We Have Some Bad News For You About Genie+
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The most CONTROVERSIAL Disney tool is continuing to stir up the DRAMA. So today, we’re talking about the FATE of Lightning Lanes, and how YOU’LL still be able to ride ALL the rides you want to, whether you have them or not.
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I miss just going to the fast pass booths for free. You didn’t have to micromanage your trip months in advance. We only planned our park days in advance for our park hoppers. I preferred making decisions in the moment, not having to plan our entire day out in advance. Now everyone is just glued to their phones. We liked going to WDW to escape the real world.
But under the old system you likely split your party up to run and go get this FP sets. So instead of being on your phone for a bit, you’re actually physically separated from your party. Genie+ makes it way better. You only need a few seconds on the phone WHILE IN LINE.
@@bryan_witha_whyy Well, you also have to pay for Genie+. I think it’s absurd that I have to pay over $150 a person to get in the park and now have to pay for something that should be free.
People abused the old system to much and it became a stressfull thing to others. They would show up to each ride only for them to be all taken.
The more recent system was slightly better but ended up being only people that pland 30 days ahead got the good ones(wich lucky for me thats the type of trip planer i am most of the time)
This new one evens the playing field much more but makes it about money. But at least its cheaper then universals insanity.
@@bryan_witha_whyythanks for your insight Brian
Universal studios fast pass system may be expensive but it's so easy to use!! You just get in line whenever you want, that's it!
And if you stay at an upscale resort at Universal those fast passes are complimentary!!
Yeah, but sometimes those lines get as long as stand-by.
@@charlab.7838and the highest level annual pass includes Express (usable from 4pm to close)
And don't forget the best thing about Universal's Express Pass... They're for every ride and they don't sell out!! 😏😎
@@caseeglover3569 so you’d rather pay more to be forced to use the standby lane anyway? Disneys response to your complaint is to raise the price of genie+ then still deny guests the chance to ride rides to justify the higher price. Universals system is way better it ensures you did not pay more for nothing like Disney where as at Disney in this scenario you would just be forced to use the standby line anyway.
Never used it. Never will. The cost has gone from $15 to up to $35 in less than a year. That's well over a 100% increase in less than a year. Based on that trajectory, Genie+ will be $70+ within the next year. Meanwhile, we were there during the Princess Half Marathon Weekend (so busy, but not horrible). Got on every ride we wanted without any problems. And we didn't have to have our noses stuck in our phones all day to do it.
This is how you do it
We were there in February and we got the Genie+ for Hollywood Studios (which was a bad idea) and Magic Kingdom. In Magic Kingdom we got to ride 18 rides that day and we weren't in our phone all day. We got the first genie+ at 7am, scanned in to the lightning lane and while waiting to board the ride just scheduled our next one real quick. Rinse and repeat. It's easy if you do it right and don't need to be on your phone all day.
I’ve always been crazy over Disney world. But now I’m looking at all the other vacation ideas that cost much less and are less stressful. My kids are actually excited about seeing our national parks instead of Disney
NO NO NO NO NO
Agree!! We are doing the same. Going to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge this fall and next year looking at Atlantic Beach. Cost way cheaper and fun as well ✌☺
our DVC dues have gotten so expensive and we are (unfortunately) at an age when our income is a lot lower. we've been members for 26 years but we may not be able to afford it - kind of unbelievable that we feel like we're being priced out
@@wdwnutjm My Aunt and Uncle are 8n the same boat. They are selling theirs. Hopefully they can get something for it. 😥
@@thebriantrevorshow7124 it has been 26 years since we have paid for a hotel so we are also quite out of touch with how much they cost. perhaps taking our annual 9 night vacation is still cheaper than what we would actually pay.
The problem with Genie + is that for those who learn the system it's great. But for those who are more technology challenged it makes it almost impossible to have a good time. Also, I hate that it makes being glued to your phone an essential part of your experience. It adds to the stress of it all.
Its incredibly easy and you dont have to be on your phone all the time
@@Canrugger Not everyone is technology savvy, plenty of people would struggle with it.
Or if you can’t afford it.
Not everyone struggles with tech either. People liking it may inconvenience some, but taking it away would inconvenience just as many if not more. Compromise. Not everything can be how you want it.
But also, the kiosks for fast passes were WAY more inconvenient than using your phone.
@@zappyshadow6895 Taking it away would be the best thing possible and reverting back to the choose 3 rides for free. Knowing you get something at least.
I liked it when you booked your vacation that you can choose a few rides at each park to get fast passes at each park. I was sad when they took that away.
This! Even if there was a small charge so we could have this option, I don’t mind! Genie + is just overly complicated and for a product that isn’t as good as the one that use to be free!
Aside from the additional tiered cost, the other Problem with Genie+ is that it requires you to be on a smartphone almost the entire time.
And that’s bulls****.
One of my best WDW experiences was in 2019 when I left the phone in the car’s glove box and just wandered around Epcot for the day.
EXACTLY! Disney invented Genie + for 2 reasons: $ and so everyone will be so busy staring at their phones not paying attention to how Disney has lost a lot of their magic.
Crazy. I'm literally sitting in the Hollywood Studios frozen theater at Hollywood studios. I just looked at my settings today, and it says I've used the WDW app for 10 minutes today. That's a big difference from being on my phone all day. Let's keep it real.
@@mistermoravec2124 Agreed. I hop on Genie + to plan the next ride while standing in line for the current ride. There is always a bit of a wait and what else are you going to do while standing in line. Rest of the day I am not on my phone.
@@mistermoravec2124you are 100% correct! We book a LL then move on. You scan into an attraction and book your next LL while in the queue. It literally takes seconds to do. Let's face it - what do people do while in a queue - they are on their phones!!
