Does the new Genie+ pay-per-attraction system alter your views on DVC's value?

[mlayton14]

I hear you , it’s more niche to a specific age group which is totally fine, just not for us

 

[Chuck S]

Here's one of the problems I have with this system. DVC works best when you book at least 7 months in advance, and certain seasons you need to book 11 months out. Then what? Before at 6 months we could book dining, which was kind of like the "park day" reservation thing, which also needs to be booked early. Then you sit and wait. It used to be when the FP+ window opened you could book your 3 free fastpass+ times around your dining reservations, or maybe adjust your dining reservation if needed. A perk for onsite guests, most of whom are not Floridians. Allowing time for a relaxing dining experience. That has flown out the window. And now you have to get up and online at 7am to book your first "lightning pass" for the day. For some reason, the suits in Burbank are forgetting the big differences between the demographics between California and WDW guests. The whole world is not California, not everyone is young, not everyone has smart phones, not everyone is app literate. And I'm not being mean, I grew up in California, and moving to Texas was quite the eye-opening culture shock. A culture shock the decision makers at Disney need to experience. and consider when making decisions for WDW.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

Also, I think the vagueness with the details is purposeful. Maybe want to see Public reactions before finalizing those smaller details. Maybe it’s included in top AP? DVC discount? You never know.

I hate to say this- but I have long wondered the same thing. How many vague intros by Disney are just for the sake of seeing what the public will “allow” or pay for?!? I don’t generally have an evil conspiracy view regarding Disney- but this one gets me every time. So, it kinda drives me crazy when people not only say they’re willing pay- but they start giving actual numbers!! Disney has to be watching those responses.

I, for one, still hope Genie *creates* a tangible perk they can provide to onsite guests and DVC/AP guests… they need to incentivize, not irritate their biggest fanbase(s) … and I do hope they’re reading this

 

[Dis-Dad]

No. We bought DVC to stay at resorts we couldn’t afford to pay cash rates for (at least not as frequently). Being offered an optional daily up charge for shorter lines doesn’t affect that calculus. Maybe down the road they will comp it or discount it for DVC? Who knows.

I get that all the DVC Membership Extras can vanish but the one that would disappoint me if they cut is the AP discount. It important to us as DVC given several trips a year.

 

[Jwaire]

if there is no discount for purchasing length of stay, what on earth would be the point of that? You can’t reserve rides until the day of, so you’d be prepaying for the service, and losing some flexibility, for no benefit.

Disney is offering that option so travel agents and customers who book directly through Disney will just opt-in to adding it to their reservation just like Park Hopper, Water Parks and Dining Plan.

I'd love to know how many people purchase Park Hopper or Water Parks option and never even use it. I bet a ton. We already know they make a killing off Dining Plan.

 

[gkrykewy]

Disney is offering that option so travel agents and customers who book directly through Disney will just opt-in to adding it to their reservation just like Park Hopper, Water Parks and Dining Plan.

I'd love to know how many people purchase Park Hopper or Water Parks option and never even use it. I bet a ton. We already know they make a killing off Dining Plan.

I understand the point for Disney, I just don’t understand the point for guests

 

[Noah_t]

Me too! If they have evening hours for all the parks during a week-long stay, then I'd say OK--I'm cool. Because then my expensive resort stay can guarantee my access to at least many of the busy rides without extra cost. Then we might do Genie+ some days, some not, more resort stays, that's all fine with me. Just don't make me have to get up at 7 on vacation to be able to ride stuff. I'm the planner type and Genie+ seems to work against us.

Yes especially for us West Coast guests the more I think about it the more I think I would really enjoy the extra magic hours. Especially if they have one night at each park per week where they keep it open later.

 

[Bearval]

I understand the point for Disney, I just don’t understand the point for guests

The guests get the point in the rear.

 

[Heather07438]

l don't think people will have to get up at 7a to make selections.

G+ is not like FP+ where all the time slots drop at once for everybody. Look at the way MaxPass worked in DL, and that even still had FP allocation to contend with.

For the Lightening Lane+ guests are limited to 2 and guess what? Only a fraction of people will buying those every day. Again nothing like FP+ distribution.

 

[Bearval]

I think part of the overall impetus of Genie+ is to lower crowds by making a Disney vacation more expensive while increasing per capita spending. But that means yearly vacations may be out of reach for some, which makes DVC less worth it also.

