Not excited for this trip at all…

[notatallmagic]

I definitely share in the feelings of...maybe trepidation? We felt like we were Disney mini "experts" in planning what worked perfectly for our family. Favorite rides, shows, food, even bathroom breaks...we had a "loop" that worked perfectly for each park for our family. Add in a new medical condition and food allergies - we made it work and LOVED it!

Now, I don't feel that same confidence. We have a few months left on our Annual Passes, and two planned trips. We are trying to adopt the somewhat grudging attitude of "we'll do our best". Before, I could have said with 95% confidence that we would ride pretty much everything we wanted (with the exception of a ride shutdown), see Fireworks and Parades, etc. Now? Maybe 50/50%? Add to it all the things that are still missing - proper Mousekeeping, real parades, characters, dining plan - it's just different - not in a good way.

We did just book a summer 2022 vacaction - not Disney - instead Discovery Cove and the extended 14 day package. With upgrades, our 14 days at the Sea Word parks with Dolphin Swim and inclusive dining on our DC day - less than ONE day at Disney! I love Disney and the memories there, but we're going to step away a bit to allow Disney to figure out how to pull it together. If they don't - my kids are now old enough for adventures elsewhere.

 

[maryj11]

We have gone every year for the past 10 years except last year, we cancelled because of covid. We rebooked for next week.
I was getting frustrated thinking this is going to be more complicated with the genie +. So I started reading reviews asking questions on here and watching YouTube on it. I’m pretty confident I know how it works now. I also had a really hard time getting dining reservation. Finally got what we wanted after searching for 2 months and setting up alerts. Finally got our last dining reservation we wanted this morning!
It’s been harder this time to plan, but I think I’m ready!
I’m still excited and don’t expect everything to be perfect or maybe even harder using genie.
We are still excited and can’t wait!

 

[viluvsdisney]

Can you please elaborate that rope drop only worked for MK? I was planning rope dropping each park plus we get early entry. I was hoping we’d be able to knock out a couple rides before the crowds by doing that.

The crowds were simply too large. We arrived for early entry at Epcot and headed straight to test track and the line wait was already 60 min. Same for studios and RnR was already 45 min and quickly moved to 70 min. AK was the same for FoP and Navi River Ride and the safari. My guess is at MK the masses went towards seven dwarves and jungle cruise but we headed for splash and big thunder and the wait times at MK we reasonable and LL we’re still available

 

[annacali]

We leave today and I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve not been excited. If this wasn’t a trip my kids got for Christmas 2 years ago that was postponed I would’ve cancelled and spent the money elsewhere. I’ve been going to Disney since I was a toddler and have brought my kids almost every year and have done multiple Disney cruises and I hate that I feel this way. The part I’m hating the most is knowing I’m going to have to be up early every morning stressing and worrying about LL, on my phone through out the day. I’ve spent more hours than I can count trying to figure out this system and finally thought I had it figured out yesterday to hear it all changed again. I hate the 2:00 hopper and park reservations. Disney is just too much planning, and too stressful to be enjoyable anymore! At least before all the planning was out of the way months ahead of time so you could enjoy your trip. I’m going to try to go in with a positive attitude and enjoy the time with my family but this will propably be it for us.

The 7 am thing is real. I am here and overslept by 10 min on our Epcot day—ended up not even buying Genie+ because everything was sold out or too late already and it wasn’t even 7:30 am yet. We did not get to ride Frozen (iLL sold out before I could make one as a no resort guest) or Ratatouille (tried that again starting at 12:58 pm and zero luck them either). It was very frustrating to me.

 

[tano]

Who said that? And you’re just adding to the drama by making it out to be a big thing. If she’s free to voice her opinion, then so am I.

Im sorry it looks I read too much into something that wasn't there and over reacted

 

[Bullseye]

What does staying up after midnight do for you? I think you can just make selections at 7am, period.

You see, I'm still trying to figure things out too. I had it wrong. I think if you're buying Genie+ on a daily basis, then you need to do it after midnight or before 7am so you're able to make your LL selections at 7am. That's what I was referring to.

