Genie+ And Ticket price increase 10/11/2022

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I completely agree with all that you said. All the issues you've pointed out is has nothing to do with Disney. The problem is that there are way too many people who want Disney. The experience is not as good because there are too many people, not because any of the attractions have changed. WE'RE the problem, not Disney. The only way they can balance this is by raising prices. I just can't see any other way around it.

I actually think getting rid of Genie+ and $ILL and going back to free pass passes for all and MaxPass for fee would make a HUGE difference in the park experience, at least in terms of rides. But Disney won't do that. Too much $$$ on the table.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I agree. At one point they had 10 day tickets which I loved. We would come to California for 2 weeks and go to Disneyland in the evenings a few times when we had other plans for the day; now I don’t go at all unless I can spend the whole day.

yes! I wish they had 10 day passes at DLR so I could only spend a few hours at the parks each day. I can't remember the last time I pulled an all day outing in the parks. So exhausting. Even with 5 day tickets, I feel compelled to spend as much time in the parks as possible to justify the cost. Bring the 6-10 day tickets back!

 

[Annabell]

I completely agree with all that you said. All the issues you've pointed out is has nothing to do with Disney. The problem is that there are way too many people who want Disney. The experience is not as good because there are too many people, not because any of the attractions have changed. WE'RE the problem, not Disney. The only way they can balance this is by raising prices. I just can't see any other way around it.

Well said, it´s a demand and supply thing. I think Disney can even ask for higher prices. Seems that many people are willing to pay high prices for the magic.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I actually think getting rid of Genie+ and $ILL and going back to free pass passes for all and MaxPass for fee would make a HUGE difference in the park experience, at least in terms of rides. But Disney won't do that. Too much $$$ on the table.

yeah, that's a pipe dream at this point. Why give something for free, when thousands are willing to pay for it.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

Well said, it´s a demand and supply thing. I think Disney can even ask for higher prices. Seems that many people are willing to pay high prices for the magic.

I mean, what are the alternatives? I suppose people can go to national parks, museums, Mexico, Hawaii, skiing, etc. But it's apples and oranges. Are those other things not fun? Sure they are. But a Disney vacation is completely different, even when compared to other theme parks. Disney knows this. People know this. This is why when the prices go up, we grumble. But we shut up and pay because there's nothing like it.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

yeah, that's a pipe dream at this point. Why give something for free, when thousands are willing to pay for it.

But ... a lot of people paid for MaxPass. It was the same price ($20, which was the same as Genie+ until recently). Disney made money on MaxPass and people who didn't want to pay could still get fast passes, just not as quickly or conveniently. Everyone was happy. The standby lines were much better under MaxPass compared to Genie+. I still can't figure out why this is.

 

[lcp9]

I am really curious if anyone who is saying the guest experience in the parks currently is “premium” and “worth the price” has actually been to the parks lately.

I love Disney. We go all the time. I feel lucky to live locally and be able to have a Magic Key because our visits are almost always enjoyable knowing we don’t have to “do it all” and we can always come back soon to ride a favorite or whatever.

All that said, the in-park experience right now is nothing like it was pre-pandemic, and not even as good as it was in the first 6-8 months after reopening, when capacity was limited and there were no fast passes at all and almost all the standby lines were very short or reasonable waits for the headliners.

Ever since Genie+ came out and they opened up the park capacity floodgates without being appropriately staffed/able to maintain the rides, things have been very noticeably different in the parks with very long waits for all the rides, not just headlines, and so many ride breakdowns.

YES. it feels like a completely different place than late 2019-early 2020. We missed that sweet window right after reopening!

 

[HIRyeDVC]

But ... a lot of people paid for MaxPass. It was the same price ($20, which was the same as Genie+ until recently). Disney made money on MaxPass and people who didn't want to pay could still get fast passes, just not as quickly or conveniently. Everyone was happy. The standby lines were much better under MaxPass compared to Genie+. I still can't figure out why this is.

