MAJOR changes to Genie+!

[SeasonneRose]

They seem desperate to get perks for Disney hotel guests and even more desperate to create tiers between different people. But I do wonder if it is possible - there are so many Disney on site guests now. There are so many guests full stop. It is just creating resentment and they can see that. 30 minute early entry for on site guests and an elite level expensive Genie +. Everyone else take your chances. I think this will create enough benefit for staying on site, gives off site a chance of being on a level playing field, and minimises anger.

They are going to give genie+ priority to resort guest eventually. Off site is going to get the short end.

 

[xipotec]

So THOROUGHLY glad I was never planning on getting this for August. It all seems beyond confusing. We navigated the parks without it last June and am proud to say the same for this year. Just sounds like a huge money grab to me.

You will have to report back what your wait times were like in standard lines, especially if your August trip is still in high season.

 

[MainMom]

I copied this from another poster on a different board but it says everything that's wrong with Genie+.

"How is it bad to say only those who pay a lot can skip lines? That's how every theme park that isn't Disney works.

When I'm in line in those parks and see someone skip the line I understand they paid a lot of money for that purpose.

Disney park goers need to stop the idea that everyone needs to skip lines. The more people that skip lines, the worse it is for both the standby guests and line skippers.

It's best when something like this is priced at a level where most do not get it. Everyone wins vs this pseudo "line skipping" glued to your phone planning Genie + 15 dollar thing."

Too bad they trained us to skip the lines in the first place. We’re used to it and have been doing it for years for free. Disney created the expectation. Now they are trying to change it with a poor product.

 

[Jrb1979]

Too bad they trained us to skip the lines in the first place. We’re used to it and have been doing it for years for free. Disney created the expectation.

That is a problem. As we are seeing with Genie+ it doesn't work if everyone has it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

"How is it bad to say only those who pay a lot can skip lines? That's how every theme park that isn't Disney works.

This is because Disney doesn't operate like other parks in this respects.

It was so incredibly clear how well EP worked at USO to understand this. I don't mean that Universal limits sales, or that they have a high price point. It actually came from how the TMs did the EP distribution. It was far and above more equitable than Disney ever has.

They didn't just shoo us through all the time in the EP line at USO and they didn't just hold us back letting only 1 or 2 people through in the SB line.

But one major advantage USO has is the way their queues are set up. They built lines that have fewer merge points with EP having its own lines majority of the time.

The only time we ever saw our wait be lickety split with EP in comparison to SB was Hogwarts Express and on that one I think we got lucky with the timing.

Too bad they trained us to skip the lines in the first place. We’re used to it and have been doing it for years for free. Disney created the expectation.

Absolutely! That really became the crux and Disney fed into it and Disney kept it going. People seemed to be happier at Universal because Universal never promised you'd get in super quick. It's just "save time" although I do think their goal has been floated around to be about half the SB line.

 

[Jennasis]

Too bad they trained us to skip the lines in the first place. We’re used to it and have been doing it for years for free. Disney created the expectation. Now they are trying to change it with a poor product.

This!!! Disney creates the monster and then acts shocked when it eats the tourists.

 

[snikki]

I copied this from another poster on a different board but it says everything that's wrong with Genie+.

"How is it bad to say only those who pay a lot can skip lines? That's how every theme park that isn't Disney works.

When I'm in line in those parks and see someone skip the line I understand they paid a lot of money for that purpose.

Disney park goers need to stop the idea that everyone needs to skip lines. The more people that skip lines, the worse it is for both the standby guests and line skippers.

It's best when something like this is priced at a level where most do not get it. Everyone wins vs this pseudo "line skipping" glued to your phone planning Genie + 15 dollar thing."

I live near a Six Flags. Their skip the line system is $100+ per day depending on the tier you choose. When we go there may be 4-5 people in the "FP/LL" line. Sometimes there's no one and sometimes there may be 8-10 people. It's not enough to even cause an issue. So everyone is basically doing standby.

I'm one of those people who is fine paying $15 a day and treating G+ like a paid FP+ and being happy with 2-3 rides a day. With FP+ tiers you could only get 1-2 good rides prebooked per day in certain parks. We did our FP+ in the evening so we rarely (maybe 1-2 times for a 9-10 day trip) pulled extra FP+. To me this isn't lowering my expectations. This was just my first thought when the system was released.

