and waited around 30 minutes to ride, not really bad

 

[Donna M]

We had a great day with Genie+ with a rain storm and 15 min of early entry. We got a ll for Jungle Cruise around 11:00 and then began stacking. We rode many Fantasy Land rides multiple times and then used Genie+. They would be back to back without having to wait, great! I can see it being different for lots of folks depending on how they want to tour. The crowds weren´t bad either.
We chose not to use it the second day of MK and it went well too. We used regular Genie. We left for the afternoon when the waits were over 30 min, and came back in the evening for some walk ons. We would definitely get it again if the crowds were expected to a level 4 or higher.

 

[Sandisw]

We had a great day with Genie+ with a rain storm and 15 min of early entry. We got a ll for Jungle Cruise around 11:00 and then began stacking. We rode many Fantasy Land rides multiple times and then used Genie+. They would be back to back without having to wait, great! I can see it being different for lots of folks depending on how they want to tour. The crowds weren´t bad either.
We chose not to use it the second day of MK and it went well too. We used regular Genie. We left for the afternoon when the waits were over 30 min, and came back in the evening for some walk ons. We would definitely get it again if the crowds were expected to a level 4 or higher.

Can you elaborate more on the stacking and how it worked? Did the two hour window come in to play?

 

[Donna M]

Can you elaborate more on the stacking and how it worked? Did the two hour window come in to play?

When we got to the park around 8:45, I made a ll selection for 10:50, at 11:00 I made another selection since it was 2 hours past opening. We rode sb till the 10:50 ride which was Jungle Cruise. When we got off JC I made a new selection. Every time we got off a ride we made a new selection and went on the other ride. At that point I hardly remember any down time. We left in the afternoon and when we returned in the evening we started up again or just stayed on rides since the crowds were so light. The wait time for the next available ride was very close to when we exited the current ride. Two huge storms stopped a lot of rides.

 

[Sandisw]

When we got to the park around 8:45, I made a ll selection for 10:50, at 11:00 I made another selection since it was 2 hours past opening. We rode sb till the 10:50 ride which was Jungle Cruise. When we got off JC I made a new selection. Every time we got off a ride we made a new selection and went on the other ride. At that point I hardly remember any down time. We left in the afternoon and when we returned in the evening we started up again or just stayed on rides since the crowds were so light. The wait time for the next available ride was very close to when we exited the current ride. Two huge storms stopped a lot of rides.

Great to hear It sounds like it worked differently than explained to me and allowed 2 at a time without another 2 hour window!

 

[corpcomp]

So for those just using Genie (not +), does it give you options, suggestions and wait times for your favorite rides? Going there in a week and I set up favorite attractions for each day but have no clue what I will eventually see on the app. Your responses will help me regarding upgrading to Genie+.

 

[Chuck S]

I have a question bout Genie +, if I have pre-existing dining reservations, does Genie and Genie + know that, and try to work around that reservation time?

 

[kristenabelle]

Anyone had issues purchasing Genie+ day-of for a group of mixed tickets?

I have an AP, rest of my party (9) has a mix of 7 or 2 day hoppers, with my parents contemplating an upgrade to AP. Apparently there have been issues with a person purchasing Genie+ for folks in their party with a different ticket type. So even though I manage the accounts of 4 of my relatives, I wouldn't be able to purchase for them day-of. Which means to get around this I'd have to visit Guest Relations every day (and hope they can help, despite mixed response from other threads), or get my relatives to log into MDE and connect with my brother as a workaround.

I've used Genie+ for myself without issue, so I'm very familiar with how it works. I'm more concerned based on varying reports here for large groups. Trying to make my family's first trip in years (some first trip ever) as smooth as possible and don't want to spend our first morning languishing at GR.

 

[mac_tlc]

We just spent a couple days at the Parks this past week, Tuesday at MK, Thursday at Epcot. We decided to not do G+ either day. I will say the crowds were crazy both days, especially Epcot as the day wore on. We have been there too many times to even consider rope drop.

At MK we rode HM (50 min standby), Ariel (35 min standby), Pooh (45 min standby), Peoplemover (20 min standby), Pirates (35 min standby), Thunder Mtn (30 min standby). Good to see Harbor House open again!! We arrived about 11am and stayed for Enchantment. I won’t go into a long monologue about Enchantment other than to say it’s the third best of the last three shows.

A few other ramblings about MK.
1)Thought holiday decorations were very sparse.
2) CMs did good job enforcing indoor mask wearing
3) I still can’t believe they took away the castle lights .

At Epcot, we arrived about 10:30, with no intention of staying for Harmonious. Wanted to circle the F&W booths and do Remy. At 6:57am I got into the app from my couch, verified party and practiced “refreshing”. At exactly 7:00, I refreshed and got BG 97. Estimated call time was 1pm. Perfect — so far. We rode Mexico ( no wait), ate a bit, did the American Adventure ( no wait), ate and drank a bit more. By now, Remy call back time was estimated to be 3:45pm, with a 45 min wait time. Weather went down hill in the afternoon, ate/drank a bit more, now call back time is estimated to be 5:45pm.