One minute every two hours is not ‘almost the entire time’
Yeah the thing I hate the most about Disney genie + is feeling like I have to be glued to my phone to get a good day and in the end I didn’t feel the Disney magic like I used to.
biggest thing i hate about genie+ is how they don't let you book more than 2 at once. like i get the need for a limit, but let me truly plan out my day without having to wait 2 hours to book again or riding on the ride before i can book.
If i wanna book space mountain at 10 am, peter pan and small world for noon, jungle cruise at 6pm, and haunted mansion at 9pm. let met do it all at once.
Especially if you have dinner reservations to work around.
U don’t have to technically wait 2 hours if u do it correctly. Here’s an example. I book haunted mansion for 8am I scan my magic band in line for the ride. While I’m in line I find a new ride that’s close to around the current time it is in that moment. Let’s say Peter Pan is at 8:10 so I select that ride while I’m still riding HM. And ya just keep doing that all day. I’ve been able to ride almost every ride since doing it this way.
@@suzybates2473doesn't that only work if you don't have specific rides you want to ride?
@@katrinahtgoh yes and no lol my specific rides I always manage to get on. Except 7 dwarfs but I ride that during the fireworks cuz it’s always a walk on and of course the views with the fireworks is amazing
Similar to the old free Fast Pass system, where you could book 3 attractions weeks in advance, so you can keep your nose out of your phone and enjoy time with your family. Those were the days.
The fact that Genie+ exists is all the bad news we need.
Nothing wrong with a paid front of the line perk, but make it one price, and have one use per ride and unlimited ride options. Universal has been doing it for years, it is $$$, and no one complains. Disney should give them to guests at the three most expensive hotels like Universal does.
Still glad Disney Tokyo is run by a separate company and still uses a fastpast similar to the original
@@BSDLLCWell said. The premium resorts at Disney should get a "Universal Express" included. Also, Disney needs some kind of crowd control. I know Genie+ is not super popular but it's better than an all out free for all. Disney parks are filled with a lot of passholders (me included). I have no problem with a family doing a once in a lifetime trip paying to skip lines. Plus passholders eat up dining reservations etc. Genie is pretty easy to use for reservations.
Disney is greedy
If 50% buy it how can the lines be shorter? Fast Pass is better
Bad news and Genie+ go hand in hand.
Theyre bragging about the profits, but somehow dont acknowledge how its playing a part in getting people to never return.
Yup, Genie+ has turned me off from going back to Disney. Our last trip after they implemented Genie+ was a lot more stressful than it had been under the old fastpass system
@@bgaviatorIf Disney allowed a future purchase/planning ability to Genie+ it would help with this in-park stress.
Also they're failing to admit their attendance is at an all time low right now and I'm sure the price increases for EVERYTHING including Genie+ are playing a big part.
@KristySki Attendance isn't just a Disney thing. Cedar Point is back to $99 gold passes for the remainder of this year and all of next. I saw another park selling tickets on living social.
Agree, I will never go back.
Bring back FastPass.
The Original, make people physically go to the rides to get them xD
You want to go back to running to rides? No thanks.
But if you planned them right and time in between you shouldn’t have to running to rides 🤷♂️
I never had to run to a ride using the original fast pass
@@howdyhoo7721 many people ran to popular rides in the mornings. I remember it well. We stack Genie+ without much problem and it’s been working really well for us.
I miss fast passes but not that part.
You are absolutely unrivaled in your professionalism and thoroughness. There are good and even great RUclips channels that cover Disney, but you are the Meryl Streep of the lot. I love Meryl Streep! Thank you, AJ, for all of your hard work. Cheers :-)
I've been a huge Disney fan since I was 9 years old. That said, we used to go to Disney 2-3 times a year. For me, there's a huge decline in quality and value and I refuse to pay for things that used to be free and special. Since 2020, we now have averaged only one Disney trip per year and one of those was Disneyland Paris. Two of those trips included days at Universal. We are going to Disneyland in California (our favorite Disney park) for Halloween 2023 and that trip also includes a day at Universal. We have no Disney plans at all for 2024 (going on a cruise - not a Disney Cruise) and in 2025 we are planning a Universal Florida trip when Epic Universe opens that doesn't include any days at Disney. It pains me to say it, but the bubble has popped for us.
This is the best way to “talk” to Disney. Speak with your wallet. They watch market share very closely.
I have a very similar experience. Ive loved Disney and Universal Since I was a kid. I'm 32 now and split time evenly with Universal and Disney when I take my kids. I would take small trips to Disneyland and Universal Hollywood a few times a year, and 1 longer vacation to WDW and Universal Orlando.
After noticing the trajectory of Disney going down, and Universal going up, we are planning an all Universal vacation for 2025.
I've also invested a decent amount in Comcast, which has done well so far.
Our family is in a similar spot to you. When my daughter was born, we started going 2-3 times per year. We would always stay at the Disneyland hotel. Then pricing started skyrocketing for hotels while services seemed to decline. Cast members in the park clearly aren't happy. Just the magic in general has diminished. In 2022 we went once to Disneyworld and did a day at Universal. This year we went once to DL but cut a day off the normal length of the trip. Next year we don't currently have a plan to go and might do a Hawaii trip instead. I'm fortunate to be able to afford the trips but back in 2015 we stayed in the Fairy Tale suite at DLH for a one time splurge and it was $800/night. Now you can't even stay in a standard room for under $500/night. It's ridiculous.
Na Disney is still great…thats just your entitlement showing
@@Canrugger no it not do u not see that Disney is going down hill taking perks away and up charging everything it’s not entitlement at all this is the new reality ppl live everyday!!!!
