Disney's Genie Plus is great value!

[smallbutmighty]

As someone who isn’t a California native & visits DL just once every few years, I also agree — Genie+ and the ILL were a major perk. Loved it and don’t regret spending a single penny.

Also to consider, there are only 3 of us and we were only there 2 days. 1 day in Disneyland, 1 day in CA. We rope-dropped *and* used Genie+/ILL both days to really maximize our time. And guess what? We did.

We were able to do a solid amount of rides while still eating the food we wanted, resting when we wanted, and not spending a ridiculous amount of time waiting in line. Yes, we will did standby for some rides, but no longer than 30 minutes. With a fidgety 6 year old (and tbh myself being mildly claustrophobic) this was incredibly helpful.

It’s not for everyone, absolutely. But the people who it can benefit, benefit big time.

 

[MonocularVision]

I see many complaints from MK holders, which makes sense. If they were to offer an Add-On for MKer’s, it would probably decrease the complaining heard and at the same time completely ruin the system.

Edit to add: when I say “see many complaints” I am not talking about this board, I am referring to Reddit and FB groups I visit.

 

[Epicnemesis]

Nice try, Bob.

I came here to post this.

To the OP, the fact that it is so affordable is exactly the problem. It is oversubscribed to which waters down its effectiveness and greatly diminishes the park experience for the non-genie plusers.

Make it as much as what universal express and standby line wait times improve and people who do buy the service can actually use it on a lot more rides.

 

[Lumpy1106]

You are comparing apples to boulders. The cost of a regular ticket, and especially a season pass to those other parks is far less than a ticket to a Disney park. Add to that, nobody exactly stood up and applauded when those other parks introduced their pay-for-cuts systems. You can't be surprised when Disney guests are also critical of Disney's pay-for-cuts. It's a cheap money grab at all the parks, with the burden placed squarely on the other guests - it costs the parks nothing to offer these "services", but it costs the other guests a lot of extra time standing in line. How is that right? After all, I don't recall a drop in the ticket price, so it's certainly not being passed down.

One other thing though; as a regular park guest, I would much rather the parks charge an obscene amount for the pay-for-cuts. That means a whole lot fewer people will use it and the burden on me is far less. We recently went to SFMM and barely noticed the pay-for-cutters - the line didn't go up much at all compared to what we are seeing in Disney parks.

NMW, line cutters get my scorn, and I don't care if the parks are OK with it and especially not if they are profiting from it. Shame on both the guests who use it and the parks. After all these years of being told that line cutting is about the lowest thing you can do in a park (and rightly so) it's really despicable.

 

[Lisa24jks]

NMW, line cutters get my scorn, and I don't care if the parks are OK with it and especially not if they are profiting from it. Shame on both the guests who use it and the parks. After all these years of being told that line cutting is about the lowest thing you can do in a park (and rightly so) it's really despicable.

Oh boy. Love to be called "despicable" for utilizing a service available to everyone. Do you also feel this way about the VIP tours (something that is only availble to those in a higher tax bracket than me)? The old Fastpass/Maxpass system? Think that it's ruining the standby line for those who don't use it? That's on Disney for not limiting Genie+ or ILL sales, not on the people utilizing the service.

It's not for everyone. I get that. Most of us get that. Do Disney in whichever way that suits you best. Don't like it, don't use it. If enough people feel that way too, maybe it will go away. But as long as it's not a hindrance to Disney's profits, it's not going anywhere. (That said, I do agree that financially the comparison is different. Disney has a higher ticket price, but a lower add-on price. So it really isn't much of a difference price-wise on a daily ticket.)

 

[Lumpy1106]

Oh boy. Love to be called "despicable" for utilizing a service available to everyone. Do you also feel this way about the VIP tours (something that is only availble to those in a higher tax bracket than me)? The old Fastpass/Maxpass system?

It's not for everyone. I get that. Most of us get that. Do Disney in whichever way that suits you best. Don't like it, don't use it. If enough people feel that way too, maybe it will go away. But as long as it's not a hindrance to Disney's profits, it's not going anywhere.

Yes, and as I recall, so did the (does the) consensus. Hey look; the Kardashians are cutting in line over there! It's OK, they are VIPs. Uhh...no it's not. We are rationalizing because Disney is letting us pay to cut the line. It doesn't make it right.

Old Fastpass was always a grey area. I didn't think it was right, but since everyone got it, it was still "fair".

 

[starlite_]

It did stop for FastPass but briefly. Like they would let in 5-10 from the FastPass line the let some standby through, then back to FastPass, etc. You were paused for maybe 30-60 seconds then you were moving again. Now, they literally will let in 50 or more Genie+. Like I said, I once stood still for 10 solid minutes while they only let Genie+ through. It was excruciating.

