Disney Genie announcement

[JakeAZ]

** refillable cup locations temporarily closed due to COVID.

 

[itf]

As soon as your first LL is used you can book another, so all good for you.

This really assumes you can get an early ride. If you find your earliest ride time is mid-day, say it's a bust. At what point do you pay your $15 here? When you make the first LL or do you have to pay the $15 and then see what you can get if anything.

 

[boop0524]

I'm really curious to see first the pricing for the Tier 1 attractions and then secondly how this works for people when it rolls out. I'm willing to reserve my full judgement until those things happen. We all pretty much knew this was coming, and I'm not turned off by $15 a day. That said, this needs to be something that works if we're paying for it and I'd also like to ride my favorite rides (7DMT, Slinky) without paying an arm and a leg. I do also really feel for people who just want to visit the most Magical Place on Earth and have no clue the degree of planning involved nowadays. Sure, there's also been planning involved, but I think you could definitely wing it more in the past.... I know Disney is not completely blind to the criticism they've received for some of their recent decisions, so we'll see how it plays out. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised

 

[Turksmom]

* $10 per day for "express walking lane access" throughout park

I'd actually pay for that one.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We loved having 3 FP+ set up for our arrival day. Now would it even be worth it to show up to a crowded park after our flight. Can I see what G+ has available before I purchase? I would hate to purchase it then find out there’s nothing left.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

Here's a thought lets get rid of the genie system and get rid of Chapek. He is worst than Iger! Under his leadership disney has become very undisney! I wish the Genie would make him disappear!

 

[Lashed34]

This really assumes you can get an early ride. If you find your earliest ride time is mid-day, say it's a bust. At what point do you pay your $15 here? When you make the first LL or do you have to pay the $15 and then see what you can get if anything.

Well, this is the big debate issue - we are assuming you pay your $15 and then hope and prey there is an LL for a ride that you want to go on. I believe if you prebook prior to a visit you have to book Genie+ for the duration of the visit. What I'm unsure of is, if you pay once in resort, at what time of the day you can purchase it - but once in resort you can pay for what days you wish to use it, not the full duration. It's all very odd to be honest.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I haven't read through the whole thread but I think this will also take away the rope drop advantage for us early risers. If everyone is up at 7 anyway having the privilege to book and pay for what amounts to what we used to call free fast passes, they are going to head to the parks early. No spreading out the crowds, especially if the rides go fast like they did with the paper fast pass system. And the constant need to be on the phone. No thanks! I am so happy that I booked an all inclusive Beaches trip to Jamaica next summer instead of succumbing to my Disney itch because this sounds like total stress to me. I guess I will use my $1500 in accumulated Disney Dollars toward my Caribbean flights!

I've seen several posters and comments mention that it likely means one person will get up early to reserve while the rest of the family sleeps. There very well could still be an advantage, especially with all 4 parks having early entry every day to spread crowds out.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

My best guesses as to the answers to your questions:

If I park-hop, will I get another set of 2 tier-1 attractions that I'll have the "privilege" of paying for? Or did I use up my 2 for the day at park #1?

Nope. 2 attractions per day, though they don't both have to be at the same park. (I wish that weren't so, but I think it is.)

If I park-hop, do I have to pay for G+ all over again for the new park? And what if I go back to park #1 in the evening? Ack!

Nope. Genie+ should last all day, at multiple parks for park hoppers. (I will be really angry if this is wrong!)

Will there be any way to select a preferred time? I mean, if I get to the park at RD and by the time I get off ride #1, my desired #2 ride isn't available until 8 p.m. and I have no intention of staying in the park that late--or have a conflicting ADR at another park or resort--am I just SoL? $15 paid to ride HM when there might not've even been a line when I got to MK.

I believe that you will be able to select times for the extra paid tier-1 Lightning Lane passes, but not for the regular tier-2 Genie+ passes. You just get the next available time.

What will RD be like now? Will it still be advantageous to RD any/all of the parks? A way to bypass having to pay to not wait in long lines?

For onsite guests who get the 30-minute early entry bonus, rope drop will get you a relatively short wait for one tier-1 ride. For offsite guests, I don't see much of an advantage anymore.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

We have a trip booked for the fall, but sadly I know in my heart this is our last.