My family and I were at Disney World 3 weeks ago and did not use Genie + nor even the free Genie tool. We had a great time and were able to do all the rides we wanted and some of them 2 or 3 times in the 4 park days we had. Yes, we went to all 4 parks. It's all about strategy and knowing when to get to the parks, and when to take a break and head back to your resort for some rest.
Genuinely curious as to your strategy and what worked best in your opinion?? We are going next year for 21 days and have a mixed party with young kids and teenagers, all who say a big no no to rope drop early mornings or 12 hour days in the parks. It's looking like paid LL for Disney and Express Passes for Universal is our best option to get the most done.
@@niallo8610 Well, rope drop is a big part of the plan. We have two kids aged 12 and 8. The first day we were there we went to Hollywood Studios and took advantage of the extra 30 minutes resort guests get before the park officially opened at 8:30. We were able to ride Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, and have breakfast at Woody's Lunch Box all before 9:00. My wife and daughter stayed to explore more of Toy Story land and the Muppets area while my son and I went to ride Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. We met up for lunch around 11. It was the same story at every park. Within the first 2-3 hours of park opening the lines are manageable. In the 11-2 range is when annual passholders start to show up and the lines get really long. So that's a great time to stop for lunch and head back to the hotel for a rest. Go back to the park around 4-5 and decide what you're willing to wait for. Eat your dinner either early around 5 or late after 7 so you're not fighting the crowds for food, and the ride lines dip a bit when everyone else is eating. Also, if you're willing to miss the fireworks show you can basically have your pick of attractions as all the lines drastically drop about an hour before the show. Our last night there we were at Magic Kingdom, and we rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the Teacups, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise all before and during the fireworks. It really all depends on what you prioritize.
@@niallo8610 im not the OP but i'll comment my family's strategy. for one, rope drop isnt necessarily a bad idea. we've caught some big rides that typically have a long wait at rope drop. second, keep an eye on the wdw app, the second you see a drop in a wait time for a really popular ride, don't even think about it, just GO. third, go during the off season. february and mid november are typically the best times to go, especially if you're going while school and work are still in session. fourth, evening is usually the best time to hit up some big rides. most people are eating dinner or chilling back at their resorts during the evening.
@@niallo8610dude if you're going for 21 days and you're worried about doing everything then idk what to tell you.
Love to know where you stayed to be able to get a hotel nap in from any park, that’s my dream! We love opening & closing, but in that case I really have to lie down and shut my eyes for an hour or two in the middle!
One of the most annoying things about Lightning Lanes is that so many people think it's spelled "Lightening."
I absolutely hate genie +. I have paid and used it in the past. I thought 15/day pp was bad until the surge pricing came along, which is absolutely ludicrous. I will be going down for a week in August and the only day I may purchase it is for MK and that is a big maybe.
I think disney really needs to treat genie plus like an actual premium product like Universal does. That would help a LOT!
I like Genie+ , I just wish I could preorder it and not have to purchase it daily at midnight/7am.
This. I’d complain a lot less about it if I didn’t have to get up at 7am each day of my vacation.
I'm not returning to WDW until they give me Magical Express, complimentary Fast Passes, and Momory Maker with my annual pass back. If they don't, I won't be going back. Think about what DIS has done...they have raised prices obscenely and taken those things away putting them behond pay walls. It's as if when you bought your car for 3x as much as you used to, they said, oh by the way you need to pay extra for the engine Sorry, they are thieves.
Prices go up. I bought an F-150 in 1999 for under $20k. Now they go for $50-60k. And to further use your analogy, your vehicle included an engine, but did the manufacturer include free fuel for the life of the vehicle? No. The AP is like the engine. It grants entry to the park. That is all.
They do not care one bit whether or not they get YOUR money, you aren't individually important to a giant corporation. Don't do something you enjoy to "get back" at them though and see how that works out for you. Prices for things just change, just because y'all bought your cars and houses for pennies and twigs doesn't mean the world has stayed that way
Lol, thieves? It's a business. People are paying the prices why in the world would they stop doing something that is working?
I love genie+ and will budget that into my visits.
Lol this phucking guy wants everything
You missed the entire point. They are ripping us off. I'm refusing to do business with the "legal" mafiosi known as Disney
We were so angry with Genie+ this week. We booked multipark for 27 each. We booked first at Big Thunder …. And then the ride closed. Then did Jungle cruise. And then the ride closed. So we gave up on MK and went to Epcot and booked Frozen… and then closed. 54 bucks for NOTHING. We went to guest services and we were told so sorry nothing they can do. I am done with this program until they can improve maintenance on these rides
The fact that most of the people who buy Genie+ are once in a lifetime or once every 2 or 3 years visitors. For those folks its a requirement.......not that they like. My wife and I are AP holders.....and we only buy it when family or friends visit.........
Stacking does not work out often the way she says. You have zero control of when the times are, so if the LL time is only at 10 am and you want to ride something at 2pm you are stuck. Most rides don't have LL's 5/6 hours ahead like she gives in the example. Slinky Dog is one of the few which is why it was used in the example.
Modify is your best friend
Being from Canada, Going to Disney used to mean planning ahead financially but not drastically, you'd cut there and there and it was fine. Now, it's about making real choices like not changing your car or going into debt. I was lucky to go to Disney probably 100 times because my parents had a house in Florida growing up but I find it sad that my son will not be able to see it more than maybe twice before he gets older. Also, for the kind of money it takes to go to Disney these days, I rather go to Japan or Singapore or explore the world.
