The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[bp traveler]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add genie+? I bought the tix from Undercover tourist and when I try to add genie + I the my Disney app it said to call them. I did and they said I have to call Disney to add it?!
I have been on hold twice after 40 minutes with Disney and magically disconnected! I have tried the chat too.
Is there any way to add it we leave tomorrow. Thanks

 

[kappyfamily]

At Epcot today. Bought genie+ at 6am, and got Remy group 46. Remy groups I believe were gone 3 minutes later, if that. 46 got called at 12:30. When I got Remy I quickly tried to get test track and 1:30-2:30 was the earliest I could get. We got early entry and everything was like a 5-10 min walk on except Frozen. We all agree genie + is not needed if you have early morning entry. We will try and get on frozen right when park closes. We did a ton of rides by 1:30 with no genie+ needed. So it looks like we spent $47 for 3 of us for one booked test track ride. But it was a great experiment and now I will know what to do for MK tomorrow.

 

[kappyfamily]

Duplicate

 

[Haley R]

At Epcot today. Bought genie+ at 6am, and got Remy group 46. Remy groups I believe were gone 3 minutes later, if that. 46 got called at 12:30. When I got Remy I quickly tried to get test track and 1:30-2:30 was the earliest I could get. We got early entry and everything was like a 5-10 min walk on except Frozen. We all agree genie + is not needed if you have early morning entry. We will try and get on frozen right when park closes. We did a ton of rides by 1:30 with no genie+ needed. So it looks like we spent $47 for 3 of us for one booked test track ride. But it was a great experiment and now I will know what to do for MK tomorrow.

How long did you have to wait for remy?

 

[570traveler]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add genie+? I bought the tix from ****************** and when I try to add genie + I the my Disney app it said to call them. I did and they said I have to call Disney to add it?!
I have been on hold twice after 40 minutes with Disney and magically disconnected! I have tried the chat too.
Is there any way to add it we leave tomorrow. Thanks

I’m going to say you’re in the same boat as me. My first day is today. Last night I tried to add genie to all my days. I got message that dates were unavailable. I was told because the parks are at capacity, it’s unable to be added. I have to buy it each morning.

 

[coolbrook]

We had an interesting discovery with rides being down. The morning we went to MK, we reserved a time for splash mountain. Well it ended up being down the entire day, but you could still grab passes to it. If the ride was still down when it was your turn to ride, it converted the genie+ pass to a special pass that you could use on any LL you wanted (except the two ILL$). So we would use that special pass on rides like Big Thunder (kids favorite) and then immediately grab another Splash Mountain slot. It was this way that we were able to ride Thunder mountain in the lightning lane multiple times.

Interesting and good to know.

 

[kappyfamily]

How long did you have to wait for remy?

Right after we tapped in, we waited maybe 15-20 min.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Just left today. We did 1 park per day and it was stupid crowded. We are primarily ride-people. Quick service restaurants and maybe 1-2 shows. Open to close. Our goal is to ride as many rides as we can. I went into our trip quite nervous over genie+ and how the crowds would affect it. Spoiler: I now LOVE genie+. We had an amazing, magical time even though it was sooo crowded. We purchased genie+ on 2 of the 4 days and did not buy any ILL$. Here’s what we did:

Day 1 Epcot: no Genie+. We scored a boarding group for Remy at 7 am. Longest actual line we waited in was Frozen at about 50 minutes. We were able to ride every single ride and even Test Track twice. A couple shows. Even left early because we were tired and had done everything we wanted to. No regrets not getting Genie+for Epcot even with the crowds.

Day 2 Animal Kingdom: no Genie+. Longest wait was Flight of Passage of probably 45 minutes. We did every ride except Navi River (we didn’t think it was worth the hour wait) and were able to catch
a couple shows. Rode Dinosaur 4 times (daughters favorite) and Everest 4 times (my favorite). We saw all the animal exhibits and attractions. Again, no regrets on not getting genie+. It was such a chill day, full of rides even though people were everywhere.

Day 3 Magic Kingdom: genie+ day. Rope dropped Seven Dwarves and selected Peter Pan as our first lightning lane with a return time around 11. Until 11 we rode Space mountain and the rides with the smallest waits (like Little Mermaid). At 11, before tapping into Peter Pan we selected our second lightning lane. From there we selectively double stacked lightning lanes all day. Refreshing the tip board worked every time giving us our ideal time within a minute or two of refreshing. We rode every single ride minus Dumbo (kids say babyish) and Splash (down all day). Lines were long on everything but we flew by in the lightning lanes. Did Space Mountain on standby twice. Thunder mountain 3 times. We ran out of things to do by 5 or 6 and debated going back to the hotel but for the first time ever decided to camp out in front of the castle to have a prime spot for Enchantment. Worth it. Genie+ was definitely worth it.

