We've been to Disney so many times, Fast Pass was amazing, worked great... the last time we were there was in 2021 the days right before Genie plus came into existence. We are going again this summer and I am actually dreading Genie, the planning, and the expense of it all.
1. Pay less per person- cheapest days tend to be tuesdays and Thursdays, most expensive is weekends 2. Keep group together by centralizing on one account 3. 120 minute rule- book reservations hours in advance so you can make more without having used the ones you already booked 4. modify selections- modify without cancelling to get better times or attractions 5.skip virtual queues- unpredictable and hard to get 6. continue using perks after trips- disney photo pass lenses 7. know about new features before they go live i got bored and didn’t finish but here’s the first half
It's not fun anymore. You have to plan everything in your day, constantly be on your phone with the crashing poorly designed app, and have them pick your pocket at every turn. I wouldn't be surprised if they had you plan your bathroom trips.
We maximizes Genie+ by booking the popular rides with G+ and then doing the rides with low wait times while waiting for our G+ ride time. We also loved it for Park Hopping because when it was bedtime for our daughter (7pm) me or my husband could go back to our park of choice and ride the rides that we couldn’t enjoy as a family.
@@richardmercer2337 that is a valid opinion, and I would say Genie + is not ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to be on their phone a bit off and on through the day. I would add that once you’ve locked in the time your looking for though, you do not have to be in your phone again until it’s time to book your next G+. I’m always in the app checking wait times or looking things up all day anyway so it’s just another part of the day.
The process of this is really a deterrent for me. I used to be able to plan everything before I got there now, I’ll have no clue what’s gonna happen when I get there and it sounds so stressful.
I was a bit like you when we went in august. I like to plan everything, I usually have a great plan to avoid crowd. I still went with a plan, but, the days I bought genie +, we used that plan between lightning lanes and at rope drop. Combine your knowledge and the tech, we will be able to ride everything and still get an afternoon rest (where you will stack lightning lanes. 😂)
It’s honestly not that bad. I was at DCA just a few weeks ago and I did 6+ rides by 4:30 pm and I got there at 10 am… All the big ones too, and I didn’t need to use Genie+, honestly those have lines too so it’s not a huge difference
One more tip: for those with hidden or physical disabilities who are eligible for a DAS pass if you go through the process in advance of your trip you can pre book up to 2 or 3 lightening lan/fast passes for rides before your trip and then after they have been used up each day book another through your DAS pass (& so on).If the person with a DAS pass adds their rest of their party they can all get on with said person & you won’t have to pay for genie+ at all or you can pay to get even more rides.
Who do I book through to get this pass?? How many people in the party can be on a DAS pass? We are planning on staying at Shades of Green. Would I book with them?
@@alissawebber7235 you have to book your DAS pass through Disney. For Disney world you can do it one of 2 ways: you can either do it in advance of your holiday and have a call with someone from Disney where you will be able to pre books some rides (2 or 3 per day of your stay depending on the park) OR you can go to guest relations on the first day of your vacation and ask for a DAS pass- although then you will just get 1 pass at a time for a ride which you can get a return time to ride. For Disney land Paris you need medical proof of your disability (a doctors letter or proof of medical benefits) which you take to guest relations at a Disney park or reception of the place you are staying. I’m not sure about the other Disney parks. How many people can be on the pass is the holder plus 2 or 3 other members of their party (again it depends on the park you are going into or specific rides). The DAS pass is valid for 60 days from when you register for it. I’d definitely give Disney a call. You can find the contact number on their website by going to the site then scrolling down the bottom and looking under the help section for guests with disabilities. Hope this helps.
I have been so stressed and lost with all this genie + talk. The 120 minutes was VERY helpful! However, still have a little more to understand. Thank you!
Genie + and individual Lightning Lane are optional. No one is requiring you to use them and you are free to stand in long lines if you want to, but I'm 63 and they are not too much work or too complicated for me. They make the day better. Learn new things once in awhile.
This isn’t preschool. It’s not about “learning new things.” Disney doesn’t have to let a billion people into the parks so that wait times are well over an hour, arguably forcing us to buy Genie + and lightning lanes. And you say that makes your day better? That sounds sad.
@X HPY if that's your reasoning, you sound sad and you simply don't understand how the real world works. No, it's not preschool but it's not difficult to use. Obviously, you are too intimidated to try. Again, you are not being "forced" (your word) to use it.
Just got back from DW and no one seems to know this trick…an expired LL can still be redeemed (up to 3hrs later in my experience). That can be a way to stack LLs for the afternoon when park hopping. For example, we were at Hollywood Studios at 12:45pm about to hop to Epcot, got "Soarin' Around the World" return time of 2:50pm. We had Akershus dining reservations in Epcot at 3pm, so we knew we were likely not going to get to "Soarin'" by its 3:50pm expire time. That's ok! Able to make next LL reservation 2hrs later at 2:45pm for "Mission SPACE", so stacked and rode "Soarin'" and "Mission SPACE" immediately after exiting Akershus!
Having used genie plus every day at our last trip I do think we’ll use it again but not every day. If you’re an anxious type I do recommend switching the person making selections for the party on some of the days to give yourself a break. I’m definitely Disney knowledge gal for my crew but it can get stressful. Ultimately fast pass was better but it’s gone. I’m glad you’re helping us make the best of the new system. I’m weirdly looking forward to trying again with what we’ve learned
The best way to beat Genie is to not pay for it and show Disney that people don't like being nickle and dimed for an already outrageously expensive experience. Easier said then done though with the insane standby lines.