I think so many people hate the system because they feel that since they are now paying they should be able to get a massive amount of LL a day.

ETA: Disney is going to figure out a price point and system that will make them money, get fewer complaints but not interfere with their VIP tours. If they did an unlimited pass like Universal for $200 a day that would be way cheaper than a VIP tour. Who would book a tour then? They don't want to go that route.

 

[xipotec]

They seem desperate to get perks for Disney hotel guests and even more desperate to create tiers between different people. But I do wonder if it is possible - there are so many Disney on site guests now. There are so many guests full stop. It is just creating resentment and they can see that. 30 minute early entry for on site guests and an elite level expensive Genie +. Everyone else take your chances. I think this will create enough benefit for staying on site, gives off site a chance of being on a level playing field, and minimises anger.

They WANT the 1% guests. For every 1%er they outspend the rest of us plebs 10x over….

So , less labor to deal with lower guest count whom spends 10x as much?

Thats a win across the board for WDW. They know they still have to deal with the “trash” folks whom bring their own food, water and spend nothing on the expensive merch WHILE staying off site….but they are gonna take away all the things they can from them in favor of big spenders….and all the while still charging them a fortune just to get tickets. Its obvious this is the plan…

Those loyal “trash” guests will be replaced by the elite.

And its not just WDW doing it……

 

[Jrb1979]

They WANT the 1% guests. For every 1%er they outspend the rest of us plebs 10x over….

So , less labor to deal with lower guest count whom spends 10x as much?

Thats a win across the board for WDW. They know they still have to deal with the “trash” folks whom bring their own food, water and spend nothing on the expensive merch WHILE staying off site….but they are gonna take away all the things they can from them in favor of big spenders….and all the while still charging them a fortune just to get tickets. Its obvious this is the plan…

Those loyal “trash” guests will be replaced by the elite.

And its not just WDW doing it……

Other companies may be doing that. I can't think of another amusement/theme park doing that. Many have raised prices but many are trying to entice people back.

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

PS My bet is you will be mad. I think this was a clever ploy to sell a bunch that wouldn't have sold, bank the cash while you figure out how to make it more attractive on it's own.

I am already mad. However, with all the cost already sunk into this vacation, I decided to pull the trigger now and get it over with, just like Disney hoped I and others would.

We have already decided this is our last Disney trip until grandchildren. Our daughter is 13, so I'm hoping for more than a decade! Next Florida trip is to finally see the Keys, and visit Harry. We are on Book 6.

This trip has turned into the most expensive vacation we have ever had as a family, and I have had enough. I am not finding value any more and I'm ready to move on. I know other people feel differently, and that's fine.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

That is a problem. As we are seeing with Genie+ it doesn't work if everyone has it.

It was an issue long long long before Genie+. The "no waiting in line" mentality isn't related at all to Genie+. It's how Disney was with FP and then with FP+. You're not incorrect at all that the more people who use it..etc but it's not a "as we are seeing with Genie+" because this has been part of Disney's way for long time. In many respects I cannot blame the guest. I blame Disney for how they treated FP+ like candy giving it out at the slightest inconvenience, I blame Disney for giving people this idea that they cannot wait more than 15 mins for a ride. I blame Disney for perpetuating this.

I said it on another thread Disney guests were quite cranky compared to Universal guests. We were just down there for a wedding and one of our DISer friends who came as well for the wedding we got to talking and he made it a good point something that we had discussed separately and then both came to the same conclusion. Guests over at Universal sorta get the "stand in line" thing. I mean it's not preferable but you don't throw a fit and act like it's going to ruin your day, the other DISer was like "I think people treat Universal more like other parks where that's what you do, you ride rides but you stand in line as well". Over at Disney they have an awful ratio with their skip line and it does create a negative impact on those waiting in the SB, and that's because they can't even think of making those in a skip line (which predates Genie+) actually wait any measurable time. Even if you had these two systems working together if they went with the mentality of allowing those in the skip line to wait more than they do now they would come away with less complaints, but they created this and they are going to keep feeding into this.