Not what I recall but assuming it always worked like that then again, that seems like a logistics/protocol problem. As in, the cast members are being instructed to let 50 ppl in instead of 10 or whatever. That problem is not caused by Genie+.

 

[Lisa24jks]

Yes, and as I recall, so did the (does the) consensus. Hey look; the Kardashians are cutting in line over there! It's OK, they are VIPs. Uhh...no it's not. We are rationalizing because Disney is letting us pay to cut the line. It doesn't make it right.

There is a bit of a difference between the Kardashians and the private citizens who pay for the VIP tour (and the latter doesn't seem to get much heat from people on these boards). And I say that as someone who could never afford to pay for the VIP tour and I'm not sure that I would do it even if I could.

People are at different levels of what they're willing or able to spend for different experiences and that doesn't necessarily mean those experiences shouldn't exist. Which is why some people stay at GCH and people like me stay offsite. Some people are Club 33 members, and some of us eat QS lunches instead. When it becomes an issue is when people start getting entirely priced out of Disney unless they make six figures. Which, wellllllllllllll, that could be coming. And that's when it will be a very sad day.

 

[starlite_]

Yes, and as I recall, so did the (does the) consensus. Hey look; the Kardashians are cutting in line over there! It's OK, they are VIPs. Uhh...no it's not. We are rationalizing because Disney is letting us pay to cut the line. It doesn't make it right.

Old Fastpass was always a grey area. I didn't think it was right, but since everyone got it, it was still "fair".

lmao the Kardashians closing a whole ride is not the same as a VIP tour having access to LLs. Like at all.

 

[Lumpy1106]

There is a bit of a difference between the Kardashians and the private citizens who pay for the VIP tour (and the latter doesn't seem to get much heat from people on these boards). And I say that as someone who could never afford to pay for the VIP tour and I'm not sure that I would do it even if I could.

People are at different levels of what they're willing or able to spend for different experiences and that doesn't necessarily mean those experiences shouldn't exist. Which is why some people stay at GCH and people like me stay offsite. Some people are Club 33 members, and some of us eat QS lunches instead. When it becomes an issue is when people start getting entirely priced out of Disney unless they make six figures. Which, wellllllllllllll, that could be coming. And that's when it will be a very sad day.

If I sit down for a meal @ Club 33 it does not affect your meal wherever that may be. If you pay for cuts it makes my wait in line longer - a lot longer the way G+ is structured. It's closed now, but do you remember how bad the line got at Roger Rabbits when they introduced FP there? We straight up skipped it. That line didn't move at all. One less ride for us. That's kinda where G+ is headed.

 

[Lisa24jks]

If I sit down for a meal @ Club 33 it does not affect your meal wherever that may be. If you pay for cuts it makes my wait in line longer - a lot longer the way G+ is structured. It's closed now, but do you remember how bad the line got at Roger Rabbits when they introduced FP there? We straight up skipped it. That line didn't move at all. One less ride for us. That's kinda where G+ is headed.

So then that's the fault of Disney and Genie+ for not managing the LLs and standby lines in a way that feels fair to both groups of people. Not the "despicable" people using Genie+.

 

[goofy1954]

Genie + has the same problem our express toll lanes have in the Puget Sound. The price is too low to provide a big time savings. When they artificially cap the tolls at $20 per day everyone floods in there and they become just as congested as the regular lanes. People get upset they are paying $20 a day for only 5 minutes of savings. Exact same thing is happening at Disneyworld. They need to use variable pricing on Genie+ and Lightening Lane so supply and demand are in balance. Some days Genie + should be available for 50 cents. Other days it should be 100 dollars.

Maybe that's why WDW is moving to same-day purchases only. That way, you could vary the prices depending on the actual number of park reservations.

 

[Lumpy1106]

So then that's the fault of Disney and Genie+ for not managing the LLs and standby lines in a way that feels fair to both groups of people. Not the "despicable" people using Genie+.

Do I really need to go back and do a search for the many, many times people started threads here about witnessing line cutting, and the universal wrath they got from the posters here? If the line cutter had responded by saying "it's OK, I slipped the CM a $20", would that have made it OK?

 

[Lisa24jks]

Do I really need to go back and do a search for the many, many times people started threads here about witnessing line cutting, and the universal wrath they got from the posters here? If the line cutter had responded by saying "it's OK, I slipped the CM a $20", would that have made it OK?

Now you're the one comparing apples and boulders. Genie+, Fastpass, Maxpass - none of that is line-cutting. It is a service offered by Disney. It's not bribing a CM. It's not jumping in front of people in standby. It's not even the same as going through Single Rider with what is clearly a group of 8 people who are together. There's nothing against the rules here. It. Is. Not. Line-Cutting.