Hey DFB. One thing they should do with the park hopper is making the time earlier than 2pm because we can’t get the virtual queue for GOTG: Cosmic Rewind and soon to be Tron: Lightcycle/Run. It’ll be harder to get that line because we aren’t in the park at 1pm when we can hop to the park at 2pm. That’s a hassle.
20:39 if only Disney would allow people to book rides in advance of their trip…(like FastPass)🤪. Here’s hoping that they bring that functionality back, at least for Disney hotel guests.
FP+ was the best! When I left home I knew exactly when my fastpasses would be for every day of my trip. Now AT BEST I won't find out until 7AM each day, if I fiddle with my phone at precisely that time and/or get lucky. I would gladly pay for FP+ if they brought it back. With Genie+ I'm not even sure if I will go...
@@richardmercer2337 even if they only opened like half the total time slots when I was booking dinning it would be a huge improvement. Since it is paid, I am happy with the idea of not having to buy the service for every day of my trip, and I am okay with paying extra for the 1 or 2 big ticket rides at each park. I don’t really see how this system is better or different from FP+, other than now they want me to pay for something that used to be a free benefit.
what???? that was wack... booking a fast pass 60 days out?? with kids LOL sure.. cmon kids... (as one is having a tantrum) this way for pirates LOL ... we need them same day for sure
April 2023- genie+ was a great investment for magic kingdom. We were able to get onto four rides which cut our waiting time by 3+ hours. For example, Peter Pan’s flight was always over 100 minute wait. We got in and out in 10 minutes. 😊 also, it cost us $35/ ticket. And Tron’s lightning lane was $20/ rider.
We went a few weeks ago and did NOT buy Genie. We got to ride most everything with the exception of Frozen and Slinky Dog Dash. Frozen wait stayed long all day so I would rope drop that or wait until almost closing. HS seemed the most crowded of all our days. I would rope drop Slinky and NOT Rise. Everyone will rush to that one first but we saw the wait times go down throughout the day. However, Slinky stayed high most of the day.
@Penelop Pitstop I totally agree with you on your rope dope advice. Frozen and Slinky definitely. The que at Slinky is cute, but rough on a hot day. But that ride isn’t as innocent as it looks, people. I wouldn’t call it a “kiddie” ride.
@@parkerwalker5128 I like it a lot and was disappointed we didn’t ride it, but it’s not worth waiting longer than 30 minutes for (45 minutes tops). Same for Frozen.
But why would anyone subject themselves to such a horrible time (costing thousands) just to outsmart Genie? I mean, why in the world would anyone take the family for a "vacation" to Disney World when they could cruise the Caribbean for far less or visit national parks or even places in our own nation that don't have 2 hour waits for a 2 minute ride?
I'm so glad that they didn't have any of this add on cost when I was taking my family of 8 to Disney. I know no one is forcing anyone to add it to the cost, but if the alternative is long waits in line {like there was NEVER a line at Pirates before all this} I don't see how it's not. Not one person responding to this is saying "I didn't use LL and I got on everything"
Actually, I was in the position that I had to ask for a refund once for Rise of the resistance LL b/c the ride broke down and we had to leave for a flight. Of course, we noticed the ride came back 20 minutes later as we were exiting the park... so we were kicking our pants for doing that as we could have squeezed it in.
I just used Disney Genie plus for my trip last week and honestly really loved it. I see so much hate for the service and was confident I would not like it but it really made our Disney day great! We were able to go on 6 rides with the lightning lane. Yes, it sucks that it is an additional cost but it was worth it to me because without we would not have had such a great day. We went to magic kingdom on Tuesday, 2/7.
Agreed! We went mon Feb 6 to MK, supposedly low capacity, was not! Used genie+ & had a great day! Would not go to parks without. We got better at it as the week went on.
It’s about time that taking a simple vacation at the happiest place on earth becomes so difficult that people will just stop going. The old magic is decaying
Im a fan of going with the flow and experiencing other attractions that disney has to offer. When you are local and have an annual pass those are the. Perks lol😂
OK, so I’m doing a little math here. If the park is only open for 12 hours, and you just mentioned at the 9:49 mark, that you were able to snag all 12 attractions in one day, how is that possible if you can only book one every two hours? Wouldn’t the maximum be six per day? Can you explain that a bit?
You can book another Lightning Lane as soon as you use the previous one, so you don't always need to wait the full two hours. That rule applies if you're making Lightning Lane reservations that land later in the day. Say you make a 6PM Slinky Dog Dash reservation when the park opens at 9AM, you'll need to wait until 11AM to make the next one. BUT, if you make a 10AM Slinky Dog Dash reservation when the park opens at 9AM, you can tap into the ride at 10AM and immediately make another Lightning Lane reservation.
Does the park hopper rule exist for ILLs too!? Not staying on property, starting at AK. Booked time / ride are below 7:00am navi 8:00am avatar 9:00am guardians 10:00am remys Is this possible!?
I’m starting to regret booking a Orlando trip, thinking I would get to go to Disney. I will need a vacation from my vacation. All this sounds like LOTS of work and not so enjoyable!!!
