The Genie Usage, Tips and Strategy ONLY Thread

[aeasterling]

This is cool and could be helpful but sometimes you use numbers for your group of 3 and and then the group of 4 and I can't tell if the 367 you spent on G+ also included the 2-days for your son. Could you clarify a little bit? And then - you added the G+ and ILL costs and times? Because otherwise the math doesn't seem to add up (and I keep trying to break it down to a single unit (since I won't be in a group of 3 or 4 for 7 days) and it's just not quite making sense (so I recognize there's something I'm missing).

I'm not looking at my spreadsheet, but I'll try to give you the details. The $367 was for 3 x 7 days plus 2 days for my son.

The first two days of Genie Plus rides (I think there were 10 total) were for 4 of us and the rest of the days were 3 of us. For the ILL$, 3 were for 4 of us and the others for 3.

 

[bsmcneil]

I'm not looking at my spreadsheet, but I'll try to give you the details. The $367 was for 3 x 7 days plus 2 days for my son.

The first two days of Genie Plus rides (I think there were 10 total) were for 4 of us and the rest of the days were 3 of us. For the ILL$, 3 were for 4 of us and the others for 3.

Got it - thanks! This helps. I'm curious about (not asking you to do anything - this is me thinking aloud) how the ILL impact is different. So, I took the G+ numbers for each of us, number of days - and that (for me) was 25/hr, which was super good to know. I don't really know how to equate time saved/money on the ILL since they're such weird creatures. Spending anything for Space Mountain would feel unproductive, even if there's an hour wait (because I wouldn't do an hour - I probably wouldn't do anything more than 10) and I definitely won't pay. But for ROTR - iI just know it'll be worth it for the first time I take the kids, just because. But the more general G+ was really my question and your input was super helpful - thank you for sharing!

 

[aeasterling]

Got it - thanks! This helps. I'm curious about (not asking you to do anything - this is me thinking aloud) how the ILL impact is different. So, I took the G+ numbers for each of us, number of days - and that (for me) was 25/hr, which was super good to know. I don't really know how to equate time saved/money on the ILL since they're such weird creatures. Spending anything for Space Mountain would feel unproductive, even if there's an hour wait (because I wouldn't do an hour - I probably wouldn't do anything more than 10) and I definitely won't pay. But for ROTR - iI just know it'll be worth it for the first time I take the kids, just because. But the more general G+ was really my question and your input was super helpful - thank you for sharing!

I think ILL are so much personal preference. For us, ROTR and FOP were totally worth it. We even rope dropped FOP and then bought ILL to ride it again later because we love it that much. We like Space Mountain, but we rode it at rope drop and also during Boo Bash so I wasn't planning to pay for it. It was an impulse buy on our last day. I wouldn't pay for SDMT (have ridden it before, think it's just ok) or Frozen. I also wouldn't pay for Everest because you can do single rider - but did once at my son's request so we could ride together. MMRR we rode during Early Entry. Remy we paid for since we hadn't ridden it, but I wouldn't pay for it again.

 

[mggeary]

Have now heard a few anecdotal reports on successful method to start a LL “double stack” one hour after park open:

MK example (9am park open):
1) At 7am book first LL (A1) for 9-10am
2) At 10:01 BEFORE tap into A1, book 2nd LL (A2). As A1 “expires” system appears to reset 120 cool down rule.
3). Ride A1 between 10:01-10:15 during grace period, again resetting 120 min cool down.
4). Immediately book B1 after tap into A1

Presto….a double stack by 10:05 instead of waiting till 11am.

Can rinse and repeat this technique using the expire/grace period combo with each LL.

Can anyone else confirm this works?

 

[ComeToSocialize]

Have now heard a few anecdotal reports on successful method to start a LL “double stack” one hour after park open:

MK example (9am park open):
1) At 7am book first LL (A1) for 9-10am
2) At 10:01 BEFORE tap into A1, book 2nd LL (A2). As A1 “expires” system appears to reset 120 cool down rule.
3). Ride A1 between 10:01-10:15 during grace period, again resetting 120 min cool down.
4). Immediately book B1 after tap into A1

Presto….a double stack by 10:05 instead of waiting till 11am.

