Enthusiastic about Genie+ touring

[Amore Disney]

Disagree. I expect the new system to be a huge upgrade from my own past experience. Feel free to speak for yourself, but don’t speak for me.
I see the new system as likely a vast upgrade.

Yes we get it. If we can see why it's possibly an upgrade for you compared to your past experience, it shouldn't be too difficult to understand that Genie+ could be a downgrade compared to other people's past experience.

 

[emonade8]

No, the 1200-1500 is the number of "FP" riders per hour by my estimate, representing about 70% of total capacity, as was allocated under FP+. Many rides at Magic Kingdom have a full capacity of well over 2,000 per hour. For example, Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Small World all can handle over 2500 per hour. My estimates may be off slightly, but not by much. Some rides like Barnstormer, with low capacity, may only be able to distribute 500 FPs per hour, but something like Haunted Mansion can likely distribute over 2000 FPs per hour. So 1200-1500 is a fair estimate on average.

Your calculations seem to be based on total capacity, is that right? If so, you're overlooking the fact that Disney often runs rides at less than full capacity, especially early in the morning when crowds are lower. They'll frequently run only one side of BTMRR at open, effectively cutting capacity in half. And that's only one example.

 

[havoc315]

Your calculations seem to be based on total capacity, is that right? If so, you're overlooking the fact that Disney often runs rides at less than full capacity, especially early in the morning when crowds are lower. They'll frequently run only one side of BTMRR at open, effectively cutting capacity in half. And that's only one example.

My calculations are based on historical numbers of capacity allocated to ride reservations. Which has always been adjustable based on demand.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Realistically, though, that's not the choice.

Given a choice of FoP immediately, skipping the queue, or spending an extra 1.5 hours to see the queue, would you still like to see the queue?

Until our previous trip (with no FPs), we had only ever ridden FOP using a FP. This past time, we waiting 45-60 minutes in the SB line and finally got to see the lab, etc. in the queue. It really didn't seem like that long of a wait because there was stuff to see and we talked and entertained ourselves in the line.

I'd be willing to wait 45-60 minutes in SB again.

1.5-3 hours, we would probably skip it unless the cost for IA$ is reasonable (of course, if the price is reasonable, too many will opt to pay!).

 

[emonade8]

So you could pre-book FPs for Smuggler’s run, Runaway Railroad and Slinky dog all for the same day?

I never said I could pre-book all those FPs, just that I could get them without much trouble. I've always gotten what I wanted/ridden what I wanted and had plenty of time left in the day to enjoy other things. And I ride EVERYTHING. FP+ worked flawlessly for me and was included in the price of my ticket.

That’s not me using the system wrong. That’s how the system worked — only 1 tier-1 attraction could be booked per day.

Only one tier 1 attraction could be *pre-booked* per day. Additional tier 1 attractions could be booked day of.

 

[emonade8]

Disagree. I expect the new system to be a huge upgrade from my own past experience. Feel free to speak for yourself, but don’t speak for me.
I see the new system as likely a vast upgrade.

I have never spoken for you. I am speaking for myself and others who have repeatedly told you that *our* experience with the new system will be a downgrade. You, however, continue to try to speak for us.

 

[havoc315]

I have never spoken for you. I am speaking for myself and others who have repeatedly told you that *our* experience with the new system will be a downgrade. You, however, continue to try to speak for us.

No, I’m speaking for myself and others who will enjoy a vastly superior experience even at the cost of losing a bad product perceived as “free.” I get that plenty of people would rather have something they perceive as “free”, even if it’s an inferior product.

 

[NickC]

You’re forgetting Ratatouille opening very soon, and Guardians of the Galaxy in the coming months.

Agreed that G+ could be problematic if there is only 1 premium attraction. That could indeed be a problem at Animal Kingdom.

