Everything Genie, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane - Please Read Posts 1-7

[g-dad66]

Yesterday morning at 7am, we selected 1pm for Remy. By the time the purchase was completed we had 6pm.

 

[Sweettears]

Yesterday morning at 7am, we selected 1pm for Remy. By the time the purchase was completed we had 6pm.

I would have considered myself lucky. Every time a $ILL popped up it said nothing available after I thought I grabbed it

 

[DisneySyd]

I wouldn’t wait until 7:17 to try to book. I would try to get something first thing at 7:00 but then keep refreshing if you can’t get something acceptable to you.

The times that come up at 7:17 do seem to be predictable, but they aren’t guaranteed, especially for earlier times. Especially when the parks are very crowded (like this week) the 7:17 times don’t seem to last as long.

I’ve been here since the 5th. I have actually found 7:17 to be way more stable (you actually get close to the time you originally pick) than 7 am. I have had success at 7am, but I was booking afternoon times, and they still shifted quite a bit (didn’t matter for my plans). The 7:17 times didn’t move as much through the booking process.
All that said, I would agree that trying at 7am makes the most sense. If the timing doesn’t work (or Disney IT does it’s thing) take a deep breath and start refreshing. After you’re successful (likely at 7:17) you won’t even need a coffee…the adrenaline will carry you for the next few hours
Good luck

 

[DisneySyd]

On a separate note, I observed something that may be pure coincidence but it happened a few times this trip. After it happened again today I thought it was worth sharing (especially as I received so much wonderful advice here). I was at animal kingdom today and was trying for Kali for 3/4ish around 1:30. It had been showing times between 5:30-7:30 for the 1/2hr I was checking. I finally decided to just click the 7:10 time and a 3:30 popped up and I was able to book it. I will note that I had FOP from 3-4 and LionKing for the 3pm show. This had happened in other parks where when I clicked on a ride I wanted it gave me options overlapping/fitting in with my booked rides. Again, this may be pure coincidence but it happened more than once. For me it’s been worth clicking “book experience” even if the time doesn’t work (when I remember my own tip…lol). Worst that happens is you get offered the posted time and go back to refreshing.

 

[DisneySyd]

I am doing that now in anticipation of a trip next week, but what you can’t tell when you check from home is what times you will be offered when you click on the available time on the Tip Board.

For example, if the Tip Board says there is a time at 9:45 that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can choose any time between 9:45 and closing. You might click on 9:45 and only be offered times for later hours. Or you could request a time in the 10 AM hour and click on that and have the next screen offer a time a few hours later.

The hope is that times wouldn’t change as much at 7:17 as at 7:00 when traffic is at a peak.

I think those later drops might be more useful for people who are just looking for any time than ones who have a narrower window.

On our DHS day next Wednesday I will be shooting for the earliest time possible at 7:00, hoping to get something around 10 or 11. If we can’t get something before about 1 I might then try to get something in the late afternoon or early evening.

I‘ll report back after I have live experience. The other two times I got LL for ROTR I wanted times in the late afternoon and early evening and was able to get them. It might be different trying for something earlier.

From my experience, try for your preferred time at 7. If you can’t get it, don’t take an unacceptable time. You can start refreshing around 7:16 and likely by 7:17 you’ll find a good time that won’t change as you book it. Personally, I was too stressed and refreshed constantly after 7am…despite me checking everyday for the week before our trip that my advice worked. It always turned out that 7:17 was the sweet spot. Do as I say, not as I do…lol.
Plus, you can always book the late afternoon/evening slots at the later drop.

 

[wisblue]

On a separate note, I observed something that may be pure coincidence but it happened a few times this trip. After it happened again today I thought it was worth sharing (especially as I received so much wonderful advice here). I was at animal kingdom today and was trying for Kali for 3/4ish around 1:30. It had been showing times between 5:30-7:30 for the 1/2hr I was checking. I finally decided to just click the 7:10 time and a 3:30 popped up and I was able to book it. I will note that I had FOP from 3-4 and LionKing for the 3pm show. This had happened in other parks where when I clicked on a ride I wanted it gave me options overlapping/fitting in with my booked rides. Again, this may be pure coincidence but it happened more than once. For me it’s been worth clicking “book experience” even if the time doesn’t work (when I remember my own tip…lol). Worst that happens is you get offered the posted time and go back to refreshing.

Interesting. If anything you would think the system would do just the opposite to avoid overlaps.

My guess is that it’s just a coincidence or good luck, but still a good tip. If that earlier time pops up you have a head start toward claiming it.

 

[wisblue]

I had something goofy happen when practicing this morning.

Right at 7 I was going to check availability for Jungle Cruise because that’s what I’ll be doing next Tuesday. When I refreshed at 7 on the dot, there were no LL buttons for any of the MK attractions. Not the usual “book at 7” you see before 7 or the “not currently offered” you see when everything is gone.

So, I switched to another park and that was normal, and when I came back to JC it was normal but the return time was after noon.

Ive had the spinning followed by “something went wrong”, and a frozen screen before but this was a first.

 

[wisblue]

Yesterday morning at 7am, we selected 1pm for Remy. By the time the purchase was completed we had 6pm.