Too complicated
Too many upcharges- I hate the feeling of missing out on great stuff when I’m already paying SO. MUCH.
Too much revenue focus that bleeds out into every experience now. The spirit of the place has been dwindling for years. Being tied to a phone constantly adding more cost is beyond the pale for this Mouseketeer.

I will miss you Disney. At least the way you used to be.

 

[Stefne]

Wasn't that the case with Maxpass anyway? One pass at a time?

You could hold more than one pass with MaxPass, you just had to allow 90 minutes to elapse (or use your current one if the return window wasn't too far in the future) before you could get another. If for instance, I grabbed a pass for Space Mtn at 9:30 in the morning with a return time of 1PM, I could grab another pass for something else at 11AM. The new version sounds as if you can only have 1 pass at a time regardless of how far in the future the return time is.

 

[itf]

Well, this is the big debate issue - we are assuming you pay your $15 and then hope and prey there is an LL for a ride that you want to go on. I believe if you prebook prior to a visit you have to book Genie+ for the duration of the visit. What I'm unsure of is, if you pay once in resort, at what time of the day you can purchase it - but once in resort you can pay for what days you wish to use it, not the full duration. It's all very odd to be honest.

I'm staying off-site next year but have a 14 day ticket (of which we'll do 10 park days, theoretically) - I would hope they're not going to make me pay for 14 days G+ when I'm not visiting the park every day. But as I said before in this thread, depending on how it shakes out we may just end up not going. :|

 

[JakeAZ]

We loved having 3 FP+ set up for our arrival day. Now would it even be worth it to show up to a crowded park after our flight. Can I see what G+ has available before I purchase? I would hate to purchase it then find out there’s nothing left.

There is a preview function built in to see what's available before buying it. The preview price is $15pp per day

 

[JakeAZ]

You could hold more than one pass with MaxPass, you just had to allow 90 minutes to elapse (or use your current one if the return window wasn't too far in the future) before you could get another. If for instance, I grabbed a pass for Space Mtn at 9:30 in the morning with a return time of 1PM, I could grab another pass for something else at 11AM. The new version sounds as if you can only have 1 pass at a time regardless of how far in the future the return time is.

I have seen reports there will be a 120 minute window where you can grab another one. Reliable website, but I don't believe it's been 100% confirmed.

 

[Kbrb]

I see they are getting rave reviews on twitter, facebook, youtube and any other social media they are stupid enough to post on.

They must have known this was going to happen which leads me to think they dont care and think we will all complain and pay up regardless

 

[diskids2]

For the additional add on rides you will. But for G+ that you pay $15 a person you won’t.

ahhhhhh. I wonder how much earlier? a day or an hour.....just wondering.

 

[Stefne]

I have seen reports there will be a 120 minute window where you can grab another one. Reliable website, but I don't believe it's been 100% confirmed.

I hope this is true!

 

[katyringo]

My other thought to this is: waiting in line isn’t the end of the world.

so we buy the genie plus and use lightening lane for all the “tier 2” rides and then maybe we wait in the line for those top rides. I mean.. is that the worst thing ever?

I feel like folks act like if they can’t have fastpass they can’t ride.

the concerns with what if the return time you get in your first choice is later and then you can’t get another for a long time.. I really don’t think that will happen. I realllly think it will work like maxpass. I know it says make another after you have used it but maxpass had that language too and it used a timer as well as after you used it.


didn’t it say you would need to chose the next available time? So if you are logged on at 7am. The first time you are going to see is for park opening time.. so you choose your first one. But the parks are open to resort guests half hour early. So NO one has fastpass the first half hour. Rope drop a couple rides, hit your first fastpass and then immediately book the next fastpass. Everyone else staying on site will only have been able to book one and the day guests will just have been able to book their first one.. you will book your second probably for a late morning time. And by the time lunch rolls around you will have gone a good amount

those of you who don’t want to come to the parks early.. it says “starting at 7” you can watch the return times and start watching for times to align when you will get into the parks.

 

[katyringo]

I hope this is true!

This is how maxpass works.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

ahhhhhh. I wonder how much earlier? a day or an hour.....just wondering.

on-site can do it at 7 am. Off-site can do it once they enter the park.