 

[Bullseye]

Im sorry it looks I read too much into something that wasn't there and over reacted

You didn't overreact and dont need to apologize. It's unnecessary for someone to tell the OP that "Disney doesn't need their money or bad karma" just because the OP is expressing discontent with the new system. Thousands upon thousands of posts on these boards are grievances regarding moves that Disney makes. People can faithfully love and support Disney and yet want to express dissatisfaction without needing to be told to stop going to Disney.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

you can always get up at 6:30, buy Genie Plus and then get your first selection at 7. You dont' HAVE to be up at midnight. However, those who don't want to do either will just end up not using Genie+

 

[Delirium]

If you truly just want a warm destination then just go to Florida and not WDW.
But something makes me think that you do actually want to go and you just wanted to create a dramatic thread.

Or, you could chill and let the original poster express their concerns/grievances on a board that is intended for such discussion. Not everything on this board has to be sunshine and rainbows for Disney. The fact is that a large percentage of people that used to love Disney are dissatisfied with the direction the company has gone with the management of the theme parks. Genie+ is just the last straw.

And, it's not a minor straw. It's significant financially, and in order to fully benefit, it requires a commitment to do things (get up early, keep nose in phone, etc.) that the majority of people would prefer not to do on vacation. That's the kicker that many people overlook. Even people that are using Genie+, are doing so because they believe they have to in order to get the most out of their Disney investment. But, truth be told, they would prefer to do things a different way.

Yes, some people don't mind getting up early. But, a large percentage do, and are only doing so because of Genie+. And, while yes, virtually everyone has their phone by their side 24/7, maybe they prefer to slip it in their pocket/purse and watch the smiles on the faces of their children or take in the detailed theming and streetmosphere of the park around them.

 

[Delirium]

Thanks everyone.
I’ve already spent the money on new Magic Bands for this next trip, so I’m not cancelling at this point. I’ll try to start being more positive. I guess I’m going to have to realize I may be standing in more lines than what I’ve been used to on past trips.

I’ve been trying to learn and play around with this Genie+ and I’m just not sure I’m getting it. It seems fine for people that can stay from early entry all the way to close, but I have a son, even at 13, who is usually done by dinner time and would rather get back to the resort to swim. I will encourage us to do early entry every day. We’ve always used this strategy in the past and were usually always able to knock one side of the park out with minimal waits.

I’m just trying to figure out strategy for maximizing this new system. Since we will be on resort, we can purchase ILL’s at 7am before off-site guests. But at that same time, everyone can start making Genie+ selections. So what’s the best strategy? Make your first Genie+ selection first, then make your paid ILL, or vice versa? Is it better to have two people logged into the same MDE credentials to be able to make both at the same time? Can that even be done?

Also, has anyone been able to determine which rides at each park lose out on genie+ selections the quickest? I just feel like I don’t know how to strategize for this trip, where I had it figured out before with FastPass.

Do not feel like you have to apologize or need to explain yourself further. There is nothing wrong with starting this thread. There are many, many others that feel the same way you do.

3 years ago, you would have had a hard time finding two people that loved Disney more than my wife and I. Our kids are in high school now, and we talked all the time about one last trip while they were still at home, the trips we would take with just the two of us, and trips down the road with the grandchildren. All that discussion has stopped. Disney is now broken. Genie+ is not the only factor, but it's the straw that broke the camel's back. We have zero desire to go back.

That said, if we were in your shoes and already started the process and made some sort of financial commitment, we would follow through with it, but with a 'dread' (yes, I used that word too) that it would no longer be the magical place it once was. For your sake, I hope the dread we both feel is unfounded and you have a great time. But, you don't have to apologize for feeling that way going in.

 

[cgattis]

The crowds were simply too large. We arrived for early entry at Epcot and headed straight to test track and the line wait was already 60 min. Same for studios and RnR was already 45 min and quickly moved to 70 min. AK was the same for FoP and Navi River Ride and the safari. My guess is at MK the masses went towards seven dwarves and jungle cruise but we headed for splash and big thunder and the wait times at MK we reasonable and LL we’re still available

Just wanted to second this. Well, I didn’t “want” to but it’s the same experience I had. And contrary to what some posters will say, I was going in with an insanely positive attitude. It had been five years and I was STOKED to go. And we left after three days (of our planned 7). Just too many people and not enough experiences, food options, or CMs. We were miserable.

