The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[Figment1990]

It sounds like it was saying next booking at 2 because you had only tapped into the first tapstyle at that point. When you tapped into the second tapstyle, your booking eligibility changed to immediate.

Unlike FP+ where the tap-in at the first tapstyle allowed you to book your next FP+, with Genie+, it appears that you must tap into the second tapstyle before you can book your next LL.

I fully concur with you on the complexity of the system. I have been trying to help another family plan their first trip, and it's hard enough to figure out where to start and how detailed to get before even getting to the whole topic of Genie+. Yikes!

But technically from 12:02 to 1:39 I was eligible to book as early as 1:40 if I chose to use my LL at that time. The app was showing me 2 From 12:02 to 1:39. At 1:39 when I tapped the first one, it changed to 2:40. And then After the second it changed to letting me book immediately.

Which means that you cannot rely on the app to tell u when u can book your next one.

 

[dmunsil]

Thank you for this wonderful explanation. I think I'm truly starting to get it. I understand wh you said in scenario #1, we could book at 3pm. However, what if I booked the 2pm ride, at 1pm. Wouldn't I still have to wait until 3pm to book another?

Assuming “rule A” is in effect, if you book a 2pm-3pm reservation at 1pm, you can book again as soon as you tap into the 2pm reservation, whether or not you have other reservations outstanding. If you book a 2pm-3pm reservation at, say, 10am, then you will not be able to book after tapping in at 2pm, because you got back your ability to book at noon (2 hours after the time you made the booking).

Again, maybe. Let’s all see what happens and what test cases come up.

 

[Orsino]

Oh don't get me wrong. I would have absolutely gone bonkers if the switch happened midtrip for me. Though I do recall thinking to myself to be prepared for the loophole to close at anytime. Still, sudden changes add unnecessary stress.

 

[Sydnerella]

Yeah, yesterday was my day. Sorry today was your day This app crashes SO much and it’s horrendous to get a signal or any WiFi in so many of the ride buildings. When you’re standing in hour standby lines and can’t make your next LL, it just gets ridiculous. I’m glad we finally got to see Galaxy’s Edge, but I’m really regretting making this a full 7-day trip and not just a weekend. We literally rode four rides at Epcot (five if you count that we did Remy twice, one BG and one ILL) in seven hours at Epcot today. Just horrendous. (Not to mention the absolute ridiculousness of having 100 food booths closed Thanksgiving week with lines an hour deep at fast food and 30+ minutes at carts.)

Also (and I know I’m way off topic), customer service has been atrocious as I’ve tried to get my dining res issues fixed because this worthless app has them locked up. Ugh.

So as far as strategy, I’d say get there at rope drop and be prepared to stand in long lines or pay $$ to maybe reduce that a little…..but don’t expect much.

yesterday, Monday 11/22 sucked for us too. I was in tears at GET… after multiple unmagical moments with Genie+ since arriving Friday.

I’ve had it with this new app update and system. We have had success and we have also experienced immense frustration and failure. And working 60% of the time is not great odds at Disney prices. We should expect things to work, bare minimum, that’s a pretty low bar… but that’s too high for them.

Yesterday at MK before the 10am window opened and right through it, the app stuck me in a continuous loop of entering my password and getting a code from my email…. For 12 minutes… while all the times we could use were getting gobbled up. I tried everything. Restarting my phone or trying from another family members phone didn’t even help, let alone closing the app…Finally while waiting in the long GET line it stopped and I booked something that conflicted with extended family lunch plans.

If I’m paying a premium to experience things (that were previously included) then you better D*** well make your app tech, your ride tech and your customer service top notch.

Please don’t tell me the continuous loop is a security feature, two factor Authentication is annoying enough when seconds are precious - but it’s a flaw or bad system design for peak demand periods when your 2FA process puts guests into a loop of it - completely unable to use your app or sign in! And “Something went wrong” should not be an every other click result.

Genie + and $LL and Disney cell service towers and wifi are not equipped for crowds. And don’t even get me started on how many attraction breakdowns we have experienced.

I can think of many other less stressful places to drop my $15K for vacation.

And we will definitely be planning a trip to one of them next time.