Finally called at 5:20, wandered over, had an ice cream, got in line at 5:31pm. Great ride!! Heard a bunch of people exiting saying it was worth the $9. I’m having an emotional problem with this G+ , ILL$ thing,
but that’s what I heard.

Rode Spaceship Earth on the way out. The new lighting on it is fabulous.

Random thoughts on Epcot:
1) Those barges really are a horrible eyesore.
2) Tough to maneuver F&W on the last few days.
3) Thought holiday decorations were less than prior years.
4) Entire Remy area is well done, although there is a traffic pinch point just before you get to the area.
5) Hope the endless construction is done soon. Maneuvering a wheelchair around all the detours gets challenging.

The absolute biggest issue is the tram situation . It is an absolute travesty that they are not running. Sorry, but it’s not a magical beginning or end to the day to have to walk back to your car. Even with a disabled parking permit, it was over 1500 steps at MK to get to the Ferryboat. If you can find a functioning courtesy wheelchair, more power to you. Unacceptable.

Bottom line: I can only see us doing G+ at HS. We will see in January when we are in FL for a month.

mac_tlc

 

[Moneypenny]

Anyone had issues purchasing Genie+ day-of for a group of mixed tickets?

I have an AP, rest of my party (9) has a mix of 7 or 2 day hoppers, with my parents contemplating an upgrade to AP. Apparently there have been issues with a person purchasing Genie+ for folks in their party with a different ticket type. So even though I manage the accounts of 4 of my relatives, I wouldn't be able to purchase for them day-of. Which means to get around this I'd have to visit Guest Relations every day (and hope they can help, despite mixed response from other threads), or get my relatives to log into MDE and connect with my brother as a workaround.

I've used Genie+ for myself without issue, so I'm very familiar with how it works. I'm more concerned based on varying reports here for large groups. Trying to make my family's first trip in years (some first trip ever) as smooth as possible and don't want to spend our first morning languishing at GR.

Yes, we had issues because it isn't possible for you to purchase Genie+ for Friends and Family with different ticket types from your MDE. They need to purchase it from their MDE, or you need to be able to log into their MDE to purchase it. Guest Relations doesn't seem to think this is a problem. Be prepared to wait 45-60 minutes at Guest Relations each time for assistance since the lines are full of people with Genie+ and MDE problems right now.

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, we had issues because it isn't possible for you to purchase Genie+ for Friends and Family with different ticket types from your MDE. They need to purchase it from their MDE, or you need to be able to log into their MDE to purchase it. Guest Relations doesn't seem to think this is a problem. Be prepared to wait 45-60 minutes at Guest Relations each time for assistance since the lines are full of people with Genie+ and MDE problems right now.

Oh great, we've got 3 pass types...well 4 actually. Military - 6 people, Magic Your Way - 4 people, and I have a Sorcerer Pass and a Complimentary 2 day park hopper, because they changed my Gold Pass voucher black out dates after I had the vacation book and park days reserved. Just what I wanted to do on busy Thanksgiving week, wait in line for guest relations.

 

[skshain1020]

Oh great, we've got 3 pass types...well 4 actually. Military - 6 people, Magic Your Way - 4 people, and I have a Sorcerer Pass and a Complimentary 2 day park hopper, because they changed my Gold Pass voucher black out dates after I had the vacation book and park days reserved. Just what I wanted to do on busy Thanksgiving week, wait in line for guest relations.

My guess is one person from each group could purchase the Genie + for each of the subgroups before the 7am window and then you'd be able to book the Genie+ selections altogether. We haven't gone yet since Genie + so I can't confirm this but it would seem to make sense and with the Individual attractions my guess is it's just checking for hotel reservation, but again can't confirm, but we all know disney IT isn't that sophisticated to have multiple checks.

 

[eandt]

So if you sign up for the virtual que at 7am and get a slot, what is the earliest slot since Epcot does not open till 11am?

We tried right at 0700 and got BG 51, in line around 330 took about an hour in the que.

 

[DVC92]

Just returned from from a 1 week stay and hate Genie+ and will not pay for it since APs are costly enough. Being ones that enter the parks in the afternoon and stay late, the experience was horrible. First day in MK about 2PM, we did Monsters, Inc. and got in the Peter Pan line since the weather was lousy and every ride said 70 minutes or longer. The line took 85 minutes. Between park entry and a 6PM dinner ressie, that was the only ride. EPCOT wasn't too bad for rides like Nemo, Figment, and Living w/ Land. Soarin' was 40 minutes. HS was horrible. First, Toy Story Mania and Little Mermaid were closed. Runaway railway took 60 minutes since not as many people do LL as Genie+, but there still a surprising number. The rest of the lines were ridiculous so again that was the only ride for the Studios that day. At AK, the Safari line took a good hour and the Avatar boat ride was 70 minutes+. At least they haven't started charging for the animal walks! However, I found the walks rather empty since I guess everyone was standing in lines.