Can rinse and repeat this technique using the expire/grace period combo with each LL.

Can anyone else confirm this works?

DisneyTouristBlog is speculating / half confirming that this is indeed another strategy. You don't have to wait for the 120 min to pass to create a double stack, you just have to let your window expire, then book during the grace period, then tap during the grace period.

This makes the stacking extremely powerful as you can theoretically create a new stack every hour. It also means you no longer have to strategically pick a window at least 60 min past park opening, you should instead pick one immediately at park open, ideally for your favorite ride.

 

[PepperjackDragon]

You can only do that tho if Epcot is your reserved park for the day correct? Otherwise you have to purchase the $ll? We are hopping to epcot

I had success by starting out having EPcot as my reserved and then at 7am waiting a couple of minutes-I believe I did it at 702 but that would vary by day. Then book it, then change parks if you were able to catch a late boarding (mine was around 6pm). I might have just gotten lucky though, as it doesnt really make sense for the 7am to go out so late, but it worked.

 

[PepperjackDragon]

Question about booking LL with G+: At 7AM does the Tip Board automatically populate with LL return times or do you have to refresh the page? And if refresh is required which I suspect, what is the fastest way to do this to get the return times up to be able to book? Any experiences with this? Thanks

If you just click the time provided it will automatically show the most current time when it gets to page 2, so if you are in a race to get as early as possible just click it. Otherwise, you could scroll down and hold to refresh, or click the ride and then click back-this is useful if the ride you want is a litle down on the app, as it will automatically force that ride back to the top when you click the back arrow (on ios anyway), or just click the time and then back up if you dont like it, but I haven't tried that one to see how it works.

 

[Sydnerella]

Sure. We had a day where we wanted to do all 4 parks - something we've always wanted to do. We roped dropped AK and did everything standby or single rider - rode FOP, Everest 4 times and Safari. We were back at the hotel (Swan) by 11am to take a nap.

At 7am, I got online and got a paid ROTR (2:25pm) and SDD (2:50pm). I got SDD first and that was the time it gave me - it will automatically go to past 2pm if it isn't your park reservation.

At 11am (2 hrs past park open), back at the hotel, I got a TOT LL at 2pm.

At 1pm (back at hotel, after my nap), I got TSMM at 2:55pm.

So then we had 3 stacked for HS + an ILL, all to use between 2 and 4pm. We walked over from Swan, got about 2:15. We did TOT first, then ROTR and then hung out in GE for a bit until 2:45... then walked over to Toy Story land and rode SDD and TSMM. As soon as we rode TOT, I got a LL for Test Track (4:55pm) and then grabbed Soarin (4:55pm) after we rode SDD. I could have gotten a 3rd one after TSMM, but there wasn't anything else we wanted to ride at EPCOT.

We were walking out of HS around 4:15 - so 4 rides done in 2 hours. Took the boat to EPCOT, got there at 5 and rode Soarin and Test Track. So at this point I had two stacked - I replaced those with rides at MK (Buzz and BTMR, I think) and kept 2 going until we left MK at close.

Thanks so much for the details! Does this method work at a single park, say you rope drop early morning Magic and hit standbys for low wait rides and us $ILL… first is there any advantage to this and second can you stack FPs like this within the same park you started? Looking for a scenario that does this if it makes sense.

 

[TheMick424]

I haven't seen this covered yet (although maybe I missed it) - If you set up your planned park and top picks in the free Genie portion, does the Tip Board display/list those attractions first? I am hoping to reduce scrolling on our DHS day.

 

[aeasterling]

Thanks so much for the details! Does this method work at a single park, say you rope drop early morning Magic and hit standbys for low wait rides and us $ILL… first is there any advantage to this and second can you stack FPs like this within the same park you started? Looking for a scenario that does this if it makes sense.

Based on my experience, this would be my opinion on using Genie Plus/ILL$ for each park if you aren't hoping. Note this is based on crowd levels I experienced last week... so YMMV, depending on when you go. Also, I'm planning a trip for adults/teens, no little kids.

