07/12/2021
With all of the new offerings at Disney World here at the end of 2021 - 50th anniversary! Genie+! Lightning Lanes! - I wanted to be able to give my clients and followers some first hand reporting. So off we headed to WDW for a one-day-only experiment last week. We were at Hollywood Studios from open to close on Thursday the 2nd. In our group were regulars (us) and guests who had been previously, but it had been a while. Four adults and two kids total, staying at a Good Neighbor hotel near Disney Springs.
Did we use Genie+?
Sure did! Everyone in our group purchased Genie+ for our day about a month before our visit. Contrary to the official Disney PR spiel, I did not find it particularly easy to navigate my way to finding the pathway through the app to buy the service, and I have heard from other users that they had the same experience. Once I did find it, though, it was easy enough to set up.
We also had a hard time linking our group together through the Genie+ main screen. We fixed this on site by speaking with a Cast Member at one of the many “Guest Services” kiosks set up through the park.
How was the Lightning Lane experience?
The LL experience included with the purchase of Genie+ worked very much like a mix of legacy FastPass and FastPass+. You are able to choose one LL to use at a time, and are able to select another one after you’ve checked into the attraction of your original LL or 2 hours after your previous selection, whichever comes first.
I liked it in as much as I have ever liked Fast Pass systems. You can never beat the feeling of walking right in to an attraction which has a 60+ minute wait in the Stand By line. It does feel a little sad knowing this used to be included in park admission, but I’m a realist and I accept that there’s money to be made here. I did notice that the Lightning Lane waits seemed shorter overall than the previous FastPass waits, so that gets a gold star.
What I didn’t like, though, was the constant need for us all to be glued to our phones. Like many people, I love WDW as a BREAK from reality, and I use it as a time to connect with my friends and family who are accompanying me. (I have even in the past issued a ban on cell phones in the parks for my group, but that’s another story.) With Genie+ you have no choice but to be on your app, constantly updating and checking to see what’s available. I did not like this aspect one bit.
We also had a tough time getting Lightning Lanes for the attractions we wanted - some were completely unavailable by the time we even arrived at the park. I understand that purchasing Genie+ doesn’t guarantee you will get LL for any particular attraction, but it still stung.
Did we utilize the paid Lightning Lane option for attractions not included in Genie+?
That was the plan. We intended to purchase individual Lightning Lane passes to Rise of the Resistance, but they were completely sold out before our 8:30am arrival. Presumably the folks who were staying on-site grabbed them all up by the time their window opened at 7:00am. For the full picture, the crowd level at Hollywood Studios on the day of our visit was estimated to be 4/10. Granted, RotR is about the most in demand attraction at WDW right now, but based on our limited experience trying to get an individual paid Lightning Lane pass is going to be competitive across the board. On the plus side, we jumped in the stand by line for the other paid LL at Hollywood Studios - Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad - at rope drop and were on within 20 minutes. Stand by was also listed at about 30 minutes for that one at the end of the night.
So the short answer is no, we did not end up utilizing paid Lightning Lanes.
Do Genie+ and Lightning Lanes work with Magic Bands?
YES and OMG please bring/get a Magic Band. One group in our party had our MBs and the other group used the app to check-in at Lightning Lanes. It worked, but was way slower and much more hassle than just tapping an MB at the entrance. I’m sure this will change over time, but for now if you have a Magic Band make sure it is attached to your Disney app account and plan on having it with you.
What’s new for WDW’s 50th anniversary?
We saw a lot of merchandise, but I think the bulk of the “celebration” is over at Magic Kingdom. Still, I definitely bought a new sweatshirt!
And in closing…
At the end of the day, I would like to think that Genie+ will see some updates and improvements over the next year, but I have no doubt that it’s here to stay in one form or another. In the meantime, I’m happy to help all of my clients use it to your best advantage.
Anything else?
Yep. I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a note about our experience trying to get into Gideon’s at Disney Springs. If you aren’t aware, Gideon’s is a cookie shop that sells human-head-sized cookies that look, smell, and (I assume) taste like heaven. Due to demand you can not simply walk up and shop there, or even walk up and wait in line.
They have a virtual queue, and unlike other Disney-run attractions where you can join the virtual queue in your app, with Gideon’s you have to physically go to the shop and staff outside will add you to their system. Once it’s your turn you will get a text to let you know. If you plan on trying to score some Gideon’s goodness, I advise you to go straight there upon arrival at Disney Springs. On Friday the virtual queue was 2 hours long. On Saturday it was 4.5. You want that cookie? You’re going to have to make it a priority!
As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you have about planning for a Walt Disney World (or Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line!) vacation. Just send me a message through here, or you can email me at [email protected]
I look forward to helping you see the World!
