The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[Pookie9922]

You cannot modify the one that you have, but you can cancel it and book a new one. When you book the new one, your 120 minutes starts over again.

Just note that if you try to do this with any of the most popular attractions, it is very possible that in the time it takes you to cancel and re-book, the time that you saw and are trying to get will be gone. With Slinky Dog Dash, for example, sometimes times pop up throughout the day, but by the time you cancel and get back to the tip board it will probably be gone and then you are stuck with nothing

Because your 120 minutes starts over, is there any strategy to grabbing a LL, even if it's not the one you want and cancel it later for exchange for another one? I'm trying to wrap my head around the timing that would make sense for this to be beneficial. Like if you're trying to only stack afternoon LL without park hopping.

@ 11:00 book LL#1 Ride you don't want 1:00-2:00
@ 1:00 book LL#2 Ride you do want 4:00-5:00
@1:01 cancel LL#1 and book LL#1a for 5:00-6:00
@3:01 book LL#3 Ride you want for 6:00-7:00

With my logic it would only make sense to cancel and rebook right after booking a new LL. Am I thinking this out right?

 

[NJlauren]

I think you can get both. Have both of them pinned to the top of your tip board. At exactly 7am grab SDD immediately. It will take 5-10 seconds to get it and get back to the tip board at which point there should still be afternoon ROTR ILL's. Definitely gotta be quick but I think it's possible!

But that is my issue, I have to head out by 230, so if ROTR is after say 2, we probably can’t make it happen. I’m going to have her pick her priorities and go for that one first. It’s her trip I would rather ride, she may prefer SDD

 

[Turksmom]

But that is my issue, I have to head out by 230, so if ROTR is after say 2, we probably can’t make it happen. I’m going to have her pick her priorities and go for that one first. It’s her trip I would rather ride, she may prefer SDD

I would buy ROTR for late morning/early afternoon (if available). We've been able to do RNRC and ToT during early entry- if you go directly to Slinky immediately after exiting ToT, you can probably get all 3 of them done without trying to line up G+ at a convenient time.

 

[Brian4891]

Because your 120 minutes starts over, is there any strategy to grabbing a LL, even if it's not the one you want and cancel it later for exchange for another one? I'm trying to wrap my head around the timing that would make sense for this to be beneficial. Like if you're trying to only stack afternoon LL without park hopping.

@ 11:00 book LL#1 Ride you don't want 1:00-2:00
@ 1:00 book LL#2 Ride you do want 4:00-5:00
@1:01 cancel LL#1 and book LL#1a for 5:00-6:00
@3:01 book LL#3 Ride you want for 6:00-7:00

With my logic it would only make sense to cancel and rebook right after booking a new LL. Am I thinking this out right?

I don't really think there is any benefit to booking and cancelling. Once you cancel, you are in the exact same spot as someone who never booked anything in the first place. It's like the booking never happened.

Using your example from above, you cannot make the 1:01 LL because you just made one at 1:00. That one you made at 1:00 shuts you out until 3:00, even if you cancel the one you made at 11:00.

 

[dmunsil]

Because your 120 minutes starts over, is there any strategy to grabbing a LL, even if it's not the one you want and cancel it later for exchange for another one? I'm trying to wrap my head around the timing that would make sense for this to be beneficial. Like if you're trying to only stack afternoon LL without park hopping.

@ 11:00 book LL#1 Ride you don't want 1:00-2:00
@ 1:00 book LL#2 Ride you do want 4:00-5:00
@1:01 cancel LL#1 and book LL#1a for 5:00-6:00
@3:01 book LL#3 Ride you want for 6:00-7:00

With my logic it would only make sense to cancel and rebook right after booking a new LL. Am I thinking this out right?

It will often make sense to go ahead and book something as soon as you can, even if you plan to arrive later. If you can hold off for 2 hours, you'll be able to stack another one. If that doesn't work and you have to cancel and rebook sooner, you haven't lost anything but a little time.

