Possible update to Genie+

[Dcgc28]

I have the 4-park summer ticket for our trip in July and was budgeting $25 per day for 5 people = $500
Assuming the same price structure as Genie+ park specific opening day I'll be paying $425
As long as the price was $22 or more I'm coming out ahead. I am upset at all the perks that have gone away since 2020 but I think it is still unclear if flat rate Genie+ vs. park-specific Genie+ will be better or worse for how my family typically visits WDW.

Park based pricing will always be better. It’s just not a popular setup in general, being tied to G+, so it’s going to get criticized regardless. I’m curious to see the changes that Disney has said will keep you off your phone more and more engaged with the parks.

That to me would sound like being able to plan more in advance. Which I think would be a popular change but doesn’t really make sense with the way G+ is setup right now.

 

[tjkraz]

Park based pricing will always be better. It’s just not a popular setup in general, being tied to G+, so it’s going to get criticized regardless. I’m curious to see the changes that Disney has said will keep you off your phone more and more engaged with the parks.

That to me would sound like being able to plan more in advance. Which I think would be a popular change but doesn’t really make sense with the way G+ is setup right now.

For years FastPass+ was routinely criticized, mostly for its advance planning element and tiering of attractions. It feels like Disney overcorrected with Genie+. They tried to pacify the non-planners and those who crave spontaneity, while alienating the advance planners. Anecdotally, the advance planners seem to represent a greater share of Disney's core customer base. So I'm not sure this is a net win.

In most ways, Genie+ is a throwback to the days of paper fastpass tickets which FP+ critics claimed to prefer. But now, the vocal contingent claims to hate the uncertain return times and fact that some attractions run out of G+ slots by mid afternoon. My takeaway is the old adage "you can't please all of the people, all of the time." But Disney would be wise to figure out which consumer(s) are most important in the long run and cater to them. 2021 and 2022 suggested that infrequent guests can be big spenders. But 2023 and 2024 may show what happens when (fickle) infrequent guests abandon the Disney Parks.

About the only thing people seem to agree on is that they hate the added cost. Operationally, they're all just different ways to divvying up a limited number of ride slots each day.

 

[TraderStitch]

I'm just not seeing the reason for all the hate with the new system honestly. Genie is here to stay so we need to just collectively get over it.
Since it is such a money maker, Disney is just going to keep throwing ideas against the wall and see what sticks or gets the least blow back. It seems more confusing at first but once ya look into it more I'm happy with it. Park Hopper seems to follow MK and HS price wise. If anything you are getting a good deal. We are more of an Epcot and AK family so I openly welcome the cheaper Genie Plus. Honestly we just do ILL to save time but to each their own.

 

[Jwaire]

What?!? People aren't paying $25+ per person for Genie+ for EPCOT and Animal Kingdom? Surprise. Surprise.

I guess there is a limit to Disney's greed.

A few thoughts ...

It's time to throw in the towel. Guests hate Genie+. They just do. No matter what you change with it, guests are still going to hate it. It's a complicated product that requires you to be "in then know" to use it properly. Who wants to start booking lightning lanes at 7 a.m. on their vacation? It was a bad idea from the start.

You can't take a product from Disneyland Park that has more attractions than even the Magic Kingdom and apply it to Walt Disney World where there are parks with less than 10 attractions total. It doesn't work.

I'd love to see their customer sat scores for the product. It has to be beyond terrible.

They need to just adopt Universal's model. Offer a skip-the-line product (don't call it Genie anything) at a ridiculous price ($75+ per person) that allows you to skip-the-line at all attractions once-per-day. Let annual pass holders add it on to their passes after 4 p.m., like Universal.

Easy. No phone required. You get to walk up to Cosmic Rewind or Flight of Passage, once per day, and skip some of the line.

You can also build it in as a benefit to moderate+ (Art of Animation) and deluxe hotel guests. You might find you keep your hotel's more full that way.

 

[Minnie1222]

They need to just adopt Universal's model. Offer a skip-the-line product (don't call it Genie anything) at a ridiculous price ($75+ per person) that allows you to skip-the-line at all attractions once-per-day.

This is a marvelous idea but unfortunately the price is too cheap. It'll quickly sell out, leaving a larger number of angry guests.

 

[irlandaise]

For years FastPass+ was routinely criticized, mostly for its advance planning element and tiering of attractions. It feels like Disney overcorrected with Genie+. They tried to pacify the non-planners and those who crave spontaneity, while alienating the advance planners. Anecdotally, the advance planners seem to represent a greater share of Disney's core customer base. So I'm not sure this is a net win.

I think that's a true statement about WDW visitors, but not for DLR. Disney World is so big and overwhelming that advance planning was a necessity, but it was easy to be spontaneous at Disneyland before Genie+ arrived. Yes, many DLR visitors are locals who know the ins and outs of the parks, so they have an advantage, but even for out-of-towners, advance planning was minimal compared to WDW. Now everyone's stressing out about visiting DLR, which is a real shame. I'd love to see a simpler priority-entry system for Disneyland attractions.