At Epcot, TT and Rat will likely be the initial pay attractions. So G+ priority would be split between Soarin and Frozen. After GOTG opens, then GOTG and Rat will be the pay attractions but Soarin, TT and Frozen will all be on G+. Splitting the morning crowd between 3 attractions will create plenty of availability into the mid to late afternoon, even the evening.

Fair enough. I was just thinking that if 2 of the most in demand FP+/LL were taken away, that leaves less attractions that people will rush to get. Which could possibly affect availability. Once Rat opens, there will be two headliners, yes, but I don't see people booking anything else until after they've gotten Soarin and Frozen.
I'm not saying that they will run out of passes for those attractions, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

 

[havoc315]

Fair enough. I was just thinking that if 2 of the most in demand FP+/LL were taken away, that leaves less attractions that people will rush to get. Which could possibly affect availability. Once Rat opens, there will be two headliners, yes, but I don't see people booking anything else until after they've gotten Soarin and Frozen.
I'm not saying that they will run out of passes for those attractions, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

You’re not wrong. I think a big reason they are excluding the top 1-2 attractions in each park is to prevent the problem of everyone booking the same attraction.
At MK and DHS, you should see the morning rush divided between many attractions.

Once GOTG opens at Epcot, G+ should be mostly divided between 3 attractions. (With a small portion of people going straight to Nemo or Mission Space, etc).

Animal Kingdom could be the biggest problem, especially with Expedition Everest closed for 4 months of early 2022. I strongly suspect that for early 2022, FOP will be the only paid attraction at AK. So G+ demand gets split between Navi and Safari.

 

[JZCubed]

This is something that I've been pondering. The new system doesn't seem to work as well at Epcot. We'd still only have 1 tier 1 attraction. If there are 2 paid attractions (maybe TT and Frozen) then everyone will be trying to get Soarin' as their first Genie pick. I can't see people booking Figment, then LWtL, then Nemo, then Soarin', then 3 Caballeros. The other attractions would have shorter lines,, so it wouldn't make sense to book anything else. A good number of people would enter at opening, book a reservation for Soarin', wait in the standby line another tier 1 ride, then do the other less crowded rides. If everyone is booking Soarin' starting at 7am, will it be booked into the evening or even sold out? I suppose we could skip adding on Genie for our Epcot days, but then we wouldn't get any passes.

You are preaching to the choir with you thought process.

Ostensibly, by creating IA$ attractions (with unknown cost), Disney has shrunk the 'pool' of attractions available on Genie+ (which costs $15 or $20).

If there are IA$ attractions, then the demand for the remaining Genie+ attractions at the same Park(s) will effectively increase.

And just like the paper-FP era, folks will be chasing return times that can be hours away (from their touring plan) - a problem that was solved with electronic FP+.

 

[DougEMG]

Genie+ will be superior for some people, but for others FP+ is a superior product. What my concern is, is which works better for my family. Sorry but I'm not really interested in how it benefits other people.

We usually do 1 trip a year for around 21 days. Coming from the west coast we never get to a park before 11 am and on some days don't even get up before 11 am. The wife isn't a big park/ride person so most days they might meet up with us at some point and only stay in the park 2 or 3 hours.

What worked for us with FP+ was having 3 FP+ booked ahead of time one after the other. I'd have the wife booked as well so she could ride with us regardless if she came out or not. Some days we would have a FP+ booked for 11,12 and 1 and other for 4,5 and 6. Because we had such long trips we always had multiple 7DM and FoP booked.

What concerns me with Genie+ is of course the extra cost which adds up for multiple people over long trips. Not knowing that we'll have a set of 3 FP+ in a row to do. I have done days were we left after doing the 3 FP+ because it was so busy with long standby lines and no FP+ left to much later in the day. The other issue how do people ride together when some bought Genie+ (cause we are in the park all day) while my wife doesn't have it cause she is only there for a couple of hours. Now one of my own issues is that I have a hard time seeing the value in paying for an individual ride that lasts only a minute or two.

