So confused about genie plus and virtual queue… please help

[monica9]

Hi. I know everyone will direct me to the genie plus threads but I’ve read them and I feel like I’m taking some difficult math exams with this. Between all the rules and the abbreviations and times, my head is going to explode so I really need this laid out for me if someone is willing to help.

We are leaving in 10 days and staying at a Disney springs resort. Our major rides we want to hit in order for park are:
guardians of galaxy
Ratituille
Frozen
Soarin
(Going to Epcot two days)

Don’t care about magic kingdom rides so not getting genie plus that day

Flight of passage
The other avatar boat ride

So if I have it correct, I can’t book any genie plus until park opens so 9am for Epcot days?
Gardians and FOP are lightening plus where I have to purchase separate or are they virtual queue? And with VQ, how does that work? When can I go onto the app and how do I do it? I go to my Disney experience and my day and click on guardians which I put on my day list and it will pop up virtual queue? If I do that how will I get the other rides right at 9 am?

This seems way to complicated to be able to get on a ride.

Are guardians, ratituille and flight of passage rides we can rope drop and run to?
How about my little one who won’t go on those big rides? Can I just book for 3 out of 4 of us and do rider swap?

Thanks. I really am getting annoyed with the Disney experience. We’ve gone 7 times in the past 12 years and I’m still confused ever since genie started. We went once while genie was around but we went with someone who had a heart condition so we used the other passes.

 

[coasternut22]

I'll try to help out as much as possible. Regarding G+ in general, the best tutorials are on Youtube. Search for the Ear Scouts channel. He has the best and easiest to understand G+ tutorials out there. Another good one is the video on the Mammoth Club channel called "Disney Genie+: Everything You NEED To Know & The BEST Way To Use It In Disney World." Even though this is for MK, the same principals apply to Epcot (except for boarding groups).

G+ is the paid service that allows you to skip the lines for most attractions (Remy, Frozen, Soarin, Navi River, etc.). It has variable costing $15-25. As a non-resort guest, you are still able to book your first selection at 7am. The rule is that you can book your next LL selection 2 hours after your most recent one or after you tap in for your most recent selection, whichever comes first. The only caveat to this rule is that the timer starts at park opening. So, at 7am, you book Frozen with a return time of 11:30am. Park opens at 9am. You can book your next LL at 11:00am. But if your return time is 10:30am and you tap in at 10:30, you can now book your next LL.

The individual attraction selections (ILL$) are the top rides at each park. This will be Guardians and Flight of Passage (FOP). Again, variable pricing. As a non-resort guest, you have to wait until park opening to purchase these. These do not count are in no way affected by any selection you make for G+ selections described above. They are mutually exclusive. You can book up to two a day if you are parking hopping.

Guardians has the only boarding group until Tron opens April 4. You cannot rope drop or otherwise walk on Guardians. All guests who have Epcot park reservations can try for the 7am drop. The 7am drop goes really fast, and you need to have the process down before trying to book so that you know which screens to press so you don't lose time. If you don't get a boarding group at 7am, don't worry, there is a 1pm boarding group drop as well. This doesn't go as fast, but you do have to have scanned into the park prior to 1pm to be eligible. Once you get a boarding group, it will show an estimated return time. Disney is very flexible with this and you can return any time after your boarding group is called, even if it is 4-5 hours later.

It sounds like you are unfamiliar with the MDE screens where all of this occurs. Refer to the Youtube channels I mentioned above. They have the best tutorials and show the screens you need to work with in the app.

You can rope drop Remy and FOP. Please keep in mind that as a non-resort guest, resort guests who have early entry access will fill up the line before you get there. Realistically, you will have at least an hour wait for both at regular park opening. Edit: your Disney Springs hotel may be eligible for early entry. In this case you can early entry rope drop these rides with lower waits during early entry.

You absolutely can do rider swap.

​

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

So you've got some basics confused and understandable why, it's confusing until you've really put it into practice and even then, it's still a bit wonky. You can book your G+ selections at 7am, it doesn't matter if you are onsite or offsite- but to book your paid individual lightening lane which is a separate purchase from G+, as an offsite guest, that is during park hours. To clarify, think of G+ as fast pass+ with many different ride options that you can book to bypass the line, disney calls that physical line the lightening lane. So every time you use G+, you are booking a LL using your paid G+ for the whole day.