Prices havent drastically changed and its still easy to plan
@@Canruggeryes it has everything has went up drastically 🤑🤑🤑🤑💷💶
Take him campng or fishing . We took our kids to WDW a few times as kids. You know what they talk about, as adults? The camping trips!
@@roxyloveslucy I grew up in Northern Canada in Labrador. Fishing and camping and kayaking is the first thing on my list all the time.
The new Modify feature of Genie+ is a real game changer. Attended last weekend and used Genie+ to skip the lines on every major attraction at Magic Kingdom, making heavy use of the Modify button to move around the LL Entrance Times to better suit our plans.
Everytime i use the genie+ the modify option is a game changer
Looking forward to trying it. Actually sounds like an improvement over FP
At this point I just mentally calculate the price of Genie+ into the ticket price. It feels basically mandatory, with how much it improves the queuing experience.
People enjoy fastpass, they do not enjoy paying a premium fee for a system that was free for decades. I used to visit Disney Parks at least once a year. The skyrocketing pricing as well as declining quality has kept me away over the last few years. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a Disney experience that pales in comparison to the "Disney Difference" that used to exist until the last few years.
Yes! The “Disney Difference” now is “let’s see how much $ we can squeeze out of every visitor for every little thing”. It’s a shame and very sad that my kids and I got to experience the old Disney and my grandkids probably never will.
As someone who has only been to Disney this year, what's the difference between Genie+ and Fastpass?
The advice always begins the same with use that hotel hour. Who's spending $600 a night for a hotel but draws the line at spending $25 for lightning lane?
I’d rather pay more for an express pass for all rides rather then gamble with Genie+. I’m a local and haven’t renewed my Disney annual pass since Genie+. Tried it once with my family at HS, arrived at rope drop, my first fast pass available was for 6:30pm on Alien saucers!!!! We got our money back for the genie+ at guest services and haven’t returned since.
I love Genie +, went to WDW in December 2022 and we got to do all the rides we wanted even though there were massive holiday crowds. We went to Universal Orlando in June 2023 and the Express Passes are $99+ per person PER DAY. We skipped the passes for Universal and ended up spending significantly more time waiting in line and overall the experience was less enjoyable. We felt like we couldn't ride everything we wanted and had to pick and choose. You don't need to be glued to your phone to use Genie +, just simply set an alarm on your smartphone at the time it says you can book your next pass, that way you don't need to keep checking the app.
My husband uses Genie + sparingly when circumstances warrant. We took my grandson for a one day trip to MK so we knew we would need it. Between early entry and Genie+ we were able to get on everything we wanted. It wasn't cheap but the rewards were worth it.
Great plan! We do the same. I’ve never used Genie+ at Animal Kingdom, but buy it (just about) every time we go to Magic Kingdom.
I doubt if we’ll ever go back with the way it is now.
Politics, pricing, Genie+, overall declination in the services provided.
We went to Disney for magic, and now the magic is fading.
I don’t want to face the reality of world class issues when we go, I want to immerse in the moment with my family and know we can.
Additionally, I reiterate, the costs have gone up, and quality of the services provided gone down.
Paying for genie+ isn’t what pisses me off, it’s when Disney lets in 10 LL people into a ride at a time while only letting 2 people in from the general queue, this artificially inflating the queue times for everyone else. I’ve already experienced this at galaxy’s edge
Meanwhile at Universal, you buy it. And then use it. No frills, no strings (except for the rides that don't have an express labe)
may be "lame" in some eyes, but if you're already in a park, you don't need to worry about weather or not you're able to ride a ride in a reasonable time
Why is no one talking about the extra walking that you have to do when using the G+? We bought it twice on 2 different trips to DW last year. You wind up zip-zagging the parks multiple times because it is extremely difficult to get the rides you want in the section that your are currently in. Back in the day, you could plan on moving systematically from one section/land to the next and enjoy the experience. We haven’t renewed our season passes yet and are seriously considering not. NOT feeling the magic or the love!
Just because 50% of guests are using Genie+ doesnt mean they like it.
It just means that if you want to ride certain rides you have to pay extra.
I have been visiting the parks since 1973 and so I was there before FASTPASS.
I used to go twice a year but have only been once since they added Genie+ and won’t be back anytime soon.
The fact that Universal charges more isnt a plus for Genie+, its just an excuse to squeeze more money out of guests.
Bob Chapek is all about profits and in the 50 years I have been attending the parks I can say that the experience has gone down during Chapek’s tenure.
I’m also a Disney Vacation Clube member with 3 properties. The fact that I am choosing to use my DVC at non-park resort options is a very clear indication that Genie+ is not everything Disney hoped it would be. I highly doubt I am alone in finding other vacations than th e parks.
Once they got people paying for it, there was no way they were going to go back.
We love genie plus and use it at every park for every visit and we stack as well and get individual lightning lanes for me and my husband. It’s easier with no kids I assume. We literally get to ride everything in every park every day and sometimes we get to ride some multiple times! ❤ it’s a great tool for us and we think our trips would be more stressful without it. It’s not costly and it’s a guarantee you are getting on the ride. I don’t get why people hate it. 😊
My sister and I use it in Hollywood studios and mk when we go (usually twice a year) and it’s pretty helpful (even tho the raise in price is getting a little crazy)
I don’t think the fact that 50% of park guest use it means they like it. I plan to buy it on the day we go to Hollywood Studios next month, but that’s not because I like it. It’s because I feel like I’ve been forced into it with how long the lines are, mostly due to Genie+!
I dont like g+. But I have used it and got on a lot of rides. Just the difficulty on using it for some is my dislike.
It is only getting demand....because it's available.
I think I’d rather go to the after hours events. It’s less confusing & you unlimited get popcorn, soft drinks, and ice cream.
