"Disney trips are so complicated now that you need a class to plan one"

[irlandaise]

Yeah, yeah, I know we've heard it all before about Genie+ and LL and ILL. Some people will say "Amen!" while others will say, "Oh for pity's sake, more clickbait. The current ride-booking process isn't that bad."

My feeling is that there's enough of this concern among recent and prospective WDW/DL visitors that there really is some there there. (Also note that the actual article isn't quite as doom-laden as the headline.)

https://wapo.st/3vTUyY5

That gift link will work for two weeks.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Criticisms about the Disney park experience aside, the most insane part of this article is the fact that someone is charging $139 for a course to learn about how to book a theme park vacation. And I thought the $40 guidebook a so called "influencer" is charging for was bad enough.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Someone sent this to me this morning because they know I'm the designated Disney parks expert in the family. Genie+, LL, and VQ at WDW really is a ridiculously convoluted system. At this point, given the prices they are charging anyway, there should just be a system like what Universal has, but likely much much much more expensive than Genie+ to limit demand, you can purchase in advance, and when it's sold out it's gone. $100 per person ride once and $200 unlimited as a base in the low season and going up from there. Most park goers will opt for standby instead, and with less utilization of the Lightning Lane, standby lines will go quicker. And it wouldn't be included with any hotels, obviously. Maybe concierge. I truly believe that the only reason they're not doing this is that given the apples to apples comparison, Disney knows people might switch to Universal deluxe resorts for the included express pass. But newsflash for the C Suite: people are already doing this. Some of us don't want to spend thousands of our hard-earned dollars on a vacation only to have to get up at 7am to have our blood pressure rise when a poorly designed app crashes and we can't get our kids on Slinky Dog without a 2 hour wait. Especially with the ride downtime issues Disney has been having. Forget that.

No amount of tinkering with the currently existing Genie+ system will fix the base issue, which is that WDW is selling more tickets than their ride capacity can manage efficiently. So they can keep increasing ticket prices or they can build more attractions or another gate, but they really only seem to be doing the former, especially compared to Universal. Instead, they just keep building more timeshare units. It's all about short term profits at the cost of guest experience.

 

[genebean203.5]

Criticisms about the Disney park experience aside, the most insane part of this article is the fact that someone is charging $139 for a course to learn about how to book a theme park vacation. And I thought the $40 guidebook a so called "influencer" is charging for was bad enough.

haha right?! Makes me think maybe I should start charging my friends and family for being their "expert"

 

[Smugpugmug]

haha right?! Makes me think maybe I should start charging my friends and family for being their "expert"

Who knew that I could've been making money giving my unsolicited opinions and advice about the Disney park experience lol

 

[irlandaise]

haha right?! Makes me think maybe I should start charging my friends and family for being their "expert"

Maybe you'll make enough to pay for Genie+ on your next visit!

 

[soniam]

You think Walt Disney World is bad. Try Japan. However, after reading a guidebook and looking at their site, in English, it's been a lot easier than I thought. Just have to be organized about the dates and patient. Their website isn't as bad as everyone says. It's definitely no worse than WDW's.

 

[reddog21]

there should just be a system like what Universal has

If your going make it like universal then give Genie+ free for Deluxe guests. I generally like tolerate the way Genie+ is now my only issue is that you can't make your lightning lane reservations ahead of time like you used to with FastPass.

I do agree to the general idea that Genie+ is way to cheap and if you want it to be a premium expierance then it needs to be priced as such.

 

[Minnie1222]

I just watched the Tiktok clip from the link. One of the advices was taking an Uber to the Contemporary to rope drop MK. Nope!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

With the high prices families are paying for a WDW trip & the insane amount of planning required, I honestly can’t blame anyone for taking a class.

 

[reddog21]

If you pay for a class at WDW then it's all about lazyiness. There is a wealth of information out there at your finger tips all you have to do is read. It's really not that complicated.

 

[TikiRob]

I just watched the Tiktok clip from the link. One of the advices was taking an Uber to the Contemporary to rope drop MK. Nope!

I noticed that too! Imagine the waste of money and delay that could cause a family who expected to be first at the gates.

