I couldn't purchase Genie + on our vacation last week....here's what happened...

[Avery&Todd]

I wanted to share our experiences with Genie + from our trip last week, pose some questions and see if anyone has any advice for our upcoming trip.

DH and I are AP holders and had Gold APs that we were renewing and being changed to the new Sorcerer passes. Before the trip, the system allowed me to go into Genie and “plan my day” and add some attractions that I was interested in, but it would NOT allow me to purchase Genie + ahead of time.

When we arrived at MK we got in the line for customer service and renewed our APs and then while waiting in line for a picture outside the gates I tried to purchase Genie + but it wouldn’t work either – it would allow me to go trough the screens but when I got to the purchase button, it was blank/empty and I couldn’t finish the purchase.

I then thought/assumed that once I tapped into the park it would let me purchase it, but NO – so we headed to a blue umbrella Guest Experience team member and they were able to purchase it for me. I did ask about buying it the following day for Epcot as I wanted a LL for TT and she said it should work but if not to head to the front desk and they could add it for me.

As you guessed it, it didn’t work the following morning and I headed to the front desk where a fabulous CM assisted me in purchasing Genie +. I was then able to get a VQ for Remi and a LL for TT.

The next morning same thing – not able to purchase Genie +..

Now, this whole time I’ve been chatting via the app with a CM and at this point they’ve suggested I send an email to Disney IT….so now they’re involved but they’re wanting to try to buy Genie + through purchasing a LL+ ride but I can’t since the front desk already bought it for me. Then they wanted to know if I had an iphone vs. android bc they’re having issues with some folks interfacing with an android – of course I have an android.

IT ended up comping us Genie + for our last day and sending it to our account just after 6am so I was able to get another VQ for Remi and LL for TT….but was never able to purchase Genie + myself.

Now, our departure day, I tried to purchase Genie + as I had an MK reservation but we were not going to be going to the park and it DID allow me to try to purchase Genie + and I just tried it again for today, Nov. 16th and it allowed me to go through to the payment screen as well.

My questions are:

• The only difference between trying to buy Genie + now and before is before our trip I went into Genie and had it “plan my day” but I didn’t do that for the last day of our trip nor did I do that for today.
• Does anyone know if for our March 2022 trip when we take my cousin, who will have a separate ticket that I will upgrade to Genie + before we go, will it mess up me being able to purchase Genie + for DH and I with our APs?
• Can my cousin, who has my MDE login, go into the system and at the same time as me try to get a LL for TT while I’m trying to get a VQ for Remi?
• Any thoughts on why I couldn’t purchase Genie +? All IT had in the end for an answer was to look out for new updates and download them when they come out – which I had done.
• Should I be able to purchase Genie + for our AP tickets ahead of time vs. after midnight and before 7am of our park day? I thought I saw that someone posted they were able to.

Thanks!

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Good grief. Your experience is the stuff of nightmares. I am so sorry that this happened to you.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Given all the challenges you had with Genie + this trip, I'd be making a call to Disney IT (1-407-939-4357) and asking these questions of them.

You have a great list of questions, but I truly think the challenges you dealt with require asking Disney IT so that hopefully you won't face these problems on your next trip.

 

[Avery&Todd]

Given all the challenges you had with Genie + this trip, I'd be making a call to Disney IT (1-407-939-4357) and asking these questions of them.

You have a great list of questions, but I truly think the challenges you dealt with require asking Disney IT so that hopefully you won't face these problems on your next trip.

Oh I DID speak with Disney IT - we emailed back and forth the entire 4 days I was at Disney - they kept telling me that my issues were because I use an android and "sometimes this happens, and did I have access to an iphone"??

and they told me to be on the lookout for any app updates and to make sure I did them so I had the most current version (I do) ...

here's their exact email they sent...

"We have received several reports of this issue from other Guests, so it doesn't appear that it is specific to your account. Our technical teams are diligently working on it, and I hope to have an update soon.

Does anyone in your party happen to have an iPhone? So far all reports have been from Android devices, so I thought you could try logging into your account on an Apple device to see if you can purchase it that way in the meantime. "

and here is what my screen looked like each morning I tried to purchase Genie + - the box is purple but no words in it to purchase it....


It was a HOT MESS!! and it makes me VERY nervous for my next trip in March...