 

[crvetter]

This is a marvelous idea but unfortunately the price is too cheap. It'll quickly sell out, leaving a larger number of angry guests.

Especially given Universals is 300+ per person during busy times. It’s really cost prohibitive and their standby lines are horrendous.

They do give to their deluxe hotel guests which is amazing. But Disney has too many of those to add it in for them and have enough left to sell for other guests.

 

[tjkraz]

A family member recently visited Disneyland Paris. Their ride skip system is similar to Universal Express where you just walk into the queue at will. On a relatively slow day in May, the cost for DLP Premier Access was $191 per person. That's in addition to the theme park ticket cost.

Systems like thy need to be exorbitantly priced in order to keep demand low.

 

[New Mouse]

This is a marvelous idea but unfortunately the price is too cheap. It'll quickly sell out, leaving a larger number of angry guests.

It sells out at Universal as well. They seem to have managed.

Fast pass and fast pass plus we're good as hotel perks but they still had a lot of flaws. Making them a paid option and not addressing the flaws was greedy and short sighted.

 

[Teacherk12]

I was thinking about going in February 2024 so I wouldn’t have to work with park reservations. I have always gotten park hoppers for flexibility, but if I plan on doing Genie plus and take advantage of park hopping it will be even more expensive! I am seriously considering that this will be my last disney trip when I use up my points on my Disney card. I know the points really are not as good on other cards, but it made it easy to save for Disney every 3-4 years. Makes me sad because I was going to take my 3 adult sons, one who didn’t get a college trip because he graduated in 2020, but the cost is going to be so much more since we went in 2019. By the time I pay for 2 rooms, park hoppers and genie plus we can really do a nice trip overseas. We could try it without genie plus, but I was always a planner that maximized fast passes.

 

[DodgerGirl]

In my eyes I think what Walt Disney World is trying to do with Genie+ is the same thing that Disneyland did with the E-Ticket system and the way I see it this new update to Genie+ is their version of the E-Ticket system because if I was going to Walt Disney World I would not pay the prices for skipping lines to rides that will be broken or out of service because the way I view it who wants to pay prices for skipping the line on Space Mountain or Tron Lightcycle or even the Guardians Of The Galaxy ride because who knows if the rides will be in operation? I think Genie+ is a poor service and Walt Disney World should've invented something better or brought the Fastpass system back rather than inventing Genie+ and Lightning Lane. When you look at the general picture Disney Parks have always invented and experimented with different ways to keep guests satisfied because they view it as a way to make money. Take for example when Walt Disney World opened in 1971 how much did it cost to ride a ride in the Magic Kingdom? Because if you compare that to how Genie+ works today I bet many people would have different answers. But I think they mainly did this was so that they could have special holiday pricing for Genie+ to be used on 4th Of July to Labor Day Halloween all the way to Christmas and since many people visit during Halloween and Christmas that seems to be the most busy times of the year

 

[DisFanDad]

We’ll find out for sure in a couple days but I don’t expect AK or EP to match recent weekday pricing.

We wont find out real pricing for a few weeks or a couple months. Disney isn't stupid. They may well lower prices below the floor in the short run to make it LOOK like this is going provide benefits for some - it wont. Remember when G+ launched the price was low, they just increased it from there.

 

[tjkraz]

We wont find out real pricing for a few weeks or a couple months. Disney isn't stupid. They may well lower prices below the floor in the short run to make it LOOK like this is going provide benefits for some - it wont. Remember when G+ launched the price was low, they just increased it from there.

Yeah, I'm sure that's what you MEANT to say here:

The lowest priced park is going to cost what ALL the parks would have cost, and prices will increase form there. The floor of pricing isn't going to drop at all...

Bahahaha seriously if you think any park is going to be lower than what the previous all parks G+ would have been, you are absolutely delusional.

If someone was expecting to pay $25 for Genie and can instead pay $16 for AK Genie, it doesn't just "LOOK" like someone is saving. They ARE saving. Price increases are inevitable. Checking back in 6 months and claiming "see, I was right because AK is $22 today" isn't a win.

But hey, if you keep moving the goalposts, you'll score eventually.

 

[starlite_]

We wont find out real pricing for a few weeks or a couple months. Disney isn't stupid. They may well lower prices below the floor in the short run to make it LOOK like this is going provide benefits for some - it wont. Remember when G+ launched the price was low, they just increased it from there.

We get it, you hate it and everything is a conspiracy and a lie. Why are you still on the disney forum ??

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I think I really like the idea of an extra charge that you can use one time at each main attraction. If the line is 2 hours for the new Star Wars ride, I would pay a one time fee to ride it once. It has always been such a long line, that I was unwilling to waste that much of my day standing in line.