Double check in advance on ride availability. Some of these events are not listing all rides which has me questioning the additional cost
And it's nice and dark and cool~? Maybe one day I'll manage to try that when I get back over to America.
The cost is ridiculous. I consider having to carry my cellphone all day at home a personal defeat, so I’ll be damned if I’m going to do it on vacation
Genie + is amazing - IF you take the time to learn it. For those that don't understand or attempt to learn, it creates for a waste of money. You still can ride everything without Genie+ though
My biggest problem with genie+ in contrast with other fast pass services in other parks its, for example in universal the express pass its pretty expensive but it works all day as many times as you want, in contrast with genie+ that is one entrance and they charge you extra for certain attractions so its not 35$ yñits minimum 55 or 60 and the biggest attractions usually are full even for lighting line
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but paid skip the line needs a higher price point. The current method affects the standby line too much.
I LOVE GENIE+ on my last visit I was use Genie+ on 8 rides. It's worth the price. It gives my party more time to go buy snacks or watch a parade in between our lighting lanes.
I feel like I may be the only person on the planet that actually REALLY likes Genie+ lol. The first year we used it, we didn't get the hang of it until the last day. This March, it was SUPER helpful since we knew what method worked for us. We got to ride all of the things.
4:20 the Dream Key settlement proved this point.
Exactly! APs WERE getting purposely blocked out, as per the settlement. Each tier of guests get a set number of reservations a day, so the more you spend on property means more access to reservations (they had issues with that in the beginning but have ironed it out). The settlement basically proved the Key APs point. Now Disney has reworded the APs AND got rid of the “Key” level all together. YT channel Legal Mindset has been covering ALL of Disney’s woes in detail and just did a video about this exact thing.
My biggest gripe about Genie+ is that you cannot repeat LL for any ride. Those LL queues are fewer steps when your feet are tired. I wish Disney would at least let us reride the lower tier (B or C ticket) rides like Under the Sea.
I must be one of the minority who love it too. I’ll admit we stayed away from Disney after hearing the horrible things about Genie+ but we gave in and surprisingly our experience was great. Now if your gripe is the cost I get it and there's no argument I can make against that. But as far as functionality I love it and think it makes riding what you want a lot easier.
Here’s a typical day and why we loved it. Got up at 7am and booked an Individual Lightening Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy at 10am - 11am and did a Genie+ Lightening Lane for Frozen at 10:30am - 11:30am. Did rope drop and got on Remi in 20 minutes, walked over and did Guardians and then Frozen. While at Frozen I checked and booked Soaring for 1pm - 2pm. We walked over and did single rider line at Test Track, went to China and saw the movie, grabbed lunch on our way to Soaring and were riding that by 1:10pm. So by 1:30pm we had ridden Remi, Guardians, Frozen, Test Track, China and Soaring and I only was on my phone for 1 minute in the morning and 1 minute at Frozen. We never would have been able to do that with Fast Pass with it’s 3 hour-long windows to ride a ride spread out all over the day and maybe several parks. And I was only on my phone for 2 minutes (everyone checks wait times all day on their phones, why is this any different other than you can actually book to ride?). To us, the functionality was a win/win.
When I went with my mom and sister last week we didn't even arrive at the parks until around 10am each day and we STILL got to go on everything we wanted thanks to Genie+!
One thing I noticed about Genie+ was if you booked a lightning lane for a specific ride then tried to book another lightning lane for that ride because you wanted to ride it again later in the day the app wouldn't let you. That ride was no longer eligible. It was a total bummer.
The only parks you really need Genie+ for is Magic Kingdom and sometimes Hollywood Studies. It’s a waste of money in Epcot and Animal Kingdom
Genie plus has ruined DAS accessibility. Waiting the time PLUS the additional lines makes it nonfunctional for individuals with needs. DAS needs something else to make it accessible
Totally agree
I know lightning lane is great for Disney profit. With that said, it is horrible to those who are not willing to dish even more money to ride rides. This August we spent over 50 minutes looking at Mr. Potato Head (with a line that said it would be 50 min all together) just because there were simply too many lightning lane people. When we got to the part where they were holding everyone, we saw the cast member allowing two people from the regular line pass and leave it open to the lighting lane people for 3-4 minutes nonstop....It was insane and when the regular line started to complain we heard from the cast member well they are paying so they can't wait like we were all there for free. So yeah, I saw that happen to many rides during my visit, regular line stopping so they could accommodate the lightning lane people. Horrible solution this one is for the overall experience of those not paying extra.
Universal is offering this service for free if you stay at one of their resort hotels as per our understanding. Disney will be hurting when the new Universal Park opens up.
yeah, I know Hard Rock and Universal Orlando Resort - Loews Portofino Bay Hotel does.
Interesting thing I found out about the 120 minute rule this week at WDW(since we’re usually at DLR). The 120 minute rule starts at rope drop. If you are at a deluxe resort and book your first LL at 7am and the park opens at 9. You still can’t book another until 11. This was a big let down.
I never went to Disney World with the original fast pass system, but on my first (and only WDW vacation) last summer I found the system incredibly easy to use. I booked passes for every member of my family and we would use it to ride 15+ rides every day, and I honestly wasn't my phone a ton. I think that its just a system that works for some people, and doesn't for others.
We hadn't been to WDW in 20+ years, and then went in 2022 and 2023. We aren't early morning people but we DID have someone willing to wake at 7AM, book LLs, and go back to sleep. Genie+ was worth every cent. On the 2023 trip, which was for a milestone anniversary, we didn't need Genie + every day, but we DID get 2 ILLs per day for Guardians and Tron because we liked them so much. Also, if you're at a Deluxe, which we did for the 2023 trip (and DFB saved us about 1700 on that!) those late hours are great, again, if you aren't a crack-of-dawn person. I was floored how expensive Universal's equivalent is. Over $200/day? PER PERSON? That's insane. Even Cedar Fair parks want a minimum of $50/person for the equivalent service. EDIT TO ADD: And no, we didn't spend every second on our phones. Let's not blow things out of proportion.