Was that the time before you clicked to purchase or did it go out even further after?

 

[g-dad66]

Was that the time before you clicked to purchase or did it go out even further after? When you click on book experience, you see times 8am, 9am, 10am etc. I chose 1pm. You are then given more specific choices such as 1:10, 1:20 etc. I don’t recall which one I picked as they were all fine. Then you get the screen to confirm which guests this is for (all tickets and park reservation are pre-selected. You then get the payment page, and after you click purchase, you see what time you got. Absolutely no way to know we’re going to get 6pm before we clicked Purchase. CORRECTION: My last statement is incorrect. There is a screen showing time AFTER the Select guests screen and and BEFORE the Payment page. I know this because I paid close attention to my FoP purchase which I just completed. The time showing on this confirmation page is the same as what I ended up with.

 

[g-dad66]

My FoP experience this morning:
At 7am, I picked 9am, then 9:05am, then on next page confirmed guests. Then next page showed time of 12:40 to 1:40. Too late for us, so I backed out.
There is now no availability. I continually refreshed for the next 16 minutes with no availability and then at 7:17 there is magically availability, and I got exactly what I wanted.

 

[Westerner]

.

 

[boxer]

Another question--do you need a Park Reservation to book an ILL? Meaning, if I see availability for say Ratatouille but have a reservation for say MK--can I still book that? Obviously, I would switch the Park Reservation after booking the ILL

 

[GBRforWDW]

Another question--do you need a Park Reservation to book an ILL? Meaning, if I see availability for say Ratatouille but have a reservation for say MK--can I still book that? Obviously, I would switch the Park Reservation after booking the ILL

Are you saying you have a single park per day ticket and would try to switch your reservation if an ILL$ you like was available?

I don't know that this has been reported by anyone with a single park per day ticket. If you have park hoppers, you can definitely do this. I know the system checks for your park reservation and if you're not selecting your reserved park it sets the time to after 2pm. I would assume that it would also verify you have hoppers before allowing you to select outside of your park reservation, so most likely, if you have the single park per day ticket, it will not work.

 

[boxer]

Our group has AP's and Park Hoppers. So, basically if I saw an early time for RAT--I would need to have an Epcot park reservation (if say I had DHS that day)?

 

[Disturbia]

This is great info! We are going to be in the MK on Easter Sunday, early park entry...4 adults, two boys 7 and 4
Is it possible to make different G+ reservations for different people? Ex. the Dad and 7YO want to go to Big Thunder and Splash first. The rest of us want to take the 4YO to Pooh and Dumbo. Can we split the G+ based on where the group wants to go? Or do we just go there first to ride them, and schedule a G+ for all of us for Pan or PIrates let's say...

You can use rider swap on rides with height restrictions. Then one kid gets to ride again with the waiting parent.

 

[CarolynFH]

Our group has AP's and Park Hoppers. So, basically if I saw an early time for RAT--I would need to have an Epcot park reservation (if say I had DHS that day)?

No, as long as you have hopping privileges you can book your ILL$ for any park. It just has to be after 2 PM if in a park you don’t have reservation for. ETA - if you have DHS reservation, you’d need to change to Epcot to book a Remy ILL$ earlier than 2.

 

[Disturbia]

Our group has AP's and Park Hoppers. So, basically if I saw an early time for RAT--I would need to have an Epcot park reservation (if say I had DHS that day)?

You can certainly do this, provided Epcot park reservations are still available. I would definitely not do this for HS or MK unless there are park passes available (only book after 2 pm).

 

[asafko]

We have been to Disney many times as a family but my daughter is going on her senior trip next week and rooming with 3 girls who haven't been there yet. We haven't gone since Genie+ was added and were very used to the old way. I follow lots of Dis accounts and see the wait times have been really bad. Originally I didn't plan on adding Genie+ since it might be hard for them to coordinate their ride times together but given the high wait times I am considering it. How hard has it been for others to coordinate getting time slots together?

 

[torchlight]

If you want them to all be able to book Genie+ reservations for the same time slot, they all need to be linked to a single MDE account and make four-person reservations. (rather than four individuals making their own reservations)

 

[Chris@Blenheim]

Max Pass did not operate exactly like Genie+ does. We used Max Pass @ DL a few times pre-pandemic. How it operated was like this:

• Had to have your ticket scanned into the park in order to use it. EVEN if you had an AP. EVEN if you stayed at an on site hotel.
• You could buy it ahead of time and add to every day of your multi-day ticket or just pay on a daily basis one day at a time.
• If you didn't have PH ticket, then you couldn't use it to get a FP to the other park.
• NO extra $$ to pay in addition to the Max Pass fee. For example, there was no "Pay $X in addition to Max Pass in order to get a FP for ROTR or Space Mtn."
• No limit to # of FPs you could get each day using Max Pass. If you wanted to ride the Matterhorn again and again w/Max Pass, you could as long as FP return times were still available (i.e., that ride hadn't 'sold out' yet for the day for FPs).

Max Pass was absolutely a superior system to Genie+ in my opinion.

Yes agreed. They really need to revamp Genie+. 15 bucks is'nt bad but all the time/distraction taken away from your vacation is terrible. Trying to find the upside to it???