I also understand WDW is trying to keep the #s in the parks somewhat reasonable. I have been on some really busy days at MK, and found myself saying what's the point......all we are doing is spending thousands of dollars to waiting in lines. When it's packed, I always just go to Epcot. The educational stuff in the various countries is never packed and I still really enjoy that also.

The last few trips what I found the most frustrating was trying to get reservations for a decent sit down meal at night. I just don't want to have to book meals 6 months in advance, I like a lot more spontaneous vacations than that. It did lead to an incredible meal at de San Angel in Epcot, as I was able to book the day of like after lunch that same day. Spur of the moment with some really good friends, and ended up being one of my best Disney meals ever.

 

[DisFanDad]

Yeah, I'm sure that's what you MEANT to say here:





If someone was expecting to pay $25 for Genie and can instead pay $16 for AK Genie, it doesn't just "LOOK" like someone is saving. They ARE saving. Price increases are inevitable. Checking back in 6 months and claiming "see, I was right because AK is $22 today" isn't a win.

But hey, if you keep moving the goalposts, you'll score eventually.

Dude - try really hard with the reading comprehension. The FLOOR of the price is not going to drop - its not. You are going to end up paying the same as you would have for all the parks, for the cheapest price any park is offered at. Might Disney "lower the floor" for a few weeks after this change, to make things appear like they are offering a benefit for guests? Essentially discounting G+ for a few weeks at a few parks? Sure, sure they might. But long term, in a month or two, where are those prices going to be ? Exactly where I said they would. And if you can't understand that - you can't even see the goal posts, so maybe stay out of the game.

 

[starlite_]

If someone was expecting to pay $25 for Genie and can instead pay $16 for AK Genie, it doesn't just "LOOK" like someone is saving. They ARE saving. Price increases are inevitable.

Right?? I truly don't get all the drama. If you are planning to hop then buy the hop genie, if you aren't then just buy the park genie. It's truly the simplest thing.

All the talk about having to pay for the hop genie, well you were gonna pay that price (most expensive version) before this change anyways so what is the difference???

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Right?? I truly don't get all the drama. If you are planning to hop then buy the hop genie, if you aren't then just buy the park genie. It's truly the simplest thing.

All the talk about having to pay for the hop genie, well you were gonna pay that price (most expensive version) before this change anyways so what is the difference???

I think in general the perception is that it's all a big money grab. The middle class families seem to feel like Disney is trying to price them out of the experience. Outside of here, you don't hear many average Disney customers speaking fondly of the geinie+ rollout or experience.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

When are these people going to learn - never spin changes Disney makes in a positive way - try to think of the WORST way this can pan out for you, and know that that is actually the best this is going to turn out, because Disney has probably thought of something worse for you.

This will provide benefits to absolutely no one - this will cost everyone more money.

You think they are going to drop the floor of pricing? You think they are going to do ANYTHING to save you money? They aren't. The lowest priced park will be what they would have charged for G+ for all parks, and they will increase from there.

Yeah I'm a little surprised how many people aren't seeing the writing on the wall here. I don't mean to be negative, but it's just been the way of things for awhile now. The game plan seems to be to slowly acclimate guests into unpopular, expensive changes. Taking away free fastpass first so that there is no line-skipping tool at all ... so that guests are happy to have SOMETHING even when the new option is $15 a head for a service that (at the time) didn't even work particularly well. Then take that $15 a head and make it on a sliding scale that tops out shy of $40 a head. THEN take THAT and break it down further to capitalize on parkhopping. It seems silly to imagine that this the multipark isn't going to eventually come at a premium.

I can't help but wonder if they are trying to phase out park-hopping altogether. Maybe that's actually the goal? We've always gotten parkhoppers as a rule, but we see less value in it with the 2pm rule. I fully expected to see an announcement about that when they announced the end of park reservations, but it seems like 2pm is here to stay. Combine that with (possibly/likely) paying a premium for multipark Genie+, I can't say I think we'd be investing in parkhoppers again.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I can't help but wonder if they are trying to phase out park-hopping altogether. Maybe that's actually the goal? We've always gotten parkhoppers as a rule, but we see less value in it with the 2pm rule. I fully expected to see an announcement about that when they announced the end of park reservations, but it seems like 2pm is here to stay. Combine that with (possibly/likely) paying a premium for multipark Genie+, I can't say I think we'd be investing in parkhoppers again.

I don't get a sense that park-hopping is in jeopardy. I don't ever see that going away, it's too popular and they make money on the tickets. This seems like another way to potentially point crowds to the parks with lower attendance. If one can pay 'less' for G+ at AK or EP, they might decide to head there instead of MK. Seems like a crowd adjusting tool as well as a good money-maker.