We were able to be refunded what we paid for ILL twice, once in AK my husband decided not to ride it because he was afraid of getting motion sick (I rode first to see) and the second was ROR in HS when our son didn't make the height requirement. We were promptly refunded both times. Once immediately, the other we had to fill out a form and then we were refunded. Edited to add: you do have to speak with a CM at a blue umbrella to initiate the refund, but both times we had zero issues.
@Redrospective he was upset, but we had a LL for Millennium Falcon, so we were able to quickly move on to another ride. I'm the one kicking myself for not riding, though! We're planning our next trip either later this year or early next year, but now I'm worried that he may not make 42 inches for GOG.
So, if you don't have a phone, don't go to Disney. If you don't like carrying your phone around, in your sweaty hand, all day, or you need to be hands free to grab kids, tough luck. man, I really HATE all this phone ap stuff. Not to mention I hate being tracked like a tagged animal.
Disney has gotten too greedy. After years of going there we stopped because the rides are just too expensive. They have publicly said they want to cater to new visitors as their pass holders (loyal customers) don’t spend enough.
I can’t ever get a boarding group for anything. I sit there with the app open and set alarm in a separate phone. I don’t know what it is! Is it in settings on my phone issue?
That's annoying and I'm sorry that's been your experience so far. What's worked for me was, when it turned 6:59am or 12:59pm, to keep refreshing the page where you join the boarding group queue. I literally pressed Refresh every 5 seconds. Doing that felt ridiculous, but it got me a boarding group for Guardians of the Galaxy on both of my EPCOT days. Also, if you're trying for the 1pm boarding group drop: 1) Try to do it from an area of the park that has strong WiFi. Ask a cast member which sections of the park have better WiFi connection and head to one of those (it's a bonus if you can avoid being in or near a big crowd). 2) If your phone is like mine where the My Disney Experience app tends to have lots of glitches while you're in the parks, you could try turning off your phone for about five minutes at 12:30pm. When you turn your phone back on, you'll have enough time to get back on WiFi, log back into the MDE app, and navigate to the page where you join the boarding group queue (so many steps 😣). I hope this helps and that you get all the boarding groups you want on your next visit!
My mom won’t let me use Disney genie plus or any add on for this Disneyland trip but i don’t need it and whoever is gonna go alone or with 1-3 people you don’t need it either
I know the absolute best way to outsmart Disney/Genie. Go to a REAL Deluxe resort Instead of Disney. I recently paid $750/Night to stay at the Inn at Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach resort. For that $750/Night this was my experience: 1- Employees were fighting each other to open the door to the lobby upon my arrival. 2- I was given complimentary Valet Parking. 3- They were not allowed to accept gratuities as the gratuities were included in the $750/night charge (Hotel staff politely informed me that unless I was specifically giving them a tip over and above that which was included, they could not accept it). 4- Housekeeping made the beds and emptied the trash every day. 5- I had a nightly turn down service while I was out to dinner. Upon returning to my room, the gas fireplace was turned on, the sheets were pulled down, and delicious chocolates were left on my pillow. 6- I returned to my room the first night to find housekeeping had neatly re-arranged all of my toiletries on a washcloth by the sink. 7- In the mini fridge in my room, there were complimentary bottles of water, cans of soda, and in the drawer by the fridge, there were complimentary snacks (Including my favorite Potato Chips: Miss Vickie's Sea Salt!). There were also the expected and usual bottles of alcohol one could consume for an extra charge. Clearly, the proprietors of that resort understand what it means to be a Deluxe Resort, something Disney has never understood. For far more money, the Disney victim (Uh, I meant "guest") doesn't receive anything like the experience described above. In short, Disney, and all of it's properties are garbage dumps in comparison. I stopped drinking the Disney Kool Aid. There is nothing special about Disney. They are typical capitalists trying to make as much profit as they can. You are just one of the many sheep to be shorn for profit to the Disney execs. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Caveat Emptor. I'm going to spend my discretionary income on a product that represents a value for my money compared to the Disney suite of rip-off offerings.
I am not interested in outsmarting anything just to ride a ride. There was a short time about a year and a half ago when there was no fast pass no lighting anything. The line for big thunder bumped up to the haunted mansion line in front of the country bears. Cast member said it looks long but since they are not funneling in fast pass the wait is about 20 to 30 minutes. So we got in line and we stepped on the train at the 17minute mark. The same thing then happened at pirates we were out side into that little square are to the left then out into the path heading towards jungle cruise And again less then 20 minutes to get on the ride. So maybe all this scheduling should be dropped.
I just spent my first day in the parks with Genie plus and I absolutely hate it. It’s ridiculous the amount of time you have to spend on your phone and the app is super confusing. What a serious downgrade from fast pass
i did load of modifying - especially when planning to park hop later, so i'd grab something i could get at say 2, to lock in a ride, and then modify to get later times (ie if planning to arrive at 5pm). then could book another ride 2 hours later as normal. worked well when trying to do all 4 parks in one day.
@@reidmulcahy5326 was final day of our trip -started at studios for 4-5 hours, went into Epcot at 2, then bus to animal kingdom at 4, made it to magic kingdom at 6. A whistle stop tour!
There’s the not well known “rider switch” that is a free lightning lane.. just need a kid haha. The front person needs at least 1 person to wait in line and up to 3 others can get scanned into the lightning lane later on. There’s no rule of the first person leaving the line like 5-10 in Lol.
