MAJOR changes to Genie+!

[SeasonneRose]

I can't keep up with the discussion...who IS the most expensive (or more expensive then Disney)?

I'll let you do your own research. Just google "most expensive theme park tickets in the US" and come to your own conclusions. I'm not going to argue it any further when the proof is out there.

 

[SeasonneRose]

It's just the start. They have to wait til the end of the year to make any major changes due to all the advanced sales of Genie+. Which is why they are giving refunds for those who bought for 2023.

I will give Disney credit in that they understand it's not working. They realize the problem is too many people have it. My hope is they raise to $100 and limit sales. At that price many wouldn't buy it.

You were more cutthroat than me lol. I thought $50. But $100 will definitely get it done! They'll also cap sales (and they may not even announce that) but the price increase may mean that it won't get exercised very often except at peak times.

 

[Jennasis]

I'll let you do your own research. Just google "most expensive theme park tickets in the US" and come to your own conclusions. I'm not going to argue it any further when the proof is out there.

Thanks. I'm good.

 

[Ghost Host 998]

This quote from Billy Madison came to my mind after reading the past few hundred posts of this thread:

Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.

 

[Genie+]

I was surprised at Cedar Point $85 ticket price mentioned earlier so looked it up. It’s $85 for a ticket that includes parking and food all day. Normal ticket starts at $45. Passes run $99-230 and include the ability to buy tickets for 6 guests a day who will get to share the passholder’s perks like early access, parking, discounts and even the skip the line aspect on platinum pass.

 

[CeeCee101]

Isn't that the interesting thing? The ADR booking with Genie+

I mean you can get lucky because your ADR lined up right with the LL option you got/selected but then you could have it cross over. When that happened with FP+ because it was largely done in advance people could figure out more effectively what they wanted to do. With Legacy FP you could see the return time and it'd be rarer for it to just suddenly change on you like it seems to be happening more with Genie+. With it being day of and having issues such as the times changing from when you looked it's like a toss up if you're going to be in the clear or something interfering.

This adjustment to purchasing day of won't correct that though but I have been wondering while I was there at Disney are there people choosing to forgo ADRs or do less of them to lessen that chance? There were some availability really close or day that I thought probably hadn't been much in the past. Of course some availability would be there when people would cancel before the 24 hours but I saw the wait lists be full then be un-full, etc. It just seemed like perhaps people were making a decision to not try and plan so much of both when in the past it was easier to pre-plan both and have your day mostly filled.

We haven’t been to WDW in 12 years (have been doing Europe) and so we have a lot of new rides and experiences to do. (and yes Disney is VERY expensive). We’re getting older. We loved to do ADRs and plan out our days. Now big conflict because unlike many of the regulars on here, we haven’t seen anything there in 12 years. So all the new rides and experiences are very important but we feel like as a result we are gong to have to skip all the normal ADRs we would make. Anyway just a different perspective because we’re not regulars anymore so big conflict with ILL/Genie+ vs ADRs.

 

[sandam1]

As a frequent Universal visitor who occasionally visits Disney, there are a few crucial differences between Express Pass and Genie+ that are often missed in these discussions

1. I suspect that the majority of people that use Express Pass get it through their hotel. I can't prove it, but after years of watching these boards and many trips to the parks, that's my gut feeling. Also, UO's Premier Annual Pass comes with EP after 4 p.m. (one time per ride). So the number of people willing to spend the big bucks to buy it separately is probably not as significant as people would like to think.

2. The unlimited Express Pass (which I suspect is what most people get) means that you can ride any ride at any point as many times as you want. No waking up at o-dark-thirty on vacation to try to grab a time slot that may or may not work with my other plans for the day, touring style, or just what I feel like doing at that moment. Disney is all about controlling crowd flow. IMHO They are NEVER going to give a large amount of people that type of access to the front of the line.

3. With two exceptions (Velocicoaster and Hagrid's), EVERYTHING is included. No upcharges for certain rides. For those two rides, you can ride them at any point if you are willing to wait in the line.