 

[dd316]

If you go in with the mentality most should, in that you don't have to do everything, I think you'll have a great time. You know the experience will be different, make the most of what you've got. Nobody is happy with the changes, but as someone who's been going for a very long time you've seen plenty of changes, things come and go. And you continued to go again and again.

I get there's a lot of anxiety - Disney World is NOT an easy vacation to plan! But if you do the best you can and surrender to the fact that things might not work out 100% to your plan, I think you'll still have a great time.

I hope you enjoy it!

 

[MomOTwins]

I get there's a lot of anxiety - Disney World is NOT an easy vacation to plan! But if you do the best you can and surrender to the fact that things might not work out 100% to your plan, I think you'll still have a great time.

I hope you enjoy it!

Actually, from my perspective planning used to be pretty darn easy. You logged in at 7am ONCE, 60 days before the trip, and booked at three rides per day that your family wanted and that didn't conflict with meal reservations. Every ride was part of the same system, so it was a "one-stop shop." 4th/5th etc rides booked same day all followed the same basic system: tap in, book a ride, and you can modify if you need to. If you don't get to do much more than you three rides--no worries, at least it was free. I recognize some people didn't love the system, but planning was not nearly as hard as playing the 7am finger dash for ILLs, virtual queues and Genie +, then if you got a time that didn't work, no way to modify without cancelling and losing what you got, then remembering to check in every 2 hours on the dot (plus afternoon VQ time if you missed the morning), then strategizing if it is better to take a less-than-ideal one versus staying to refresh in the hopes they drop more inventory. Yeesh. The 7am wake-up call every day alone sounds like hell to me--I hated it on DHS day for ROTR, and that was just ONE day.

 

[Blondie58]

I have such happy memories of my family’s trips to DW the last 6 years. I was always excited about the next time we could go back. For the first time, I’m not excited. I’m really actually dreading this trip. Just when I had FastPass strategies down that worked for our family, they go and implement this horrible new system. It feels like a blatant rip off from everything I’m reading. Congratulations Disney, you made your parks something I couldn’t wait to get back to, to something I’m going to be extremely hesitant to spend my money on going forward after this next trip. I hope this new Genie+ backfires spectacularly on them.

Went 9 days in late October. Can't say how much Genie and masks ruined the trip.

 

[Bullseye]

Just wanted to second this. Well, I didn’t “want” to but it’s the same experience I had. And contrary to what some posters will say, I was going in with an insanely positive attitude. It had been five years and I was STOKED to go. And we left after three days (of our planned 7). Just too many people and not enough experiences, food options, or CMs. We were miserable.

Curious to know if LL was approximately the same wait as FP+, all things considered?

 

[maryj11]

Just wanted to second this. Well, I didn’t “want” to but it’s the same experience I had. And contrary to what some posters will say, I was going in with an insanely positive attitude. It had been five years and I was STOKED to go. And we left after three days (of our planned 7). Just too many people and not enough experiences, food options, or CMs. We were miserable.

Was it this week you were there?

 

[DVCjj]

We just returned and I agree with what you’re saying. We had two days (the Monday and Tuesday) before thanksgiving that genie + selections were completely gone after 11am. We bought two ILL rides and regular LL to make the most of the day. For a family of 4 that’s (approximately) an additional $170 a day to ride rides (including one maybe two max standby lines). Not to mention the 6:50 am wake up every morning to log in for LL passes and a two hour time change from mountain time for us. Nothing about the genie + option is relaxing and unfortunately it’s an option you choose during peak park times simply so you can ride more then 2 or 3 rides - and side note: we did arrive at rope drop to ride as many rides as we could - this only worked at MK. We came home saying it just felt kinda “icky” - we had fun because rides and family time are fun but the ick factor was still there

After 4 good trips this year (pre-Genie), that went well and after 50 years of WDW, my upcoming trip the end of January is already throwing me for a loop. And here I thought all those years I was an expert.
I've watched videos to understand the new system and my (very) old brain just can't seem to absorb it. I'm very nervous and want DH to enjoy this trip as he's not the huge fan I am and this trip is just us. I scared we won't get on anything and we're there for 12 days. (snowbirding)

Could you PLEASE tell me the difference in a nutshell between ILL and LL? I thought that part finally sunk into me and now reading there's 2 kinds of LL, I'm confused all over again. And PS: I'm sorry it was 'icky' for you. I fear that part.