But they make more money now. And from what Chapek is saying, he seems to think people LOVE Genie+. Why else would so many people be buying it? I'm actually for making the service more expensive so that fewer people buy into it to make the standby lines shorter. Or get rid of it altogether and make everyone wait in standby. We were in WDW last August 2021 prior to the Genie+ rollout and standby times for even the most popular rides didn't exceed 45 minutes. It was pretty nice.

 

[Aurora0427]

Finally, considering all of these things, it interests me how busy the parks still are at current rates. It makes me feel like I have been lied to my whole life about the state of American finances - if we, who have plenty plus some discretionary income, think it's overpriced and the value isn't there, who are these hundreds of thousands of people who are paying and totally cool having a meh time? It makes me want to cry thinking about someone who makes $60k a year going and spending a few thousand on a Disney trip and getting horrendous lines, broken down rides, shoulder to shoulder people in NOS, no daytime parade, and half the time no real nighttime entertainment either. I just don't understand.

Deleting my comment because it came off poorly and I don’t want to offend anyone. Apologies!

 

[Kit Jackson]

I actually think getting rid of Genie+ and $ILL and going back to free pass passes for all and MaxPass for fee would make a HUGE difference in the park experience, at least in terms of rides. But Disney won't do that. Too much $$$ on the table.

But ... a lot of people paid for MaxPass. It was the same price ($20, which was the same as Genie+ until recently). Disney made money on MaxPass and people who didn't want to pay could still get fast passes, just not as quickly or conveniently. Everyone was happy. The standby lines were much better under MaxPass compared to Genie+. I still can't figure out why this is.

I agree with you (if I understood your posts correctly). What I will never understand is why they didn't take MaxPass, (which was a service that people liked and made Disney money) and export it to WDW, instead of coming up with a new service/system which doesn't seem to be as good (I have used MaxPass and thought it was fantastic. I have not been back in the parks since the start of Genie+)

 

[Aurora0427]

I agree with you (if I understood your posts correctly). What I will never understand is why they didn't take MaxPass, (which was a service that people liked and made Disney money) and export it to WDW, instead of coming up with a new service/system which doesn't seem to be as good (I have used MaxPass and thought it was fantastic. I have not been back in the parks since the start of Genie+)

Literally no one understands this

 

[AquaDame]

I think most Americans spend way beyond their means and save absolutely zero for retirement. They’re spending all of their money on experiences like Disneyland…. I’m 42 and grew up upper middle class, and no one I grew up with traveled the way people do these days.

Keep in mind there are a dozen ways for people to share about their trips than there were even a decade or two ago. The folks I know still go to Disney once every few years, often begrudgingly to check off the box for their kid's childhood. We all still dutifully pay our retirement accounts first.

 

[serendipityaey]

Keep in mind there are a dozen ways for people to share about their trips than there were even a decade or two ago. The folks I know still go to Disney once every few years, often begrudgingly to check off the box for their kid's childhood. We all still dutifully pay our retirement accounts first.

They can’t even imagine there’s any way that anyone without as much money as they have or the privilege of going 10+ times a year could possibly save for retirement and dare to also go to Disneyland and choose to have a good time with their families.

 

[RoseColored97]

Some people are also really great with their money and know how to budget.

I grew up with not a lot of money...I guess lower class (tsk, tsk!) and we always were able to budget for yearly trips coming from out-of-state. It's just all about what you prioritize. I/we make more now and so we can afford to "upgrade" the vacation by staying on-site, but it's because we are prioritizing and working very hard.

We have also never had a mediocre or bad trip. I believe the trip that was more difficult to do things was back in 2014 or 2015 in October during the famous UEA week. The parks were packed, it was hot, and we didn't get to ride on much. We still had a fabulous time, like always. Or the time we went to Disneyland for my 21st birthday and most of us started to feel under the weather by the second day of the trip. Still had a wonderful time. Maybe we're just blessed to be able to see the positives in almost everything rather than focusing on the negatives.

 

[twodogs]

But they make more money now. And from what Chapek is saying, he seems to think people LOVE Genie+. Why else would so many people be buying it? I'm actually for making the service more expensive so that fewer people buy into it to make the standby lines shorter. Or get rid of it altogether and make everyone wait in standby. We were in WDW last August 2021 prior to the Genie+ rollout and standby times for even the most popular rides didn't exceed 45 minutes. It was pretty nice.

