Possible update to Genie+

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

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 the issue is that many (myself included) aren't trusting that this is actually how it's going to play out. Sure, the currently published info makes it look GREAT. But when it comes to Genie+, it's tough to take Disney's advertised "sample pricing" at face value. Their track record with this so far isn't great. They say, $15/person. Then quickly increase that to a sliding scale where there is no top limit. Now this. It's fair to assume that the sample pricing they published isn't going stay that way for long. I think the "drama" is because most people on this board are people who generally love/trust Disney as a company, and who feel betrayed by what feels a little like a bait and switch.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

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.

I don't mean that it's in jeopardy in the sense that they'd take it away as an option - just that i wonder if they're trying to make it less appealing to the customer, potentially cut down the number guests using it, in an effort to control traffic flow/labor costs. The cost/value ratio here seems to be getting slimmer and slimmer.

 

[Jrb1979]

Another update to Genie+.

It looks like Disney IT is putting in place measures to cut off third-party access to booking VQs and G+.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I personally believe Disney has a number in each park that they see as a good number to both keep guest happy and keep profitability up. A lot of what they do is to try and keep those numbers where they want them to be in this balancing act.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I love how Disney is trying everything to get the crowds to shift to Epcot and AK rather than going to MK when the best solution would be to build attractions people would actually want to spend money to skip the line for.

Another update to Genie+.

It looks like Disney IT is putting in place measures to cut off third-party access to booking VQs and G+.

I knew there were companies that offered to book Genie+ reservations for you but I didn't know any of them did the VQs.

 

[SkyGuy]

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.

Wait until the dining plan comes back next year. I expect day-of reservations will be few and far between.

 

[Redsred3]

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.

This is how I feel too. We like using genie + even at AK, so the pricing being lower for that is great for us. And honestly the last few days we went, G + was $23-25. So for us, we would come out ahead. We aren't sun up to sun down park people. We like to either do mornings and have the rest of our day to relax, or do afternoons/evenings and stack lightening lanes. So the pricing per park is worth it to us.

 

[starlite_]

I think the issue is that many (myself included) aren't trusting that this is actually how it's going to play out. Sure, the currently published info makes it look GREAT. But when it comes to Genie+, it's tough to take Disney's advertised "sample pricing" at face value. Their track record with this so far isn't great. They say, $15/person. Then quickly increase that to a sliding scale where there is no top limit. Now this. It's fair to assume that the sample pricing they published isn't going stay that way for long. I think the "drama" is because most people on this board are people who generally love/trust Disney as a company, and who feel betrayed by what feels a little like a bait and switch.

Ok, so how is that any different than before? Genie+ is gonna keep increasing in price if they want. That is a separate issue. So since that is staying the same, the ONLY difference is that now it's tiered pricing. So AK and Epcot will remain cheaper than MK and HS.

Let's say the price for genie on X day was $35. Now that $35 will apply to MK and the hop genie. With all other parks tiered down accordingly.

So again I ask, how is this any different than before? To me it looks like outrage for the sake of outrage.

 

[starlite_]

Another update to Genie+.

It looks like Disney IT is putting in place measures to cut off third-party access to booking VQs and G+.

Good. Equal footing for everyone!

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

A several years back my daughter was having her 15th birthday in the park. I was trying for months to get us into a decent restaurant the night of her birthday. I was simply having zero luck. I sent my wife into the park with the kids and went to the guest relations desk. I explained to a really nice lady my troubles and she agreed the parks / restaurants were all packed right now. Anyway I was very nice and said I just figured it was worth a shot to see if I could make it happen for my daughter on her birthday. She got in the system and then handed me a reservation to the Brown Derby for her Birthday night, and 8 fast passes to popular rides (yep it was years back), and said go have a magical day. I was blown away, and it made me more of a Disney fan than ever!

 

[Disney Bobby]

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.

Not one single person I know personally that has used it liked it. Every single one had a very negative opinion. A couple were first time visitors that felt very strongly about it being a show stopper for them visiting again. Just another fail in a long parade of fails for Disney lately. Not sure how anybody in leadership there still has a job.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Not one single person I know personally that has used it liked it. Every single one had a very negative opinion. A couple were first time visitors that felt very strongly about it being a show stopper for them visiting again. Just another fail in a long parade of fails for Disney lately. Not sure how anybody in leadership there still has a job.

Yeah, that is my experience also. I am a planner by nature, so figuring out how to best do the park has always been pretty fun for me. However, my wife is the opposite and thinks spontaneous decisions can lead to some of the best vacations. She hates Disney parks due to all the prior planning and crap required nowadays. She would rather just go back to the resort and lay by the pool with a cocktail.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Ok, so how is that any different than before? Genie+ is gonna keep increasing in price if they want. That is a separate issue. So since that is staying the same, the ONLY difference is that now it's tiered pricing. So AK and Epcot will remain cheaper than MK and HS.

Let's say the price for genie on X day was $35. Now that $35 will apply to MK and the hop genie. With all other parks tiered down accordingly.

So again I ask, how is this any different than before? To me it looks like outrage for the sake of outrage.

I can't speak for others, but outrage isn't what I'm feeling. Disappointment, maybe frustration, are more accurate for me personally. I think it's possible to dislike a change like this without it amounting to "outrage for the sake of outrage."

You're right that Genie+ prices will keep increasing, and also that it makes sense for Epcot and DAS to be priced lower. So in that sense it's a good change (unless you're wanting to do a Epcot/DAK day in which case you'd pay the same rate as you would for a DHS/MK day).