At the MK, if you imagine a scenario where you'll arrive at 3:00 pm, on a medium-busy day, you'd have to wait until noon or later before you start seeing times after 3:00 on the main headliners. So you book (from your hotel) one ride at noon and one at 2, and enter the park at 3 with two bookings.

If instead you book one sometime between 7-9 (for 10:05-11:05 or later), then at 11 book a new one (for 12;05-1:05 or later) and then cancel and rebook your first one, then do the same thing at 1 (hopefully now for after 3), then book another at 3 just as you enter, now you're walking in with four bookings.

On a busier day, you'll start seeing late return times faster, but it still might be hard to book a ride with a post-3 return time before 9 am, at least at the MK. At Hollywood Studios, you need to book SDD right off the bat, and it's relatively easy to get a later time just by waiting a couple of minutes. Though even then, you might find that there's nothing you want after three when your next booking window opens at 11. In that case, you should book something 65+ minutes away, then book another at 1 and rebook your earlier one.

Edit: Disney changed the rules at some point in the last few weeks. Cancelling any reservation other than the one you most recently booked does nothing. So you can't really do the stack the way I describe above.

 

[dmunsil]

I don't really think there is any benefit to booking and cancelling. Once you cancel, you are in the exact same spot as someone who never booked anything in the first place. It's like the booking never happened.

Using your example from above, you cannot make the 1:01 LL because you just made one at 1:00. That one you made at 1:00 shuts you out until 3:00, even if you cancel the one you made at 11:00.

When you cancel a Genie+ booking, even one made earlier in the day, you get to make another one, so as long as you book your new one first, you can then cancel and rebook your previous one. That's the key distinction. Or at least, that's the way it worked a couple weeks ago and I haven't heard that it's changed. The rules for cancellation didn't change when they changed the rules for usage.

Edit: Disney changed the rules at some point in the last few weeks. Cancelling any reservation other than the one you most recently booked does nothing.

 

[twodogs]

True, but given that every account is tied to a credit card. I would hope that they would charge back to that specific account. It's just a pain in the butt.

Then people would have to worry that anyone that their account was linked to in MDE could charge something back to their card without their permission. And I don't think Disney wants this headache. So they make it your headache!!

 

[twodogs]

If GE is your goal for that day, it seems like you should be able to get both SW rides in between 2pm and 6/7pm. You can purchase Rise for the time that works for you then standby or get G+ for MF. Seems doable. Might even get an Oga’s ressie to fit in there too!

Something to add into the calculus is the transportation time between the parks (and then back again, if you go back to EPCOT that night). You can walk, and it might be around 25 mintues if you are quick, each way. If you take the boats, bus, skyliner, it could be quicker or could be over an hour. You just don't know. So to be in DHS right at 2pm to hop, you would have to cut EPCOT shorter in the morning to make the transfer. Also consider that you would be going through security 3 times in one day, and then ticket booths 3 times in one day, which can get slow right at parkhopping time some days. Lastly, you can have the LLs scheduled perfectly, but a ride goes down and doesn't come back up for hours. Then all timing is thrown off.

I personally would just plan to miss dinner with the group in EPCOT and hop to DHS for less stress. Then if you have great transportation luck and LL luck and no-ride-breakdown luck, you could go back to EPCOT for dinner as a bonus!

 

[Brian4891]

When you cancel a Genie+ booking, even one made earlier in the day, you get to make another one, so as long as you book your new one first, you can then cancel and rebook your previous one. That's the key distinction. Or at least, that's the way it worked a couple weeks ago and I haven't heard that it's changed. The rules for cancellation didn't change when they changed the rules for usage.

If this is true then that is a nice loophole that could definitely be used to someone's advantage. I did not know this was the case and would have liked to try it out myself last week when I was there. I'm sorry if I gave the original person incorrect info.

