Disney Genie+ and ILL$ Details & FAQ - Launches 10/19 at WDW, Paid "FastPass" at WDW and Disneyland (date TBD)

[Liquidice]

I think airlines had to offer perks because people were still uneasy with flying, and they were enticing people to come back, Disney is multifaceted, and managed its way through the pandemic pretty easily, (primarily because of Disney+), therefore they did not have to entice their customers to a level airlines have had to.

I just think that Disney is in a non win situation when it comes to perks, they raise prices, people are upset that perks are being removed, but perks are typically a temporary adder to entice guests, Disney clearly feels like these are no longer needed to entice guests, but people feel robbed because of the less for more money situation you have stated above. They only option that makes people happy is to leave perks the way they are, or to add to them. even if Disney decreased room rates for the loss of perks i still believe everyone would be up in arms, because it wouldn't have been enough, the perk was worth more then any assigned dollar amount type of thing.

Negative opinions are perfectly acceptable when reporting, what i don't find ok is when reporters let their emotions dictate their opinions, i think you have to separate the two otherwise bias can cloud your reporting.

What you're saying about charging less for Genie+ during less peak times doesn't make sense to me, think about how FP+ was free, and how you would get more out of it if the park was slow, but less out of it if the park was crowded. i would be more in line of charging less for Genie+ during peak periods, but that wouldn't make a lot of sense to a business

Up charges are the way of the future, and in reality, the recent past. Consumer businesses are all capitalizing on micro transactions, do not do so would be a misstep by management, they are implemented because they work, plain and simple haha

How can the DIS come out and pit Genie, and FP+ against each other when Genie hasn't even been implemented, and a lot is still primarily speculation, that is biased reporting. Damning something that hasn't even had a chance to run is dishonest reporting.

I agree that you vote with your wallet, the question becomes, if you remove your wallet, do two more take your place, and we won't know that for quite sometime

I don't think the DIS Unplugged is intended to simply report facts, every major news organization tilts and influences their reporting - but in particular the DIS Unplugged show isn't trying to represent itself only as a news reporting show. This show is about news and having a discussion where they are presenting their opinions, they don't always agree either - there are plenty of talk shows where people are presenting their opinion of things like this. Opinions generally speaking are partially influenced by your emotions too.

I also don't think Deni was pitting G+ specifically against FP+ she was saying the overall news out of Disney recently has been all negative or at least not something customers were happy with - and when you combine that with how things have been during the pandemic - it maybe amplifies the negative opinion for some customers.

I do think it will be interesting to see how things progress over time - especially if Disney continues down this trajectory of adding up-charges. Will the demand continue? Perhaps it will make some people happy if demand decreases because it will actually create a better experience for those who still choose to go.

I don't think Disney is trying to simply create an experience with less people though, their goal seems to be to have as many people in the parks as possible and up-charge if you want a better experience with shorter waits. I am interested to see if they continue this trend and add other up-charges. If the changes do decrease demand to the point where it impacts revenue - I think Disney would have to change things to attract customers again. It won't be a return to the way things were in 2019 of course, but maybe they'll try to give us back something in terms of perks - and those of us who don't like the changes will forget and jump back on the bandwagon

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I don't think the DIS Unplugged is intended to simply report facts, every major news organization tilts and influences their reporting - but in particular the DIS Unplugged show isn't trying to represent itself only as a news reporting show. This show is about news and having a discussion where they are presenting their opinions, they don't always agree either - there are plenty of talk shows where people are presenting their opinion of things like this. Opinions generally speaking are partially influenced by your emotions too.

I also don't think Deni was pitting G+ specifically against FP+ she was saying the overall news out of Disney recently has been all negative or at least not something customers were happy with - and when you combine that with how things have been during the pandemic - it maybe amplifies the negative opinion for some customers.

I do think it will be interesting to see how things progress over time - especially if Disney continues down this trajectory of adding up-charges. Will the demand continue? Perhaps it will make some people happy if demand decreases because it will actually create a better experience for those who still choose to go.

I don't think Disney is trying to simply create an experience with less people though, their goal seems to be to have as many people in the parks as possible and up-charge if you want a better experience with shorter waits. I am interested to see if they continue this trend and add other up-charges. If the changes do decrease demand to the point where it impacts revenue - I think Disney would have to change things to attract customers again. It won't be a return to the way things were in 2019 of course, but maybe they'll try to give us back something in terms of perks - and those of us who don't like the changes will forget and jump back on the bandwagon

i get where you are coming from with the Dis, they have a mix of actual reporting, and opinion based reporting as well, i just don't understand why everyone insists on tearing Genie down before it has even been released

 

[Liquidice]

i get where you are coming from with the Dis, they have a mix of actual reporting, and opinion based reporting as well, i just don't understand why everyone insists on tearing Genie down before it has even been released

Honestly, Genie is a victim of all of the changes occurring at the same time. Genie itself (the free part) is probably going to be a good change especially for people who aren't familiar with WDW. Genie+ by itself, the price is not that much that it is such a big deal - although I would like to see an annual pass option to add Genie+ on all year long like MaxPass had (maybe this is coming) or a discount for adding it for your entire trip. But all of the changes combined is what I think has a lot of us unhappy.

I do think its important to try it out or see how things go though - maybe Disney will reduce the number of Lightning Lane riders versus Standby riders and the standby waits will overall be shorter as a result. I suspect Genie+ will probably work relatively well as it seems like MaxPass was well received - so I hope the same applies to Genie+. Still don't know if I would actually pay for it - or if I am paying for it, I personally will want to shift some of that cost and skip paying for something else like eating in the park.