EPCOT - I wouldn't use Genie +. Maybe get an ILL$ for Frozen if it is a priority, or you could rope drop it. Get a BG for Remy - seems to have been pretty easy to get for most folks. You can ride Test Track in the morning or single rider if the ride is long. When we were there, Soarin rarely got over 20 minutes and everything else (Spaceship Earth, the Seas, Mission Space) were less than 10.

Magic Kingdom - You could use Early Morning Entry to ride SDMT and Space Mountain. I'd start watching the Genie Plus return times at 7 and grab one as soon as it went past 10am - PPF or Jungle Cruise would probably be a good choice for that. Then at 10, you could grab a 2nd one before you rode the first - now you have two stacked. Our experience with MK was that most of the LL were available immediately or within the next hour... I guess this could change if the park was more crowded. You could also ride things standby in the morning while it was less crowded and then use LL for re-rides, if you like to ride things multiple times.

Hollywood Studios - Grab SDD or MFSR at 7am... again, you want a time after 10am. SDD seemed to jump right to 11-12 within the first 5 minutes. Depending on your priorities, you can ride the other one of those at Early Entry or you could do ROTR. We had one morning where we were there about 8 and were able to ride SDD and TSMM both as walk ons and then MMRR with a 20 minute wait. At 10am, before using your first LL, you could probably grab TOT or RRC for the next hour. Now you have 2 stacked... but HS has less rides than MK, so you'd quickly go through all of the rides.

Animal Kingdom - I don't know if you really need Genie Plus here. There really aren't enough rides to stack. You could get there at 7am ahead of the 7:30 opening and get everything done. One morning we did AK, we rode FOP, Navi, walked the Gorilla Falls trail all by 8:45am. We then had a LL for Safari, but the standby wasn't very long (maybe 15-20 minutes). We then rode Kali as walk-on and Everest a couple times in the single rider line. I had a LL for Dinosaur at 11:15 - standby was only 25 minutes. We had ridden everything by noon. I think you could do this park in the morning with no Genie Plus and fairly short waits. If you like to re-ride things, you might be able to use LL for that... but I don't know if you could stack because the times (at least for us) weren't far enough out to get the 2 hour window.

 

[leeniewdw]

Have now heard a few anecdotal reports on successful method to start a LL “double stack” one hour after park open:

MK example (9am park open):
1) At 7am book first LL (A1) for 9-10am
2) At 10:01 BEFORE tap into A1, book 2nd LL (A2). As A1 “expires” system appears to reset 120 cool down rule.
3). Ride A1 between 10:01-10:15 during grace period, again resetting 120 min cool down.
4). Immediately book B1 after tap into A1

Presto….a double stack by 10:05 instead of waiting till 11am.

Can rinse and repeat this technique using the expire/grace period combo with each LL.

Can anyone else confirm this works?

I hesitate to comment because I accidentally posted the wrong thing about 3 days after I was certain I understood things However, If the park opens at 9am, you can't book another LL until 11am as far as I understood. You make your first LL reservation at 7am and the next one becomes available 2 hours after park opening. If MK opens at 9am, that slot is 11am.

 

[Turksmom]

I hesitate to comment because I accidentally posted the wrong thing about 3 days after I was certain I understood things However, If the park opens at 9am, you can't book another LL until 11am as far as I understood. You make your first LL reservation at 7am and the next one becomes available 2 hours after park opening. If MK opens at 9am, that slot is 11am.

The two hour rule applies only if the first LL booked is more than 2 hours away from the current time. 2 hours from park open, if booked at 7am. If the first ride is within 2 hours, the rule wouldn't apply, and a new LL could be booked as soon as you tapped into the second point- or theoretically, after the ride window expired

 

[ckelly14]

I hesitate to comment because I accidentally posted the wrong thing about 3 days after I was certain I understood things However, If the park opens at 9am, you can't book another LL until 11am as far as I understood. You make your first LL reservation at 7am and the next one becomes available 2 hours after park opening. If MK opens at 9am, that slot is 11am.

I believe they were pointing out a "loophole" where you book your second LL during the 15 grace period after your first reservation expires.