4. EP's are available for anyone to purchase in advance. No waiting until some god-awful time the morning of your visit to see if you are lucky enough to grab one.

5. EP's do sell out, particularly around the Christmas holidays. That means that only a certain number of people will hold an EP at any given time. This tells me that Universal values the guest experience and refuses to dilute it by making the EP lines stupid long in order to make a few extra bucks. Until now, Genie+ had no such cap on it.

6. Universal has more rides per park and can spread the crowds out in ways that Disney (other than at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland) just can't. That, plus a limited number EP's per day, makes the system work.

Comparing EP and Genie+ is definitely comparing apples to oranges. They are two totally different systems and work in very different ways.

I will tell you that if Disney were willing to guarantee me LL access to any six rides in any park whenever I want with no additional restrictions or upcharges, I would be willing pay $50-100 per day. But to think that Disney can charge the same price as Universal EP's for Genie+ - a vastly different and IMHO inferior product - is simplifying things a little bit too much.

 

[SeasonneRose]

As a frequent Universal visitor who occasionally visits Disney, there are a few crucial differences between Express Pass and Genie+ that are often missed in these discussions

1. I suspect that the majority of people that use Express Pass get it through their hotel. I can't prove it, but after years of watching these boards and many trips to the parks, that's my gut feeling. Also, UO's Premier Annual Pass comes with EP after 4 p.m. (one time per ride). So the number of people willing to spend the big bucks to buy it separately is probably not as significant as people would like to think.

2. The unlimited Express Pass (which I suspect is what most people get) means that you can ride any ride at any point as many times as you want. No waking up at o-dark-thirty on vacation to try to grab a time slot that may or may not work with my other plans for the day, touring style, or just what I feel like doing at that moment. Disney is all about controlling crowd flow. IMHO They are NEVER going to give a large amount of people that type of access to the front of the line.

3. With two exceptions (Velocicoaster and Hagrid's), EVERYTHING is included. No upcharges for certain rides. For those two rides, you can ride them at any point if you are willing to wait in the line.

4. EP's are available for anyone to purchase in advance. No waiting until some god-awful time the morning of your visit to see if you are lucky enough to grab one.

5. EP's do sell out, particularly around the Christmas holidays. That means that only a certain number of people will hold an EP at any given time. This tells me that Universal values the guest experience and refuses to dilute it by making the EP lines stupid long in order to make a few extra bucks. Until now, Genie+ had no such cap on it.

6. Universal has more rides per park and can spread the crowds out in ways that Disney (other than at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland) just can't. That, plus a limited number EP's per day, makes the system work.

Comparing EP and Genie+ is definitely comparing apples to oranges. They are two totally different systems and work in very different ways.

I will tell you that if Disney were willing to guarantee me LL access to any six rides in any park whenever I want with no additional restrictions or upcharges, I would be willing pay $50-100 per day. But to think that Disney can charge the same price as Universal EP's for Genie+ - a vastly different and IMHO inferior product - is simplifying things a little bit too much.

I’ll say that when using g universals unlimited EP that we ended up waiting in longer lines than when I have a genie+ selection. Universals EP is not meant as a line skipping but it’s only meant to cut down the standby time in half. Genie+ was always a faster time onto the ride than at universal.

 

[sandam1]

I’ll say that when using g universals unlimited EP that we ended up waiting in longer lines than when I have a genie+ selection. Universals EP is not meant as a line skipping but it’s only meant to cut down the standby time in half. Genie+ was always a faster time onto the ride than at universal.

That's because Universal has no way of controlling how many people chose to be in a particular EP line at any given time. When you add that flexibility, yes, it does mean that you may have to wait in the line a little bit longer.

Just to add a P.S. before this conversation gets too far into the weeds, I do not usually use EP when I visit Universal. I have used it, but I have found other (cheaper) strategies to cut down my waiting in line.