Getting rid of G+ and having everyone SB makes Disney no extra money.

 

[twodogs]

I think comparing a day at Disney to going to a live sports or concert event is a great comparison. I personally can't imagine paying all that money to attend a game or concert, but everyone is different. I agree with you that at least at Disney, you can stay there all day and bring your own food. It's a bargain compared to live events.

For people who have to fly in and stay in a hotel for the family, it is not a “bargain” nor comparable to attending a local concert or NFL game. When making a ”per hour” price comparison to a concert or NFL game, I need to add in the flight for 4 people and the hotel for x nights. That devalues the “per hour” price and makes my expectations higher at DLR than at my local NFL team or local concert, both of which I can drive to and stay the night in my own home. So the calculus is very different for folks who drive in for the day, use the MK at a cost/day that is much lower than the “day ticket guest” and then go home to their own bed each night. When we come, we fly 4 people from TX to CA, stay in a hotel for 3-4 nights and then buy day tickets. Very different value calculus, just based on the money. Then factor in that if my kid’s favorite ride is down several times on the days that we are there, we can’t just come back next weekend and ride it. If the parade doesn’t happen, we can’t have a do-over next weekend.

 

[Aurora0427]

They can’t even imagine there’s any way that anyone without as much money as they have or the privilege of going 10+ times a year could possibly save for retirement and dare to also go to Disneyland and choose to have a good time with their families.

There are plenty of people of all socioeconomic backgrounds who save money for vacations and retirement… and there are tons of people of all socioeconomic backgrounds who don’t save a dime and charge everything and live in tons of debt. I mean, really.

My comment was not a personal attack on you or anyone else. It was a general statement in response to a particular posters comment about the economy. I am sorry. I will edit my comment.

 

[Aurora0427]

Keep in mind there are a dozen ways for people to share about their trips than there were even a decade or two ago. The folks I know still go to Disney once every few years, often begrudgingly to check off the box for their kid's childhood. We all still dutifully pay our retirement accounts first.

That’s true.

I was not insinuating that everyone going to Disneyland was living in debt and not saving. Apologies for coming off that way. I edited my comment. It’s off topic anyway.

 

[ironband74]

But ... a lot of people paid for MaxPass. It was the same price ($20, which was the same as Genie+ until recently). Disney made money on MaxPass and people who didn't want to pay could still get fast passes, just not as quickly or conveniently. Everyone was happy. The standby lines were much better under MaxPass compared to Genie+. I still can't figure out why this is.

I think it is because under MP/FP the cast members had more freedom to use discretion with regard to the FP/SB mix. Under G+, the LL has to be given more weight because they are "paid", so SB has to suffer.

What I'm still trying to fully understand is why I had absolutely no problem paying for MaxPass and being happy about it while buying G+ made me super salty. I mean, on the one hand I get that I felt forced to buy instead of having a "choice," but it was a choice I was going to make under the old system anyway. The psychology is fascinating. MaxPass was a happy purchase (I can get fastpasses more frequently and without running all over the place, plus pick up cancelations! woot!), while Genie+ was a grumpy one (This is the only way we get on everything. Thank goodness I know the refresh trick. Consolation prize: I can get MEPs if I work hard at it. yaaaaay...).

I get that corporations are going to corporation, and profits are key. But I think I would be happy if I knew that they were taking some of the Genie+ windfall and reinvesting it into the infrastructure, cast, and maintenance. It feels like those things are getting the bare minimum dollars while the profits get touted as being higher than ever. They are probably making decisions that are right for the business and the shareholders, but somehow it feels off brand. Then again, it may just be my nostalgia talking.

 

[PaladinButters]

They are probably making decisions that are right for the business and the shareholders, but somehow it feels off brand. Then again, it may just be my nostalgia talking.

That's your nostalgia talking - making money for the shareholders IS the brand. The emotions tied to owning all our childhoods just makes it easy to forget that.