Genie Service

[WilsonFlyer]

It's the technology I find intimidating. Will it work? Will I be fast enough to grab the fp that comes up?

And who will the algorithms "favor?"

 

[Sandisw]

It's the technology I find intimidating. Will it work? Will I be fast enough to grab the fp that comes up?

Makes sense! Yeah, that is a big thing and the track record for that is not great so I can see how that could become a big issue in this working the way they hope!

 

[Chuck S]

It's the technology I find intimidating. Will it work? Will I be fast enough to grab the fp that comes up?

I absolutely understand that, I'm 63, and I do text a LOT, but I'm not the fastest at it. My much older neighbor, in her 80s, on the other hand, has a flip phone, does not want to try to learn a smart phone, even though it would be much easier. When the pandemic first started, our statewide grocery chain started accepting delivery orders by phone. But now she can no longer order grocery deliveries by calling the store, they've gone to online orders only. She's too frail to drive, and has no way to order groceries without assistance from someone else. It's really sad. Someone should remind Disney that often it is mostly the older generation, grandparents, who pay for the larger family trips, the very people for whom they are making planning more difficult.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Old lady here(on the outside not the inside ), I just retired and December was to be my retirement trip. More days than usual, plans to spend more on shopping for Disney housewares. Yes ticket prices went up, yada yada that happens at least once a year. There has been speculation in the air for months about fp coming back as a paid option. I think most of us got our brains around that.

Now, I'm 64 not 84, but I didn't grow up with a game controller or cell phone glued to my hand, and I don't walk around never taking my eyes off my phone, I call rather than text because texting takes me forever. To my point: Disney isn't only charging me for my fast passes (I know its called lighting lane), they are now putting me into a competition every morning of my vacation with every under 30 who did grow up in a digital world with game consoles and cell phones as second nature to them, in order to get my first (maybe only) fast pass. Who do you think will win? I'm thinking I could master mobile order without too much trouble, but I'm not fast on the button thing.

(Getting up early isn't the problem, 40 years of getting up at 6 or earlier to get to work has made that my norm.)

I know I can choose not to pay, but now that I'm 64 I also have joint issues. Standing in the same (or almost the same) position for a long period is incredibly painful. In no way do I consider myself disabled, nor would I ever compare myself with those unfortunate enough to have a truly difficult life. I'm just feeling really intimidated about this right now. As a person travelling to Disney solo most of the time, I can honestly say I've never felt intimidated before a trip.

Thanks for listening. None of my non Disney friends would get it, they'd just say go somewhere else, like they've been saying for years.

You spoke and it touched me…best wishes. I do hope we ( we both are in our 70’s) can still enjoy our visits.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

For years, my DH and I planned on going to WDW several times a year for longer stays once I retired. We looked at adding on more DVC points and planned on buying APs every other year. Now, all of those dreams are down the drain. We have no desire to continue going to WDW with all these changes. Just too much money and too much hassle. Disney trips have become too complicated, and this change just adds to it. We are so thankful we didn't add on any points. We did buy APs right before the shutdown. We have until 2030 to use them. We have no desire to activate them any time soon. We have thought about selling our AKV points, but we wonder if we should hang onto them because that might be the only way we can ever take our grandkids to WDW. The way things are going we sure won't be able to afford tickets AND hotels ten or more years down the road. Until then, I guess we will use our AKV points at HHI during the off-season (unless everyone decides to use them there instead of WDW!) and go to a truly relaxing place where you don't have mess with all the craziness WDW has become.

 

[JessaF]

I hate it.
Disney was the only theme park operator to offer a free line skipping systems, now they're like Merlin or Six Flag.
This is said by someone who travel solo and can easily afford $15 per day. Thinking about large families, it's a very large expense on top of very large expenses for a WDW vacation.
Hate it, hate it, hate it.

Agreed. We are a family of 6 and have 6 day park tickets coming up in November. Additional funds that was not budgeted in.

 

[howardlee2]

hey this is just basic economics with a bunch of suits in a boardroom figuring out what price times number of visitors yields the most amount of dollars. they don't give a rat's *** about us!! way to go Disney...alienating your most loyal customers. Time to vote with our feet!!

OTOH they could do the right thing (at least with DVC members) and INCLUDE all of this as a perk for using our points

 

[I Run Long]

I have more than a few concerns about Genie+. As an international traveller (from Canada), that wi-fi better work when I'm in the park - like 100% better. I can't afford to exhaust my data plan on my cell phone just to get a paid FP. My DH were there just before the pandemic started and I was constantly waving my phone around to pick up any wi-fi. Disney will have to improve that significantly. I'm doubtful the app will work as advertised given their track record with their own website. We can't travel there right now and are waiting until September 2022, so I'll be watching closely to see how this thing pans out.

Also with this, I feel like I'll have to be even more glued to my phone if I were to purchase it. I'll probably have to wear my phone around my neck along with my reading glasses.

As we travel in September, I doubt we would even purchase it - we'll just go through standby. I wish Disney would perhaps give those who stay onsite free FPs, say 3 each day and after that you pay. If you stay offsite you have to pay for FPs - something like that. For the prices that one pays for staying onsite there should be some benefit or why bother. My DH and I were discussing this and decided we will probably spend fewer days in the park and more at the resort. But then I guess this was Disney's plan - choke off numbers and make the parks less crowded.