 

[CeeCee101]

As a frequent Universal visitor who occasionally visits Disney, there are a few crucial differences between Express Pass and Genie+ that are often missed in these discussions

1. I suspect that the majority of people that use Express Pass get it through their hotel. I can't prove it, but after years of watching these boards and many trips to the parks, that's my gut feeling. Also, UO's Premier Annual Pass comes with EP after 4 p.m. (one time per ride). So the number of people willing to spend the big bucks to buy it separately is probably not as significant as people would like to think.

2. The unlimited Express Pass (which I suspect is what most people get) means that you can ride any ride at any point as many times as you want. No waking up at o-dark-thirty on vacation to try to grab a time slot that may or may not work with my other plans for the day, touring style, or just what I feel like doing at that moment. Disney is all about controlling crowd flow. IMHO They are NEVER going to give a large amount of people that type of access to the front of the line.

3. With two exceptions (Velocicoaster and Hagrid's), EVERYTHING is included. No upcharges for certain rides. For those two rides, you can ride them at any point if you are willing to wait in the line.

4. EP's are available for anyone to purchase in advance. No waiting until some god-awful time the morning of your visit to see if you are lucky enough to grab one.

5. EP's do sell out, particularly around the Christmas holidays. That means that only a certain number of people will hold an EP at any given time. This tells me that Universal values the guest experience and refuses to dilute it by making the EP lines stupid long in order to make a few extra bucks. Until now, Genie+ had no such cap on it.

6. Universal has more rides per park and can spread the crowds out in ways that Disney (other than at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland) just can't. That, plus a limited number EP's per day, makes the system work.

Comparing EP and Genie+ is definitely comparing apples to oranges. They are two totally different systems and work in very different ways.

I will tell you that if Disney were willing to guarantee me LL access to any six rides in any park whenever I want with no additional restrictions or upcharges, I would be willing pay $50-100 per day. But to think that Disney can charge the same price as Universal EP's for Genie+ - a vastly different and IMHO inferior product - is simplifying things a little bit too much.

completely agree with the last paragraph.

 

[SeasonneRose]

That's because Universal has no way of controlling how many people chose to be in a particular EP line at any given time. When you add that flexibility, yes, it does mean that you may have to wait in the line a little bit longer.

Just to add a P.S. before this conversation gets too far into the weeds, I do not usually use EP when I visit Universal. I have used it, but I have found other (cheaper) strategies to cut down my waiting in line.

I’ll only use universal with EP. I find that park to be absolutely unbearable without it imo.

But universal does not advertise it as line skipping. Their official stance is that it should only cut down on the standby line by half.

 

[Lsdolphin]

Disney limiting the # of people who can purchase Genie+ in any given day is a good thing (if they actually do that) for those who are using it. But it will also be frustrating for someone who had planned to use it on a day that it "sells out" prior to them purchasing it. Does this mean there will now be a rush at 12am to buy Genie+ (and then again at 7am to book our first ride?) So now we are all limited to about six hours of sleep on vacation? I hope they fix the timing of all of this.

Well I think they will absolutely raise the price for Genie+ the only question is how much and when are they going to announce the price increase ....I’m thinking June 9th...

 

[Smugpugmug]

I’ll only use universal with EP. I find that park to be absolutely unbearable without it imo.

But universal does not advertise it as line skipping. Their official stance is that it should only cut down on the standby line by half.

I agree with you about Universal's EP. I only go to Universal unless I have EP, hence why I've only gone about 3 times. I used Express last week and most rides were a walk on despite standby being a 40-70 minute wait. The only exceptions were obviously the rides that don't take EP and the Harry Potter rides (Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts).

I still would absolutely take a little bit of waiting but not have to "fiddle faddle" on my phone every 2 hours than Genie+ any day of the week.

 

[SeasonneRose]

I agree with you about Universal's EP. I only go to Universal unless I have EP, hence why I've only gone about 3 times. I used Express last week and most rides were a walk on despite standby being a 40-70 minute wait. The only exceptions were obviously the rides that don't take EP and the Harry Potter rides (Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts).