Because of the weather and early park closures, it was our worst trip ever over the last 30 years. I have no intention of purchasing Genie+ and getting up at 7AM to make FPs when we go to bed after midnight. Further, all I desire are the 3 FP+s we are accustomed to and the ability to wait less time as the evening progresses. I don't have any desire at my age to ride every ride in the park. Further, everyone in the parks is walking around staring at their stupid phones and bumping into you. I have one more trip on my current AP. If it is anything like this trip, I intend to sell my DVC.

 

[zavandor]

Just returned from from a 1 week stay and hate Genie+ and will not pay for it since APs are costly enough. Being ones that enter the parks in the afternoon and stay late, the experience was horrible. First day in MK about 2PM, we did Monsters, Inc' and got in the Peter Pan line since the weather was lousy and every ride said 70 minutes or longer. The line took 85 minutes. Between park entry and a 6PM dinner ressie, that was the only ride. EPCOT wasn't too bad for rides like Nemo, Figment, and Living w/ Land. Soarin' was 40 minutes. HS was horrible. First, Toy Story Mania and Little Mermaid were closed. Runaway railway took 60 minutes since not as many people do LL as Genie+, but there still a surprising number. The rest of the lines were ridiculous so again that was the only ride for the Studios that day. At AK, the Safari line took a good hour and the Avatar boat ride was 70 minutes+. At least they haven't started charging for the animal walks! However, I found the walks rather empty since I guess everyone was standing in lines.

Because of the weather and early park closures, it was our worst trip ever over the last 30 years. I have no intention of purchasing Genie+ and getting up at 7AM to make FPs when we go to bed after midnight. Further, all I desire are the 3 FP+s we are accustomed to and the ability to wait less time as the evening progresses. I don't have any desire at my age to ride every ride in the park. Further, everyone in the parks is walking around staring at there stupid phones and bumping into you. I have one more trip on my current AP. If it is anything like this trip, I intend to sell my DVC.

I still am a rope drop person, but I can see how bad the new system is for someone who gets in the parks later. And on arrival day I'll miss not having 3 FP+ scheduled for the evening.

 

[Chuck S]

Unfortunately I think for this trip over Thandgiving week, we'll pretty much be forced to use Genie+ and LL for anything. So I'm prepared for that this trip. Not my choice of travel dates by the way, but the kids going on the trip need the stability of sticking to the school schedule this year. My early June trip, we'll see....if it is still crazy, I may start renting my points and cut down on my Disney trips...

 

[eandt]

Just returned from from a 1 week stay and hate Genie+ and will not pay for it since APs are costly enough. Being ones that enter the parks in the afternoon and stay late, the experience was horrible. First day in MK about 2PM, we did Monsters, Inc. and got in the Peter Pan line since the weather was lousy and every ride said 70 minutes or longer. The line took 85 minutes. Between park entry and a 6PM dinner ressie, that was the only ride. EPCOT wasn't too bad for rides like Nemo, Figment, and Living w/ Land. Soarin' was 40 minutes. HS was horrible. First, Toy Story Mania and Little Mermaid were closed. Runaway railway took 60 minutes since not as many people do LL as Genie+, but there still a surprising number. The rest of the lines were ridiculous so again that was the only ride for the Studios that day. At AK, the Safari line took a good hour and the Avatar boat ride was 70 minutes+. At least they haven't started charging for the animal walks! However, I found the walks rather empty since I guess everyone was standing in lines.

Because of the weather and early park closures, it was our worst trip ever over the last 30 years. I have no intention of purchasing Genie+ and getting up at 7AM to make FPs when we go to bed after midnight. Further, all I desire are the 3 FP+s we are accustomed to and the ability to wait less time as the evening progresses. I don't have any desire at my age to ride every ride in the park. Further, everyone in the parks is walking around staring at their stupid phones and bumping into you. I have one more trip on my current AP. If it is anything like this trip, I intend to sell my DVC.

We were there recently as well and did not buy Genie+ We waited in the standby lines which we found to almost always be shorter than the posted estimated waits with just a couple of exceptions. We did buy ILL for ROR but that is a one and done for us at least until the new coasters open maybe. Might be in the minority but I wasn't at all impressed with ROR (admittedly not a follower of Star Wars) in fact I found Smugglers Run on our second time riding it (we were the pilots this time) to be much better. I wouldn't rule out buying Genie+ in the future depending on who might be traveling with us to a particular park but we have been to WDW so many times over the years that we don't really care what or if we ride anything, if the lines are more than 60 minutes we will just move on to the next one.