 

[twodogs]

But that is my issue, I have to head out by 230, so if ROTR is after say 2, we probably can’t make it happen. I’m going to have her pick her priorities and go for that one first. It’s her trip I would rather ride, she may prefer SDD

Do you have an adult at home who can try to get SDD while you get ROTR? They just need to be signed into your MDE and know what they are doing. They don't have to be anywhere near WDW to do it! We helped get ROTR BGs for our friends over the summer, and we did it from Dallas!

If you have fast fingers and no glitches, and you both try right at the stroke of 7am, you should easily get both well before 2:30pm.

 

[twodogs]

When you cancel a Genie+ booking, even one made earlier in the day, you get to make another one, so as long as you book your new one first, you can then cancel and rebook your previous one. That's the key distinction. Or at least, that's the way it worked a couple weeks ago and I haven't heard that it's changed. The rules for cancellation didn't change when they changed the rules for usage.

I don't think this is the case. Since the "rule" is that whatever happens, your next action is restricted by the most recent LL you booked. Period. Canceling may open up an immediate rebooking opportunity if the one you are cancelling was the most recent one you booked. But if you are cancelling something you booked earlier in the day, and then you have booked but not used another LL since then, the "lock out" rule will be tied to the most recently booked (but not yet used) LL, not the early morning booking that you are cancelling. If the one you have booked most recently has been used, then you could rebook right then either way, with or without cancelling the earlier morning booking, since the restriction is only based on the most recently booked LL (and you would have used that LL, reopening the opportunity to book something else). I will let others chime in as well to make sure this is correct.

 

[twodogs]

If this is true then that is a nice loophole that could definitely be used to someone's advantage. I did not know this was the case and would have liked to try it out myself last week when I was there. I'm sorry if I gave the original person incorrect info.

See my post above. I think you are correct.

 

[NJlauren]

Do you have an adult at home who can try to get SDD while you get ROTR? They just need to be signed into your MDE and know what they are doing. They don't have to be anywhere near WDW to do it! We helped get ROTR BGs for our friends over the summer, and we did it from Dallas!

If you have fast fingers and no glitches, and you both try right at the stroke of 7am, you should easily get both well before 2:30pm.

this isn’t a horrible idea, now to train someone before Friday

 

[Renaissancerocks]

I have mixed feeling about my experience. And, you would think on busy days it would make the most sense but not necessarily. On busy days they do not limit how many LL they sell so we were extremely limited on the ride numbers and the rides that were available were limited. They only limit ll$. So, I think I’m trying to say strategy would depend on how busy parks are. If there are really busy, you will not get as many rides in but you will still get more rides than without. And, we had many rides saying all LL gone by our second or third ride pick so before lunch we did not have all rides available to choose from. And, we did much more walking from one end of the park to the other and back again…a ton more walking than if you can have some sort of a plan before hand. This is a pick what’s available and walk to the other side of the park. So strategy changes depending on how tired you are too. And, for the love of all things magical, I want to sleep in on vacation and LL does not allow for that. So, strategically speaking, to get the most out of it, there is no sleeping in.

 

[Chris Anglin]

In order to book a LLIA$ for Remy, you need to have a park pass reservation booked for the park you are starting at AND have parkhoppers for everyone (so MK park reservation and park hoppers)

OR

Epcot park pass reservation

Genie+ rides everyone can book at 7 am. Remy LLIA$ can be purchased by on-site guests at 7 am (offsite is at park opening).

Everyone needs to have the park pass reservation, same ticket (hoppers) and be linked on MDE friends/family list. I would have one account; multiple people can log in to the same account (one on wifi, one without, difference devices etc).

Let me ask for a little more clarification...
I'll have ressies for AK or MK in the morning and Epcot in the pm. At 7 am can I purchase ILL for Remy for a pm reservation after 2 when I can hop to Epcot?

 

[Pookie9922]

I don't think this is the case. Since the "rule" is that whatever happens, your next action is restricted by the most recent LL you booked. Period. Canceling may open up an immediate rebooking opportunity if the one you are cancelling was the most recent one you booked. But if you are cancelling something you booked earlier in the day, and then you have booked but not used another LL since then, the "lock out" rule will be tied to the most recently booked (but not yet used) LL, not the early morning booking that you are cancelling. If the one you have booked most recently has been used, then you could rebook right then either way, with or without cancelling the earlier morning booking, since the restriction is only based on the most recently booked LL (and you would have used that LL, reopening the opportunity to book something else). I will let others chime in as well to make sure this is correct.