AJ and her team . know it's wrong want Disney is doing to get guest to bye the genie + or buy a lighting lane so u can get on a ride. So if everyone stop buying the genie+ and the one price for a lighting lane . Disney will have to go back to the fast pass like it was in 2019
@michael angelo I agree with you 💯 per cent on that 👏 Disney needs to take a very good look at them self's. And all of u must stand together and tell Disney that enough is enough to stop increasing prices and go back to the old fast pass and get rid of the park reservations as well
I hate Disney genie! And then you have to pay more for the most popular rides. It’s ridiculous not only because of the money but because I don’t want to be staring at my phone the whole day! The amount of research and learning you have to do just to navigate the parks is ridiculous!
Actually, you don’t have to buy fast pass! You could either pick a slow time of year or stay at one of the hotels that throw unlimited passes in as part of the hotel cost. AND those hotels cost less than many of the moderate Disney hotels. Enjoy!
I found Genie+ to be useless. You log in right away in the morning and the first ride available is 5:30 PM. Unless you want to burn your time slots for rides that have a 5 minute wait. Bah!
This video shouldn’t exist… people shouldn’t have to pay to do work on what is supposed to be a vacation… this is the lowest Disney has done, and it needs to go.
Disney World is more of a costly expedition rather than a relaxing vacation. The voyage can be unforgiving and victorious. This journey is not for the weak or the cheap. No one's forcing you to go bro; you show up giving consent for the mouse to violate you
@@genageeraert8039 you're the smart person who's watching a video about tips for a disney world vacation while clearly having no intentions of going to disney world while making negative commentary about a disney world vacation...and i'm the troll 🤔
Finally will be able to fly to the USA this year when they remove the need to be “vaccinated” for covid. Should help bump up the crowd levels even further.
You basically have to if you want to get on a descent number of rides now. It's a more complicated FastPass they get guests to pay for. I just went under new Genie+ and I got on more rides with FastPass than paid Genie+. Their app is absolutely horrid.
AJ. Your videos are amazing and super helpful. But now that I've watched many of your videos I've realized that Disney has changed so much from the past that I would only be able to peacefully visit one park, ride a few key rides, visit one restaurant with reservations and that's it. I wanted to be able to do more but with kids and the time and tips and tricks I'd have to remember and plan for it's wayyy too much effort. 🩷
I do miss the days of just buying a ticket and having the regular fast pass option. Much easier.
Yup
We've been to Disney so many times, Fast Pass was amazing, worked great... the last time we were there was in 2021 the days right before Genie plus came into existence. We are going again this summer and I am actually dreading Genie, the planning, and the expense of it all.
1. Pay less per person- cheapest days tend to be tuesdays and Thursdays, most expensive is weekends
2. Keep group together by centralizing on one account
3. 120 minute rule- book reservations hours in advance so you can make more without having used the ones you already booked
4. modify selections- modify without cancelling to get better times or attractions
5.skip virtual queues- unpredictable and hard to get
6. continue using perks after trips- disney photo pass lenses
7. know about new features before they go live
i got bored and didn’t finish but here’s the first half
I purchased an individual lighting lane for ROTR and have no regrets. The Force was with me. 😍
It’s such a job to go Disney. I don’t want to work this hard to enjoy my time.
I agree.
I’m still totally going this Fall.
But I do agree with you.
It's not fun anymore. You have to plan everything in your day, constantly be on your phone with the crashing poorly designed app, and have them pick your pocket at every turn. I wouldn't be surprised if they had you plan your bathroom trips.
We maximizes Genie+ by booking the popular rides with G+ and then doing the rides with low wait times while waiting for our G+ ride time. We also loved it for Park Hopping because when it was bedtime for our daughter (7pm) me or my husband could go back to our park of choice and ride the rides that we couldn’t enjoy as a family.
Went to WDW last week. Modify plans is the key to Genie+ success. Keep updating while waiting in other lines.
this is big facts
Some people don't LIKE fiddling with their phones all stinking day long!!
@@richardmercer2337 that is a valid opinion, and I would say Genie + is not ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to be on their phone a bit off and on through the day. I would add that once you’ve locked in the time your looking for though, you do not have to be in your phone again until it’s time to book your next G+. I’m always in the app checking wait times or looking things up all day anyway so it’s just another part of the day.
The process of this is really a deterrent for me. I used to be able to plan everything before I got there now, I’ll have no clue what’s gonna happen when I get there and it sounds so stressful.
I was a bit like you when we went in august. I like to plan everything, I usually have a great plan to avoid crowd. I still went with a plan, but, the days I bought genie +, we used that plan between lightning lanes and at rope drop. Combine your knowledge and the tech, we will be able to ride everything and still get an afternoon rest (where you will stack lightning lanes. 😂)
It’s honestly not that bad. I was at DCA just a few weeks ago and I did 6+ rides by 4:30 pm and I got there at 10 am…
All the big ones too, and I didn’t need to use Genie+, honestly those have lines too so it’s not a huge difference
just go with the flow, get there early in the morning and prioritize the most popular rides first…
@@PeterBParker2398 and you get away not having to use this annoying $$$ system?
This sounds so complicated. It might be more fun to go almost anywhere else
One more tip: for those with hidden or physical disabilities who are eligible for a DAS pass if you go through the process in advance of your trip you can pre book up to 2 or 3 lightening lan/fast passes for rides before your trip and then after they have been used up each day book another through your DAS pass (& so on).If the person with a DAS pass adds their rest of their party they can all get on with said person & you won’t have to pay for genie+ at all or you can pay to get even more rides.
