6 things we learned from Disney Genie’s launch at Disney World
The launch of Disney Genie at Walt Disney World today, Oct. 19, varied depending upon what stage of grief guests were in over the demise of free FastPass lanes.
Some were still in denial over the new service; others remained angry at having to pay to avoid the long lines instead of getting a few free opportunities as they did with FastPass; others were trying to bargain, saying they will not pay and just make their way as best they can; those who were confused over the new service became depressed and frustrated trying to figure it out; and, finally, there were those who accepted the new tool and moved forward.
No matter where you stand, there’s one thing everyone should remember: You are on vacation. Do not let this stress you out.
Disney Genie is a new digital tool (here’s our guide on how to use it) and, like all new tools, it will take a little time to adapt. Depending upon your financial situation and priorities, you will either decide to pay to cut back on your wait times, or you will accept that there are long lines and you will find a way to maximize your time. This is a matter of managing your expectations.
For those who enjoy playing “the game” and want to try to “beat the system” there will be plenty of hacks to discover—stacking Lightning Lane reservations so you can ride attractions consecutively, or finding the sweet spots for when standby lines have the lowest wait times; or budgeting for individual Lightning Lanes so you can hit all the big rides when parkhopping.
Guests are already figuring out their own favorite hacks, but let’s start with some of the key things we noticed on the first day using Disney Genie:
1. Take your time with the service: Before you head to the park, fill out your Top Picks in the app. Disney Genie is designed to reveal ways to incorporate those picks when it creates your itinerary. You can change this later, but it will save you a lot of time if you do it before you head to the park.
2. The Tip Board is a great resource: It has taken information that was available in other forms and put it all in one easy-to-use place. Under the Experiences tab, the app lists all the attractions and entertainment available, what the Standby Line is and when the next Genie+ Lightning Lane time is available. The Dining Tab lists all the dining options, whether reservations are available and how long the walk-up list is at table-service restaurants, and when the next arrival window for Mobile Ordering at quick service spots.
3. Wait times are not exact. If you want to see what the wait time trends are for rides, start at the Standby time and then tap the ride name for more information. The app serves up a chart that shows wait time trends, but it doesn’t have a scale to tell you how many minutes the average wait time per hour is. It is maddeningly imprecise, only showing you relative trends. In addition, this is from Disney themselves on wait times:
Wait times are estimates generated using a variety of factors. Wait time estimates can vary significantly from the wait times you may experience, and are subject to frequent changes within each day due to a variety factors such as attendance, guest interest, weather and attraction down times
Because we can not guarantee the accuracy of these wait time estimates you should not rely on them when making purchase decisions.
Disney Genie
The above is obviously a legal disclaimer, but one worth noting.
4. Don’t forget the tax. Yes, tax is added to Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane costs. So the $15 Disney Genie is actually $15.98.
5. Park Hopping Planning is included. If you have a park hopper ticket and plan to head over to your second park later in the day, Disney Genie will ask you to pick the park you are hopping to and to list your top picks for the next park. The app will come up with part two of your itinerary.
6. If a ride goes down there are options. If you pay for Lightning Lane access and the ride goes down, you will be able to make a reservation for another ride and keep your original reservation for when the ride comes back up. Now, if one of the eight Individual Lightning Lane attractions goes down, you will be able to return to the attraction when it comes back up. If this ride does not come back up for the remainder of the day, you will receive an e-mail for a refund only for that Individual Lightning Lane attraction.
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