I don't think every Universal guest comes out not complaining but I do think there's a good amount less that do.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I said it on another thread Disney guests were quite cranky compared to Universal guests. We were just down there for a wedding and one of our DISer friends who came as well for the wedding we got to talking and he made it a good point something that we had discussed separately and then both came to the same conclusion. Guests over at Universal sorta get the "stand in line" thing. I mean it's not preferable but you don't throw a fit and act like it's going to ruin your day, the other DISer was like "I think people treat Universal more like other parks where that's what you do, you ride rides but you stand in line as well". Over at Disney they have an awful ratio with their skip line and it does create a negative impact on those waiting in the SB, and that's because they can't even think of making those in a skip line (which predates Genie+) actually wait any measurable time. Even if you had these two systems working together if they went with the mentality of allowing those in the skip line to wait more than they do now they would come away with less complaints, but they created this and they are going to keep feeding into this.

I agree with this after having been to both Universal and Disney. I found Universal guests to be nicer and more laidback overall. I also think Universal does a better job balancing the standby lines vs. Express. When my friend and I used our Express for Forbidden Journey we watched as they let in a massive standby group in before us. A lot of rides have their own dedicated Express line that goes straight to the ride rather than merging with standby so that actually makes standby more tolerable over there. Meanwhile at Disney people seemed way more rude, frustrated and stuck on their phones, not watching where they're going and bumping into others.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree with this after having been to both Universal and Disney. I found Universal guests to be nicer and more laidback overall. I also think Universal does a better job balancing the standby lines vs. Express. When my friend and I used our Express for Forbidden Journey we watched as they let in a massive standby group in before us. A lot of rides have their own dedicated Express line that goes straight to the ride rather than merging with standby so that actually makes standby more tolerable over there. Meanwhile at Disney people seemed way more rude, frustrated and stuck on their phones, not watching where they're going and bumping into others.

Def.! And one major thing that I saw having been both in the SB and the EP line at Universal over the course of our 3 days there is if there wasn't anyone in the EP line they would open the SB line and just let people go. At Disney they are not allowed to really do that. They halt the SB line even when there is no one coming through the LL (and they did this with FP as well) and at least according to my CM friend they have a specific amount of LL people they have to let in per SB people, which explains why I saw 1 or 2 people get through on Navi with SB

Observationally I never heard anyone complain at Universal during our trip about SB/EP, not one dang comment. I did however hear complaint after complaint after complaint with Disney. So many guests just upset and frustrated, ironically ride breakdowns were like NBD for the most part to people. There was a particularly sad moment at Alien Swirling Saucers with an adult son and dad. The son was like "dad we're just going to have to wait in line that just what you have to do" and the dad was like "son this is the worst day, I can't wait to be gone, this is awful," eventually the dad left the line after multiple times of the son saying "dad I'm going to wait in lines if you want to go do something else you can but I'm still going to wait". That son sat alone in his car in what felt like to my husband and I one of the most depressing moments in our trip during the ride. We really felt for both the son and the dad. I think that experience is going to stick with me for a bit, it was just such a stark one.

I'm not convinced that Disney limiting sales is going to give relief here. If they continue to do what they do now with the lines it may only be marginally better. Sure there may be less people in the LL than before but if they continue to severely limit just when and how many in the SB can go, frustrations will still mount in the SB line and a pressure to purchase Genie+ if it's still available that day may be even higher. Totally just my opinion though.

 

[JCornell]

Last night my wife made an eye opening comment. She said that under the FP+ system, yes, it was super stressful to try to get everything when our booking day arrived. But several months later, when we were in the parks, we didn't have to worry about it. Under the new system, that stressful feeling is there EVERY DAY, and it's not a great way to set the mood first thing in the morning. Then, after we got what we wanted, we had to come up with a quick plan based around that schedule. It's just not a great way to start the day.

I also liked the flexibility for people like us who aren't rope-droppers. We show up mid-morning and could have our FP+ set according to our schedule. G+ doesn't seem to be flexible enough for that yet and still requires an early start to set things up. We've been to the parks twice since it began. We haven't used G, G+, or LL and have three more trips this year and currently no plan to use it still. Granted, our kids are older and we don't care about ride quantity but would be happy to hit a few of our favorites each day. We've already resigned ourselves that we'll probably miss more than a few but tell ourselves that's ok since we'll be back.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I pre-purchased Genie+ for our planned October trip. So this is good news for me, right? Or am I missing something?