Who do I book through to get this pass?? How many people in the party can be on a DAS pass?
We are planning on staying at Shades of Green. Would I book with them?
@@alissawebber7235 you have to book your DAS pass through Disney. For Disney world you can do it one of 2 ways: you can either do it in advance of your holiday and have a call with someone from Disney where you will be able to pre books some rides (2 or 3 per day of your stay depending on the park) OR you can go to guest relations on the first day of your vacation and ask for a DAS pass- although then you will just get 1 pass at a time for a ride which you can get a return time to ride. For Disney land Paris you need medical proof of your disability (a doctors letter or proof of medical benefits) which you take to guest relations at a Disney park or reception of the place you are staying. I’m not sure about the other Disney parks. How many people can be on the pass is the holder plus 2 or 3 other members of their party (again it depends on the park you are going into or specific rides). The DAS pass is valid for 60 days from when you register for it. I’d definitely give Disney a call. You can find the contact number on their website by going to the site then scrolling down the bottom and looking under the help section for guests with disabilities. Hope this helps.
Aj and her team always do a very good job to keep everyone update .
I have been so stressed and lost with all this genie + talk. The 120 minutes was VERY helpful! However, still have a little more to understand. Thank you!
I still don't understand the 120 min countdown
Genie + and individual Lightning Lane are optional. No one is requiring you to use them and you are free to stand in long lines if you want to, but I'm 63 and they are not too much work or too complicated for me. They make the day better. Learn new things once in awhile.
This isn’t preschool. It’s not about “learning new things.” Disney doesn’t have to let a billion people into the parks so that wait times are well over an hour, arguably forcing us to buy Genie + and lightning lanes. And you say that makes your day better? That sounds sad.
@X HPY if that's your reasoning, you sound sad and you simply don't understand how the real world works. No, it's not preschool but it's not difficult to use. Obviously, you are too intimidated to try. Again, you are not being "forced" (your word) to use it.
...fast pass used to be free. The amount of cope oml
Disney is killing itself and honestly they deserve it
Grammy here doing the planning for everyone so my grandchildren can have a great time. It's a lot of work but worth it I think
Just got back from DW and no one seems to know this trick…an expired LL can still be redeemed (up to 3hrs later in my experience). That can be a way to stack LLs for the afternoon when park hopping.
For example, we were at Hollywood Studios at 12:45pm about to hop to Epcot, got "Soarin' Around the World" return time of 2:50pm. We had Akershus dining reservations in Epcot at 3pm, so we knew we were likely not going to get to "Soarin'" by its 3:50pm expire time. That's ok! Able to make next LL reservation 2hrs later at 2:45pm for "Mission SPACE", so stacked and rode "Soarin'" and "Mission SPACE" immediately after exiting Akershus!
Definitely. Same is true for virtual queues. It’s not advertised, but I’ve never had an issue using either after return window has expired. 🤷🏼♀️
Having used genie plus every day at our last trip I do think we’ll use it again but not every day. If you’re an anxious type I do recommend switching the person making selections for the party on some of the days to give yourself a break. I’m definitely Disney knowledge gal for my crew but it can get stressful.
Ultimately fast pass was better but it’s gone. I’m glad you’re helping us make the best of the new system.
I’m weirdly looking forward to trying again with what we’ve learned
Pretty sure that is by design.
The best way to beat Genie is to not pay for it and show Disney that people don't like being nickle and dimed for an already outrageously expensive experience. Easier said then done though with the insane standby lines.
With 14 days until we get to Disney, I sure needed this video. Always love watching
Are you going for run Disney?
Hey DFB. One thing they should do with the park hopper is making the time earlier than 2pm because we can’t get the virtual queue for GOTG: Cosmic Rewind and soon to be Tron: Lightcycle/Run. It’ll be harder to get that line because we aren’t in the park at 1pm when we can hop to the park at 2pm. That’s a hassle.
20:39 if only Disney would allow people to book rides in advance of their trip…(like FastPass)🤪. Here’s hoping that they bring that functionality back, at least for Disney hotel guests.
I agree, so much work to be on 'vacation"....Sad
FP+ was the best! When I left home I knew exactly when my fastpasses would be for every day of my trip. Now AT BEST I won't find out until 7AM each day, if I fiddle with my phone at precisely that time and/or get lucky. I would gladly pay for FP+ if they brought it back. With Genie+ I'm not even sure if I will go...
@@richardmercer2337 even if they only opened like half the total time slots when I was booking dinning it would be a huge improvement. Since it is paid, I am happy with the idea of not having to buy the service for every day of my trip, and I am okay with paying extra for the 1 or 2 big ticket rides at each park. I don’t really see how this system is better or different from FP+, other than now they want me to pay for something that used to be a free benefit.
what???? that was wack... booking a fast pass 60 days out?? with kids LOL sure.. cmon kids... (as one is having a tantrum) this way for pirates LOL ... we need them same day for sure
I’ve been watching your videos religiously for the last few months. Tomorrow I’ll find out if I learned something. Wish me luck.
Very informative👍🏻 if I could make a suggestion for future videos is to show what these features look like in app.
Thanks AJ, always so helpful!
Don't want to outsmart Genie, just want to avoid it altogether.
Do you have to purchase genie plus to be able to purchase a lightning lane? Or just be a hotel guest to be able to purchase a lightning lane?
