Disney Genie announcement

[Jrb1979]

Good point - could be free for Club level or Deluxe though - of course they may assume those folks would pay for it anyway.

Will be interesting to see how it all plays out - as I have said - as a solo traveler who does not care about most of the pay per ride rides - I don't mind paying $15 if it saves me a few hours over the day - but if my family was with me and it was $45 to $60 a day that's different story

I have no issue paying $45 for my family. I'm used to paying $100 to $150 per person at other parks.

 

[tony67]

I have no issue paying $45 for my family. I'm used to paying $100 to $150 per person at other parks.

True - but these are two very different things (assuming your talking about Universal) - express pass is once per ride and you just get in line - unlimited express pass you can do the same ride over and over if you want - no planning at all.

You can also get it for free with your room - and depending on the time - its 200-250 a night for the room that gets everyone in it express pass.


BTW - its not about the $45 - its the Cheapek of it

 

[Bcarrier1983]

Not sure I saw this comfirmed in the thread yet, but I read this on Kennythe

"It is also worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

The 1st part is related to the 120 minute clock not starting until park opening, but the second part also implies that you can't cancel a G+ selection you're not going to use. With maxpass you could drop a reservation in real time if a better return window appeared. Have you all seen/heard this confirmed anywhere?

 

[masupo]

Not sure I saw this comfirmed in the thread yet, but I read this on Kennythe

"It is also worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

The 1st part is related to the 120 minute clock not starting until park opening, but the second part also implies that you can't cancel a G+ selection you're not going to use. With maxpass you could drop a reservation in real time if a better return window appeared. Have you all seen/heard this confirmed anywhere?

Molly talked about canceling/rescheduling in her AllEars video. I don't remember exactly what she said. I had planned to rewatch it anyway later on today.

I feel like I'm studying for finals. And all the genie-pigs who go before me are doing the practicum and I'll learn from their experience!

 

[DL1WDW2]

That’s a good way to describe it… study think you know the answers and then totally forget everything you just studied…except it’s worse than Algebra …

 

[thptrek]

Hoping this morning the app would be updated but no.

 

[wisblue]

Not sure I saw this comfirmed in the thread yet, but I read this on Kennythe

"It is also worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

The 1st part is related to the 120 minute clock not starting until park opening, but the second part also implies that you can't cancel a G+ selection you're not going to use. With maxpass you could drop a reservation in real time if a better return window appeared. Have you all seen/heard this confirmed anywhere?

This is why my preliminary thought on how to use this would be to log in at 7 AM and make a LL reservation for an early time.

For example, at MK (where I wouldn’t intend to get any IAS) I could make a LL reservation for, say, Splash Mountain for 9-10. Then we could get to the park for Early Entry and do 7DMT or Space Mountain (possibly both) and then swing over to do BTMRR and Splash. After Spalsh I could get a second LL (like for Jungle Cruise) and try to do Pirates and HM standby before that comes up.

With good timing and maybe a little luck we might be able to get our 7 favorite attractions at MK done before lunch and be in position to use our Genie+ for second tier attractions and then one at our second park of the day.

This is where I’m interested to find out if you can make a LL reservation at the second park before you actually tap into the park. For example, if we’re leaving MK at 2 PM could we try to get a LL reservation for Soarin at 5 PM?

 

[Violetspider]

Not sure I saw this comfirmed in the thread yet, but I read this on Kennythe

"It is also worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

The 1st part is related to the 120 minute clock not starting until park opening, but the second part also implies that you can't cancel a G+ selection you're not going to use. With maxpass you could drop a reservation in real time if a better return window appeared. Have you all seen/heard this confirmed anywhere?

UGH! The second part would seem to eliminate the "refresh for cancelations" scenario some of us loved with MP and FP+. Now we would have to rely on Disney dropping more slots into the app throughout the day, which I'm not sure will happen...ever.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

That’s a good way to describe it… study think you know the answers and then totally forget everything you just studied…except it’s worse than Algebra …

And you show up to the wrong classroom with no clothes on.

 

[wisblue]

UGH! The second part would seem to eliminate the "refresh for cancelations" scenario some of us loved with MP and FP+. Now we would have to rely on Disney dropping more slots into the app throughout the day, which I'm not sure will happen...ever.

I wouldn’t necessarily read it that way. Choosing not to redeem to me means not showing up. Actively cancelling is something different.

I guess this is something we will find out when this rolls out.

 

[disneyworldsk]

i'm hopping onto this thread so i hope i'm not repeating a question and apologize if it's been covered. How do you all think a strategy of park hopping can be used best for genie plus (not ias)? so if i'm doing epcot then mk for example. Also, for ias, i don't have to buy two attractions in one park on one given day if i'm park hopping, correct? so i can buy Rise and Remy in one day?

 

[Violetspider]

I wouldn’t necessarily read it that way. Choosing not to redeem to me means not showing up. Actively cancelling is something different.

I guess this is something we will find out when this rolls out.

Hope your read on that is correct. It would be insane if the app didn't allow someone to cancel a reservation, but that is what the OP is implying I think. The interpretation might be inaccurate though...at least I hope it is.

 

[Bcarrier1983]

Hope your read on that is correct. It would be insane if the app didn't allow someone to cancel a reservation, but that is what the OP is implying I think. The interpretation might be inaccurate though...at least I hope it is.

Yes, I am hoping it's inaccurate and that cancelation and immediate rebooking a different reservation is allowed, but the wording scared me so I was asking if anyone else had heard anything lol.