So what you're saying is that in the case that you're cancelling an LL you booked earlier in the day but isn't the most recently booked, you would basically cancel without getting a replacement. Which would put you in the same spot as if you hadn't booked it the first LL at all. That would be a bummer!

We need someone with an AP and a willingness to spend $15 to test this out for us! I don't have an AP otherwise, I totally would try it. I know it was addressed before they changed the booking rules, but I've been following this thread carefully and haven't seen this scenario addressed. The question is does cancelling reset your eligibility and your clock no matter what or does it only reset your eligibility if it's the most recently booked.

It's too bad they don't let you set your beginning time. Park Hoppers definitely have an advantage with the afternoon LL stacking. I'd rather go SB for rides in the morning, while the lines were shorter and stack up LLs for the afternoon. And get to ride things twice - once SB and once with LL, like we could with FP+.

 

[Orsino]

dmunsil has already said he did the cancel thing a few weeks ago.

Or at least, that's the way it worked a couple weeks ago and I haven't heard that it's changed. The rules for cancellation didn't change when they changed the rules for usage.

 

[jbish]

I’m trying to practice on MDE some… when I go to my MDE to the tip board, it’s always defaulting to HS and only giving me the option to edit selections (to put some things at top) only for HS. I can change to other parks.. they just don’t show the ability to edit selections for the preferences.

anyone else face that and if so, any workarounds? Tried deleting and reinstalling app and that didn’t work.

concerned this will create issues when I get there if it’s still happening (at a minimum, not being able to use that function for any parks other than HS).

Thanks

I have the same issue - the default park that shows up for me is Epcot. I thought it was because that is the first park reservation I have (in April). I can "Edit Selections" on the Tip Board and move up a priority item in Epcot. But when I change parks to HS or MK, I don't have the "Edit Selection" option. Also I noticed it refreshed the Tip Board the next day - so whatever I had selected wasn't at the top the next day. At least I know what people mean by putting it at the top of the Tip Board, but I didn't see a way to really practice beyond that point.

 

[Tom_E_D]

So what you're saying is that in the case that you're cancelling an LL you booked earlier in the day but isn't the most recently booked, you would basically cancel without getting a replacement. Which would put you in the same spot as if you hadn't booked it the first LL at all. That would be a bummer!

We need someone with an AP and a willingness to spend $15 to test this out for us! I don't have an AP otherwise, I totally would try it. I know it was addressed before they changed the booking rules, but I've been following this thread carefully and haven't seen this scenario addressed. The question is does cancelling reset your eligibility and your clock no matter what or does it only reset your eligibility if it's the most recently booked.

It's too bad they don't let you set your beginning time. Park Hoppers definitely have an advantage with the afternoon LL stacking. I'd rather go SB for rides in the morning, while the lines were shorter and stack up LLs for the afternoon. And get to ride things twice - once SB and once with LL, like we could with FP+.

It wouldn't have to be someone with an AP and a willingness to throw $15 at Disney. It could be someone at the park who is willing to take a chance that they won't be able to book another G+LL to replace the one being cancelled. That might not be much of a sacrifice for someone who has already ridden the headliners that day, is planning to leave the park anyway, or is staying until closing and able to take advantage of short lines then.

 

[wisblue]

Let me ask for a little more clarification...
I'll have ressies for AK or MK in the morning and Epcot in the pm. At 7 am can I purchase ILL for Remy for a pm reservation after 2 when I can hop to Epcot?

You cannot have park reservations for 2 different parks the same day. If you have a reservation for a park other than Epcot, and a park hopper option with your ticket, and are staying onsite, at 7 AM you can book an ILL$ reservation for Remy for any available return time later than 2 PM.