Thank you for the video
Really helpful
April 2023- genie+ was a great investment for magic kingdom. We were able to get onto four rides which cut our waiting time by 3+ hours. For example, Peter Pan’s flight was always over 100 minute wait. We got in and out in 10 minutes. 😊 also, it cost us $35/ ticket. And Tron’s lightning lane was $20/ rider.
Multiple rides are closed in March... we're settling for Standby for almost everything.. going early and staying late with multiple days will be okay.
We went a few weeks ago and did NOT buy Genie. We got to ride most everything with the exception of Frozen and Slinky Dog Dash. Frozen wait stayed long all day so I would rope drop that or wait until almost closing. HS seemed the most crowded of all our days. I would rope drop Slinky and NOT Rise. Everyone will rush to that one first but we saw the wait times go down throughout the day. However, Slinky stayed high most of the day.
@Penelop Pitstop I totally agree with you on your rope dope advice. Frozen and Slinky definitely. The que at Slinky is cute, but rough on a hot day. But that ride isn’t as innocent as it looks, people. I wouldn’t call it a “kiddie” ride.
@@parkerwalker5128 I like it a lot and was disappointed we didn’t ride it, but it’s not worth waiting longer than 30 minutes for (45 minutes tops). Same for Frozen.
But why would anyone subject themselves to such a horrible time (costing thousands) just to outsmart Genie? I mean, why in the world would anyone take the family for a "vacation" to Disney World when they could cruise the Caribbean for far less or visit national parks or even places in our own nation that don't have 2 hour waits for a 2 minute ride?
I'm so glad that they didn't have any of this add on cost when I was taking my family of 8 to Disney. I know no one is forcing anyone to add it to the cost, but if the alternative is long waits in line {like there was NEVER a line at Pirates before all this} I don't see how it's not. Not one person responding to this is saying "I didn't use LL and I got on everything"
I'm sorry the fact that you have to ASK for the refund is simply criminal!!!
And wait in yet another line
Actually, I was in the position that I had to ask for a refund once for Rise of the resistance LL b/c the ride broke down and we had to leave for a flight. Of course, we noticed the ride came back 20 minutes later as we were exiting the park... so we were kicking our pants for doing that as we could have squeezed it in.
15 days until my trip and my first half marathon 😀
I will be there too!
I’m ready for some new tips, don’t know if I’ll ever get comfortable with Genie+.
Have a happy Wednesday anyway, y’all! 🥂🎩🖤
I just used Disney Genie plus for my trip last week and honestly really loved it. I see so much hate for the service and was confident I would not like it but it really made our Disney day great! We were able to go on 6 rides with the lightning lane. Yes, it sucks that it is an additional cost but it was worth it to me because without we would not have had such a great day. We went to magic kingdom on Tuesday, 2/7.
Agreed! We went mon Feb 6 to MK, supposedly low capacity, was not! Used genie+ & had a great day! Would not go to parks without. We got better at it as the week went on.
Going to tomorrow, can’t wait to not use Genie+ and walk around like I usually do ha
Have fun!
Family of 4. 2 adults. can I buy lighting lane just for two adults (kids will not be riding).
It’s about time that taking a simple vacation at the happiest place on earth becomes so difficult that people will just stop going. The old magic is decaying
Im a fan of going with the flow and experiencing other attractions that disney has to offer. When you are local and have an annual pass those are the. Perks lol😂
You’re cool 🥴
is there a way u can get genie + AND get the individual lightning lane for tron
QUESTION: So at 7 am I can get in the virtual que of COSMIC and then I can go back in and make my first selection at lets say REMY?
Are you allowed to book an individual LL attraction along with a Genie+ attraction?
Or is it just one at a time unless you're doing the 2 hour rule?
What ride vehicle is shown at 3:04 mark?
Disney needs to get rid of this system and do like Universal Studios.. sooo much simpler. And gives your guest incentives to stay on property!
One way to outsmart Genie Plus is to go to a non-Disney park.
One time i got both avatar rides with back to back fast passes
How to make a relaxing day in the park complicated.
Thanks Disney.
Fast pass was dope
Oh Disney Genie! It helps people who aren't prepared, who haven't done their research.
Which restaurant was that in the video where people were sitting in the cars?
Hollywood Studios - SciFi-DineIn ? Cars seat 6-8, smaller parties pick up "hitchhikers".
Thanks for the tips!
OK, so I’m doing a little math here. If the park is only open for 12 hours, and you just mentioned at the 9:49 mark, that you were able to snag all 12 attractions in one day, how is that possible if you can only book one every two hours? Wouldn’t the maximum be six per day? Can you explain that a bit?
You can book another Lightning Lane as soon as you use the previous one, so you don't always need to wait the full two hours. That rule applies if you're making Lightning Lane reservations that land later in the day. Say you make a 6PM Slinky Dog Dash reservation when the park opens at 9AM, you'll need to wait until 11AM to make the next one. BUT, if you make a 10AM Slinky Dog Dash reservation when the park opens at 9AM, you can tap into the ride at 10AM and immediately make another Lightning Lane reservation.
Does the park hopper rule exist for ILLs too!?
Not staying on property, starting at AK.
Booked time / ride are below
7:00am navi
8:00am avatar
9:00am guardians
10:00am remys
Is this possible!?
I’m starting to regret booking a Orlando trip, thinking I would get to go to Disney. I will need a vacation from my vacation. All this sounds like LOTS of work and not so enjoyable!!!
Can you book a genie+ ride and an individual lightning lane ride at the same time or does the 120 minute rule still apply? Thanks!