Thanks for allowing me to rant.

 

[jodifla]

I am taking a wait and see attitude with everything. I have a moderate amount of points, 206. Since they are not a burden to support, why on earth would I list them for sale? Things ebb and flow at Disney and with DVC.

 

[DVCsloth]

Fastpass+ worked well for us. Rope drop, very low crowds for a couple hours, lunch, fast passes booked for after lunch, back to the resort for pool time. Evenings open.
Easier said than done though because the family likes to sleep in and I'm up before 5 a.m. I usually start getting ready and tell them to call me when they get to the park, but they usually can't handle me going there before them so we all end up going. As soon as it gets too crowded I'm gone, but totally happy because we usually did what we wanted to do. I'm sure most of us will figure the new system out and do what works best for their situation. I'll find out in 21 days, fingers crossed!

 

[Boopuff]

My knee-jerk reaction was "oh fudge!" but after some reflection, I realized that it may not be as bad as I thought. Disney has held off for a long time not charging for FP. Now they've jumped on board like every other park. We don't know all the fine details yet so maybe there will be some onsite perks (other than the 7am thing) I'm always hopeful. We're full on planning for our next trip. And as always we'll adapt and change. There's so much to love about WDW other than the rides (actually IMO those are always secondary)

 

[crazymomof4]

Make that your “most loyal” customers… I hear you and am on the same vibe.

Knowing some/many repeat DVC customers are feeling enough is enough has gotta mean something, right?

Wondering If diverse stakeholders are sitting at the table when decisions like G are made. Or if it is a table of a select privileged few. Hmmm.

Wonder how that conversation went when concerns were expressed.

It’s very expensive and difficult to manage plans now- about 25 percent more and a dedicated wake up time to jockey for limited slots/room. And need to now line up last minute plans b or c or depending on what the luck of the draw delivers. Who is that falling on? And the ongoing cost of updating/maintaining this technology services we will have invested $$$$$ in. What say you?

I think its a case of the people currently making the big decisions are not in touch with the actual park-goer experience. I've said that about other, much smaller things in businesses. Like, "whoever designed this refrigerator has never actually cleaned the interior of a refrigerator" and "whoever thought up this _____, has never actually done grocery shopping". The current Disney Parks execs don't seem to appreciate the whole "value-for-cost" thing that goes on either consciously or subconsciously in the minds of guests. They underestimate how much the cumulative value of a myriad of things, big and little, goes to a guest feeling that they've gotten their money's worth. (Maybe because these execs don't worry about spending money the way the average person does?)

Small scale example: My husband's family used to own a restaurant. For many years it was very successful. Many regular customers, some dined weekly, some every day! Family sold it. I continued working so I was witness to what happened after. New owner thought he knew better. Thought he'd have more $$ in HIS pocket if he cut back spending on things that were part of how the restaurant flourished for decades! Let some waitresses go so the others just had to work harder (less time on each guest). Changed to cheaper brands of ingredients. Deleted some guest-favorite entrees because he didn't want to spend money on ingredients like crab, etc. Lots of changes that HE THOUGHT the guests wouldn't notice. Well......THEY DID! Slowly, over time we had less and less customers. The regulars complained at first but their voice fell on deaf ears. So they just stopped coming. Word spread in the community that the quality of the experience in this restaurant had dropped off. The new owner had entered the slippery slope. More cut-backs to try to stay afloat. He was tens of $thousands behind paying his suppliers. Eventually the electric company cut off power and that was it. He declared bankruptcy and we never saw him again!! Only took him 5 years to destroy a profitable business!
What was at THE CORE of his failure?
HE KEPT DEPLETING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ALL THE WHILE THINKING THAT HIS CUSTOMERS WOULDN'T NOTICE and would still continue to patronize the place because it was oh-so popular (when he took over)

PS- my husband's family bought a smaller restaurant, closer to their home and it has done very well now for 15 years. Some people just *know* how to run a business!

 

[crazymomof4]

Wonder when there will be a "cover charge" to enter a WDW resort hotel to shop and dine? Not. Even. Joking.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I can't get away from the genie thing. I hate that.

From now on, I'm calling it what it is. Jafar-

 

[Taraleigsmom]

Really, if you don't like it don't go. Stop calling people "saps" and disparaging those of us who are ok with it. It hasn't even started yet.

 

[badeacon]

I have read the release for Genie and through this thread and maybe I missed it, but do you have to buy the Genie+ in order to buy the a la carte option for the most popular rides?

 

[kilik64]

I have read the release for Genie and through this thread and maybe I missed it, but do you have to buy the Genie+ in order to buy the a la carte option for the most popular rides?

No

 

[kilik64]

Hopefully all these people (gonna call em Never Genies) really do stop going so standby lines won’t be much and I won’t even feel the need to buy genie+.

 

[badeacon]

No

Thanks! At least as not as expensive as could have been then. What a silver lining!

 

[RalphRR]

I think I read everything on here. Does anyone know the start date of the Genie?

RalphRR