 

[scrappinginontario]

I understood that you emailed back and forth but my recommendation is to call them at the number above.

You're asking if we think the problems you faced this past trip will happen again and honestly, none of us know. We can 'guess' but based on the number of emails and discussions you had with the front desk and IT, if you want to truly try to avoid a repeat next trip, I think a phone call is in order.

totally up to you but just trying to help based on the questions you asked. Trying to help you avoid the hot mess you described above.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I understood that you emailed back and forth but my recommendation is to call them at the number above.

You're asking if we think the problems you faced this past trip will happen again and honestly, none of us know. We can 'guess' but based on the number of emails and discussions you had with the front desk and IT, if you want to truly try to avoid a repeat next trip, I think a phone call is in order.

totally up to you but just trying to help based on the questions you asked. Trying to help you avoid the hot mess you described above.

I agree and will call IT and speak with someone directly there! Thank you for the #!

 

[lanejudy]

Should I be able to purchase Genie + for our AP tickets ahead of time vs. after midnight and before 7am of our park day? I thought I saw that someone posted they were able to.

No, you can't purchase Genie+ in advance with an AP. You can only purchase day-by-day (after midnight).

The only difference between trying to buy Genie + now and before is before our trip I went into Genie and had it “plan my day” but I didn’t do that for the last day of our trip nor did I do that for today.

Maybe it is related to "plan your day" in which case I would skip doing that in advance unless you felt it was particularly helpful for your touring. But it may also have been related to using android, which does seem to be more prone to problems. I don't know that you'll ever have a definitive answer. Whether you'll have similar problems on a next trip - anyone's guess. It might seem that whatever wasn't working finally got corrected since you have been able to purchase (or try to) after your trip. Could be coincidence that it corrected on the day you left, maybe not.

 

[Ermise]

I had that same problem last week when I was there....the blank button. It seems to be an Android issue. I figured out I could purchase Genie through the Tip Board by clicking on the "Book Experience" button for any ride with Genie + Lightning Lane.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I had that same problem last week when I was there....the blank button. It seems to be an Android issue. I figured out I could purchase Genie through the Tip Board by clicking on the "Book Experience" button for any ride with Genie + Lightning Lane.

The IT folks did ask if I could try that, but I didnt want to risk it NOT working and then thereby not having Genie + purchased prior to 7am, so I just walked to the front desk and they added it for me...

 

[peteykirch]

Hell the free Genie app didn't work for me on our trip last week. The My Day feature only worked for the first park I went to. When I hopped elsewhere it said we didn't have a valid park pass reservation despite being in the park.

Guest Relations at the MK in the front of the park said it's a well known glitch for people who fall under multiple categories, i.e AP Holder, Resort Guest, etc at the same time. This was after we went to one of the CMs at the blue umbrellas who told us the app didn't work that way and you can only build a day at one park a day. He was not very helpful to say the least and didn't have a good personality to be dealing with guests on a consistent basis.

 

[PepperjackDragon]

Can it be purchased from a pc? If not I would seriously consider searching ebay for an old but compatible iPhone or iPad. All you would need it for is the initial purchase, right? Could even have a cracked screen or dead battery that has to be plugged in or whatever just to get it super cheap. Terrible thing to have to do but probably worth it if you can’t get a straight answer.

 

[Avery&Todd]

Can it be purchased from a pc? If not I would seriously consider searching ebay for an old but compatible iPhone or iPad. All you would need it for is the initial purchase, right? Could even have a cracked screen or dead battery that has to be plugged in or whatever just to get it super cheap. Terrible thing to have to do but probably worth it if you can’t get a straight answer.

They did say that I could try to access Genie + through the website on my phone vs. the app but then when you do that it tells you that you should try the app..

and I'm not bringing a computer on the plane with me - I'd rather just get up 30 min early and go to the front desk daily..and to try to see if the web based attempt worked then I'd have to risk NOT having Genie + booked prior to 7am and then I'd miss out out VQs or LLs...and I wasn't willing to risk that since I didnt have a non-park day..or at least an extra day at MK where I felt there was more flexibility at booking a LL right at 7am.

oh, and Disney IT should fix their stuff before they release it to the public as the suggested way to play the Genie game..