 

[BrianL]

I just watched the Tiktok clip from the link. One of the advices was taking an Uber to the Contemporary to rope drop MK. Nope!

Holy Bad Advice, Batman! They do know you can walk that, right?

 

[Landry]

Holy Bad Advice, Batman! They do know you can walk that, right?

Or more importantly that Uber drivers will most likely be turned away at the Contemporary if you don't have a dining reservation.

 

[Minnie1222]

If you pay for a class at WDW then it's all about lazyiness. There is a wealth of information out there at your finger tips all you have to do is read. It's really not that complicated.

I feel the same. Just because Disney is confusing to some people doesn't mean it's also confusing to you.

 

[New Mouse]

If your going make it like universal then give Genie+ free for Deluxe guests. I generally like tolerate the way Genie+ is now my only issue is that you can't make your lightning lane reservations ahead of time like you used to with FastPass.

I do agree to the general idea that Genie+ is way to cheap and if you want it to be a premium expierance then it needs to be priced as such.

The problem with this is that Disney is creating too many deluxe resorts like Fort now.

 

[ChipnDale79]

If you pay for a class at WDW then it's all about lazyiness. There is a wealth of information out there at your finger tips all you have to do is read. It's really not that complicated.

i tell you, this forum is full of judgement and its a little frustrating. Maybe its not laziness. Maybe it could be a ton of other things in life.

My family and i are disney "experts"; like most here, and a lot of times we watch youtube videos on disney just for the fun of it, and i cant tell you how many times someone in my house has said something like..."oh wow, i didnt know that, or I didnt know you could do that".

If you arent disney experts, planning a trip to Disney can be extremely complicated. Yes the information may be at your fingertips, but that information may take hours upon hours to consume. WDW is a massive place with tons of things to do, for newbies, that can be overwhelming.

 

[New Mouse]

About 10 years ago I said Disney should offer a class for first timers as a resort activity so they could learn how to have an enjoyable vacation.

 

[Da Bird is Da Word]

Advance Dining Reservations don’t seem as hard to get as they used to be, and now Fast Passes are a day-of thing rather than something you’ve got to do 60 days before-hand.

In my opinion the key to having a good time in the theme parks is getting up at 5am and being at the gate an hour early … And early-entry is a must. If you rope-drop the parks you can have all the MustDo rides knocked out by early afternoon and that affords you time for a midday break at the resort and the ability to approach the rest of the day a bit more leisurely. You can’t sleep in during a Disney vacation and show up to the parks at 1pm and be upset that it’s 2hr waits for all the good rides.

It doesn’t necessarily take a ton of planning. Just got to get up EARLY and hustle. A lot of people understandably don’t want to wake up at the butt crack of dawn while they’re on vacation though.

 

[loves to dive]

It is possible to go to WDW without planning a thing, not recommended by most, but possible. I certainly wouldn't pay for a planning course but have, in the past, paid for guide books to places I have visited so don't see much difference. I must own a "hidden" book for every place I've ever visited. I do research everywhere I go, it's so easy now with the internet. We have also had subscriptions to dive forums and newletters that rate dive operations and dive sites and equipment where every day people add comments that help. Heck, even when I'm going somewhere I've been before, I'll hop on the internet and check reviews and videos just to make sure something hasn't changed. I've been to WDW at least 100 times, if not more, and still watch videos just about every day. I have no plans to ever buy Genie+ because I just don't need it. Because I go often I don't mind standing in line or just skipping a line. Having said that, even though I have no intention of ever buying it, I still stay up on the little ins and outs of it.

It all depends on what you want out of it. It's expensive yes, so you want to get your money's worth so it depends on what you feel is your money's worth. I've spent much more on vacations or dive trips and have had not the best times and still felt I've gotten my money's worth. Let's face it, being sick in Hawaii and not being able to physically swallow food for 3 days on a 6 day dive trip, being in bed one of those days all day and diving without eating for two of them, might not be what we wanted to do but at least we had good weather and it was beautiful. I have a feeling even if I went to WDW and it was a once in a life time trip and I only rode 3 rides a day in each park, I'd still feel like I got my money's worth because I was there. With a little research on the internet you can get a feel for the place and decide how deep you want to dive into the ins and outs and go from there. No classes needed.