Day 4 Hollywood Studios: genie+ day. Crazy crowded. Forgot to book our first lightning lane at 7 and by 7:08 Slinky was completely gone. I started constant refreshing and a 10:30 slot popped up within a minute or two. Snagged it, so perfect. We Rope dropped Rise and were probably among the first 200 people in line. It was down for a bit but we managed to get on and off by 9:10. To kill time until we could tap into Slinky and start our double stack, we did Millenium Falcon and Star tours on standby. Then it was time for Slinky and to selectively double stack lightning lanes for the rest of the day. I refreshed the tip board over and over and scored great return times all day. Lines were insane (over 100 minutes for most every ride, rise 200 minutes) so we felt privileged to use the fast lane for everything but Mickey and minnies railroad which ended up about an hour wait. We rode every single attraction with Millenium Falcon and Star tours twice. We did 2 shows. And got back in line for Rise just before they closed. Posted wait of 195 minutes ended up to be 45. Genie+ Well worth it. We heard several people complain that they only managed to ride 2-3 rides all day while we rode 13. We felt so spoiled.

We are SO GRATEFUL for the advice and experience from these forums that allowed us a vacation better than we imagined. I hope our experiences help others!

The Studios sounds like it was crowded…..Epcot and AK not so much, based on the standby lines, especially Test Track and FoP. I’m still concerned for next summer……

 

[StarrySkye21]

The Studios sounds like it was crowded…..Epcot and AK not so much, based on the standby lines, especially Test Track and FoP. I’m still concerned for next summer……

It was definitely more crowded than I’ve ever seen it. We only did standby when touring plans said it was lowest wait of the day. The posted waits were much higher than the actual. It would have been miserable without Genie+, so I definitely think it’s worth it. Would be perfect if all rides were included or you could ride more than once. One or the other.

 

[Figment1990]

Just thought I would share our strategy from today at DHS with G+ and some of the quirks we learned along the way. It was our travel day, flight departed at 10:45 am (delayed), arrived at 12:58 (cut that WAY too close for me - I was booking G+ walking off the plane and WiFi & data are both very glitchy at landing), took magical express to the hotel (THAT took forever and fyi phone service in the magical express loading area of MCO is nonexistent), and we walked over to DHS (from Boardwalk) after very quickly dropping our bags in our room (which magically was ready just as our bus pulled up). All of this was super stressful and I would not really want to do it again, but it DID work so I’m sharing it anyway in case it helps someone else.

7am booked SDD for 4:20-5:20 after refreshing a few times
11:01 am - booked ToT for 3:05 - 4:05
1:05 pm booked RnRC for 6:55 - 7:55 (I could have booked it earlier but we were going for a specific time frame) ***HOWEVER: on this booking we learned that the 120 hour rule is to the second, not to the minute. Our “eligible” window said 1:01. But when we tried at 1:01, it would not let us book until closer to 1:02
At 3:0X we booked TSM for 8-9pm. I forgot to write down the exact time because we were refreshing to get a time and also wondering if we would arrive in time for our ToT reservation.
3:30 we arrived at our hotel, dropped off our bags, and very very quickly walked over to DHS
4:15 rode ToT (confirming grace window)
4:35 walking over to ride Slinky, DS refreshed and snagged a 4:45 MFSR
4:45 rode MFSR
4:50 booked Aliens for 8:00 after DS refreshing (FYI - only one tapstile at MFSR I think. Also, teens are great at G+…)
5:23 rode SDD
5:40 checked into dinner at Mama Melrose ADR
After dinner we headed to Sunset Blvd to ride RnRC - took our time to let our food settle and watched some Sunset Seasons Greetings (very festive!)
7:30 rode RnRC
8:02 rode TSM (slightly longer LL wait here)
8:24 rode Aliens
Then we wandered through Galaxy’s Edge, grabbed some blue milk and just enjoyed the atmosphere. We could have actually also rode Star Tours but we were exhausted and tapped out. Sat and watched the animation show on the Chinese Theater and then walked back to the room.

So that’s 6 G+ (could have been more but we didn’t want to squeeze in Muppets or other shows or Star Tours). I feel like today we got our money’s worth. But it was a LOT of pre-work and strategizing and studying of thrill-data data AND help from you folks!

While it was very VERY useful today (DHS seemed very crowded), i am also glad that we are not planning a G+ day tomorrow! (AK/EP day)

 

[meghanmione]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I will be arriving to Disney late afternoon on our first day. We are planning to do Epcot in the late afternoon/evening. If I purchase Genie+ for that day and hop on at 7AM, is it too risky to try and purchase a boarding group for Remy if I don't know what exact time we'll be in the park? Haven't been since early 2019 and trying to catch up with the new system.