Without Genie + and LL I would not want to go to the parks
Standby lines are ridiculous and it’s impossible to “time them”
I’m fine with stacking LL from my hotel room and getting to the parks at 2 or 3 pm and having 4 rides ready to go with little or no wait. Then standby during fireworks or parades..
We do 6-12 days a year and buy genie+ everytime. If we ever buy an Individual lightning lane it’s for radiator springs racers and that’s only because it’s my favorite ride In the park especially at night.
We consistently get 20-24 rides a day.
As someone who has never gone, will probably only manage to go once in her lifetime... I still will NEVER invest in genie+ or pay to skip the line for rides. In fact id probably only wanna ride a few rides anyways (to me its all about epcot, Hollywood studios and animal kingdom. And its about viewing everything and taking it in and enjoying the magic. Most of those small rides you can find at other amusement parks so id avoid those regardless. Id probably hop on as many coasters as possible. But watching your videos I've learned so much about when to go, where to go, what to eat, etc. Im so excited if I ever do get to go!!
Good thing you are utilizing the only “benefit of genie+” from this video which is to just not buy it LMFAO. This single overlooked comment alone proves this entire video is just a BS advertisement for genie+ to suck up to Disney since their honesty probably got them in hot water with their PR team.
What just bugs me is the constant stress I had two weeks ago ‘planning’ and having to puzzle what hour I had to be where and that I could not ‘stack’ enough rides. Let alone bugs for some of my party not being able to not see the ride availability. It’s so much, albeit much more expensive at Universal. But then you just PAY and you can basically put the damn phone away for the rest of the day and enjoy the park and rides
I wish we still had the paper fastpasses 😢 No booking your rides 3 months in advance, no fighting with people over wifi at 7am on the dot, it was much more fair when it was based on who got there first!
Your phone will definitely die. You’ll also have a few panic attacks because they cancel your chosen rides because of maintenance issues! So you have to pick something else…. It makes planing your day hectic. It’s confusing and a lot of work if that makes sense
My husband and I seem to be minority in this, but we had the best Disney trip we’ve ever had and I attribute that to Genie +! We got on the most rides we’ve ever been on in one trip while waiting in the shortest lines (April 2023), didn’t feel “glued to our phones” and felt like we were able to get so much more out of our time there! I really researched ahead of time how to use it and it was worth it.
I actually like Genie+ a lot, but that’s only because I’m single and like going on solo trips. It’s expensive, but I pay for one person and then it’s OP because I can skip the lines. Last time I went, I got everything I wanted to get done each day by like… noon. There are a lot of things you pay per person at Disney- when I managed to snag a reservation for Space 220, I realized that families of four were paying like 200 bucks to go, and sometimes there’s only one breadwinner in those families. If I had a family there is NO way I’d be paying for that, or Genie+.
Genie + is great. It sticking around is all good news
Fast Pass+, Magical Express, extra evening Magic Hours(only deluxe resort now), etc all things that were included in a Disney resort stay made it seem like it was worth it even though the ticket & resort prices were super inflated but now ticket prices & resorts are even MORE super inflated with nothing really to offer. Charging for something like Genie+ and Lighting Lane just adds insult to injury.
We are planning to go to Epcot and Animal Kingdom… only… in 2024. I haven’t been to the parks since the late 90s 😳. so I’ve been watching a lot of these videos and I think I understand the genie plus system and lightning lane. But for those parks I don’t really think I’ll need them, so… I am just gonna give it a whirl and try to be like it was back in the old days🤞 (even though it’s gonna be very expensive either way)😂
You absolutely need to make reservations for things, especially sit down meals far ahead of time. If you only want to do counter service meals then ignore that but consider mobile ordering.
@@cvn6555 yep we’re gonna just do quick service no sit downs and we’re probably gonna get a good neighbor hotel, like the Drury, where we can eat breakfast in the hotel and dinner in the hotel so no sit down meals at Disney.
@@kittykathy9532 That can work really well. we did a trip where we stayed at Swan and Dolphin. Quick breakfast in the room, just snacks in the park all day and then dinner at ten pm when we were done. Good luck.
@@cvn6555 Thanks! Thats the plan!🤩
I know, people hate Genie +. But I love it so much. I have successfully bypass more that 10 rides in Mk and almost every ride in HS. I always use to pay for the picture on the ride, now it’s included. Therefore, I spend the exact same amount I used to by buying all the ride picture but it includes skipping rides. I can’t live without Genie +.
15:51 I think it’d be best for Disney if they made each ride’s lightning lane and individual one for the people who want to book one ahead of time when they book their hotel.
I agree with most of the comments about all the negatives about Genie+, but I also know many people can find the positives about it as well. The reason I don't use it myself is: A) I don't like being glued to my phone 24/7 B) I know enough about the parks I visit that I can usually ride everything I want multiple times without the need to purchase Genie+.
Oddly specific question that hopefully someone knows the answer to - does the 'be in line when the park closes' trick work on days with extended evening hours? Specifically if you are not staying in a resort that qualifies for these hours?
My husband and I are heading to Disney World in November for our 20th anniversary. We’ve been many times, but this is our first trip without kids in about 14 years. I’ve been binge watching your videos, and I love them. I just heard on another video that your dad is from Holly, Michigan. We live just down the road in Ortonville.