About the only good thing coming out of cancelling our Nov trip is that I'll have an entire year to see how this works out and to learn the best way to maximize the use of the new system.

 

[DougEMG]

Is Genie+ good for only 1 park or does it work in whichever park you are in if you are hopping?

I can't see any need for it in AK or EPCOT, but if I did park hop from MK to AK I won't mind using it do to Safari

 

[JZCubed]

Is Genie+ good for only 1 park or does it work in whichever park you are in if you are hopping?

I can't see any need for it in AK or EPCOT, but if I did park hop from MK to AK I won't mind using it do to Safari

I'll be courteous with a reply, but I'm not sure I know the answer(s).

My understanding is that Genie+ will work for Park hopping.

I am also under the impression that you can purchase IA$ for different Parks on the same day, subject to Park Hopping rules. Meaning - you could have a 2nd IA$ until after 2pm (when Park Hopping is allowed).

 

[havoc315]

Is Genie+ good for only 1 park or does it work in whichever park you are in if you are hopping?

I can't see any need for it in AK or EPCOT, but if I did park hop from MK to AK I won't mind using it do to Safari

Yes, it works across parks including hopping. And you can buy it just for select days.

 

[shawthorne44]

Genie+ will be superior for some people, but for others FP+ is a superior product. What my concern is, is which works better for my family. Sorry but I'm not really interested in how it benefits other people.

I think we're all coming from that perspective. People have very different ways of visiting Disney, and what is important.

For us, G+ is precisely what I was hoping the new system would be. But, our trip will be quite a bit different from yours. On vacation we always start early. We stay together and we'll want to do every last thing at least once. Our plan is for lots of time in the parks every park day and a rest day every 2-3 days (10-day park tickets).

 

[Tyler's Dad]

I never said I could pre-book all those FPs, just that I could get them without much trouble. I've always gotten what I wanted/ridden what I wanted and had plenty of time left in the day to enjoy other things. And I ride EVERYTHING. FP+ worked flawlessly for me and was included in the price of my ticket.


Only one tier 1 attraction could be *pre-booked* per day. Additional tier 1 attractions could be booked day of.

I think this is a product of when people go, not how good the system was. If you visited in off seasons, then yes, it was possible to do this. If you visit during any of the middle to busier times of the year, this was impossible. The top rides at all parks were gone 30 days prior to the day of. As tiers were added, this became even worse. With refreshing, you could maybe get lucky and get a second one, but you would have to spend quite a bit of time only worrying about refreshing your screen to get any more than that.

 

[scrappinginontario]

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[MainMom]

I thought this was the “Enthusiastic about Genie+” thread? Your post belongs on the Genie+ thread where the posters are p!$$!ng and moaning about it.

Eh. I’m not the only one not enthusiastic on this thread. And OP has yet to tell me how I’ll get my time back.

 

[cjlong88]

Genie+ will probably be highly effective for keeping waits short IF the guest uses it in the most effective way, just like FP+ had its own effective strategies. Those who are the most informed of the best strategies will yield the greatest results. We saw it with FP+ (there were winners and losers in that system), and I’m confident we will see it here.

I think we will be able to figure out how to make it work in our favor so we get the most bang for our buck and hardly wait in lines. It’s just a matter of choosing to use those strategies that will prove to be the most effective.

 

[Amore Disney]

Genie+ will probably be highly effective for keeping waits short IF the guest uses it in the most effective way, just like FP+ had its own effective strategies. Those who are the most informed of the best strategies will yield the greatest results. We saw it with FP+ (there were winners and losers in that system), and I’m confident we will see it here.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, and I have no doubts we as a community will find the best strategies for Genie+.

I just find it sad that now there's additional requirements for even a chance at "winning". Before, the only requirement was to pay for an admission ticket. Genie+ will still require your admission ticket, while also requiring extra daily per person charges. And of course without forking over the extra charge, you are guaranteed to be on the "losing" side.