 

[a1tinkfans]

Imho…Op, u have the patience of a saint, to be on a vacation and having to spend ur energy and ur time accommodating Disneys well known ( by this time) IT glitches. Just POOR SERVICE DISNEY and they should be doing better.
I truly hope your next experience is Much Better though sadly I’m not feeling it’s going to be.

remember the good old days when asking a CM I the park or elsewhere actually got u an answer as they were well trained OR they proactively sought to get u the answer and resolve an issue or concern? It seems that.. According to these boards and threads.. those days are gone
I’m visiting mid Jan and honestly, I’m still on the fence about
Canceling and waiting it out so as Not to be disappointed in
Not getting that .. Disney Immersion I’ve become used to over these Many years of visits. I’m ok with changes, just have them “ ready” before roll out, esp when Paying More for what was once included.
Safe Travels all! Thx for posting OP.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I am so sorry this happened to you but this is also what I’m afraid of, but more in terms for lightning lane. I’d rather just lightning lane ROTR but not purchase genie plus

 

[PepperjackDragon]

They did say that I could try to access Genie + through the website on my phone vs. the app but then when you do that it tells you that you should try the app..

and I'm not bringing a computer on the plane with me - I'd rather just get up 30 min early and go to the front desk daily..and to try to see if the web based attempt worked then I'd have to risk NOT having Genie + booked prior to 7am and then I'd miss out out VQs or LLs...and I wasn't willing to risk that since I didnt have a non-park day..or at least an extra day at MK where I felt there was more flexibility at booking a LL right at 7am.

oh, and Disney IT should fix their stuff before they release it to the public as the suggested way to play the Genie game..

Did you try putting the browser in regular desktop mode? Maybe it was telling you to go into the app because the browser was in mobile mode (the default if you don’t switch it)

you are definitely more paitient than me, I would have been “demanding” (not dramatically but very respectfully and persistently) that they comp me several days genie plus to make up for the time lost and prevent further loss might not work but man I have tried.

 

[Avery&Todd]

Did you try putting the browser in regular desktop mode? Maybe it was telling you to go into the app because the browser was in mobile mode (the default if you don’t switch it)

you are definitely more paitient than me, I would have been “demanding” (not dramatically but very respectfully and persistently) that they comp me several days genie plus to make up for the time lost and prevent further loss might not work but man I have tried.

I was using the web version but it was just mentioning that I could do this on the app - which was not working for me.

They did comp us Genie + for the last day, since I started working with IT on day #2 of the 4 day vacation.

 

[wiggy500]

I had the same issue trying to purchase morning of on two different Android devices. I was trying to either get genie plus for just that day or for the entire length of my ticket. I got the same blank button I think trying for day-of. And I got an error for the entire length. Like an hour later I did succeed in getting it for the full length. Also I had just updated the app a couple days before the trip.

One would sure hope they would get this figured out before the spring.

 

[Jenkinsfanatic]

I had your same issue on my trip. I found a work around pretty quickly to buy it from clicking an individual time on an attraction instead of the main screen.

I was able to do this prior to 7 am each day...even when it says you can't book until 7 am, clicking on it still correctly redirected me to buy it.

I hope that helps...I know I panicked the fist day bit just get clicking around until I found something that worked.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I had your same issue on my trip. I found a work around pretty quickly to buy it from clicking an individual time on an attraction instead of the main screen.

I was able to do this prior to 7 am each day...even when it says you can't book until 7 am, clicking on it still correctly redirected me to buy it.

I hope that helps...I know I panicked the fist day bit just get clicking around until I found something that worked.

OK -so if I was looking at the screen for various LLs to choose from, lets say for example, HM at 10:30am return time, even though the box would have been greyed out prior to 7am, it still let you click through and purchase Genie +?

this could be a game changer!

 

[Jenkinsfanatic]

OK -so if I was looking at the screen for various LLs to choose from, lets say for example, HM at 10:30am return time, even though the box would have been greyed out prior to 7am, it still let you click through and purchase Genie +?

this could be a game changer!

I'm almost positive that's what I did. I do remember being frustrated that I couldn't activate that mysterious purple blank box, but then I clicked on an attraction "time" and it let me through.

If you have an annual pass and are up early...you can try it and see if that works...you have to go through a few screens before it finalizes the purchase.