The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[Missmaureen78]

Question: If you Early Entry at HS, can you get both ToT and RnRC done within the first 30-60 minutes?

Based on the LL time slot data from today in this thread, this is what I was thinking - keeping in mind that we don't care about SDD, we do not want to crisscross the park and we actually want some downtime throughout the day to snack, shop and perhaps have a cocktail or two I realize that makes us a bit of an outlier.

1. 7:00AM: Book RotR for sometime around 5-6 (understanding it's a risk if the ride goes down earlier in the day)

2. Keep an eye on the Smuggler's Run LL availability and try to get slot around 4, but definitely book before 9AM.

3. Early Entry ToT and RnRC

4. MMRR around 10:00 via ILL

5. At 11:00, book TSM for next available (hopefully around noon, which jives with today's data)

6. Standby Alien Saucers

7. After tapping in to TSM, book Star Tours for next available -- if it's too early, keep checking for something that works with the rest of our day

8. Lunch (we'll try for a TS reservation)

9. Muppets

10. Spend the rest of our time in Galaxy's Edge, with a reservation at Oga's in the evening.

We'll be there President's Week so it will be crowded, so I'll be keeping an eye on how things play out on busier days.

 

[g-dad66]

Question: If you Early Entry at HS, can you get both ToT and RnRC done within the first 30-60 minutes?

You can't get both of them done in 30 minutes, but you can almost surely get both done in 60 minutes. It will probably take about 45-50 minutes.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

We bought Genie+ at MK today. Was not happy to get up at 7, but I did and booked Jungle Cruise at 7:02 for 10:55. We got to the park around 10 and had Starbucks and made our way over to JC. We waited until 11 and booked our 2nd (Pirates) and then clocked into JC. After that, we were able to book another, Peter Pan. Using this strategy we were able to hold 2 LL's all day and used 8.
JC
Pirates
Peter Pan
Small World
Big Thunder
Haunted Mansion
Buzz
Speedway

We could have fit in Splash but nobody wanted to ride that again (we rode Monday). We're all 16+ so some of the more kiddie rides weren't ones we wanted. We stood in stand-by for Mermaid and Mine Train (at 8:15 for 15 minutes).

It made for a more enjoyable day by not standing in lines all day. We were able to have lunch at Crystal Palace and rode the monorail to Poly for rum Dole Whip. Still not sure if it was worth $60 for the 4 of us and the only way it is possibly worth it is if you can double book all day like we did. It's not affordable to spend every day of a weeklong trip.

It's a good thing we had my son's newer phone as my iPhone 10 just could not stay into Disney's wifi and the app would not work at all for me using cell service. It was a royal pain in the butt and if Disney wants to have every single thing on the phone they should have the most tip-top wifi possible IMO.

 

[DL1WDW2]

If you are having problems I suggest you update your personal info on file with MDE especially update the Wallet APP . Somebody suggested that when I went into AT&T for Genie help. And they didn’t even try to sell me a new phone!
I also have better online since I narrowed down all those magicbands on MDE….instead of having over 10 linked magicbands connected to my name I now have only 2…front desk suggested that was problem .
You can modify and editthe magicbands online when you use Your MDE . It took me awhile to figure it out but it can be done.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

It’s taken me a while to read through this thread this morning but the information is invaluable. Thank you for sharing.

 

[elgerber]

You can't get both of them done in 30 minutes, but you can almost surely get both done in 60 minutes. It will probably take about 45-50 minutes.

We got both done in 30 on Tuesday. Then hit MSFR right after nine. Yesterday we sat in RnR for 20 minutes before we nailed and then they said it wasn’t working.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Question: If you Early Entry at HS, can you get both ToT and RnRC done within the first 30-60 minutes?

So long as both are running, yes.

The problem comes when only one is running for some reason so almost everyone that was heading to both attractions files into one while some people decide to wait with getting no reassurance from CMs when they actually expect it will start running again. Sometimes it's 5 minutes, sometimes, it's 40 minutes.

 

[wisblue]

Question: If you Early Entry at HS, can you get both ToT and RnRC done within the first 30-60 minutes?

Based on the LL time slot data from today in this thread, this is what I was thinking - keeping in mind that we don't care about SDD, we do not want to crisscross the park and we actually want some downtime throughout the day to snack, shop and perhaps have a cocktail or two I realize that makes us a bit of an outlier.