Yes, they're considered separate things
Thank you!
We were able to be refunded what we paid for ILL twice, once in AK my husband decided not to ride it because he was afraid of getting motion sick (I rode first to see) and the second was ROR in HS when our son didn't make the height requirement. We were promptly refunded both times. Once immediately, the other we had to fill out a form and then we were refunded.
Edited to add: you do have to speak with a CM at a blue umbrella to initiate the refund, but both times we had zero issues.
Thanks for sharing this useful information. I hope your son wasn't too disappointed.
@Redrospective he was upset, but we had a LL for Millennium Falcon, so we were able to quickly move on to another ride. I'm the one kicking myself for not riding, though! We're planning our next trip either later this year or early next year, but now I'm worried that he may not make 42 inches for GOG.
seems like annual pass owners should get something in the way of genie + or lighting lanes
So much to know now
A vacation should not be this confusing. Sadly, the magic is gone.
I’m still confused 😩
So, if you don't have a phone, don't go to Disney. If you don't like carrying your phone around, in your sweaty hand, all day, or you need to be hands free to grab kids, tough luck. man, I really HATE all this phone ap stuff. Not to mention I hate being tracked like a tagged animal.
Disney has gotten too greedy. After years of going there we stopped because the rides are just too expensive. They have publicly said they want to cater to new visitors as their pass holders (loyal customers) don’t spend enough.
It's a helpful video
I can’t ever get a boarding group for anything. I sit there with the app open and set alarm in a separate phone. I don’t know what it is! Is it in settings on my phone issue?
That's annoying and I'm sorry that's been your experience so far. What's worked for me was, when it turned 6:59am or 12:59pm, to keep refreshing the page where you join the boarding group queue. I literally pressed Refresh every 5 seconds. Doing that felt ridiculous, but it got me a boarding group for Guardians of the Galaxy on both of my EPCOT days. Also, if you're trying for the 1pm boarding group drop:
1) Try to do it from an area of the park that has strong WiFi. Ask a cast member which sections of the park have better WiFi connection and head to one of those (it's a bonus if you can avoid being in or near a big crowd).
2) If your phone is like mine where the My Disney Experience app tends to have lots of glitches while you're in the parks, you could try turning off your phone for about five minutes at 12:30pm. When you turn your phone back on, you'll have enough time to get back on WiFi, log back into the MDE app, and navigate to the page where you join the boarding group queue (so many steps 😣).
I hope this helps and that you get all the boarding groups you want on your next visit!
A good topic for a video, going to Disney with a toddler (2 ys old), from taking the plane to attractions inside the park.
Lots of videos on this topic. But not from DFB.
@@kisim7088 that is why, DFB is the best.
My mom won’t let me use Disney genie plus or any add on for this Disneyland trip but i don’t need it and whoever is gonna go alone or with 1-3 people you don’t need it either
I know the absolute best way to outsmart Disney/Genie. Go to a REAL Deluxe resort Instead of Disney. I recently paid $750/Night to stay at the Inn at Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach resort. For that $750/Night this was my experience:
1- Employees were fighting each other to open the door to the lobby upon my arrival.
2- I was given complimentary Valet Parking.
3- They were not allowed to accept gratuities as the gratuities were included in the $750/night charge (Hotel staff politely informed me that unless I was specifically giving them a tip over and above that which was included, they could not accept it).
4- Housekeeping made the beds and emptied the trash every day.
5- I had a nightly turn down service while I was out to dinner. Upon returning to my room, the gas fireplace was turned on, the sheets were pulled down, and delicious chocolates were left on my pillow.
6- I returned to my room the first night to find housekeeping had neatly re-arranged all of my toiletries on a washcloth by the sink.
7- In the mini fridge in my room, there were complimentary bottles of water, cans of soda, and in the drawer by the fridge, there were complimentary snacks (Including my favorite Potato Chips: Miss Vickie's Sea Salt!). There were also the expected and usual bottles of alcohol one could consume for an extra charge.
Clearly, the proprietors of that resort understand what it means to be a Deluxe Resort, something Disney has never understood. For far more money, the Disney victim (Uh, I meant "guest") doesn't receive anything like the experience described above. In short, Disney, and all of it's properties are garbage dumps in comparison. I stopped drinking the Disney Kool Aid. There is nothing special about Disney. They are typical capitalists trying to make as much profit as they can. You are just one of the many sheep to be shorn for profit to the Disney execs. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Caveat Emptor. I'm going to spend my discretionary income on a product that represents a value for my money compared to the Disney suite of rip-off offerings.
Thank you
Disneyland genie plus on a Tuesday was $30
I dont think Tron will be having an Indivisual lightning lane, i think it is a virtual queue, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Disney has announced it will have both
I still don’t understand what the difference is between the two?
We’re going to Disneyland in 3 months. Near the end of May
Same! :) going for our honeymoon
@@jordanhaleigh4598 when? We’re going on I think the 23rd which is my brother’s birthday
I am not interested in outsmarting anything just to ride a ride. There was a short time about a year and a half ago when there was no fast pass no lighting anything. The line for big thunder bumped up to the haunted mansion line in front of the country bears. Cast member said it looks long but since they are not funneling in fast pass the wait is about 20 to 30 minutes. So we got in line and we stepped on the train at the 17minute mark. The same thing then happened at pirates we were out side into that little square are to the left then out into the path heading towards jungle cruise And again less then 20 minutes to get on the ride. So maybe all this scheduling should be dropped.