Your individual lightening lane (iLL$) purchase is separate and is also a premium to cut the line but only for that one ride. What's preferred with iLL$, is you can choose your time when making your selection whereas with G+, you do not get that option, you sort of take what the G+ gives you and can modify from there. Take a few minutes and visit the G+ page on Disney's site so you can see which rides are which at the parks. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/genie/lightning-lane/

guardians of galaxy- this is virtual queue and also a paid iLL$, see tips here for using VQ https://www.disneytouristblog.com/guardians-galaxy-cosmic-rewind-ride-guide-virtual-queue/
The following rides are all a part of G+, you should prioritize the rides as follows- Rat/Frozen are tie for first with soarin next.
Ratituille
Frozen
Soarin

AK-
Flight of passage- this is iLL$, not virtual queue
The other avatar boat ride- Navi River Journey, this is a part of G+

Keep in mind, you do not have to buy any of these to ride, they're just enhancements to skip the lines. We do not mess with G+ in AK or Epcot since there's not enough rides to justify the expense for us. We just roll the dice and usually do ok at both these parks just using iLL$. I can't see paying for G+ at AK to only ride NRJ.

I'm a big fan of disney tourist blog and they have a lot of helpful tips that will clear up some of your confusion. Make sure you read the itineraries at the bottom for Epcot and AK using G+/ILL$, they have some great tips. You can select your parties for G+ and iLL$ so if kids won't ride, then leave them off. Just be sure you have your MDE updated before you go, have your entire traveling party in there and have practiced looking at the system and some blogs. Do be sure to be johnny on the spot when you do your G+ selections and don't fret if you don't get exactly what you want. Keep refreshing and checking throughtout the day and be sure you keep your alarm set for your next booking window.

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/lightning-lanes-genie-plus-disney-world-faq-guide/

 

[AJA]

If you don’t want to stress, Buy genie+ each morning by 6:55 am, then be ready each appropriate day at 6:59 am (you need to click right at 7 am if your Hotel qualifies) to do an additional lighting lane purchase for Guardians and Flight of Passage (and Rise/Star Wars if wanting to ride). On the Epcot day you want to ride Remy, go for that first right at 7 am on the dot, before you make the additional purchase for Guardians. If your hotel doesn’t qualify it might be hard to get them at park opening.

We went last week Jan 21st-28th (not a hugely busy time) and the lighyening lanes were GONE in 1-2 minutes.

You really need to watch some YouTube videos and know 100% how to use them before you spend the money. For the 3 of us and 6 days, we spent an extra $400 or so, BUT we road everything we wanted at the times we wanted. -it did help that our daughter is 18 and very quick on the apps/phone!

 

[RoseGold]

I'm assuming your hotel qualifies for early hours, I would rope drop Soarin. It isn't most people's rope drop pick and it has a lot of capacity.

 

[AJA]

I'm assuming your hotel qualifies for early hours, I would rope drop Soarin. It isn't most people's rope drop pick and it has a lot of capacity.

I agree, Soarin was a walk on at early entry last week (Sunday and Friday).

 

[monica9]

Thank you ALL so much for your helpful tips!
So I’m thinking we buy genie plus at 6:50am for our first Epcot day and nothing else.
We book Remy at 7am and frozen and then soarin. If we can’t get frozen then we try to rope drop. (Our hotel has early entry).
If we don’t do well with it we just purchase for the following Epcot day.
At 7am we also go into the VQ for guardians. I’m thinking my husband does that on his phone while I do g+ on mine?? Can we if we are both linked to same reservation?
Animal kingdom we will try to rope drop FOP. Don’t think I’m doing G+ for AK or MK. We’ve been there so much and I know we won’t have trouble getting on expedition which is another must and mk rides. We don’t care if we get on 7dmt or Peter Pan.
We aren’t doing HS this year. No RnR, we don’t want to pay for rise since we’ve been on it 5 x already and Toy Story is always a mess. Our little one only likes TSM and muppet show plus we were just there in august.