1. 7:00AM: Book RotR for sometime around 5-6 (understanding it's a risk if the ride goes down earlier in the day)

2. Keep an eye on the Smuggler's Run LL availability and try to get slot around 4, but definitely book before 9AM.

3. Early Entry ToT and RnRC

4. MMRR around 10:00 via ILL

5. At 11:00, book TSM for next available (hopefully around noon, which jives with today's data)

6. Standby Alien Saucers

7. After tapping in to TSM, book Star Tours for next available -- if it's too early, keep checking for something that works with the rest of our day

8. Lunch (we'll try for a TS reservation)

9. Muppets

10. Spend the rest of our time in Galaxy's Edge, with a reservation at Oga's in the evening.

We'll be there President's Week so it will be crowded, so I'll be keeping an eye on how things play out on busier days.

That looks like a good plan.

I might be trying something similar on my trip in 3 weeks, though we usually hop to a second park and getting a LL for SDD will be a priority.

The big question for all of us is going to be how things develop in terms of larger crowds and more people getting and learning how to use both G+LL and IALL. There could be some significant changes in standby lines and LL return times from what we’ve seen these first few days.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Okay, the thing that is going to throw me the most is having to scroll all the way to the top to "change park" rather than hitting this back button. I do it AT LEAST 5 times a day.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

We bought Genie+ at MK today. Was not happy to get up at 7, but I did and booked Jungle Cruise at 7:02 for 10:55. We got to the park around 10 and had Starbucks and made our way over to JC. We waited until 11 and booked our 2nd (Pirates) and then clocked into JC. After that, we were able to book another, Peter Pan. Using this strategy we were able to hold 2 LL's all day and used 8.
JC
Pirates
Peter Pan
Small World
Big Thunder
Haunted Mansion
Buzz
Speedway

We could have fit in Splash but nobody wanted to ride that again (we rode Monday). We're all 16+ so some of the more kiddie rides weren't ones we wanted. We stood in stand-by for Mermaid and Mine Train (at 8:15 for 15 minutes).

It made for a more enjoyable day by not standing in lines all day. We were able to have lunch at Crystal Palace and rode the monorail to Poly for rum Dole Whip. Still not sure if it was worth $60 for the 4 of us and the only way it is possibly worth it is if you can double book all day like we did. It's not affordable to spend every day of a weeklong trip.

It's a good thing we had my son's newer phone as my iPhone 10 just could not stay into Disney's wifi and the app would not work at all for me using cell service. It was a royal pain in the butt and if Disney wants to have every single thing on the phone they should have the most tip-top wifi possible IMO.

I’m convinced that what you did was the optimal strategy. You’ve got to stack early so you can double book throughout the day. It also seems like it is pretty easy to stack by just grabbing a really popular headliner as your first ride (like JC).

I’m also convinced that very few are going to use this optimal strategy putting those of us who do at a big advantage.

 

[Jrb1979]

I’m convinced that what you did was the optimal strategy. You’ve got to stack early so you can double book throughout the day. It also seems like it is pretty easy to stack by just grabbing a really popular headliner as your first ride (like JC).

In theory that works and on lower crowd days. I think on busier days it's not going to work so well. On busier days I wouldn't be surprised to see by 11 am return times well into the afternoon.

 

[wisblue]

In theory that works and on lower crowd days. I think on busier days it's not going to work so well. On busier days I wouldn't be surprised to see by 11 am return times well into the afternoon.

I agree.

For the next 3 weeks before our trip I’m going to be watching standby lines and LL return times to see how this unfolds.

I especially want to see what standby waits are like in the first two hours and what kind of LL return times there are at 11 AM.

Waiting until after 11 for your second LL might start your stacking sooner but might also mean getting fewer attraction in before 11.

A lot also depends on whether you plan to spend all day in one park or hop to a second park. If hopping it might make more sense to use the time in between parks to set up the stack instead of trying to do it right at 11. Book one LL for for your second park before you leave the first one, and make a second one for that park two hours later.

That won’t work great either if LL for more of the most popular rides start running out by early afternoon.

I am thinking that stacking could work well for Marathon Weekend when we usually won’t be at a park for early entry because of one or more members of the group participating in the running events.