I still would absolutely take a little bit of waiting but not have to "fiddle faddle" on my phone every 2 hours than Genie+ any day of the week.

I don’t mind the phone because it’s not really a lot to me. And I usually have it out taking pictures and other stuff anyway.

I was a little irritated after spending that much money and still having to wait 30+ minutes for a ride and not being able to use it on hagrids or velocicoaster. For that amount of money I would expect to skip to the absolute front.

Both systems have their pros and cons. I don’t think universal should be used at the benchmark.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I don’t mind the phone because it’s not really a lot to me. And I usually have it out taking pictures and other stuff anyway.

I was a little irritated after spending that much money and still having to wait 30+ minutes for a ride and not being able to use it on hagrids or velocicoaster. For that amount of money I would expect to skip to the absolute front.

Both systems have their pros and cons. I don’t think universal should be used at the benchmark.

Absolutely understandable. I hope by the next time I go to Universal (which might not be for years) Velicicoaster and Hagrid's are on EP. The last time I went to Universal before last week Forbidden Journey or Gringotts weren't on EP so those were all new to me. Gringotts was the worst line to be in but everything else was basically front of the line access. Forbidden Journey was only a longer wait because the employees told us someone threw up.

I usually have my phone out for pictures as well but I liked just walking onto a ride line without even thinking about immediately booking another LL. With Genie+ the second we scanned in I was already refreshing trying to get something else.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree with you about Universal's EP. I only go to Universal unless I have EP, hence why I've only gone about 3 times. I used Express last week and most rides were a walk on despite standby being a 40-70 minute wait. The only exceptions were obviously the rides that don't take EP and the Harry Potter rides (Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts).

I still would absolutely take a little bit of waiting but not have to "fiddle faddle" on my phone every 2 hours than Genie+ any day of the week.

Conversely in all the times I've been in my life the trip a few weeks ago was the first time we'd used EP. The day we didn't have EP was just as good as the two days with it but it did make my husband fine with going on High in the Sky a few times with EP

My husband actually used a combo of Single Rider and EP for rides because some rides the Single Rider was quicker, other ones EP was, usually he asked the TM for their advice but we had never toured with EP in 2011 and in 2017 nor had I toured with EP prior to meeting my husband. We never really found an issue with the lines.

We found FJ and Gringotts to be quite low in waits especially when compared to our 2017 and 2011 trips. Having Hagrid's and VeliciCoaster takes away from the demand a bit.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We haven’t been to WDW in 12 years (have been doing Europe) and so we have a lot of new rides and experiences to do. (and yes Disney is VERY expensive). We’re getting older. We loved to do ADRs and plan out our days. Now big conflict because unlike many of the regulars on here, we haven’t seen anything there in 12 years. So all the new rides and experiences are very important but we feel like as a result we are gong to have to skip all the normal ADRs we would make. Anyway just a different perspective because we’re not regulars anymore so big conflict with ILL/Genie+ vs ADRs.

I know how you feel and appreciate your perspective. Normally we go about every 6 years. This trip we just got done with was 100% because our DISer friends were getting married in Disney, there were 2 days that had wedding activities and we opted to use up in-law's Universal tickets from 2017 and expand to go to WDW before the wedding. It's literally and the bride and groom's inside joke..like how they told us they were getting married was to include "and we know of a way to get you guys back to Disney *wink wink*"

When you go less frequently it can be hard to jam pack in all you want to do and see. There's less pre-planning involved now and I think in some ways that is nice but I can absolutely understand how and have seen in IRL how trying to plan with those rides and shows and places to eat gets all complicated if just one thing is out of place with timing and there's an unpredictability there with some of the times people are selecting their LL.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Conversely in all the times I've been in my life the trip a few weeks ago was the first time we'd used EP. The day we didn't have EP was just as good as the two days with it but it did make my husband fine with going on High in the Sky a few times with EP

My husband actually used a combo of Single Rider and EP for rides because some rides the Single Rider was quicker, other ones EP was, usually he asked the TM for their advice but we had never toured with EP in 2011 and in 2017 nor had I toured with EP prior to meeting my husband. We never really found an issue with the lines.