So that leaves us with paying for one (or possibly two-2nd Epcot day) g+ days and no Lightening plus ones, right? Plus we do one free VQ.


Now I have to go out in my future plans on MDE so that way I am ready to just click the ride and then it will pop up with my next steps?

Let me know if I’m being correct.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

A few more things to know:

1. When booking G+ at 7am, it won't initially show you the G+ pass time until just before you book it, even then, check the time of the G+ pass that you actually get. In the a.m. the times jump around.
2. Again, when booking G+, especially in the morning, the times jump around between the 1st and 3rd screen when booking them. Just make sure you know the time of your pass = actually LOOK at the last screen.

3. We found it helps to set timers (alarms/reminders). Set them to go off when you can book each G+, and also for when can use each G+. In the FP days, it was easy to memorize the FP times, but with G+, we found an alarm works better.

4. If you don't make Early Entry, it is not the end of the world. Just maybe shift your day a little. Early Entry is very short, and not all that empty. It is useful, but not essential.

 

[MousetersInc]

Thank you ALL so much for your helpful tips!
So I’m thinking we buy genie plus at 6:50am for our first Epcot day and nothing else.
We book Remy at 7am and frozen and then soarin. If we can’t get frozen then we try to rope drop. (Our hotel has early entry).
If we don’t do well with it we just purchase for the following Epcot day.
At 7am we also go into the VQ for guardians. I’m thinking my husband does that on his phone while I do g+ on mine?? Can we if we are both linked to same reservation?
Animal kingdom we will try to rope drop FOP. Don’t think I’m doing G+ for AK or MK. We’ve been there so much and I know we won’t have trouble getting on expedition which is another must and mk rides. We don’t care if we get on 7dmt or Peter Pan.
We aren’t doing HS this year. No RnR, we don’t want to pay for rise since we’ve been on it 5 x already and Toy Story is always a mess. Our little one only likes TSM and muppet show plus we were just there in august.

So that leaves us with paying for one (or possibly two-2nd Epcot day) g+ days and no Lightening plus ones, right? Plus we do one free VQ.


Now I have to go out in my future plans on MDE so that way I am ready to just click the ride and then it will pop up with my next steps?

Let me know if I’m being correct.

Be aware, VQ for Guardians goes really quickly. (Stands to reason—it's free!) I'd actually focus both you and your husband on securing it first, and then take care of Remy afterward. And if you have one more device, it sounds silly but it's really worthwhile: on that device, load up time.gov and use it to know the exact moment of 7am. You can both try for the VQ and whoever is slower on the draw will just see "Sorry, the people in your party are ineligible" (because the first user secured it). We did this method and got a VQ time of 9:20 on a day that the park opened at 9:00.

Why does it matter? Well, the VQ does book up the entire day, in a matter of minutes if not seconds. And milliseconds make the difference between your "boarding party" being called in the morning vs the evening. And here's the sneakiest little secret: once your group has been called, you can head for the ride any time you want between then and park close, leaving you with a lot more flexibility about how you spend your day, avoiding backtracking across the park, being able to get a meal or nap if you want, etc.

You should also know there's a second VQ "sign up time" at 1pm. If you miss the 7am, you can try the 1pm one. (You don't have to be in the park for the 1pm "drop," but you do have to have already tapped into it that day.) If you get a time in the 7am drop, you can't get one at 1. But of course, you can also buy and Individual Lightning Lane "a la carte"; we did that; rode via VQ and a second time via ILL.

One more thing: Since this was all new to me, I took care of purchasing Genie+ for the day much earlier than 6:50. You can actually buy it any time after midnight. (That means if you're turning in late the previous night, you could do it then!) But I made sure I got it out of the way by 6:30, leaving me time to select my party within the app, find a good cell-signal spot, do a network speed test, boot up time.gov, and finally wake up my wife and daughter and press them and their phones into service.

 

[monica9]

Thank you for the help!

 

[slickpoetry]

This was a great thread to read for a novice to the system like me, thanks everyone for your contributions.