 

[elgerber]

I wouldn’t necessarily read it that way. Choosing not to redeem to me means not showing up. Actively cancelling is something different.

I guess this is something we will find out when this rolls out.

I would agree that it reads this way.

 

[rmclain73]

Yes, I am hoping it's inaccurate and that cancelation and immediate rebooking a different reservation is allowed, but the wording scared me so I was asking if anyone else had heard anything lol.

like everything else on the MDE app I am sure Disney will let you cancel. The question though still remains will you be able to refresh. I can see them allowing you to do so if you only have 1 ride that is further out. What I doubt they will allow is if you have 1 attraction more than 2 hours out and you have selected another attraction that is sooner. I don’t think you can then refresh the attraction that was further out to a closer time.

 

[cm8]

Did Disney release the fine print yet for who all can buy LL rides before park opening? I see it’s selected Hotels but my question is about those of us with friends staying offsite and our plans are the same. Will we be allowed to book LL rides for them at the same time we utilize it? Or will they have to wait until park opening? TIA!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Did Disney release the fine print yet for who all can buy LL rides before park opening? I see it’s selected Hotels but my question is about those of us with friends staying offsite and our plans are the same. Will we be allowed to book LL rides for them at the same time we utilize it? Or will they have to wait until park opening? TIA!

Purely a guess as this info has not been published but I believe all offsite guests need to wait for park opening to book ILL$ rides.

Others may feel differently. Hopefully we’ll start to get answers to some of these questions in just 3 days.

 

[cm8]

Purely a guess as this info has not been published but I believe all offsite guests need to wait for park opening to book ILL$ rides.

Others may feel differently. Hopefully we’ll start to get answers to some of these questions in just 3 days.

We are set to arrive on Thursday and I’m frantically trying to tie up loose ends We’re staying onsite but my friend and her children will be off property so we will be trying our hardest to navigate the new Greed + and LL

 

[roctavia]

Oh. I agree it's highly unlikely they go back. I just hope Genie flops enough so that they significantly miss their revenue targets. That way, maybe they will learn that even a Disney consumer has a breaking point on the amount of up-charges you add and benefits you take away.

As of right now, I have absolutely zero desire to return. The Disney vacation that I used to love no longer exists. There is no more magic for me. And, once Disney stops being magical, it becomes like everything else. Vacationers must ask themselves, whether or not the product justifies the cost? In my opinion, it does not. Disney went into all of these changes too hard and too fast. Not just Genie+, but all of the perks that have been taken away. It's truly sad.

Even this forum seems to have a lot less traffic than it used to. To me, that's a sign that I am not alone in the way I feel.

I don't know if it will "flop" but I wonder if they find it gets much more underutilized at certain parks, especially with only being able to ride once that will lead to some changes. At the moment, I would definitely not plan to get G+ for AK, there just aren't enough rides to make it worth it, especially once they took out two rides for the extra up charge. If you could re-ride, maybe it'd be worth it, but even then with regular FP+ there wasn't a lot to get more rides on. We are not park hoppers and usually find enough to do at AK, so that's a day that we won't ever pay for Genie +, maybe the extra charge for FOP if we don't make it for rope drop, but even then.... we might be willing to just stand in line. I could see this for Epcot too, especially before the GOG ride opens. Remy sounds fun, but isn't Genie + and 1 ride each on soarin and test track aren't worth the money for our family.... so will they make changes like not limiting it to one ride... (or maybe even after x time you can get second rides? Like starting at 3pm or something?) Or I could see them offering it to onsite guests... similar to FP, not everyone will know enough to utilize it, so I don't know if it will still cause the same FP problem, especially at lower occupancy times.

To your point of taking away perks, we are definitely feeling that... Ending MDE right now, with a rental car shortage too... it will suck to get to the resort from the airport. We are traveling in May but I'm thinking it will be a last trip for a long while.... We were headed to DL May 2020 when the pandemic first started, since we wanted to see GE and had a conference out there, and honestly, if we had made it for that trip, we'd be cancelling WDW. My oldest turns 9 this year, so the plan is one last WDW trip before she's "adult" price.... and if things keep going this way, we won't go back for a long, long time.... instead of trying to plan a trip every 2-3 years. Maybe once my kids have kids(so in 15-20 years?), we can do the family trip again... but we're going to look at other destinations for next time if things continue down this path.

Hopefully Genie+ will still make for a fun trip this time around, but it's hard to see the value when things are getting more expensive for less.

 

[shawthorne44]

Did Disney release the fine print yet for who all can buy LL rides before park opening? I see it’s selected Hotels but my question is about those of us with friends staying offsite and our plans are the same. Will we be allowed to book LL rides for them at the same time we utilize it? Or will they have to wait until park opening? TIA!

They never released the fine print for FPP. People just had to figure it out and report to others.
Same with this.

ETA: On the general subject. I wonder if the parks will be mostly standby for most rides most days, and Disney is OK with that. Think about it. If you wanted to design a FP-replacement system that didn't hose up the standby line, this would be it. By taking away the top two rides in each park, one-ride rule and no AP add-on, you limit who how many people will buy/have G+. Then the no-re-ride rule limits the impact on standby even if a bunch of people buy it. With the IA$$$, people aren't going to buy that more than once per ride per trip. I expect everything buy ROTR, Remy and FOP will be basically standby only. Of course, the argument against Disney wanting IA$$$ being unused is how they lowered the price of it at DLP.