Park strategy questions pre-covid vs now

[maxsmom]

I'm looking for current info please. Background: Family of 4 that basically went every yr for 20 years. Our park strategy was to get up when we felt like it, swim and head to the parks anywhere from 1-4ish depending on the day. Sometimes we landed in a park that was unbearable crowd wise so we would hop to another. Sometimes we get there on the early side and spent awhile, then go back to the resort and sometimes hop into the Magic Kingdom since they were open the latest and we mostly stayed on the monorail loop. We were almost always at the parks until they closed and took full advantage of evening extra magic hours. Can someone help us translate this into the current conditions of genie+ and lightening lanes? There will be 2 adults and 2 teenagers. With the old tiered fast passes we mostly only used top tier fast passes at EPCOT and AK. We did use the others at AK but they ofter weren't needed. EPCOT though, most were booked early before we ever planned to be there in hopes of the top tier one being used as soon as we got there and then we could try for another top tier FP+. MK and Hollywood would usually did use all of the FP but we also were good about saving certain rides to do during shows, parades and late. WILL any of this work with the current situation of things? Do we have to get up early all of these days? We're thinking, get up our 1st day, buy genie+, buy rise of the resistance LL and get there EARLY. Hopefully get a lot done, go back to the resort and take a break. Then go to MK before 6:00 to try to get in the virtual queue of TRON for evening hours or whatever they are calling it and stay until closed. Sleep in the next day and go to EPCOT in the afternoon. We are use to standing inline some but will not wait if the line says stupid things like 120 minutes. We are thinking 3 days of genie+ and maybe having to get there early. We aren't worrying much about AK right now. Or are we going to need to just be there early and/or buy genie+? Trying to decide if it's worth the work or if we should just go back to Universal. Thanks for your help

 

[teawar]

IMO, you can do AK & EPCOT without Genie+, if you don’t mind using single rider for Expedition Everest. It comes in handy for HS and MK.

As you seem to know, the 30 minutes prepark opening for resort guests is a good time to get some things done, but it’s not like the old days with a whole hour to knock out a bunch of rides.

 

[PalmettoPath]

Rope Drop and/or early morning hours has always been the best strategy to get on several rides before around 11:00 a.m. It's the one thing that is still as valid today as it was 50 years ago. We have tested Genie+ a lot over the past couple of years and we find its value for us is dependent on how crowded it is/time of year. For example, in March for Spring Break we tested with/without G+ and we felt without was a far better strategy during this very crowded time of year. In less crowded times of year (late August e.g.), Genie+ can provide some value without negatively impacting the flow of your day. ILL is a good bet at any time if you want any of those attractions.

So if you want to sleep in, then it's a trade-off as you know. It's a personal decision that I know you know you'll have to make. MK has by far the most rides/attractions, so you can leverage G+ better there if you're not picky about what is available next as you move through your time. Your strategy sounds workable to me considering what you said about how you "normally" like to approach your WDW stay. I think it's a good place to start. You can always adjust along the way once you see how it's going. I miss the old days as well...it was so much easier to plan, or at least have a plan for a plan.

 

[CarolynFH]

We too have found Genie+ more useful in MK and DHS than in Epcot or AK. Differences from FP+ that I have found very useful are 1) being able to stack Genie+LLs during the morning and early afternoon so that when we arrive at 4 or even later we already have several of our favorites booked and 2) being able to overlap return windows, so that we could have BTMRR at 4:30 and Splash at 4:45, for example. We like to hang around the resort in the morning and not enter the park until sometime in the afternoon, so both of those come into play. I also like being able to choose a return window when buying an ILL$, again because it allows us more freedom in what time we arrive at the park. We gave up trying to arrive for rope drop or early entry many years ago!

It sounds like you normally stay in a deluxe resort, so you can take advantage of the DEEH, which can be quite valuable.

If you haven’t already found it, be sure to read the first 7 posts of the Genie+ thread, https://www.disboards.com/threads/e...lightning-lane-please-read-posts-1-7.3856734/. In contrast to some other threads, those initial posts are kept very much up to date and can be quite helpful. Then you could start on the last couple of pages and follow along.

Also among the stickies is a thread for those who haven’t been for a while, which might be helpful to you as well - https://www.disboards.com/threads/planning-tips-for-your-disney-trip-start-here.3873895/.

 

[maxsmom]

We too have found Genie+ more useful in MK and DHS than in Epcot or AK. Differences from FP+ that I have found very useful are 1) being able to stack Genie+LLs during the morning and early afternoon so that when we arrive at 4 or even later we already have several of our favorites booked and 2) being able to overlap return windows, so that we could have BTMRR at 4:30 and Splash at 4:45, for example. We like to hang around the resort in the morning and not enter the park until sometime in the afternoon, so both of those come into play. I also like being able to choose a return window when buying an ILL$, again because it allows us more freedom in what time we arrive at the park. We gave up trying to arrive for rope drop or early entry many years ago!

It sounds like you normally stay in a deluxe resort, so you can take advantage of the DEEH, which can be quite valuable.

If you haven’t already found it, be sure to read the first 7 posts of the Genie+ thread, https://www.disboards.com/threads/e...lightning-lane-please-read-posts-1-7.3856734/. In contrast to some other threads, those initial posts are kept very much up to date and can be quite helpful. Then you could start on the last couple of pages and follow along.

Also among the stickies is a thread for those who haven’t been for a while, which might be helpful to you as well - https://www.disboards.com/threads/planning-tips-for-your-disney-trip-start-here.3873895/.

Thank you! This was the exact kind of info we were looking for. It has been very helpful and appreciated.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

So we're also in the camp of G+ is a waste of $ for AK and Epcot, there just isn't enough there for us that we can't do standby or accomplish purchasing an iLL$. We've even managed over spring break and other peak times at these parks without G+. Makes most sense at AK to arrive early to RD or arrive later in the day, hit up non headliners and then plan to do your top hits close to or at close. There are more rides at DHS and MK to maximize G+ and there's definitely more variety, so if you don't get one particular G+ ride, chances are there are a number left you'd be happy with getting a G+ LL, that's really not the case at AK or Epcot. Again, just not enough value for us and it's x 4 in our family so a good bit of waste there.

We are not rope droppers at all. We used to be when my kids were little but now that they're teens, I don't make anyone get out of bed at 6am on vacation. I will wake up early to buy iLL$/G+ and we leisurely make our way to the parks, usually mid morning arrival. The ETPE is only 30 min and so while you can definitely get a good bit done and be ahead of the crowds, it's not the value it once was for resort guests. We usually leave for a break and head back to the park later in the eve. We have used EEH for deluxe resort guests and usually that's a pretty good time. The first hour is still pretty packed but by the last hour, it's a ghost town and you can accomplish a good bit.

Getting to the parks early is a good way to accomplish a lot before the crowds peak for sure. The other strategy we've used is just do what we want morning until afternoon and stack LL's for later afternoon/PM and we plan to arrive whenever the first LL time is and go from there. This has worked for us at DHS and MK really well. The most important thing isn't so much just how you tour the parks but your familiarity with G+, just read up as much as you can and be sure you understand the basics especially if you are hopping.