We found FJ and Gringotts to be quite low in waits especially when compared to our 2017 and 2011 trips. Having Hagrid's and VeliciCoaster takes away from the demand a bit.

I'm very glad it worked out for you! In my case I never stay on site and I've always done 1 day only so I feel like the EP would benefit me in getting my must dos done. I am thinking of maybe staying on site in the future with Epic Universe around the corner...I'm not planning another Disney trip in the near future so I'm considering it.

Gringotts was IMO the worst wait of the day for my friend and I. I would say it was about 20-30 mins even with EP? Even the part after the preshow moves really slowly but maybe it was backed up for some reason? My last trip was the month Gringotts opened and I remember waiting 4 hours for that ride so maybe my brain is skewed to believing any wait for it is terrible xD

 

[SeasonneRose]

Absolutely understandable. I hope by the next time I go to Universal (which might not be for years) Velicicoaster and Hagrid's are on EP. The last time I went to Universal before last week Forbidden Journey or Gringotts weren't on EP so those were all new to me. Gringotts was the worst line to be in but everything else was basically front of the line access. Forbidden Journey was only a longer wait because the employees told us someone threw up.

I usually have my phone out for pictures as well but I liked just walking onto a ride line without even thinking about immediately booking another LL. With Genie+ the second we scanned in I was already refreshing trying to get something else.

Agreed. I do like walking to whatever I want and not having to schedule it all of the time.

But the planner in me does like the scheduling aspect too lol.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm very glad it worked out for you! In my case I never stay on site and I've always done 1 day only so I feel like the EP would benefit me in getting my must dos done. I am thinking of maybe staying on site in the future with Epic Universe around the corner...I'm not planning another Disney trip in the near future so I'm considering it.

Gringotts was IMO the worst wait of the day for my friend and I. I would say it was about 20-30 mins even with EP? Even the part after the preshow moves really slowly but maybe it was backed up for some reason? My last trip was the month Gringotts opened and I remember waiting 4 hours for that ride so maybe my brain is skewed to believing any wait for it is terrible xD

We never stay on site either. This was a first for us too this past trip but we did come away saying we're sold on staying on site especially at Endless Summer, the price point amazing and their bus service fantastic but we'd consider doing a split stay again like we did adding in Royal Pacific. Dunno what the future will hold but we'd def. do onsite again at Universal.

In 2017 it was a first to stay onsite at Disney and meh not really something we are thinking we'll do in the near future. The EMH the way they were back in 2017 were the biggest reasons we stayed on site. The 60 days for FP+ as well. Our room was bigger at Endless Summer compared to All-Stars although with the refurb the murphy bed would be a better layout than Endless Summer being 2 queen beds (All-Stars was 2 full beds before the refurb).

We do 3 days at Universal. If you're just doing a day it's extremely hard there honestly it's really hard to even do a park to park in 1 day with EP IMO only because you're finding yourself not being able to soak it in. 3 days gives us the chance to do what we want and do re-rides and do a day of less go go go. I can understand how you would want EP when going if you're only doing it for a day or two. I'd say we found EP to be nice to have but not intrinsically necessary but that's due to our touring style and our number of days. It does benefit us that Universal offers so many attractions with single rider something Disney sadly lacks in. Depending on the particular time my husband either used EP or Single Rider asking the TM for advice on it so even when we had EP we didn't always utilize it.

My sister-in-law tends to do more of what you do only a day or two at most and I know the last time she went in January it was just for a day and she felt like she kinda wished she had gotten EP because they didn't have much time there (it was before a cruise). She does however focus on Harry Potter areas of the parks with the other stuff being not quite as important.