Disney Genie announcement

[jmparry]

I'm wondering what will this mean for people like my parents: Over 70, they don't use apps, won't pay additional to get on a ride sooner, value resort devotees, but they love WDW. Will they simply wait in longer standby lines? Ride fewer rides throughout the day? Will it really be miserable without taking advantage of Genie+ or Lightning Lane if they don't care about the number of rides they can check off? There has to still be some magic!

 

[luv2cheer92]

I understand what she is saying. But if she is okay with this, she is not really a planner. Which is perfectly fine, many are not planners.

My spreadsheets and itinerary documents (for every vacation, not just Disney), and every single person that knows me, would strongly beg to differ. But you don't have to understand, it's ok.

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

I'm wondering what will this mean for people like my parents: Over 70, they don't use apps, won't pay additional to get on a ride sooner, value resort devotees, but they love WDW. Will they simply wait in longer standby lines? Ride fewer rides throughout the day? Will it really be miserable without taking advantage of Genie+ or Lightning Lane if they don't care about the number of rides they can check off? There has to still be some magic!

I have similar concerns, my parents are older and will be taking what may be their last family trip with everyone. Do they pay the upcharge knowing they'll hardly use it but if they don't do they have to watch the rest of the family jump on one of the rides they want to ride in 10 minutes while they wait 50?

 

[Chris_T]

I'm wondering what will this mean for people like my parents: Over 70, they don't use apps, won't pay additional to get on a ride sooner, value resort devotees, but they love WDW. Will they simply wait in longer standby lines? Ride fewer rides throughout the day? Will it really be miserable without taking advantage of Genie+ or Lightning Lane if they don't care about the number of rides they can check off? There has to still be some magic!

Go at 'relatively' quieter times of the year, I'm also assuming although I could be wrong that the rides they would go on would not be the top tier ones which should make standby less of an issue (apologies if I am getting that wrong )

 

[jmparry]

Go at 'relatively' quieter times of the year, I'm also assuming although I could be wrong that the rides they would go on would not be the top tier ones which should make standby less of an issue (apologies if I am getting that wrong )

Not at all! Safari they will want to ride, roller costers they won't. They usually go at a 'relatively' quieter time. So they can still enjoy their trip without Genie+?

 

[MissionMouse]

Responding to Genie working with Magic Bands or only phones. Expect the reason the MAGIC of the free bands being remove from from resort packages may relate to this new tool that 'helps' you by monitoring you by tracking and monitoring you using your phones functions/applications. Use this data to gain insights to customer behaviors, engineer park changes to create other other "improvements" to make you pay for their imbalance between number of guest and ride capacity. The magic band won't allow them the level of data you will voluntarily give them by using your phone, allowing them to further plan out other revenue streams

 

[elgerber]

I have missed some pages, but I wonder what is considered on-site for the 7am LL purchases. If you have a reservation for that day, but haven't yet checked in, do you think that will count?

In addition to this question that I am still wondering about, has it been discussed if you get to pick a time slot for your paid LL purchase, or if that will also be next available, take it or leave it?

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

Not at all! Safari they will want to ride, roller costers they won't. They usually go at a 'relatively' quieter time. So they can still enjoy their trip without Genie+?

I've seen conflicting reports on the safari, some have speculated it will be in the top tier LL$ rides which wouldn't be Genie+ but that seems very much uncertain now as other have EE in there instead.

 

[ToyStoryManiaMouse]

I’m straight-up thrilled with these options. It was the system I was wishing for

 

[taterheads]

Responding to Genie working with Magic Bands or only phones. Expect the reason the MAGIC of the free bands being remove from from resort packages may relate to this new tool that 'helps' you by monitoring you by tracking and monitoring you using your phones functions/applications. Use this data to gain insights to customer behaviors, engineer park changes to create other other "improvements" to make you pay for their imbalance between number of guest and ride capacity. The magic band won't allow them the level of data you will voluntarily give them by using your phone, allowing them to further plan out other revenue streams

Well that didn't exactly answer my question but it's definitely not exactly a heart warming thought.... You are completly right though. We will give up every bit of our privacy. They will have all our personal info, cards, room numbers, demographic as well as that of our entire family. Sure hope they dont end up with a data breech, which isn't exactly reassuring since we're talking Disney IT here... hum, well thanks for the food for thought.

 

[menotyou21]

I've prob read 45 of the 65 pages...but has it been discussed how this could quickly cause a group to be running from land to land, etc. Then take into account an ADR. In the past, I'd map out our "park path" to optimize our route for the day, with flexibility. But with G+, for example: if we want to ride Thunder Mt. and it becomes avail on G+ and we are in Tomorrowland....then we have an ADR at BOG 1.5 hours from now....we'd have to trek quite a bit. I hear all the comments regarding planning and I personally know people who have gone to WDW and be so upset because they didn't understand FP+. But WDW isn't changing ADR planning...yet. Seems a bit counter to each other...."we are taking the planning difficulty out.....but get up at 4:45am 60 days before your trip to book your ADRs". Those same families who were upset with no FP+ on key rides; also missed out on some dining experiences....is the ADR window removal next, with Genie charging for premium ADRs at 7am? (queue sarcasm)

I don't like paying for a once free service; but really WDW is one of the only places that does not charge for a "fast lane". Six Flags over TX ( I KNOW...not comparable in any way), but their 1 day ticket is $30; their mid tier skip the lines is $80. But at least I know exactly what I'm getting. Kinda crazy to think Six Flags will be more consistent in this area. For contrast, SeaWorld San Antonio 1 day ticket $55, skip lines $20. I'd pay a premium for complete flexibility, even if it was 1 LL per ride per day, but came as an all-in package price.