I just spent my first day in the parks with Genie plus and I absolutely hate it. It’s ridiculous the amount of time you have to spend on your phone and the app is super confusing. What a serious downgrade from fast pass
13:45 That part. Say it again for the people in the back.👂Save some beauty sleep for people off property. Thank you!
So instead of enjoying your vacation your on your phone. I’ll skip that thanks.
You are on your phone a little bit to free up time and actually be with your family doing stuff lol haters gonna hate for sure
Min 5:51 where is that ?
Hollywood Studios - Galaxy's Edge (Batuu)(Star Wars Land) - Millenium Falcon Smugglers' Run. Teams of six fly the Millenium Falcon on a mission.
Omg, I saw today's genie plus is $35 each person 😢
i did load of modifying - especially when planning to park hop later, so i'd grab something i could get at say 2, to lock in a ride, and then modify to get later times (ie if planning to arrive at 5pm). then could book another ride 2 hours later as normal. worked well when trying to do all 4 parks in one day.
How on earth can you do all 4 parks in one day?!?
@@reidmulcahy5326 was final day of our trip -started at studios for 4-5 hours, went into Epcot at 2, then bus to animal kingdom at 4, made it to magic kingdom at 6. A whistle stop tour!
Best way to outsmart it is by not going to Disney.
Disney Ripping off the fans.... way too complicated.
Bring back fast passes. And photo pass. Quit screwing passholders
23:00.
best way to beat Genie plus is it should just go and brine back the old way for lighting lane that is the best way forward
Walt! Come back. They are ruining the magic.
24:47 Yall heard that! These are life hacks. Omgoodness. I would have never thought of this! Too much on the brain.
There’s the not well known “rider switch” that is a free lightning lane.. just need a kid haha. The front person needs at least 1 person to wait in line and up to 3 others can get scanned into the lightning lane later on. There’s no rule of the first person leaving the line like 5-10 in Lol.
AJ and her team . know it's wrong want Disney is doing to get guest to bye the genie + or buy a lighting lane so u can get on a ride. So if everyone stop buying the genie+ and the one price for a lighting lane . Disney will have to go back to the fast pass like it was in 2019
Better yet, the Express Pass at Universal requires no planning, clock watching, and no phone needed.
@michael angelo I agree with you 💯 per cent on that 👏 Disney needs to take a very good look at them self's. And all of u must stand together and tell Disney that enough is enough to stop increasing prices and go back to the old fast pass and get rid of the park reservations as well
I hate Disney genie! And then you have to pay more for the most popular rides. It’s ridiculous not only because of the money but because I don’t want to be staring at my phone the whole day! The amount of research and learning you have to do just to navigate the parks is ridiculous!
Step 1: go to Universal instead. 😂
Nahhh
And pay another $100+ per person for a fast pass? I love universal but their fast pass system is almost as bad
Actually, you don’t have to buy fast pass! You could either pick a slow time of year or stay at one of the hotels that throw unlimited passes in as part of the hotel cost. AND those hotels cost less than many of the moderate Disney hotels. Enjoy!
Buuut universals expensive too
The thing people are missing is that Universal does not have a 120 min rule. You will ride every ride you want.
I found Genie+ to be useless. You log in right away in the morning and the first ride available is 5:30 PM. Unless you want to burn your time slots for rides that have a 5 minute wait. Bah!
So what is genie plus even for if it cant get me lightning lanes without paying even more?
It does give you lightning lanes for most rides
This video shouldn’t exist… people shouldn’t have to pay to do work on what is supposed to be a vacation… this is the lowest Disney has done, and it needs to go.
Disney World is more of a costly expedition rather than a relaxing vacation. The voyage can be unforgiving and victorious. This journey is not for the weak or the cheap.
No one's forcing you to go bro; you show up giving consent for the mouse to violate you
@@MatthewOnAMissionFromGod go be a troll elsewhere. I totally agree with Mr Lopez.
@@genageeraert8039 you're the smart person who's watching a video about tips for a disney world vacation while clearly having no intentions of going to disney world while making negative commentary about a disney world vacation...and i'm the troll 🤔
Agree 100%! I hate Genie+!!!
You’re literally the same people who were begging for Max Pass like 4 years ago. Now you got it for cheaper than it used to be and won’t stop whining…
first
A pox upon The Chapek house (plus anyone else who okayed the new genie p!us and lighting lane) and all who dwell with in.
First in 48 seconds
third 😂
Step 1 don’t buy it because it’s dumb
There is no step 2
Finally will be able to fly to the USA this year when they remove the need to be “vaccinated” for covid. Should help bump up the crowd levels even further.
@Chr1stopherThrobbin no it won’t lol
@@taylorlowery9025Yes it will.
Lol- what!? 😅
Don’t buy it rocket science
You basically have to if you want to get on a descent number of rides now. It's a more complicated FastPass they get guests to pay for. I just went under new Genie+ and I got on more rides with FastPass than paid Genie+. Their app is absolutely horrid.
I hate Disney world
AJ. Your videos are amazing and super helpful. But now that I've watched many of your videos I've realized that Disney has changed so much from the past that I would only be able to peacefully visit one park, ride a few key rides, visit one restaurant with reservations and that's it. I wanted to be able to do more but with kids and the time and tips and tricks I'd have to remember and plan for it's wayyy too much effort. 🩷