 

[katyringo]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I will be arriving to Disney late afternoon on our first day. We are planning to do Epcot in the late afternoon/evening. If I purchase Genie+ for that day and hop on at 7AM, is it too risky to try and purchase a boarding group for Remy if I don't know what exact time we'll be in the park? Haven't been since early 2019 and trying to catch up with the new system.

for the purchased lightning lane you can choose your time. So just choose a later time.

it's the free virtual que that you can't control the time.

 

[katyringo]

Just thought I would share our strategy from today at DHS with G+ and some of the quirks we learned along the way. It was our travel day, flight departed at 10:45 am (delayed), arrived at 12:58 (cut that WAY too close for me - I was booking G+ walking off the plane and WiFi & data are both very glitchy at landing), took magical express to the hotel (THAT took forever and fyi phone service in the magical express loading area of MCO is nonexistent), and we walked over to DHS (from Boardwalk) after very quickly dropping our bags in our room (which magically was ready just as our bus pulled up). All of this was super stressful and I would not really want to do it again, but it DID work so I’m sharing it anyway in case it helps someone else.

7am booked SDD for 4:20-5:20 after refreshing a few times
11:01 am - booked ToT for 3:05 - 4:05
1:05 pm booked RnRC for 6:55 - 7:55 (I could have booked it earlier but we were going for a specific time frame) ***HOWEVER: on this booking we learned that the 120 hour rule is to the second, not to the minute. Our “eligible” window said 1:01. But when we tried at 1:01, it would not let us book until closer to 1:02
At 3:0X we booked TSM for 8-9pm. I forgot to write down the exact time because we were refreshing to get a time and also wondering if we would arrive in time for our ToT reservation.
3:30 we arrived at our hotel, dropped off our bags, and very very quickly walked over to DHS
4:15 rode ToT (confirming grace window)
4:35 walking over to ride Slinky, DS refreshed and snagged a 4:45 MFSR
4:45 rode MFSR
4:50 booked Aliens for 8:00 after DS refreshing (FYI - only one tapstile at MFSR I think. Also, teens are great at G+…)
5:23 rode SDD
5:40 checked into dinner at Mama Melrose ADR
After dinner we headed to Sunset Blvd to ride RnRC - took our time to let our food settle and watched some Sunset Seasons Greetings (very festive!)
7:30 rode RnRC
8:02 rode TSM (slightly longer LL wait here)
8:24 rode Aliens
Then we wandered through Galaxy’s Edge, grabbed some blue milk and just enjoyed the atmosphere. We could have actually also rode Star Tours but we were exhausted and tapped out. Sat and watched the animation show on the Chinese Theater and then walked back to the room.

So that’s 6 G+ (could have been more but we didn’t want to squeeze in Muppets or other shows or Star Tours). I feel like today we got our money’s worth. But it was a LOT of pre-work and strategizing and studying of thrill-data data AND help from you folks!

While it was very VERY useful today (DHS seemed very crowded), i am also glad that we are not planning a G+ day tomorrow! (AK/EP day)

I recently changed my flight to arrive the night before and stay at the hotel inside MCO that night and catch ME early AM. This post confirms that..

it also helps me know to not be in the ME terminal at 7am..

 

[meghanmione]

for the purchased lightning lane you can choose your time. So just choose a later time.

it's the free virtual que that you can't control the time.

Oh okay! That's great to know, thank you

 

[tpmac68]

Is it better (or possible) to have two people/MDE accounts doing this in the am? I'm a single parent taking my kids - but I can probably teach/talk the oldest through to do it while I also do it (thinking of DHS in particular, for SDD and ROTR). (or maybe even recruit someone back home to help that morning)

If you have two people trying to book at the same time, can they all be signed in to the same account or does each person need their own account?

 

[cjlong88]

If you have two people trying to book at the same time, can they all be signed in to the same account or does each person need their own account?

My husband downloaded the app and I signed him into my account. At 7am he was booking one thing while I was booking another. Worked perfectly.

 

[sam1985]

I think I understand the basics. I can book #1 @ 7 and book #2 @ at earlier of Park open +120 or after LL1 is used/expires.

1. So if park opens at 8 and LL #1 has a return window of 930-1030
   1. I book #2 at 10 (120 rule),
   2. Use #1 at 10:05 and book #3 (LL used)
   3. I would then be able to book #4 120 min later (12:05) or when I use a LL or it expires.
2. What if instead after I book LL #1 with a return window of 930-1030
   1. I Book #2 at 10 (120 rule),
   2. Book #3 10:30 (LL #1 Exp),
   3. Use #1 at 10:35 (grace period). Can I immediately book #4?

Its unlikely for things to work out as simply as #2 but if it does and it works I get 4 LL by 10:30 instead of having to wait until around noon.

