Strategies for Disneyland

[karinothing]

WE haven't been in years. I think the last time was 2003 or so? I know a ton has changed and now I have kids who are slow. I bought Genie + but now I am kind of regretting it because it seems like something extra to have to worry and plan about.

Basically we want to ride all the big rides at Disneyland and want to double make sure we ride Rise of the Resistance and Smugglers Run. I heard a WDW the LLs sell out super early in the day. Is that the same for DL? Anyway any tips or tricks would be appreciated because it all sounds pretty intimidating.

[ny96]

Last time we went, there were no advanced reservations available for Rise of the Resistance and wait times were 90+ minutes, so we waited until they shut the ride down (which occurs periodically throughout the day) and then we hung around the entrance until they reopened the ride and were in and out in less than 30 min. All told it cut the wait time in half.

[Wines Not Whines]

We went last summer, before the Genie+ thing. It sounds like things have changed. We were able to ride Smuggler’s Run early in the morning with no line. We had to get a reserved time for Rise of the Resistance, but it wasn’t hard to do.

[karinothing]

Jan 20, 2022 17:58:11 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

We went last summer, before the Genie+ thing. It sounds like things have changed. We were able to ride Smuggler’s Run early in the morning with no line. We had to get a reserved time for Rise of the Resistance, but it wasn’t hard to do.

Yes, I just realized that with LL you can chose the return times (with the regular Genie + it works like fast pass, you just get a return time, with no ability to pick). So that makes it a bit easier.

[nsl]

Jan 21, 2022 6:43:20 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Jan 20, 2022 17:58:11 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

We went last summer, before the Genie+ thing. It sounds like things have changed. We were able to ride Smuggler’s Run early in the morning with no line. We had to get a reserved time for Rise of the Resistance, but it wasn’t hard to do.

Yes, I just realized that with LL you can chose the return times (with the regular Genie + it works like fast pass, you just get a return time, with no ability to pick). So that makes it a bit easier.

We went in late December, so things may have changed since then, but I was able to pick from a variety of times with Genie+ on the day we splurged on it. Times got more limited as the day went on, but you could definitely choose between a few as long as there was availability. I actually liked it because it gave us more time to wander and explore the park without feeling pressured to jump right back in line.

FWIW, we went over Christmas--high crowds--and only felt like we needed Genie+ one day. We never used Lightning Lane. Our trip consisted of two mornings and one afternoon in DL and one morning and two afternoons in California Adventure, and the longest line we encountered was 90 minutes at Rise of the Resistance at around 3 pm. We rode everything except the Fantasyland dark rides that my kids weren't interested in. Unless your trip is particularly short you might want to wing it without Genie+ one day and see how it goes.

[quesyrah]

Jan 27, 2022 19:18:57 GMT -5 nsl said:

Jan 21, 2022 6:43:20 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Yes, I just realized that with LL you can chose the return times (with the regular Genie + it works like fast pass, you just get a return time, with no ability to pick). So that makes it a bit easier.

We went in late December, so things may have changed since then, but I was able to pick from a variety of times with Genie+ on the day we splurged on it. Times got more limited as the day went on, but you could definitely choose between a few as long as there was availability. I actually liked it because it gave us more time to wander and explore the park without feeling pressured to jump right back in line.

FWIW, we went over Christmas--high crowds--and only felt like we needed Genie+ one day. We never used Lightning Lane. Our trip consisted of two mornings and one afternoon in DL and one morning and two afternoons in California Adventure, and the longest line we encountered was 90 minutes at Rise of the Resistance at around 3 pm. We rode everything except the Fantasyland dark rides that my kids weren't interested in. Unless your trip is particularly short you might want to wing it without Genie+ one day and see how it goes.

So, this is how I understood Genie+ to work when it was announced- that you chose a return time.

We just returned from 12 days in Disney World and used Genie+ every day. You can only choose a return time on the individually priced rides, the rest you get whatever time they’re currently booking for.

Interesting that it’s different at Disneyland. I’m hoping to go soon and use Genie+

[ksun]

I just came back from 4 days at DLR this week - never felt the need to buy Genie+. Perhaps on the weekend when it's busier. Rope dropping definitely helps you get on rides with a much shorter wait.

I'm going back again in 5 weeks and may buy G+ for one day if it's busy since I'm there Friday-Monday. Going solo helps me get on rides fast with single rider. I rode Incredicoaster 3 times in a row with single rider on Wednesday.