Rumors of Genie+ price increase?

[Pages26]

Thinking down the line will genie+ be needed once epic universe opens?

Will a brand new park attract more people to Orlando than currently or just eat in to the attendance of the other parks?

You would think a brand new state of the art park would make more people want to travel to Orlando but it's already theme park capital of the world and the only reason people don't travel more often is because they can't afford it, that's not going to change.

Say after the initial opening year surge travel to Orlando settles back down to near current levels and the new park daily takes 15% of people away from each of the 4 Disney parks and from its own 2 original parks that 15% decrease in attendance will reduce the wait times and make any pass to skip lines less valuable.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thinking down the line will genie+ be needed once epic universe opens?

Will a brand new park attract more people to Orlando than currently or just eat in to the attendance of the other parks?

You would think a brand new state of the art park would make more people want to travel to Orlando but it's already theme park capital of the world and the only reason people don't travel more often is because they can't afford it, that's not going to change.

Say after the initial opening year surge travel to Orlando settles back down to near current levels and the new park daily takes 15% of people away from each of the 4 Disney parks and from its own 2 original parks that 15% decrease in attendance will reduce the wait times and make any pass to skip lines less valuable.

Good idea - but keep in mind that Disney is accustomed to making adjustments such as running fewer ride vehicles, so a 15% drop in attendance doesn’t necessarily mean 15% shorter lines. And they’ll undoubtedly be competing with UOR for CMs/TMs, so might be short staffed as well.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Thinking down the line will genie+ be needed once epic universe opens?

Will a brand new park attract more people to Orlando than currently or just eat in to the attendance of the other parks?

You would think a brand new state of the art park would make more people want to travel to Orlando but it's already theme park capital of the world and the only reason people don't travel more often is because they can't afford it, that's not going to change.

Say after the initial opening year surge travel to Orlando settles back down to near current levels and the new park daily takes 15% of people away from each of the 4 Disney parks and from its own 2 original parks that 15% decrease in attendance will reduce the wait times and make any pass to skip lines less valuable.

I think it will be a mixed bag. Don’t forget they didn’t introduce magic bands and fastpass plus until after the hogs Meade side had opened at UOR and then the diagon alley side.
Competition is good. I love Disney and Universal equally. I also agree they have their cons. Both parks tend to wait it out after a new attraction or land opens.

EDITED TO ADD: Epic Universe could also take away from Universals other two parks as well so there is gonna be some push and pull for a while. And while I love express pass, it’s super expensive and if we hadn’t stayed at one of the hotels that offers it we wouldn’t have done it. So that also proves my point of wait and see. It’s gonna be interesting.

 

[Karau614]

I would imagine, that with the price Universal charges for Express Lane, that Disney would be very smart to raise Genie+ prices and cap it. Sure some people will be mad, but it is a very smart business decision. I'll gladly pay, the "extra expenses" are necessary to me and just part of the Disney trip budget for when we go.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I would imagine, that with the price Universal charges for Express Lane, that Disney would be very smart to raise Genie+ prices and cap it. Sure some people will be mad, but it is a very smart business decision. I'll gladly pay, the "extra expenses" are necessary to me and just part of the Disney trip budget for when we go.

Universal is crazy expensive and it varies based on date and time of year. Capping genie at one price would be better

 

[Karau614]

Universal is crazy expensive and it varies based on date and time of year. Capping genie at one price would be better

Yes it is. I also wish that was much cheaper. I, like everyone else would love Genie + to be cheap or free. I also understand the business side and have no reason to be upset if prices raise for it. Sure we all want it to be cheap, but look at the state of the globe right now. Like most things in life. It's your choice, folks can pay for it or not. What's the point in all the anger online. This news is less than 48 hours old and the anger is unbelievable. If someone feels they are "priced out" of a Disney trip, I don't feel that ever falls on Disney. That falls on many other factors of life.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Yes it is. I also wish that was much cheaper. I, like everyone else would love Genie + to be cheap or free. I also understand the business side and have no reason to be upset if prices raise for it. Sure we all want it to be cheap, but look at the state of the globe right now. Like most things in life. It's your choice, folks can pay for it or not. What's the point in all the anger online. This news is less than 48 hours old and the anger is unbelievable. If someone feels they are "priced out" of a Disney trip, I don't feel that ever falls on Disney. That falls on many other factors of life.