Alternatively, for a group of 10, this could really make a VIP tour seem more reasonably priced.

 

[Jonfw2]

I’m straight-up thrilled with these options. It was the system I was wishing for

Well, I have to say this is nice to hear. Can you expand on why?

 

[Nick6300]

Conclusion: If we pay for Genie+ that helps us most at MK and HS. So that puts us doing HS/MK day Genie+ and AK/EP day with possible $LL FOP and Remy. It just really doesn’t seem like the $15 option would help with enough lines in AK and EP, but $LL could. UNLESS you factor in riding multiple times. But with our limited time we probably wouldn’t do that anyway - we’d take more rest breaks instead.

I think we also felt that for AK/EP the + wasn't as necessary. We're typically done with rides around lunch time at AK, and we do circle back for 2nds for select rides at EP like Soarin and LWTL, but don't know that even $15 per is needed.

 

[Nick6300]

The more I think about it, the more I realize what an entirely different direction this is.

The dining plan. The dining plan never made sense to me. I didn't use it. It cost people more money overall than I thought you should even spend on food and was a bad value for most people. But people still bought it because they liked to pre-pay it or just didn't like being nickel and dimed for every meal. I still don't get the dining plan. I just pay for dinner.

Genie is like the worst possible combo. He wants to charge you $20 for Slinky Dog AND he doesn't let you preplan or prepay for everything. You have to think about and handle every microtransaction while wrangling your kids and dropping another $20 here and there, and maybe you don't feel like going on Pirates right now. Some of these are planned at 7AM, I guess some of these Genie is going to wing for you. At least a prepaid pass like Universal's, even if it's expensive, you know what you are getting, like the dining plan.

It feels like the pay as you go situation is going to be more difficult to track vs. pre-paying for everything. If you pay $15/20 here and there, you're not going to feel as overwhelmed as seeing that building total, potentially spending more than intended, and playing into their hands.

 

[aviva5675]

I think this will all stink for AP like us that drive over for a day. Can book at 7 am but we might normally go over, eat a meal, do one or two things then leave. Now no idea if will be able to choose time slot for LL or + ride, so would throw things off. Also what if some LL you really want is the same time as an ADR?

 

[aviva5675]

I cant imagine that all opportunities will be only at 7am. They must (must?) be going to also drop a bunch at 9am so at least off site guests can get some times. And/or release times throughout the day so you arent stuck with your second LL late in the day and cant get another till then.

 

[Nick6300]

I'm not so sure this time. It seems to me that a big part of the goal here is to get guests into the parks earlier and to stay longer. If we're only getting one LL pass at a time, and have to wait a period of time for the next one, the only way to get a decent amount of rides in might be to rope drop. Not to mention they already have us up at 7am, if on property. I think we might see touring styles shift dramatically because of this. We'll see what standby wait times look like when this rolls out. That is the key right there to how much this is going to have an effect on everything.

It could also make it more appealing for guests to pay large sums of money for the early/after hours parties and Deluxe stays for the late hours - once they open it up more than the 1x at EP and MK per week. They may create more paid events for non holidays, and soon, they will have night owls and early risers paying more. As an early riser, I'm not looking forward to even more daunting RD crowds.

 

[Nick6300]

Disney must know they’ve upset the planning population. I almost wonder if there will be a $25 option in the future to “New Genie+ magic! Wish for and schedule Two Tier 2 rides in advance, such as favorites like Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean. Feel relaxed knowing two of your favorite attractions are scheduled without any early wake ups or uncertainty!”

I can see the email from Disney now touting it.

I think I saw Josh D'Amoro tout the opposite, that now you don't have to spend all of that time planning and making spreadsheets. I enjoyed the planning, and while not everyone does, a lot of my friends got into the planning as well.

 

[Nick6300]

I don't think there's any question they're going to tweak the system in the future and I'll lay odds that the changes won't reduce the cost.

Agree, anything with a price provides an opportunity for an increase in price later. Now they have multiple ways to increase revenues via straight up ticket increases, increases to G+ and LL, and other ways for guests to try to gain more time (Deluxe reservations, early/after hours parties).

 

[Stefne]

I think they should have made Genie+ part of the ticket price for everyone. And then just raised ticket prices by $10-$15/day or so.

I honestly wondered why they didn't do that as well, but then realized that they wouldn't have been able to get that $15 upcharge from AP holders every time they visit so I kind of thought maybe that was why.