And I love Disney and am a 15 year vet who has been reading and watching to learn and know how to use Genie + and stack LLs and maximize touring, etc. I was a FP super user with paper and FP+. So I’m able to adapt… when things work… but this week’s crowds are showing the cracks in the genies lamp and the kingdom.

It is sucking the fun and relaxation away from my happy place.

 

[Sydnerella]

Based on the most recent report above, I'm counting 5 fastpasses obtained at MK with the change, which seems reasonable to me for 16 dollars.

I understand that passes disappeared quickly even with this change, but (1) we don't know how much worse it would have been without the change and (2) it was obviously a loophole that was going to get fixed. It has only been about a month of live operation, so that was reasonably quick, I think.

I think you are not acknowledging the frustration of being in the midst of a vacation and trying to plan and adjust and figure out things… all the while dealing with Holiday crowds, a crashing app, understaffed and breaking down rides. Reasonable or not - it sucks to be the testers when your on a weeks vacation at these prices and not able to just go anytime.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I think you are not acknowledging the frustration of being in the midst of a vacation and trying to plan and adjust and figure out things… all the while dealing with Holiday crowds, a crashing app, understaffed and breaking down rides. Reasonable or not - it sucks to be the testers when your on a weeks vacation at these prices and not able to just go anytime.

The fact that they decided to change how the system works in the middle of thanksgiving, the second busiest time of the year, just further shows how little Disney currently cares for the guest experience. All they care about is maximizing G+ purchases and getting as much money out of every guest as possible.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

Can someone please quickly explain what has changed?

I was there last week and had G+ For a couple days. I thought I understood it (120 minute and stacking) but there were a few times I tried to book another and wasn’t eligible.

most LLs for G+ (Anything that would be helpful) were “sold out” between 2-4 pm anyway….

 

[deltadisney]

Does anyone know what causes the issue of the app requiring the constant logging in and email code?

 

[5DisneyNuts]

702am SDD sold out, Dolphin stay not recognized as on site RotR gone at 703am anyway. Got MFSR at 705am return 830pm..

 

[kappyfamily]

702am SDD sold out, Dolphin stay not recognized as on site RotR gone at 703am anyway. Got MFSR at 705am return 830pm..

SDD actually was gone 45 seconds in! I got one for a 10am return luckily. We’re at Swan Reserve and our room doesn’t show up either, but oddly it “popped up” yesterday at AK around 2pm all the sudden and I was able to buy for expedition Everest. Our key card has been getting us in to early mornings…..

 

[wisblue]

I too would like to know what people think has changed.

On my trip last week I never tried to use the trick of getting an extra LL selection by booking one during the 15 minute grace period. But I was able to create more simple stacks by booking one at the 2 hour mark and then another when I used the first one I booked.

The simple example is booking JC shortly after 7 AM with a return time of 11:10-12:10. Then at 11 AM I booked a second LL and, after riding JC at 11:30, booked a third. So, at that time I was holding 2 active LL.

Are people saying that won’t work any more and that booking the second LL at 11 will reset my eligible time to 1 PM and that I wouldn’t be able to book a third after riding JC?

 

[Sydnerella]

Swan and Dolphin are known glitches. Screenshot attempts and more importantly, it sounds like you need the hotel to confirm something with front desk at check-in to make sure it doesn’t occur. It happened for me trying to book IAS for my inlaws on their first day. We are at Riviera and could book no problem but I couldn’t book their ROTR or MMRR. So had to talk to GET. They said the above. Not sure what the hotel staff can really do though. And they also said to book what you can if you have guests not at those hotels. Which we had done.
On the plus side it hasn’t happened since their first day when I’ve tried to book the IAS paid LLs

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Sorry, but where should it show when I'm eligible to book the next LL? MFSR is not until this evening and when I try to book another LL to see eligibility, it just says unknown conflict. Unbelievable.
TIA

 

[Sydnerella]

Does anyone know what causes the issue of the app requiring the constant logging in and email code?