But I agree with the above statements about waiting and seeing how it plays out. I just needed to vent a little about what my first impressions are, which are generally negative.

I have to disagree. If Disney wanted to lower the crowds they could have just increased the ticket prices to achieve that goal. Genie+ will do nothing to lower the crowds you will just have a set group of guests who will not pay for it and Disney just created a new steam of revenue.

 

[Jwaire]

I understand the point for Disney, I just don’t understand the point for guests

They get to add it, like dining plan, to their package and be done with it. Even if adding it isn't necessary. You're right, the smart thing to do, would be to add it daily (since there is no discount) and use it depending on the crowds, etc.

 

[Flynn's Gal]

The value for me doesn't change due to the events of the last year. You see, I bought after the reopening feeling like this,

The demand for DVC is very much tied to the WDW experience as a whole.. and any changes to the parks, good or bad, will have an impact on that.
You simply can't separate the parks from DVC when discussing the draw of DVC. If we woke up tomorrow and WDW was suddenly Six Flags and DVC was sold to a Condo Management firm.. then we'd all suddenly be stuck with a near-worthless timeshare in an awful climate without even so much as a beach nearby. The parks matter.

But after joining in with the grumblings of those of us who have been shut out of buying APs, got quickly schooled with this,

This whole conversation is silly. Everybody knows all you bought was a deeded room and nothing about that has changed at all. Silly people.

(Somebody had to say it.)

Except in the tone of this,

There are a lot of whiners around here lately. Am I alone in thinking this thing might just be great? Everyone knows Disney is ridiculously expensive. But Genie+ for one day is the cost of literally one spiked drink.*
*which I’ll still pay for because y’all exhaust me.

So, although my dreams of park experiences tied with staying at DVC resorts became a little warped month after month after month of waiting for APs to come back, meanwhile taking several resort only vacations over the last year with that message of "this is all you've bought, no more, no less" embedded in my thinking, I have come to accept that perks from Disney aren't guaranteed and have adjusted my expectations. Begrudgingly. As a one income, single parent, the ticket prices have been too much for me to take us every trip, which is why the APs seemed so appealing.

I've actually enjoyed just going to the resorts and around property without going to parks. Don't get me wrong, I still want to go in the parks. I've just had to shift my mindset. I'll do the same with Genie+.

My traveling and vacation experiences are different though. I haven't grown up going to Disney. My parents took the family a few times in the first few years of opening. Since then, I've been back a handful of times over the years so I never knew how to work the fastpass system like a pro. I'm not fit and vowed that I will never do the rope drop to fireworks days again. Additionally, I have a wheelchair bound, special needs child who is eligible for DAS so we wait the length of the line time in a cooler and less stimulating place. We're a 7 hour drive away so I haven't had to rely on magical express. I can see where people who travel from a farther distance and are used to maximizing time of the parks would be rattled. Rightfully so.

All that to say, I don't plan to buy Genie+ or Lightening Lanes+ for most trips. Maybe for something new or a favorite attraction sometimes. I really just want APs so we can pop in, enjoy a few attractions, and leave to either come back later or get in what we didn't on the next trip and not feel like I've spent so much money on a single ticket that I'm wasting it by leaving. I have just under 40 years on the contract so I feel like I can pace myself. I just spent a year taking 4 trips with only 3 park days total out of a total of 42 days on property. If that didn't teach me how to enjoy a Disney trip without getting to experience all of our favorite attractions, I doubt anything will.

 

[CraigInPA]

I'm challenged to see any benefit over FastPass for me. With 60 day out scheduling of FastPass, we could tailor our plans to allow us to see what we wanted in the morning, leaving the afternoon free to do what we felt like doing (pool, more park, different park, shopping). But, with Genie+, I have to get up at 7am every day to try to make reservations to go on rides that day? At 7am on the best day, I am a groggy mess. If I sleep in until 9, I am probably going to be locked out of Genie+ because those early risers took all the reservations. So, I'm not going to buy Genie+ and will have to wait in the standby line for rides. This will put a huge damper on what I can do in the mornings. It's also causing me to question whether Disney's money grab will continue, and whether I should sell my DVC points.