 

[katyringo]

Alright. I am 1 week away from my HS day. Right now it's the first day post holiday that is green and open for all parks. But I'm planning for the chaos.
I am solo traveler and I don't have anyone else to help make LL..
No hopper- so stacking in the morning for later arrival doesn't work for me.
It seems it's much much harder to get that double stack going in HS if you are starting and staying there.

I have been debating the SDD ... and ultimately Rise is more of a priority for me than SDD so I am going to book rise first which will put me out of SDD.
So I think I am going to Early entry slinky dog, book RISE, make my first genie+ For TT, and book MMRR.

I think that's my plan to start the day there. I think going for SDD first couple potentially lock me out of using more genie+ choices for the day..

Not sure!

 

[Lyndylou]

Just left today. We did 1 park per day and it was stupid crowded. We are primarily ride-people. Quick service restaurants and maybe 1-2 shows. Open to close. Our goal is to ride as many rides as we can. I went into our trip quite nervous over genie+ and how the crowds would affect it. Spoiler: I now LOVE genie+. We had an amazing, magical time even though it was sooo crowded. We purchased genie+ on 2 of the 4 days and did not buy any ILL$. Here’s what we did:

Day 1 Epcot: no Genie+. We scored a boarding group for Remy at 7 am. Longest actual line we waited in was Frozen at about 50 minutes. We were able to ride every single ride and even Test Track twice. A couple shows. Even left early because we were tired and had done everything we wanted to. No regrets not getting Genie+for Epcot even with the crowds.

Day 2 Animal Kingdom: no Genie+. Longest wait was Flight of Passage of probably 45 minutes. We did every ride except Navi River (we didn’t think it was worth the hour wait) and were able to catch
a couple shows. Rode Dinosaur 4 times (daughters favorite) and Everest 4 times (my favorite). We saw all the animal exhibits and attractions. Again, no regrets on not getting genie+. It was such a chill day, full of rides even though people were everywhere.

Day 3 Magic Kingdom: genie+ day. Rope dropped Seven Dwarves and selected Peter Pan as our first lightning lane with a return time around 11. Until 11 we rode Space mountain and the rides with the smallest waits (like Little Mermaid). At 11, before tapping into Peter Pan we selected our second lightning lane. From there we selectively double stacked lightning lanes all day. Refreshing the tip board worked every time giving us our ideal time within a minute or two of refreshing. We rode every single ride minus Dumbo (kids say babyish) and Splash (down all day). Lines were long on everything but we flew by in the lightning lanes. Did Space Mountain on standby twice. Thunder mountain 3 times. We ran out of things to do by 5 or 6 and debated going back to the hotel but for the first time ever decided to camp out in front of the castle to have a prime spot for Enchantment. Worth it. Genie+ was definitely worth it.

Day 4 Hollywood Studios: genie+ day. Crazy crowded. Forgot to book our first lightning lane at 7 and by 7:08 Slinky was completely gone. I started constant refreshing and a 10:30 slot popped up within a minute or two. Snagged it, so perfect. We Rope dropped Rise and were probably among the first 200 people in line. It was down for a bit but we managed to get on and off by 9:10. To kill time until we could tap into Slinky and start our double stack, we did Millenium Falcon and Star tours on standby. Then it was time for Slinky and to selectively double stack lightning lanes for the rest of the day. I refreshed the tip board over and over and scored great return times all day. Lines were insane (over 100 minutes for most every ride, rise 200 minutes) so we felt privileged to use the fast lane for everything but Mickey and minnies railroad which ended up about an hour wait. We rode every single attraction with Millenium Falcon and Star tours twice. We did 2 shows. And got back in line for Rise just before they closed. Posted wait of 195 minutes ended up to be 45. Genie+ Well worth it. We heard several people complain that they only managed to ride 2-3 rides all day while we rode 13. We felt so spoiled.

We are SO GRATEFUL for the advice and experience from these forums that allowed us a vacation better than we imagined. I hope our experiences help others!

This is an awesome post .So informative We aren't going July but super excited already Slight confusion. I read your post as you bought genie+but not LL yet you said you did LL Have i misunderstood ?

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I will be arriving to Disney late afternoon on our first day. We are planning to do Epcot in the late afternoon/evening. If I purchase Genie+ for that day and hop on at 7AM, is it too risky to try and purchase a boarding group for Remy if I don't know what exact time we'll be in the park? Haven't been since early 2019 and trying to catch up with the new system.

Just remember, if all you want is to purchase an ILL$ for Remy, you do not have to pay the $15 for Genie+. Genie+ is for the Genie+ LL rides like Soarin’, Frozen, etc. if you think you might want them, wait until you arrive and can check Genie to see if the Genie+ LL rides you want are still available. You can buy Genie+ then and book them.