As someone that doesn’t live in FL and gets to go once or twice a year, I appreciate genie+ and annual pass holders not getting it included for free. It gives everyone a fair chance.
These are great tips! I think people assume Genie+ is more complicated than it is. I got the hang of it pretty quick. Just watched some YT vids (shoutout DFB and All Ears!) for some of the finer details and I was ready to go!
Why is there so much demand? I heard there is a recession coming. 😵💫
There isn’t. That’s just Disney saying so to be able to justify the increased pricing. Park attendance has been low this summer, hence all the discounts. Disney is hurting financially big time and keeping Genie+ allows for a steady stream of money, even when they raise the prices. Disney has made many bad decisions and are refusing to course correct so far, no matter the loss in revenue. It will be interesting to see if stockholders remain happy with their investments tanking.
I can’t speak for families but I solo trip to amusement parks including Disneyland. Never thought genie + was necessary for me because they have a lot of single rider lines that get you in pretty fast, plus I go at a slow time of the year to avoid crowds and high costs.
I hate the fact that your have to be looking at your screen the whole time.. I like the mobile order but having to pay to book fast lane rides throughout the day, its just a bad idea. We are looking at Universal now. Comparing we are paying the same with way more perks.
People buy genie plus because they feel they "have to" not because they want to, be honest. Genie plus has made the stand by lines almost intolerable, and that is well documented via the vloggers. Disney does not care one wit weither ppl get on the rides in a decent time, they only care about how much money they can get out of us now. Now, that is fine, however I'm not playing or paying anymore.
True. And what they should consider is that holding us hostage in one or two lines ties up our day so that we do t want to come back and then aren’t tempted for souvenirs to remember the bad experience
@DFBGuide dont forget to plan around RunDisney race weekends when planning what week to be here. Race weekends (usually from the Wed before the race to the Wed after the race) are very busy. Sometimes as busy as the busiest weeks of the year.
I was at WDW in February. We were able to do Remy (twice), Guardians, Soarin', Flight of Passage, Naavi River, Everest, Safari, Rise of Resistance, Slinky Dog, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Runaway Railway....all without using Genie, Genie+ or any paid Lightning lane. The only trick was getting to the parks at opening. We could get on any two attractions easily, then used the rest of the morning for the others that had shorter lines. Stay on Property and get to the parks at opening.
Woah woah woah. I have been an annual passholder for decades. Don't have a magic key now. Last time I was at DCA the first ride I went on was spiderman. The wait time said 35 minutes. Great! While in line we were barely moving. I was watching them let at least 20 from lightning name go into the preshow room but only maybe 4-5 standby. The preshow takes a minute. So the staff announced the wait had increased from 35-45 minutes. Then they announced it was 55 minutes. Lightning lane keeps walking in. Standby is letting in 5 people every minute. It took us about 55 minutes.
We bought genie + right after that. I didn't want to. I felt forced to do it. Of course I "liked" it once I bought it but that's obvious because I no longer had to wait.
I Went to Disney i would say maybe 6 time this year already using the California resident pass things, granted we haven’t been to Disney in like 10 years so it was fun for all of us. The last two times we went we decided to give Genie+ a try, and personally amount my entire family we can agree that we loved it! It made going thru the park so much easier knowing we could do the rides we are looking forward to. My mom especially liked it because she is a very organized person and she liked how this was able to help organize your day and plan your next move! I agree it meant that my dad had to look at his phone a lot more to look at available times but that didn’t mean he stopped appreciating what he was surrounded by, in fact he enjoyed it a lot more knowing he didn’t have to worry about the length of rides.
Sorry, I'm trying not to be jealous you've been once a month this year alone and basically live nearby when I've not been more than 4 times within 15 years XD Must be nice to live in America and be close to everything.
The fastpass used to be free. It did used to be very nice knowing you could plan on a few good rides with fastpass. For free.
The recommended activities are really bad. It will have you walk across the park to save 5 minutes and then when you get there the wait time goes up
Disney needs to ask the people who don’t buy genie +, due to already spending a ton to be there, how genie + negatively affects their trips because it does impact stand by way more than fast pass +
Listing all the American holidays... Me in the UK, pausing and googling when each one is 😅 ah President's day, sure sure
MLK Birthday, Lincoln Birthday, Winter holiday and spring break.
We just back from a WDW trip and did not use Genie +. We rode plenty of rides without paying extra and managed to get COVID too. Second year in a row getting the Rona!
If 🧞♂️ plus isn’t going away, I am!
I don't know if they changed it or not, but last Christmas when we were there it wouldn't allow us to use a lighting lane for a ride more than once. I was a little upset because we spent that money only to find out doing a lighting lane was a one and done. And later on in the day, lighting lanes for other rides were gone. We were lucky to use the lighting lane more than twice. I don't hear anyone talking about that.
I would love for you guys to do a Video like this on, Why we don't open the monorail Windows and how it let's heat and humidity in and decreases the the cooling ability of the A/C and how when we see a open Window we should close it
While I really don’t like Genie+, I do like the Lightning Lane. I personally don’t use the lightning lane but I think it is nice to have that option for those who are visiting Disney as a once in a lifetime trip. I rather them bring back the Fast Pass+ and have access to lightning lane if I really want to do a ride.
The best thing I did when I visited Disney World was buy the after hours passes for the extra 2 or 3 hours that allowed. I came all the way from Australia so that and the old fastpass early bookings were so worth it. This was before Galaxy's Edge opened so I will have to come back and go there especially since I am a huge Star Wars fan. I do hope they are doing that again when I can get out there again (wanted to once every 5 years or so but that isn't working out). I didn't do rope drop at all but I got in fairly early most days and then took a break during the highest peak in the days and headed back in later. I also went during just after MLK Day. The only thing I missed from that was a bunch of animals not being active in Animal Kingdom.
