Some Scattered Recap Thoughts from our trip to WDW last week - hopefully this benefits some of my friends here in their planning!
1. First and Foremost: For somebody who was accustomed to using FP+ to develop a detailed agenda each day,
Genie+ introduced a level of stress that I did not anticipate. From having to be on the app at 6:59am to get that first slot, to having to purchase it each day (meaning either up at midnight, OR up earlier than 6:59am), to simply not knowing what time slot would be available as I moved through my day... this all created some stress to the planner like me. Disney has spent 6+ years teaching me that spontaneity was bad... book your dining 180 days out, book your rides 60 days out... now they want me to just unlearn all that? That was a challenge throughout the trip.
2. With all that said, Genie+ was an improvement for us vs. the standby only Disney we experienced back in January 2021. We purchased Genie+ on the following days at a cost or $63.92 for our family of 4: 11/1 DHS, 11/3 MK, 11/4 DHS, 11/5 MK. At times during each of those days (typically early in the day), I did regret the purchase thinking I may have wasted money... BUT by the end of each day I felt like I fully appreciate the value of having it!
3. Despite feeling that the value was there, it's still hard to let go of the frustration that This all used to be FREE! Our Genie+ and ILL expenses on this 6 day trip were $488.98. That is comprised of $255 in G+ costs and $233 in ILLs across 6 rides. It's hard to overlook the fact that I paid $39 PER RIDE on those 6, and we even saved some money there since my wife could not ride RotR or 7DMT due to her pregnancy. I think the better way for me to look at this is to say I spent roughly $122 a person for Genie+ upgrades on a 6 day trip. That just feels a lot better. Or I could break it down and say it was it was $81 a day for the 4 of us... again that feels like a much easier way to look at it.
4. It feels inevitable that Disney will look to increase the price of Genie+ and ILLs in the future. That said, I don't see any scenario where we would go to DHS or MK without it right now. I think I'm just going to need to add $500+ in Genie+/ILL expenses to our future trip expectations. Luckily, through my CC endeavors and discounted gift card efforts, it's really not a big deal to us. But I can see how this might affect other folks in a much greater way in their planning.
5. I sort of wish Disney would come out with a VIP Genie+. Ideally capped at some small number each day, perhaps for some exorbitant price ($100-$150 a person?) You could just use the LL at any ride at any time...
6. The number one issue I faced with ILLs was that they (at times) felt extremely oversold. We experienced this at FoP and FEA, where the ILL line stretched waaaay outside the attraction entrance. I should point out however, that those same LL lines at different times during the day had nobody outside the entrance. So... was this just bad luck/timing on my part? Perhaps we just hit those at a time where MANY people chose to use their ILL? In both instances this was shortly after lunch... so maybe an anecdotal observation is to attempt to avoid using an ILL after lunch time (1-2pm) as it creates a crunch of people trying to use ILLs. We did not experience anything like this at RotR however, where we walked into the preshow room both times with no resistance whatsoever (pun intended)!
7. NEVER take the Swan bus... walk to the Boardwalk or Yacht Club, you'll thank me later, LOL!
8. Rope Drop still has value. But I cannot comment on how much value it has IF you aren't a part of early entry... I'd imagine much less than before, although hitting secondary attractions and using G+ and ILLs for the major stuff will likely still make for a successful rope drop.
9. Early Entry has even MORE value. 8 and 9 sort of go together, but the sage old advice of showing up early apparently will never go out of style. No matter how many people it seems are crammed on to those bridges at MK, or waiting in the first attraction line at DHS, there are WAY more people still back in their hotel rooms getting ready to arrive at these parks shortly before lunchtime. My greatest regret on the trip is that we slept in on Animal Kingdom day, it made for a pretty terrible last day. And I'm CERTAIN that an early arrival would have changed our fate in some ways.
10. Character meet and greets are slowly coming back (or should I call them "sightings" now). The face characters (princesses) were fun and focusing more on chatting than taking pictures made for cool interactions! Mickey was very odd, the distance and his inability to speak just made for an awkward moment.
11. Disney Enchantment is a wonderful way to end your evening but it is sadly NOT anywhere near the caliber of Happily Ever After. Had this show followed Wishes, we would have marveled at how awesome it was. But HEA was pure perfection, and they simply couldn't do better than that...
I think that is all of my musings for today. Happy to answer any questions as things remain fresh from our trip.
). Never had a problem with it until I used an unsigned one in Europe. Maybe there's more scrutiny since it's not true chip and pin like they have.