 

[MomOTwins]

After 4 good trips this year (pre-Genie), that went well and after 50 years of WDW, my upcoming trip the end of January is already throwing me for a loop. And here I thought all those years I was an expert.
I've watched videos to understand the new system and my (very) old brain just can't seem to absorb it. I'm very nervous and want DH to enjoy this trip as he's not the huge fan I am and this trip is just us. I scared we won't get on anything and we're there for 12 days. (snowbirding)

Could you PLEASE tell me the difference in a nutshell between ILL and LL? I thought that part finally sunk into me and now reading there's 2 kinds of LL, I'm confused all over again. And PS: I'm sorry it was 'icky' for you. I fear that part.

LL means lightning lane. It is the physical fast pass ride queue lane that is shorter than the standby lane.

ILL stands for “individual lightning lane”paid fastpass for specific individual rides. There are two rides in each park that use it: generally, the flagship rides—e.g, seven dwarves and space mountain. Once you buy an ILL, you will go to that specific ride and physically walk through the lightning lane at the time you reserved.

Genie+ is a paid service theoretically gives you access to book fastpasses to pretty much every ride in a park other than the two special rides that require ILL. I say theoretically because people have been having trouble with genie+ running out of inventory by midday. Again, lightning lane is what you walk through when the time comes for your ride.

 

[DVCjj]

Thanks everyone.
I’ve already spent the money on new Magic Bands for this next trip, so I’m not cancelling at this point. I’ll try to start being more positive. I guess I’m going to have to realize I may be standing in more lines than what I’ve been used to on past trips.

I’ve been trying to learn and play around with this Genie+ and I’m just not sure I’m getting it. It seems fine for people that can stay from early entry all the way to close, but I have a son, even at 13, who is usually done by dinner time and would rather get back to the resort to swim. I will encourage us to do early entry every day. We’ve always used this strategy in the past and were usually always able to knock one side of the park out with minimal waits.

I’m just trying to figure out strategy for maximizing this new system. Since we will be on resort, we can purchase ILL’s at 7am before off-site guests. But at that same time, everyone can start making Genie+ selections. So what’s the best strategy? Make your first Genie+ selection first, then make your paid ILL, or vice versa? Is it better to have two people logged into the same MDE credentials to be able to make both at the same time? Can that even be done?

Also, has anyone been able to determine which rides at each park lose out on genie+ selections the quickest? I just feel like I don’t know how to strategize for this trip, where I had it figured out before with FastPass.

I appreciate your being honest about your apprehension as I'm going through the exact same feelings for our end of January trip. I considered myself quite the Disney expert after a massive amount of trips but this new system has literally thrown me for a loop.

If your trip is before the end of January, I would be very grateful if you could write back and say how everything turned out. Maybe I and many others could learn by your experience and calm down a bit.

 

[DVCjj]

LL means lightning lane. It is the physical fast pass ride queue lane that is shorter than the standby lane.

ILL stands for “individual lightning lane”paid fastpass for specific individual rides. There are two rides in each park that use it: generally, the flagship rides—e.g, seven dwarves and space mountain. Once you buy an ILL, you will go to that specific ride and physically walk through the lightning lane at the time you reserved.

Genie+ is a paid service theoretically gives you access to book fastpasses to pretty much every ride in a park other than the two special rides that require ILL. I say theoretically because people have been having trouble with genie+ running out of inventory by midday. Again, lightning lane is what you walk through when the time comes for your ride.

Oh thank you so much. I literally printed this out as you made it very clear. Clearer to me than the videos I've watched. I think I get overwhelmed quickly. Very kind of you to help.