Fastpass was great for everyone, it was simple to use and if you knew how to use it correctly you could skip the lines all day long basically. Genie+ also forced just about everyone to rope drop because you have to wake up before 7am to buy Genie+ and other virtual ques. That completely eliminates the ability to sleep in. Genie+ also eliminates multiple rides on rides so you can't ride more rides with Genie+ than FP. We would ride on average with FP, 15 to 25 rides per day and the majority of those were Tier 1 rides. We once rode Alien Flying Saucers 3 times in a row using FP all 3 times were walk-ons. I'm sure all the stand-by guest were upset watching us get on, off, and back on the ride 3 times while they were still waiting on there turn. But hey, everyone had the same opportunity to do what we did. Now with a paid Genie+ it does create a two tier system of the haves and have nots! It's also made the standby lines much longer and the Lightening Lanes that much longer as well.
Whoever came up with Genie+ simply didn't understand the WDW parks and why Fast Pass was the superior system for crowd control and stand-by line control as well. They simply decided they could make a "quick buck" at the expense of the guest experience and now people like myself who booked 20+ days per year for about 5 years straight pre-covid at WDW are no longer going at all. Instead they are filling the lines and Genie+ with locals who only ride the top tier rides, don't go to any of the crowd eating shows and rides, don't eat at the restaurants and in general spend very little money in the parks other than that $15.00 for Genie+. So yes, it appears it's making money, but at what cost? It seems those cost are beginning to show up with the discounts for Resorts popping up in times of year we have never seen discounted rates before. All WDW vets have to do is look short term availability for rooms and how many ADR's are readily available on day of, or a few days before wanted reservations and you can easily deduct the reasons why this is occurring. It's the same thing business' do before they go under. They lose volume of customers, so they simply increase the prices on their existing customers until those customers just decide they aren't getting a good enough value! That's what is happening at WDW... It's a bunch of people that are using a Disney Land model on a completely different beast which is WDW.
Disney is hurting financially. Genie+ brings in money now, but there is NO WAY their stance of “its staying because of DEMAND” is true. And locals aren’t filling the parks; attendance has been down this summer. Disney is no longer the Disney of Walt. And unless current management gets this and changes course, Disney Will continue to go downhill. 3 of my friends and their families used to get annual passes every year for years but stopped in 2021, citing many things including higher prices and lower experiences. It’s sad but true.
If I have to pay for G+ and lightning lane, that is money I'm not spending on hotels, food and shopping. There is only so much money. It will just be reallocated.
@@stuartevans8154 I agree 100%, that's my point. Saying that Genie+ is a money maker, is nothing but moving numbers from one accounting bracket to another. If you have to spend $100.00 for Genie+ for 4 folks, then you are less likely to spend it any other place. Plus, you don't feel good about being squeezed already so the rest of their prices become that much more revolting.
I have found that, traveling with young kids, you're more or less forced to purchase Genie+. My small children simply don't have the capability to stand in long lines.
Small kids were standing in Disney lines before 2020…they have the capacity. If they didn’t, there never would have been small kids going to ANY theme park. I think the issue now is technology has made kids have short attention spans AND a “must have it now” attitude.
@@rahs5801totally agree !!
@@rahs5801 While that may be true, my concern with long lines is mostly related to being able to reach a bathroom on time with kids that have barely passed the potty training milestone. Distractions are one thing - access to bathrooms is another.
@@yarnfigment I've heard multiple times on this channel that you can have a cast member help out via verifying you're not just cutting in line, that you exited for a bathroom run.
We went to Disneyland two weeks ago. The lines were NOT bad, and using just the normal app we were able to find the best times on rides with really never more than a 30-40 wait. HOWEVER ... the Genie+ lightening lane configuration could clearly be a terrible headache for everyone else. The app does NOT estimate/adjust standard wait time for Genie+ reservations, so we had multiple incidents where we got in a 20 minute line that suddenly took 35 as a surge of lightening lane riders came long.
I agree the lightening lanes looked great and very fast, and there were no real need because lines just weren't that bad, but I can see how this could really create problems.
The messed up part is that I don’t necessarily think Genie+ and the LLs is a bad thing. I just don’t like the way they’ve gone about it.
A) we shouldn’t have to pay to use the app on our park days on top of the LLs.
B) people staying on Disney property should get free LLs for each of their park days.
The best thing they could do is go back to no kind of Fastpass at all. Standby lines would be longer but they would move so much more quickly. We have the technology to see posted wait times before you go to the attraction, so it would be easy to decide whether to get in line or to go do something else until the wait time comes down. They could add more single rider lines to make sure everything's running at full capacity.
I realize Disney isn't going to give up this revenue stream now that they've suckered so many people into shelling out for it. But they'd earn so much goodwill if they switched to a system where every single guest has an equal chance at a good day.
another hack i learned this past January for everest in AK, run the Disney World Marathon and youll be able to jump in the Everest line, i did it this past year and walked.....hobbled is a better term right on!
Genie Plus is great and absolutely worth it. I would rather book things through my phone then wasting the day spending hours waiting in line. Lighting Lane was good too. Considering the virtual que is impossible and sells out in 10 seconds. Definitely worth a few extra to not deal with the hassle and stress.
Coming from abroad though, the cost has been pushed up too high. Friends of ours did ten days rather than two weeks to afford genie plus. I think we are going to hold off with Disney and do universal instead.
Genie+ has killed the magic.
And not being able to buy day tickets from the UK. Doesn't allow us to plan for just a few days in parks.