No! I cannot imagine it’s anything but that I got caught in a glitchy loop. Even shutting down my phone didn’t help. It emailed me 11 codes in 10 min but then just asked for my Password again… sometimes I just closed it out or shut down or refreshed. Rather then entering the PW so it would have been even more if I let it. After 5 or 6 minutes I asked my son and husband to try on their phones (mine is the newest, iPhone 12) and same issue. Others in the GET line had the same issue and other issues… it’s beyond ridiculous. Tears. I was literally crying in Disneyworld and not for the Disney fan reasons of heartstrings and joy…

not to mention throwing out an F-bomb in front of the inlaws and fam while trying to do this sitting at the area by the Plaza during what was supposed to be our pleasant together/ morning coffee/Gastons cinnamon roll/castle watching time before using our JC lightening lane booked at 7….which I also had issues getting but eventually canceled and rebooked for an earlier time with luck after my 7am glitches….

Ahhhh where does it end?!?

 

[Figment1990]

I too would like to know what people think has changed.

On my trip last week I never tried to use the trick of getting an extra LL selection by booking one during the 15 minute grace period. But I was able to create more simple stacks by booking one at the 2 hour mark and then another when I used the first one I booked.

The simple example is booking JC shortly after 7 AM with a return time of 11:10-12:10. Then at 11 AM I booked a second LL and, after riding JC at 11:30, booked a third. So, at that time I was holding 2 active LL.

Are people saying that won’t work any more and that booking the second LL at 11 will reset my eligible time to 1 PM and that I wouldn’t be able to book a third after riding JC?

you will no longer be able to book a second LL at 11:30 after riding jungle cruise if you booked one at 11. if you do not book he at 11 you can book after tapping into second jungle cruise tapstile.

if at 11, you book something for 12:30-1:30, then when u tap into that at 12:30 you should be able to book again. So no, it’s not EXACTLY resetting it to 1, it’s just eliminating your ability to book again with jungle cruise since you booked one at 11.
(at least that’s the current speculation)

 

[rmclain73]

I too would like to know what people think has changed.

On my trip last week I never tried to use the trick of getting an extra LL selection by booking one during the 15 minute grace period. But I was able to create more simple stacks by booking one at the 2 hour mark and then another when I used the first one I booked.

The simple example is booking JC shortly after 7 AM with a return time of 11:10-12:10. Then at 11 AM I booked a second LL and, after riding JC at 11:30, booked a third. So, at that time I was holding 2 active LL.

Are people saying that won’t work any more and that booking the second LL at 11 will reset my eligible time to 1 PM and that I wouldn’t be able to book a third after riding JC?

Exactly!

 

[rmclain73]

Take this with a grain of salt, but I have been reading this morning on various other pages that the paid lightning lanes for on site guest have been earlier than 7 AM the last two days. People seem to be complaining when they login right at 7 AM and things are already sold out or at the very end of the day already.

 

[deltadisney]

No! I cannot imagine it’s anything but that I got caught in a glitchy loop. Even shutting down my phone didn’t help. It emailed me 11 codes in 10 min but then just asked for my Password again… sometimes I just closed it out or shut down or refreshed. Rather then entering the PW so it would have been even more if I let it. After 5 or 6 minutes I asked my son and husband to try on their phones (mine is the newest, iPhone 12) and same issue. Others in the GET line had the same issue and other issues… it’s beyond ridiculous. Tears. I was literally crying in Disneyworld and not for the Disney fan reasons of heartstrings and joy…

I am so sorry. I cannot imagine.

 

[Sydnerella]

[

Take this with a grain of salt, but I have been reading this morning on various other pages that the paid lightning lanes for on site guest have been earlier than 7 AM the last two days. People seem to be complaining when they login right at 7 AM and things are already sold out or at the very end of the day already.

I booked FOP this morning at 7am - there was no ability to book it earlier. Refreshing since 6:50. Same with the other paid IAS LLs I have booked daily since arriving Friday. You can only click on it at 7am sharp.

Some are gone in a minute or less - like the old ROTR BGs, But not able to book before 7. One needs to click on it ASAP to get it snd the time shown initially is unlikely to be the time you get when you get to the next screen.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Take this with a grain of salt, but I have been reading this morning on various other pages that the paid lightning lanes for on site guest have been earlier than 7 AM the last two days. People seem to be complaining when they login right at 7 AM and things are already sold out or at the very end of the day already.

Im not entirely sure this is true, at least not for all rides. I don't have park reservations for today though, so I could be wrong. I was watching RotR and at 7, saw the times progress throughout the day by refreshing, starting in the 9am time frame though late morning, early afternoon late afternoon and evening.