ROTR-strategy help please

[cam&phoebsmom]

My husband and I are going to Disney on 1/17/24 (less than 2 weeks). Last time went was 2014 and we totally knew what we were doing. Now we are so confused! On top of that I had a partial mastectomy and am starting radiation the day after we get back-so the normal planning has been put in the back burner! (And I am totally cleared to go to the park by my doctors!)

My question-we are headed to DHS on Thursday. We are both big Star Wars fans and want to ride ROTR and Smugglers Run, but are confused about how to use Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.

We will be in the parks for 4 days and got Park Hoppers, but feel like dinosaurs trying to decipher the new systems.

TIA for your tips and strategies for Genie + and LL. Our goal is to do the newer rides since we have been there without table reservations or character meet ups (well, except maybe the Star Wars ones! )

 

[LindaOwl1]

ROTR is a paid Individual Lightening Lane. Or you can ride for free by rope dropping or standing in a longer line, does not use G+. Millenium Falcon uses G+, but if you also want to ride Slinky you should make that the first G+ to book.

What we usually do is rope drop ROTR, followed by MF with very little wait. We G+ Slinky at 7AM. (The Slinky return time is usually past 10AM for us and can be modified out tp later without losing your ability to make another G+ 2 hours after HS opens. )

This way if we want a second ride on MF we are still able to G+ it. A second ride on ROTR is $$ or the kids wait in line. I'm not waiting an hour for a second ride!

There is great info here under the G+ threads. I find the MOST helpful thing to remember is to use the modify button to push your times out if needed.

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

ROTR is a paid Individual Lightening Lane. Or you can ride for free by rope dropping or standing in a longer line, does not use G+. Millenium Falcon uses G+, but if you also want to ride Slinky you should make that the first G+ to book.

What we usually do is rope drop ROTR, followed by MF with very little wait. We G+ Slinky at 7AM. (The Slinky return time is usually past 10AM for us and can be modified out tp later without losing your ability to make another G+ 2 hours after HS opens. )

This way if we want a second ride on MF we are still able to G+ it. A second ride on ROTR is $$ or the kids wait in line. I'm not waiting an hour for a second ride!

There is great info here under the G+ threads. I find the MOST helpful thing to remember is to use the modify button to push your times out if needed.

This is great advice-thank you!

So you buy LL in advance and can use it for ROTR but that morning (7?) you use Genie + for Slinky dog. You ride ROTR, then Smugglers in standby, then ride Slinky when the time comes. That makes excellent sense!

We need to make a list for Genie + vs LL.

I just downloaded the WDW app so we can do mobile orders.

If anyone else has tips for DHS I would love them. It’s been a long time and we are just focusing on the newest rides (and the ones we love) and will pop in the others when we can.

We know we want Star Wars rides (all), TRON, Guardians, and Avatar along with the faves like Tower of Terror, and Jungle Cruise

 

[Tiggerette]

RotR can do down intermittently, so getting it in earlier in the day is usually better. Getting there ahead of rope drop can be helpful so you're not waiting in crowds just to get to the ticket gates. (I don't know if you have credentials to get into park early, but if you do, then arriving in advance of that time.)

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

We are staying at Shades of Green (no kids with us so theming was less important than value! lol) so we can do EMH and plan to utilize that. After we do the rides together at least once we are comfortable using single rider when we can.

 

[Skippyboo]

7am is the key time for onsite guests. At 7am you can buy 2 paid LL. The paid LL are Tron and 7DMT in MK, GotG in Epcot, Fop in AK and ROTR. Tron and GotG also have Virtual Queue that drop at 7am . There’s a second drop at 1 pm that you have to be in the park for. Tron and GotG have no standby line. Everything else will have a standby line.

Also at 7am you can make your first selection for genie +. For HS, it’s best to rope drop, do as much as possible before the crowds hit and use your Genie for stuff in the middle of day when it’s crowded. Also come back to Galaxy Edge when it’s dark, like Pandora it’s super cool at night. Also less crowded. If it’s running you can get into standby for rise right before park close.

Good luck on your treatments. I had to do 6 weeks of radiation myself back in 2018.

 

[Miffy]

OP, just to make things clear:

Genie+ is one thing and Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) is another altogether. You do not have to purchase G+ in order to purchase an ILLs.

To make things more confusing, WDW calls everything "Lightning Lane." For example, if you book a Genie+ for Slinky, then the line you will stand in is called Lightning Lane. And if you purchase an ILL for RotR, you will also stand in a line called the Lightning Lane.

If you can afford it, I'd recommend purchasing both an ILL for RotR and G+ for other rides at DHS since you haven't been there in years. This way you may be able to swing it to do RotR twice--and, believe me, you'll want to.

Also, try to make an ADR for Oga's. It's quite atmospheric and I think you'll enjoy it there.

And, while I'm here, don't miss Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. This is also a Genie+ selection...or you could rope-drop this if you're not RDing RotR.

And, as with everything at WDW, the closer you get to closing time, the waits for the rides are much shorter, and much shorter than advertised.

I'm glad you have hoppers. Every once in a while RotR is down for most of the day. If this happens to you, plan on purchasing an ILL for RotR for another day and hop. Do yourself a favor and don't read anything about RotR. There are loads of surprises, and it's quite the amazing experience.

 

[hertamaniac]

I purchased my FL AP after 5 years of no parks at WDW. First thing I did was Rise (never rode it before). Standby was listed at 130 minutes - Actual was 42 minutes. I did the ride in early afternoon.

Based on YT videos I've seen, quite a few effects/animatronics were MIA. I still immensely enjoyed the attraction, but knowing I got b-mode had me a little disappointed.