The Genie Thread! All WDW Info Here

I had already considered that too. Surprisingly, NRJ didn’t have a substantially longer actual wait than KS. Think approx. 60 min. vs 50 min.

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I’m glad we’re discussing this because it’s worthwhile to think about.

I checked several other dates and you are right that KS often runs out before NRJ (11/26 was kind of a messy day for NRJ - not sure what to conclude from that date). But also KS return windows are generally much sooner. For example, on 11/19, right before KS LL availability ran out at 3:45pm, it was distributing almost immediate return windows. Whereas NRJ was distributing for about 4:30pm at that time. If you follow the order of priority, you should have gotten LLs for both rides much earlier in the day, but at least if you hadn’t you could ride KS almost immediately if you got your LL in the afternoon.

There’s also the matter of standby lines at KS being often 1/2 to 1/3rd as long as NRJ, so there is value in having NRJ as LL even if you don’t get one for KS at all.

For all of these reasons, if it were me I’d still get NRJ as my first LL (or RD it), all things being equal.

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Ha ha I was just spitballing when I threw out my numbers. I should have looked at the data more closely before I posted that. So to be more precise, here is what Thrill Data says for average waits since the pandemic:

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AH! I see what’s going on here.

According to the data, on heavier crowd days, KS runs out early, therefore I would for sure choose KS first.

But on lower crowd days, you are safe getting KS second.

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That is fair.

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Right, but on busier days, KS edges closer to NRJ as far as standby waits go.

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We’re both right!!! :wink:

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My favorite kind of right! :rofl:

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To add to what @SteveBloom is saying Here has been my day so far:

7am got LL1- JC at 2:50
11am got LL2- PoC at 12:50
1pm got LL3- Buzz at 2:35
Tapped into Buzz at 2:34, got LL4- HM 6:15
Tapped into JC at 3:00, can’t make new LL
Now at 4:35 2hrs after tapping in to Buzz I got LL5- Small World for 6:55

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Basically, I urge everyone to check those graphs in the week leading up to their trip. Recent and comparable days make all the difference. Better than any monthly average.

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What I’d actually do:

  • RD NRJ
  • 7am LL for KS
  • ILL FoP
  • Single Rider EE over and over
  • LLs for KRR, Dino, FotL
  • Standby to FFiF, Rafiki’s, etc.
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I shouldn’t talk, NRJ was a once and done for me. So zero priority for me. :man_shrugging: :joy:

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I got to thinking about this previous post. The early TP research was based on how much time G+ can save you in each park, with a recommendation whether to purchase or not based on crowd levels. Will be looking for updates after more data is gathered.

Also remember, Lines will have the capability for you to use the timer in the Lightning Lane so that will really help to get the time savings results more accurate.

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That’s what happened to us, when I initially grabbed the KS LL, then when we got there, and it was still a walk-on (posted 10min), we cancelled it and got a NRJ LL instead.

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Your EE comment reminded me how surprised I was how easy Everest was to get on even on a CL 10 day last week. We were offsite, so we couldn’t go at 7:30. We got our G+ for KS and went straight to Everest at 8:00 RD. Party of 4 and still had just a three minute wait. Went through a second time at a 10 minute wait and then walked over to KS. G+ does suck you in. We could have just waited for KS and NRJ, but boy is no lines nice. Even as an offsite family, we finished every ride and both the Lion King and the bird show (and even see Merry Menagerie) by 1:30 pm- other than FoP, which we had a reservation for around dinner. Enabled us to have a relaxing afternoon at the hotel before hitting FoP on the way to dinner.

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Just realized that although we get the early hours benefits at Hilton Bonnet Creek we do not count for 7am Genie+ - right? I’m getting the sense from comments that the value on busy days will be gone by the time we get to the park (we go over xmas) as the popular stuff is selling out. Anyone see differently?

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You’ll definitely be at a disadvantage, but still might be worth it because the lines will be so long that even skipping the line for one or two rides will add up to a pretty good return on investment, and you just might be able to get some luck with refreshing.

Also, you would be eligible for 7am Genie+. Just not 7am ILL. That’s good, cause you don’t pay for an ILL unless and until you can get a return window.

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I don’t know how accurate this is, but we have always done KS in the morning because years ago, one of the animal handlers told us that some of the animals are more likely to be out and viewable in the morning. I can’t be sure that is true but it pushed me toward going with KS first over NRJ last week.

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I think it’s accurate. I’ve heard that many times.

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This visual is amazing! Thank you!

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