 

[shawthorne44]

I think Deni wasn't talking about G+ as much as Everything. Bring back the shows, bring back the trams, bring back the characters. Bring back the misc. stuff to do.

I'd never understood why the non-face characters had to go away. They basically have the world's biggest mask on their face.

 

[Venelope21]

Sigh and yet another day goes by without a date release. I was really hoping for today.

 

[Liquidice]

I thought this article was pertinent since Deni wrote it and she gives her thoughts and opinions on the recent changes ...

I think it captures a lot of our feelings on not just Genie but all of the recent changes.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney...ction-of-cash-is-king-and-perception-is-king/

 

[fabfemmeboy]

I'd never understood why the non-face characters had to go away. They basically have the world's biggest mask on their face.

Even though it seems like that giant suit should protect them (I mean, what virus can get through Goofy's big noggin?), the holes in the mesh that lets them see (and breathe) is too big to keep viruses out. So they wouldn't have been any safer than the face actors, despite being covered in a giant furry suit.

 

[rmclain73]

I spoke with a CM who just completed his Genie training. He did confirm that stacking is available. After 2 hours you will be able to have access to another lightning lane.

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks for clarifying that I knew it was capped at 2 per day. Saw a bunch of people commenting on FB that are under the impression that the LL was going to be that you would pay one price and you could take a group of people onto the ride.. So I thought I had missed something and wanted to make sure it was priced per person not for a group of people.

Boy are those people going to be sorely disappointed and upset!

 

[Aprilshack]

I spoke with a CM who just completed his Genie training. He did confirm that stacking is available. After 2 hours you will be able to have access to another lightning lane.

So you can only book one LL at a time and you have to wait 2 hours to book your next ride?!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I saw signs for lightening lane everywhere it’s definitely about to drop any day now.

I rode I think about 95% of all rides at Disney this week without it and sucks that another paid feature is coming out

 

[Marionnette]

So you can only book one LL at a time and you have to wait 2 hours to book your next ride?!

If it works the way legacy FP worked, if you book a LL reservation and it is more than 2 hours away, you can make another LL reservation two hours after you made the first one.

So, let's say it's 11 AM and you reserve a LL for PP at 6:15 PM. At 1 PM you can make another LL reservation for any other attraction that has availability. That second attraction could have a return time that is sooner than the one you have for PP or it could be later.

The only question is whether Genie+ will show you all available time slots like FP+ did or will it only show you "next available", like legacy FP did?

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

So you can only book one LL at a time and you have to wait 2 hours to book your next ride?!

The way it seems to be working is that if you have an LL for 3 hours from that point, Disney will allow you to stack another LL on top of that one after two hours. If you have an LL for 30 minutes from now, once you use that one, you can immediately book another, god I hope that makes sense haha

 

[Jrb1979]

If it works the way legacy FP worked, if you book a LL reservation and it is more than 2 hours away, you can make another LL reservation two hours after you made the first one.

So, let's say it's 11 AM and you reserve a LL for PP at 6:15 PM. At 1 PM you can make another LL reservation for any other attraction that has availability. That second attraction could have a return time that is sooner than the one you have for PP or it could be later.

The only question is whether Genie+ will show you all available time slots like FP+ did or will it only show you "next available", like legacy FP did?

From the sounds of it you will only see next available. You won't see multiple times go pick from.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I keep checking back here hoping for a solid date on when it starts. And I'm still surprised at the level of complaint. Disneyland is my home park and most of us were already paying for MP so I guess there isn't quite as much outrage on the west coast. I do remember when MP started people were frustrated, but they all got over it when they realized how much easier it made everything.

That being said, I think the real killer here is the a la carte attractions. But who knows? Maybe it won't be as bad as we think. It probably will be, but I'm holding off of judging until I actually use the new system.

 

[Marionnette]

I keep checking back here hoping for a solid date on when it starts. And I'm still surprised at the level of complaint. Disneyland is my home park and most of us were already paying for MP so I guess there isn't quite as much outrage on the west coast. I do remember when MP started people were frustrated, but they all got over it when they realized how much easier it made everything.

That being said, I think the real killer here is the a la carte attractions. But who knows? Maybe it won't be as bad as we think. It probably will be, but I'm holding off of judging until I actually use the new system.

As @Liquidice pointed out in a PP, the WDW backlash against Genie+/IA$ is that it is yet one more thing in a pile of cutbacks and upcharges at WDW that has people upset. It isn't just Genie+. It's that Genie+ is the final straw for a lot of people.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

As @Liquidice pointed out in a PP, the WDW backlash against Genie+/IA$ is that it is yet one more thing in a pile of cutbacks and upcharges at WDW that has people upset. It isn't just Genie+. It's that Genie+ is the final straw for a lot of people.

I feel like that take has evolved, it definitely started out as resentment towards Genie, now people have changed their tune to it being the “last straw”

 

[Jrb1979]

I feel like that take has evolved, it definitely started out as resentment towards Genie, now people have changed their tune to it being the “last straw”

It's the opposite for me. Genie+ has made me want to book a trip again. Getting rid of the advanced planning makes it better for me.

 

[Sinder]

I feel like that take has evolved, it definitely started out as resentment towards Genie, now people have changed their tune to it being the “last straw”

Not for me, it's been the last straw for me since the first announcement.

 

[bianca]

As @Liquidice pointed out in a PP, the WDW backlash against Genie+/IA$ is that it is yet one more thing in a pile of cutbacks and upcharges at WDW that has people upset. It isn't just Genie+. It's that Genie+ is the final straw for a lot of people.

It is definitely the last straw for our family! Hello Universal!