 

[leeniewdw]

The two hour rule applies only if the first LL booked is more than 2 hours away from the current time. 2 hours from park open, if booked at 7am. If the first ride is within 2 hours, the rule wouldn't apply, and a new LL could be booked as soon as you tapped into the second point- or theoretically, after the ride window expired

I'm not sure I'm following here. The post says they were trying to get a 2nd LL specifically BEFORE they tapped into the ride.

However:

I believe they were pointing out a "loophole" where you book your second LL during the 15 grace period after your first reservation expires.

I think I AM following this. So you wait to ride LL1 anywhere between :01 and :15 after the end of your return window and during those minutes grab LL2. The suggestion is that if you then tap into LL1, you'd get another LL slot to reserve? Wow. I'm not sure I'm advanced enough to integrate that into my touring plan!

 

[DisneyKidds]

I hesitate to comment because I accidentally posted the wrong thing about 3 days after I was certain I understood things However, If the park opens at 9am, you can't book another LL until 11am as far as I understood. You make your first LL reservation at 7am and the next one becomes available 2 hours after park opening. If MK opens at 9am, that slot is 11am.

The 120 minute cooling off only applies if your first LL is more than two hours away when the park opens. Otherwise, you can start working the original LL once you tap in.

The nuance here is that (something I speculated whether you could do earlier in the thread) you can (or may be able to) use the grace period as a means of stacking, in that as soon as the first LL “expires” at 10:00 you can make a new LL, however (because of the grace period) that first one didn’t really expire. So wait until the grace period to stack A2 then start working A1.

Unlike stacking with the 120 cool down or hopping (which I see as using the system as designed), which I don’t think needs to or will be fixed…..this one seems like something (gaming the system) they could consider “fixing”.

 

[ckelly14]

I'm not sure I'm following here. The post says they were trying to get a 2nd LL specifically BEFORE they tapped into the ride.

However:


I think I AM following this. So you wait to ride LL1 anywhere between :01 and :15 after the end of your return window and during those minutes grab LL2. The suggestion is that if you then tap into LL1, you'd get another LL slot to reserve? Wow. I'm not sure I'm advanced enough to integrate that into my touring plan!

You got it. The only thing it really does is to get you a second LL about an hour earlier than you would with the previous guidance.

 

[leeniewdw]

You got it. The only thing it really does is to get you a second LL about an hour earlier than you would with the previous guidance.

Ok, that was my takeaway after reading this. An hour head start is nice, but you also have to be pretty precise with your timing. The previous stacking strategy gives you a little more leeway.

Today was the first day I looked at LLs at 7am. SDD was available for 915am when I looked at 7am, and then was well into the afternoon within 1 minute.

Curious on people's thoughts. If I was doing DHS at 8:30 EE and NOT using a ILL$ for that park and wanted to ride SDD, MFSR, RotR, which one would I pick for a LL and which ones would you RD/SB and in what order (no single rider line usage for MFSR). This is for Sat 12/4, which is supposed to be a lower day crowd-wise.

 

[disneyfam1986]

How long is the return window when you purchase the individual lightening lane access for a ride?

 

[DisneyKidds]

You got it. The only thing it really does is to get you a second LL about an hour earlier than you would with the previous guidance.

What this info seems to do is confirm that the grace period is an official part of the ride window (i.e. Mickey turns green until ten fifteen), rather than the grace period being a courtesy. That makes sense, because it allows a period of time people can be late and the cast members don’t have to deal with it. Next thing we need is for someone to test the limits of the grace period. Has anyone tried and been denied (no green Mickey) at 16 minutes? 19? 21?

 

[Cotta]

The 120 minute cooling off only applies if your first LL is more than two hours away when the park opens. Otherwise, you can start working the original LL once you tap in.

The nuance here is that (something I speculated whether you could do earlier in the thread) you can (or may be able to) use the grace period as a means of stacking, in that as soon as the first LL “expires” at 10:00 you can make a new LL, however (because of the grace period) that first one didn’t really expire. So wait until the grace period to stack A2 then start working A1.

Unlike stacking with the 120 cool down or hopping (which I see as using the system as designed), which I don’t think needs to or will be fixed…..this one seems like something (gaming the system) they could consider “fixing”.

Agreed. Hold on while I go finish my Computer Science degree... If A1 then A2... Really need to brush up on my Boolean expressions.