 

[PaladinButters]

In theory that works and on lower crowd days. I think on busier days it's not going to work so well. On busier days I wouldn't be surprised to see by 11 am return times well into the afternoon.

*Not to compare this to any previous systems* but.... we've all been through if you don't snag pass for X attraction by Y time they are gone for the day, yeah? If I can't stack things near each other in both times and distance - did I just waste my time crossing the park to get the most out of my $15 instead of wasting it standing in line?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are going to HS on Monday and plan to purchase ILL$ for RotR and MMRR. We are not planning to purchase Genie+ and we are planning to leave early afternoon. We want to ride standby for SDD, MFSR and TSM. We are at the BC and can walk over for early entry.

What would be good times for the RotR and MMRR purchases?

 

[emilymad]

I am not seeing how this will work for people who take a mid day break. Very quickly the return times are in our break time. I guess wait and stack for the evening?

If the return times are getting late in the day so fast with moderate crowds how many of these attractions will sell out on the truly crowded times? We go around Thanksgiving and I am not confident that most of the headliners will sell out early. Unless Disney changes their capacity with is always possible.

 

[ZeeWP]

We bought Genie+ at MK today. Was not happy to get up at 7, but I did and booked Jungle Cruise at 7:02 for 10:55. We got to the park around 10 and had Starbucks and made our way over to JC. We waited until 11 and booked our 2nd (Pirates) and then clocked into JC. After that, we were able to book another, Peter Pan. Using this strategy we were able to hold 2 LL's all day and used 8.
JC
Pirates
Peter Pan
Small World
Big Thunder
Haunted Mansion
Buzz
Speedway

We could have fit in Splash but nobody wanted to ride that again (we rode Monday). We're all 16+ so some of the more kiddie rides weren't ones we wanted. We stood in stand-by for Mermaid and Mine Train (at 8:15 for 15 minutes).

It made for a more enjoyable day by not standing in lines all day. We were able to have lunch at Crystal Palace and rode the monorail to Poly for rum Dole Whip. Still not sure if it was worth $60 for the 4 of us and the only way it is possibly worth it is if you can double book all day like we did. It's not affordable to spend every day of a weeklong trip.

It's a good thing we had my son's newer phone as my iPhone 10 just could not stay into Disney's wifi and the app would not work at all for me using cell service. It was a royal pain in the butt and if Disney wants to have every single thing on the phone they should have the most tip-top wifi possible IMO.

wow you guys used it exactly as intended and it worked out well. I hope this works out for us!

 

[wisblue]

Today could be an interesting one to watch, especially at MK.

Touring Plans has this as a crowd 7 day and in this first half hour they have several expected times longer than the posted times.

It will be interesting to watch how standby waits and LL return times compare to yesterday.

 

[DisTXMom]

8:50 am, Fri Oct 22, TP crowd level 4,
G+ return times: BTMR 12 pm, Haunted Mansion 11:05, Jungle Cruise 11:50, Pooh 10am, Peter Pan 12:20, Pirates 10:25, Splash 10:55, Speedway 9:45 am

This makes me think it will be sold out early on busy days unless they increase the number available. At 9am on a low crowd day, I’d have thought PP and Splash to have return windows within 90 minutes. We are going spring break and will watch Thanksgiving/Christmas patterns to get a vibe of what to expect.

 

[Nabas]

We are going to HS on Monday and plan to purchase ILL$ for RotR and MMRR. We are not planning to purchase Genie+ and we are planning to leave early afternoon. We want to ride standby for SDD, MFSR and TSM. We are at the BC and can walk over for early entry.

What would be good times for the RotR and MMRR purchases?

I suggest waiting in the Standby lines first (SDD, TSM, and MFSR in that order), and then doing RotR. With you arriving for early entry, this means you'll likely be done with the 3 Standby attractions pretty early, perhaps as soon as 2 hours after opening. So maybe book the 2 IAS immediately after that?

The important thing to keep in mind is that RotR has been selling out early, so book that as soon as you can.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I am not seeing how this will work for people who take a mid day break. Very quickly the return times are in our break time. I guess wait and stack for the evening?

If the return times are getting late in the day so fast with moderate crowds how many of these attractions will sell out on the truly crowded times? We go around Thanksgiving and I am not confident that most of the headliners will sell out early. Unless Disney changes their capacity with is always possible.

There are enough popular headliners that book far enough out that you should be able to book a return time for after your break.