 

[MichelinMan]

They are going to give genie+ priority to resort guest eventually. Off site is going to get the short end.

Exactly my thoughts. I reckon that Genie+ is going to be used as the incentive to book on-site hotels, in the absence of free-dining packages. If I hadn't already booked an onsite hotel 2 years ago (been postponed twice due to Covid), I think I would have gone offsite this year. But throw in Genie+ for free, then that changes things somewhat.

Also, speaking as somebody who has already pre-booked their Genie+ for our July trip, I hope they massively increase the prices to limit the amount of Genie+ that are sold!

 

[HopperFan]

I am already mad. However, with all the cost already sunk into this vacation, I decided to pull the trigger now and get it over with, just like Disney hoped I and others would.

We have already decided this is our last Disney trip until grandchildren. Our daughter is 13, so I'm hoping for more than a decade! Next Florida trip is to finally see the Keys, and visit Harry. We are on Book 6.

This trip has turned into the most expensive vacation we have ever had as a family, and I have had enough. I am not finding value any more and I'm ready to move on. I know other people feel differently, and that's fine.

I can't blame you, I doubt you are alone. We have the lowest Disney Annual Pass and we will MORE than get our value from it with 4-6 week trips. Of course they get the extra spending from us for 4-6 weeks as well. We also have the waterpark option (no block out). We have Universal Premium Annual Passes so when we are blocked out from Disney we are at Universal. If I had to buy regular tickets .... I'd be looking at our other options as well.

I don't compare UN and Disney because while they are both theme parks, they are so different. The HP parts of Universal are incredible. I've been going to them since they opened without reading the books or seeing the movies and I still was in awe of the quality and details.

Last summer the whole family was going so DH and I watched every HP movie, one per night, until done. I was so WOWED, now understanding some of what I was seeing in the parks. A whole new appreciation. Especially give Diagon Alley plenty of exploring time and don't miss the back alley. DS2 was on about 3rd trip before he realized it was there. ENJOY!

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I know most table service restaurants are not operating at full capacity because of ongoing staffing issues, but Genie+ makes me want to never book a TS restaurant on a park day again. I was thinking of trying to get Space 220 reservations for our upcoming trip, but it's a lot less stressful to eat at QS if you don't know when you'll get LL reservations through Genie+. When we went to AK that's exactly what we did, lunch at Satuli and dinner at the lounge outside of Tiffins. With FP+, you could choose your times from the ones available even if you were booking for the same day. They took this away for absolutely no reason.

 

[snikki]

I know most table service restaurants are not operating at full capacity because of ongoing staffing issues, but Genie+ makes me want to never book a TS restaurant on a park day again. I was thinking of trying to get Space 220 reservations for our upcoming trip, but it's a lot less stressful to eat at QS if you don't know when you'll get LL reservations through Genie+. When we went to AK that's exactly what we did, lunch at Satuli and dinner at the lounge outside of Tiffins. With FP+, you could choose your times from the ones available even if you were booking for the same day. They took this away for absolutely no reason.

I have cut back on our TS. For a 10 day trip we will do 3. Not knowing our G+ times and having to pay for G+ made this an easy decision.

 

[MaC410]

I've been really bummed out about all this Genie+ stuff since the beginning. My wife and I were Fastpass+ power users. We'd go all day getting a fastpass for every single ride we would go on. Granted we weren't going on the big ticket attractions over and over again but we were always able to find a fastpass for SOME ride we wouldn't mind going on over and over again. We were completely spoiled by it and Genie+ has essentially taken that away. The only thing that's still making me feel like Genie+ is worth it is because our way of doing the parks is going to be pretty different for a while now. We just had our first child last year and will be taking our first trip since 2019 this December. Our days of being park commandos from open to close are over for a while. Genie+ will at least let us get some rides in early without waiting on lines and then possibly plan some rides later in the day after a midday break. I hope once our son can be a park commando like us this system will be long gone!