You don't like it, that's fine, we all hear you quite loud and clear. But nobody is breaking a rule by using Genie+. I'm sorry you have such disdain for your fellow park-goers. Must be tough.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Now you're the one comparing apples and boulders. Genie+, Fastpass, Maxpass - none of that is line-cutting. It is a service offered by Disney. It's not bribing a CM. It's not jumping in front of people in standby. It's not even the same as going through Single Rider with what is clearly a group of 8 people who are together. There's nothing against the rules here. It. Is. Not. Line-Cutting.

You don't like it, that's fine, we all hear you quite loud and clear. But nobody is breaking a rule by using Genie+. I'm sorry you have such disdain for your fellow park-goers. Must be tough.

Let's see, I'm standing in line, you go in front of me - that's not line-cutting? What are you paying for then? So what if you paid Disney instead of "tipping" the CM. That's not much different. And to be clear, I don't think any CM would have accepted a bribe to let this happen. Single rider is not line cutting - they are filling seats that would otherwise be empty. It does not increase your wait in line.
I have disdain for line cutting, not the individual. It's the same disdain we ALL had the day before G+ was introduced. It's kinda surprising you're OK with it.

 

[Lisa24jks]

Let's see, I'm standing in line, you go in front of me - that's not line-cutting? What are you paying for then? So what if you paid Disney instead of "tipping" the CM. That's not much different. And to be clear, I don't think any CM would have accepted a bribe to let this happen. Single rider is not line cutting - they are filling seats that would otherwise be empty. It does not increase your wait in line.
I have disdain for line cutting, not the individual. It's the same disdain we ALL had the day before G+ was introduced. It's kinda surprising you're OK with it.

It's a separate line, no one is cutting directly in front of you. Also, if you use LLs/ILLs, you're actually still waiting. You're just not waiting IN THE LINE. It's not an express pass where you just walk on any time you want. Yes, there is an advantage to waiting elsewhere in the park than the line, but you're still waiting. You said you have disdain for line cutting, not the individual, but then you called everyone using it despicable. So. Sure.

Also, you don't even know me, so why would something be surprising about me? I've never had an issue with any of the Fastpass/MaxPass/Virtual Queues/G+ systems. Either use them, or don't. (And you keep implying that EVERYONE feels the same way about G+ or other line pass type services, before it started or now. It's simply NOT true.)

In any case, I'm peace-ing out of this argument. I'm not sure you're going to be convinced of anything other than your own disdain for Genie+ and those who use it. Oh well. Enjoy.

 

[MillauFr]

I have disdain for line cutting, not the individual. It's the same disdain we ALL had the day before G+ was introduced. It's kinda surprising you're OK with it.

Democratically elected governments are offering Genie+ like services. Why wouldn't a private corporation do the same? Just like the Ferry lines. If you pay for Genie + you get to skip the line and get immediate loading. If you chose standby you might have to wait 2 or 3 boats and several hours before you get loaded.

 

[Whistlebee]

The other consequence of Genie+ that I just can’t wrap my head around is the fact that the standby lines are now outrageously long compared to before. When the FastPass/MaxPass system was in place yes, standby lines were longer than say, last summer when there was NO fastpass-type system in place (I really miss this!) but in the old days you could still wait standby and it was a reasonable wait. I don’t understand what they are doing with Genie+ that makes the standby lines so insanely long.

What also happens with Genie+ is the standby wait times are totally unreliable now. You get in line with a wait time of 30 minutes, your moving along, then suddenly a bunch of Genie+ people show up and the standby line literally stops. I once waited in the toy story line in this scenario and we didn’t move for 10 minutes. Finally they made an announcement that the wait would be longer than previously stayed. Shortly after the wait time in the app jumped to 75 minutes. After already waiting 30 minutes in line we left, much to the disappointment of my child. I really don’t see why this happens now but it didn’t happen very often before, even when every person in the park was able to get as many fast passes as they wanted.

Yes! This exactly! What are they doing!?!?!? The system worked before. No one likes the longer stand by lines now. We’re all going to wait in stand by lines , even if we have Genie+. They prioritize LL way too much, and I pay for Genie+.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Yes! This exactly! What are they doing!?!?!? The system worked before. No one likes the longer stand by lines now. We’re all going to wait in stand by lines , even if we have Genie+. They prioritize LL way too much, and I pay for Genie+.

I really don’t know why they are operating like this but it’s horrible. Why not do it like the old MaxPass system?

 

[Lumpy1106]

It's a separate line, no one is cutting directly in front of you.

You do realize we are all getting on the same ride, right?
Look - you got very caught up on the fact that I don't like line cutters. I didn't like them before G+, I don't like them now either. At least I am being honest. If you think the other people in the standby line like waiting longer for the G+ guests to go ahead of them, well, sorry to tell you, but they don't. You do with that information what you want. I, for one, am staying out of the parks through 2022 and really hoping this changes.