I apologize if this question/topic has been exhausted. We are planning a one day visit to Magic Kingdom on 1/18/22 and I’m wondering if Genie+ is worth the expense and effort?
We had an AMAZING trip in 2019 using only touring plans and our daily fast passes so I am a firm believer in TP!! This time we are planning a more relaxed day yet I’m beginning to feel overwhelmed with all the changes they’ve implemented since our last visit
So Genie+ in this situation or TP? Combination of both? Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the forums! There is no limit on questions here. I’ll start off with, MK and HS are the most beneficial parks to spend the extra money for G+ since they have many high demand attractions.
Factor #1: How crowded are the parks on that day
Being the day after MLK Jr. day, it will not be heavy crowds like the weekend. But, it very well may be moderate if enough folks hang around for another day.
Factor #2: How often do you visit and will you have multiple days in specific park
Visiting every couple years or only spending 1 day in the park is a great reason to purchase G+, even if the crowds are on the lower side. It will allow you to maximize your day and not be as rushed. (If you are visiting more often and spending more days per park, G+ may not be necessary).
This is tricky now since you can’t plan ahead as much like when FP+ was used. But, it is still worth while creating a Touring Plan ahead to get a feel for your day. Another option is using the updated Lines app the day of your visit, entering the LL return times you secure, and getting recommendations. One important thing is having a list of which G+ attractions to try to snag first, because some go quick and the return times are later in the day.
You’ll also need a plan for 7DMT (Individual Lightning Lane or Rope Drop). And check out the other threads on Genie+ Basic Info, G+ Drop Times, & G+ Hacks.
Just got back, and as long as it exists, I wouldn’t attempt MK or HS without G+. It hurts to pay more but its just going to become the new standard. Now mind you, I only used G+ to make reservations, and used TP Lines for checking wait times, show times and etc…
I’ll add that it is being reported by DBC Pod, the creators of the “comeback index”, that 75% - 90% of guests getting on attractions first are from the LL queue. This is similar / the same as the days of FastPass.
Lightning Lane is proving to make standby queue waits as bad if not worse than before FastPass.
So, if you didn’t like waiting in standby queues when FastPass was free, you are still not going to like waiting in standby with LL guests walking past you.
Interesting. This is different from reports I’ve heard. Some people have been saying that the Lightning Lane moves slower than what the FastPass Queue did.
With less people using G+ compared to FP+, this would also indicate that the the Standby Queue is now moving faster and the ratio is not as extreme as the FP+ days.
I do understand that when the heavy crowds start, this might totally change. It all depends on Disney’s reasonable time limit to allow guests to wait in the LL.
It does seem that making people pay should’ve curbed this behavior by making less people want to be in the LL queue. That’s why I wanted to make sure to cite where I heard it because Len has been using them as a source as well during his Disney Dish podcast.
It might be less people, but the people using it are getting more. How many FPP did your average guest get in the past? Four? Although I would guess that would vary by park back then like it would now.
4 was my guess too. I had posted this previously, but would love to see some data. I guess you would need to do surveys for that. Maybe Disney will share the numbers with us, lol.
Thanks for the confirmation. That’s so disappointing, that Disney has already reached that point. The fears were warranted, more people will now be forced to purchase G+.
What would be doubly disappointing is if Disney doesn’t limit the sales of G+ on high attendance days. But my question is, will more LL’s be released or are many of those additional visitors going to just have to settle for the crumbs (least popular LL) or just not be able to do as many LL in a day?
If Disney does release more LL after selling a high number of G+ on high crowd days, you will be looking at a higher ratio in order to keep the LL queue from not getting too long of a wait.
Disney is seriously missing out on the amount of money my DH and I would be willing to pay for a pass that functioned like Express Pass. We would absolutely pay more total to avoid all this picking and choosing and individual charges.
As it appears to be running off the old FPP system, they’ll run out until people drop them. (the old “refresh” game)
Disney says they don’t “guarantee” any set number of attractions with your purchase. They will not cap the system, take the money and most people will get 4 - 6 LL. RotR will sell out in minutes and have a 3 hour standby wait…
They did say the $15 for G+ was an introductory price. The logical thing would be to find a price that was high enough that not too many and not too few people bought it.
Being totally selfish, since I’ve already added G+ to our tickets I’m OK with them raising the price to be so high only a few buy it.
The high price is what makes Express Passes work, since the majority of people don’t get it. Disney doesn’t have the ride density, except maybe at MK, to make an actual express pass work.
I think G+ should be date-based. Just like tickets and ILL. It shouldn’t lessen the income for Disney if it’s at the right price point. But it would benefit the standby only visitors by having less guests using the LL queue.
If you haven’t watched the new Defunctland video about FastPass - go check it all. It covers all this in data driven detail. It is 83 minutes, but covers a lot of history along the way
I’ll start off with, MK and HS are the most beneficial parks to spend the extra money for G+ since they have many high demand attractions.