 

[Sandisw]

I'm challenged to see any benefit over FastPass for me. With 60 day out scheduling of FastPass, we could tailor our plans to allow us to see what we wanted in the morning, leaving the afternoon free to do what we felt like doing (pool, more park, different park, shopping). But, with Genie+, I have to get up at 7am every day to try to make reservations to go on rides that day? At 7am on the best day, I am a groggy mess. If I sleep in until 9, I am probably going to be locked out of Genie+ because those early risers took all the reservations. So, I'm not going to buy Genie+ and will have to wait in the standby line for rides. This will put a huge damper on what I can do in the mornings. It's also causing me to question whether Disney's money grab will continue, and whether I should sell my DVC points.

The only thing is at 7 am you are not planning your day…you are choosing just your first one. There is no way all the rides will be gone by 9 am so I think that is why this could work better than people think.

 

[vacay77]

Hate the new G+ offering / racket. Curious though , it seems that many of you just say that you will just move to universal. To me and family that is just not something that appeals to us , if you don’t really like roller coasters or similar “thrill” attractions what is the point of even going there ? To us it just seems like a slightly cleaner and more themed six flags (and it’s priced as such) - definitely not ideal for a multigenerational trip for many or even most of Disney’s core audience. I think disney understands what they have and are milking every cent out of it, and many of us will just move on and discard the Orlando area altogether

Universal Studios Orlando is actually very kid friendly (as opposed to Universal Studios Hollywood). I took my son when he was a preschooler and there were several attractions and rides that he could go on, including the Dr. Seuss rides.

 

[vacay77]

Adding my two cents to this thread. My family and I can afford Genie +, but it's the principle of it all. I don't want Genie telling me where to eat, when I can eat, etc. It's pretty much dictating how I spend my day - and my money. And if I don't follow it and I don't pay the extra money for Genie +, then it's more likely than not that my family and I will end up waiting in long lines. And that's where Disney knows they have you.

Genie + just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. One of the reasons I love Disneyland so much is because my mom used to take me there all the time. We didn't have a lot of money, and this new system would have priced my family out from visiting. And that makes me sad.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

The only thing is at 7 am you are not planning your day…you are choosing just your first one. There is no way all the rides will be gone by 9 am so I think that is why this could work better than people think.

I'm hoping!

 

[Airb330]

First off, it’s nice to see so many well thought out reactions to all of this. A few exceptions of course, ha—If you came in here to muse about woke Disney or say we exhaust you, how about just don’t comment? DVC forums here are always the best! It’s sad to see some long time owners here consider selling.

1. For us, FP+ actually worked. In our 20s, paper fast passes really fit our commando touring style. We bought DVC in 2012 and have added on many times; In our 30s we loved FP+. Getting 3 rides guaranteed, but usually did 3 more and then relaxed back in the villa or DS. G+ if it included tier 1 would be more palatable. We’re going to go from having three great FP to a big question mark at $15 a day.

2. DME was nice too. We typically used it. By using it, it was a nice start to the trip. We also spent that saved money on food and drinks on property. It kept us on property for almost all meals.

3. We loved the non-expiring passes. We like to do 3-4 night trips several times a year. 1-2 park days. We are almost out of NE ticket days. We have done DVC gold APs a few times too if it made sense based on # of trips and days we wanted to be in the park. The loss of NE really was a blow to us.

So what do these items mean for us and DVC? We were considering GFV2. We are not now, similar to @Leight19. We will give the new system a few years but may start selling contracts.

We know DVC is for the room. These perks were not guaranteed. But, they added to the value we felt we were receiving. Most of the changes really impact AP and DVC members rhe most as DME and FP+ were included. As so many added, this is now hundreds of dollars extra. Look I know a “once in a lifetime” trip family spends more than we do. But we do spend a slot on food and drinks, and we go frequently. If Disney feels they should cater to those guests and not us DVC members then we will start going less and probably in a larger room. It feels like they’re prioritizing short termgains but may really alienate the cash cow known as DVC members.

 

[Chuck S]

Motley Fool the investment website are praising the move and encouraging buying Disney stock. This is just another move to placate the fund managers and wall street, it really isn’t about the guests.

 

[LPnerd]

From a quality and cleanliness perspective, Universal is just as good as WDW.

The big difference (IMO) is the types of attractions Universal offers. As you write, there are more thrill attractions versus multigenerational attractions at Universal. Generalizing, for the young and old, WDW is better. But for teenagers and young adults, Universal is better.

my problem is, they have no where near the covid protocol Disney does, and with a little one to young to get vaccine, I find that not worth the anxiety I'd have for 7-20 days post trip. However, once she is able to get the shot, we will probably get that annual fl resident pass instead. for this yr. we will stick with disney.