We are just back from a 6 day (5 park day) visit to WDW and thought I would offer some insights.
Background: DVC since 2008. Visited almost every year since. Last visit was during the pandemic...last year. Normally stay at Bay Lakes Tower...this year, was able to get into Grand Floridian. 1 bedroom suite, Lake View.
Okay...travel to/from.
Good news story. Non-Stop from Charlotte to Orlando on American. Used Mears Bus. From takeoff...to standing on Main Street USA...3 hours. Flight landed 40 minutes early. Stood in Mears Line (where Magical Express operated) 3 minutes. Sat on bus before departing - 8 minutes. First stop was Grand Floridian. Stowed bags at bell stand, scanned through security at resort, jumped on monorail, sailed through the front gate at 1230pm.
Leaving, Mears bus departed Grand Floridian about 15 minutes late, but still arrived at airport with over 2 hours before flight. Sailed through checkin and security (yea TSA pre-check). Flight on time.
Impressions of Genie, Genie +, and purchased Lighting Lanes:
Pre-Purchased 5-day, park hopper with Genie + included. Wanted maximum flexibility and to see what the system could (or could not) do.
There are infinite number of variables....the most impactful are crowd sizes, weather, and ride availability. For the next month or more...expect Expedition Everest, Splash Mountain, Disney World Railroad, to be down.
Here are the bottomline observations...if you want to definitely do something...then go after when the clock strikes 7am. If you're wanting to purchase a Lighting Lane...then get that done first...then go after your first Genie + reservation. As you might expect, the ones that cost money are the most popular. So if you want to stand a chance of not standing in a long-line your two strategies are buy the slot time...or be there at rope drop, 30 minutes early if you are staying on property, and walk-quickly and get in the stand-by line. If you do the latter, then you need to make sure your Genie + reservation allows enough time for you to get through that first attraction.
I used the advise to operate my phone on cell vice WDW wifi....that worked well.
If you want to take full advantage of Genie + then you need to start early in the day and keep adding as the day goes along. If you don't make that first reservation until mid-morning, then you are looking at mid-to late afternoon for availability. Also, if you are planning to park-hop, then at some point you need to switch the view on your Tips Board and make your reservations there for when you expect to be in the park (after 2pm...you can't switch parks before then.).
The free Genie guide...mildly helpful...but not something I would use to plan your day on. First...it has one strategy...highlight where you can go that will have the least wait....but there's generally a reason that it is a short wait...not many people want to go there. That strategy also doesn't take into account how efficiently you are processing the park....in other words....how long the walk is between suggested events....
What I found worked better was just to use the Tips Board and scroll through that as the day progresses...and in particular as you complete a Genie+ reservation and are looking to make your next one. You'll have to end up on that page anyway...so skip the "My Day" page. What the "My Day" page is good for is reminding you of what reservations you have, rides and dining.
And, speaking of Dining...nothing but positive **** on making dining reservations and pre-ordering meals. If you know where you'd like eat and about when, go ahead and make those at the start of the day (Sit Down reservations should be made as early as 60 days out for your must-do meals.). We ate dinner at Steakhouse 71...new place in Contemporary....great meal!
One thing to know...you'll pick your place (e.g. Cosmic Rays)...and it will say that it is for a window of time....example 1030-1100...but you know that you really want to eat around 1230 (maybe because of other reservations). No worries....go through the process of telling them what you want (food and drink)...and then on the page before you go final, it will offer you other windows of time to select from. Pick what you want, and then go final. After that, you just show up at facility, click on your app that you are there...and within just a few minutes it will tell you to step to a window to get your order. There will be a cast member there to help. There will be a four-digit code for your order...and that is what the person at the window will want to hear from you. Worked great!
Some specifics...with Everest closed...that means EVERYBODY is going to go running (sorry...fast walking) to get in line for Banshi. So....back to what I said previously...if that is what you really want to do...pay the price so you can get on with the rest of your day.
The Tip Board will update each time you open it...and each time you refresh the page...so stay with it. Especially early in the morning...it looks like the stock market in disarray as people snag things and then change their mind because something else comes along...and that is the case throughout the day, The My Day (Genie) page will also update...but it doesn't seem to be as frequently.
Do things cost more? Yes. Do things cost more everywhere? Yes! Go to Five Guys for lunch...1 small cheeseburger, 1 hot dog, 1 small fry, 2 regular cokes...over $30! Inflation, supply chain, higher minimum range....it's not Disney...it's life.
Are the lines long...if there are lot's of people, yes. If not, not so much. That was true prior to Genie and Genie +...and it is still true today. More people are in the parks and thus lines are going to be longer. We arrived right at the end of Run Disney weekend. Parts of the day were short lines because runners were recovering...and then they and their supporters all showed up...and lines got long. The ride capacities are all the same...so it is a simple cause and effect result.
Went to Disney Spring twice. Met friends for lunch...a walk-up to Polite Pig. Later in the stay, went over without a reservation to Art Smith's. The Dining page said there were not reservations available for dinner. We walked up and spoke to Riley at the welcome stand and were seating in less than a minute....and lot's of empty tables around. Don't be deterred by a "no reservations" available message.
Okay...the two most talked about things it seems of late....Disney Enchanted and Harmonious. Saw Harmonious twice...once from near Italy and once on the opposite side. Saw Enchanted once on Main Street and two other times from the balcony of our room (sound is piped into all the speaker at the resort.)
If you want to get a vantage point where you have a good view of the 'round portal' of Harmonious...then you need to start staking out a place between and hour and an hour and half prior (show starts at 9pm). Right now it is cool temperatures...so bring layers. There was a technical issue the second time and they started about 13 minutes late. Having seen it from both "sides" I would recommend the side closest to Spaceship Earth for two reasons...one there is more to see when they light up the pavilions...and two, you save yourself as much as 30+ minutes of walking coming from the far side to get to the monorail or busses. (Obviously, if you are staying at a resort that is serviced by the Skyliner, then you might favor the other side.
Harmonious is a marvel of technology and making the most of the area that is available. How it differs most (and the same can be said of Enchanted) from Illuminations (Happily Ever After) is the lack of a story thread that runs throughout the performance. A previous Magic Kingdom show, Wishes, was a slate of music from Disney films...just as these two shows do now....but they were in obvious service to a message...a story. Did we enjoy the current shows? Yes. On the last night when we would have done everything possible to see Magic Kingdom show before going back to our room to pack...did we do that for Enchanted? No. These are definitely worth seeing an experiencing...but it is a different experience...and my person view is it is because of story.
So...did we have a great time? You bet! Should you go? You bet! Genie and Genie +....milegage will vary...but to really benefit, you need to be up and running at 0700....most of you will already be doing that anyway you can be at your park at 0830 (except of EPCOT which is 0930).
I'm happy to answer any questions....this has already become a really long post! And remember....You Are The Magic!