But I think this just points to further price increases in general, which I think many people are tiring of, as well as another complication of the system. Thus the negative feedback.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I can't speak for others, but outrage isn't what I'm feeling. Disappointment, maybe frustration, are more accurate for me personally. I think it's possible to dislike a change like this without it amounting to "outrage for the sake of outrage."

You're right that Genie+ prices will keep increasing, and also that it makes sense for Epcot and DAS to be priced lower. So in that sense it's a good change (unless you're wanting to do a Epcot/DAK day in which case you'd pay the same rate as you would for a DHS/MK day).

But I think this just points to further price increases in general, which I think many people are tiring of, as well as another complication of the system. Thus the negative feedback.

I think this is well said. At the end of the day many middle class Families feel like Disney is attempting to price them out of the parks experience. I can easily do a pretty nice all-inclusive island vacation for what a Disney trip cost me currently (including airfare).

At the same time though the grocery store is also pricing many middle class families out of having a decent meal for dinner! Beef, eggs, fresh veggies, and milk are utterly ridiculous in my area right now!

My last several trips seemed to suggest the percentages of wealthy foreigners in the parks is increasing yearly.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Not one single person I know personally that has used it liked it. Every single one had a very negative opinion. A couple were first time visitors that felt very strongly about it being a show stopper for them visiting again. Just another fail in a long parade of fails for Disney lately. Not sure how anybody in leadership there still has a job.

Not sure how it could be viewed as a fail??! Just because you want it to be a fail doesn't make it so. Park attendance has been quite strong. During the busiest times, G+ even sold out a few days!

I also know a lot of Disney people. A lot. And some of the were thumbs-up and some were thumbs-down on the original FP. Then there were mixed feelings about FP+. And I see and hear the same mixed good news/bad news thoughts about G+/LL/ILL. Outside of the additional fee (which is not a small item, I know), G+ and ILL have worked well for us. It even has some advantages over FP+!! All a matter of perspective and experiences.....

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Not one single person I know personally that has used it liked it. Every single one had a very negative opinion. A couple were first time visitors that felt very strongly about it being a show stopper for them visiting again. Just another fail in a long parade of fails for Disney lately. Not sure how anybody in leadership there still has a job.

I think in reality, just like anything else, Genie+ is going to have people who love it and people who hate it. I don't actually mind Genie+ in general. Although I was extremely against it initially, I found I ultimately didn't mind paying the original $15/pp for it, and I felt it worked better for us on our 2023 trip than it did in 2022. There've been some improvements in my opinion and with the addition of some pre-planning element, I think it could be even better, since my chief complaint was having to pull the phone out so often while on vacation.

What I don't like is the unpredictability of the surge pricing, of the fact that there's no cap, and that the prices are increasing SO QUICKLY. I mean, you expect prices to increase over time. But Genie+ as a paid function was only introduced 2 years ago and prices are already capping out at more than double the price that was announced back at the onset of Genie+.

 

[tjkraz]

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.

Of course prices will rise over time. The point of this move is to increase overall sales by acknowledging that guests visiting MK and AK aren't willing to pay the same price for Genie+. The value is completely different.

It goes without saying that most Genie utilization is currently centered around Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Right now, if people have base tickets for Epcot or Animal Kingdom--which many do thanks to the $399 summer ticket offer--few are buying Genie strictly for those parks at $20-25 per day.

This gives Disney the ability to continue selling just as many multi-park Genie+ passes as they currently are, while ADDING single park sales, primarily at EP and AK, at prices which are more representative of what those parks have to offer. Hypothetically, if only 5k people are buying Genie+ at $25 per day with non-hoppers to AK and EP, growing that to 10k guests at $16 per person is easily a win for Disney.

Genie is going to hit $40 per person someday, with this change or without it. I don't see this accelerating the process.

 

[Jrb1979]

Yeah, that is my experience also. I am a planner by nature, so figuring out how to best do the park has always been pretty fun for me. However, my wife is the opposite and thinks spontaneous decisions can lead to some of the best vacations. She hates Disney parks due to all the prior planning and crap required nowadays. She would rather just go back to the resort and lay by the pool with a cocktail.

That's where we are. We do enough scheduling during our every day life that on vacation we want to do as little scheduling as possible. It's just one thing after another to plan. We can live with booking ADRs but the whole Genie+ thing is too much. I hate basing my day around ride times. We like simple like how Universal does it.

 

[Dcgc28]

Basically people don't like G+ for one of two reasons. It's not free and it can feel time consuming. Personally I was there with 3 kids, we had to stop frequently anyway so for us it wasn't that bad. I didn't think it was overly priced, we paid 23 I believe in March. We also got to do everything we wanted to do so personally I'm not annoyed with it. I would like for there to be more planning before arrival but other than that it felt fine to me and my family.

Then again we're in a unique situation where we were stopping more often that most people probably.

 

[irlandaise]

I love how Disney is trying everything to get the crowds to shift to Epcot and AK rather than going to MK when the best solution would be to build attractions people would actually want to spend money to skip the line for.

Epcot and AK are both wonderful parks, but they will never be as attractive to visitors as the MK. Pandora, Remy, etc. certain pull in some people, but what's the first park most people think of when someone mentions Walt Disney World?

Having lower Genie+ prices for Epcot and AK seems like a logical move to me and should indeed increase attendance some.

(I don't know what to make of DHS. Galaxy's Edge is wonderful, but what am I missing that makes it nearly as valuable as the MK?)