I can understand the anger and frustration (I forget if it was this thread or not but it apparently affected international travelers a lot). A lot of people my self included also stepped foot in WDW/DLR sometime in 2020 or 2021 before it was implemented and we loved the standby system as it went so much faster. This will undoubtedly change peoples plans and vacations, especially with either staying up until midnight or waking up early to purchase (which was something else not specified)

 

[Smugpugmug]

Universal is crazy expensive and it varies based on date and time of year. Capping genie at one price would be better

It really is. I went to Universal last week and I paid $100 for the one time use Express pass for 2 parks. I bought it a few months in advance and when I checked back on Undercovertourist a few days before my trip it shot up to $190. Even when I check for May 22nd the one time Express is $197 on UT. $190 for one time use is IMO kinda ridiculous. But I feel like I got a lot of value from it. Each ride had a 40-70 minute wait and I didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything except the rides that don't take Express.

I feel like if Disney charged $190 for a one time use Genie+ pass, people would still buy it and it would still sell out. The demand is super high right now.

 

[Kanga and Roo]

It really is. I went to Universal last week and I paid $100 for the one time use Express pass for 2 parks. I bought it a few months in advance and when I checked back on Undercovertourist a few days before my trip it shot up to $190. Even when I check for May 22nd the one time Express is $197 on UT. $190 for one time use is IMO kinda ridiculous. But I feel like I got a lot of value from it. Each ride had a 40-70 minute wait and I didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything except the rides that don't take Express.

I feel like if Disney charged $190 for a one time use Genie+ pass, people would still buy it and it would still sell out. The demand is super high right now.

Not this person.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

It really is. I went to Universal last week and I paid $100 for the one time use Express pass for 2 parks. I bought it a few months in advance and when I checked back on Undercovertourist a few days before my trip it shot up to $190. Even when I check for May 22nd the one time Express is $197 on UT. $190 for one time use is IMO kinda ridiculous. But I feel like I got a lot of value from it. Each ride had a 40-70 minute wait and I didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything except the rides that don't take Express.

I feel like if Disney charged $190 for a one time use Genie+ pass, people would still buy it and it would still sell out. The demand is super high right now.

i agree, and i think the demand would be high all the time, at least for days at MK. Don't underestimate parents who want their kids to have it/ experience it all

 

[Smugpugmug]

i agree, and i think the demand would be high all the time, at least for days at MK. Don't underestimate parents who want their kids to have it/ experience it all

I think if Disney were to offer a tier of Genie+ that allowed you to skip every line in one park and allowed rerides for about $190-200 per person, it would sell out in MK and HS. Demand is that high for those two parks in particular. That price is ridiculous but people would pay it. People pay for the unlimited Express pass at Universal that is often $200+ at peak times out of pocket, so it's possible. I don't think Disney is interested in offering a service like that though.

 

[Jrb1979]

I think if Disney were to offer a tier of Genie+ that allowed you to skip every line in one park and allowed rerides for about $190-200 per person, it would sell out in MK and HS. Demand is that high for those two parks in particular. That price is ridiculous but people would pay it. People pay for the unlimited Express pass at Universal that is often $200+ at peak times out of pocket, so it's possible. I don't think Disney is interested in offering a service like that though.

They aren't due to not wanting to cut into VIP sales. They do want to limit sales as they figured out too many people are buying it

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I think if Disney were to offer a tier of Genie+ that allowed you to skip every line in one park and allowed rerides for about $190-200 per person, it would sell out in MK and HS. Demand is that high for those two parks in particular. That price is ridiculous but people would pay it. People pay for the unlimited Express pass at Universal that is often $200+ at peak times out of pocket, so it's possible. I don't think Disney is interested in offering a service like that though.

I agree, with the crowds that Disney has, the logistics of that would be insane to figure out alone

 

[maverik85]

They aren't due to not wanting to cut into VIP sales. They do want to limit sales as they figured out too many people are buying it

Yea I'm very curious to see how the system goes when they start to limit the number of Genie+ available each day. Might make it more worth it then. However, seeing how their attendance caps limiting the number of people in the parks have still resulted in massive crowds, I am uncertain how much they will really limit the purchase.

 

[shafke]

It really is. I went to Universal last week and I paid $100 for the one time use Express pass for 2 parks. I bought it a few months in advance and when I checked back on Undercovertourist a few days before my trip it shot up to $190. Even when I check for May 22nd the one time Express is $197 on UT. $190 for one time use is IMO kinda ridiculous. But I feel like I got a lot of value from it. Each ride had a 40-70 minute wait and I didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything except the rides that don't take Express.

I feel like if Disney charged $190 for a one time use Genie+ pass, people would still buy it and it would still sell out. The demand is super high right now.

This is why when we have done Universal we have stayed at one of their hotels that include unlimited Express pass. The hotel prices and accommodations were on part with at least the moderated at DW. When you factor what Express pass would cost their hotels become a better deal. Just doing a quick booking for August(mid week)... 569 for the room at Royal Pacific. Regular express pass... 99 or 129 for unlimited. If you were going to purchase the express pass anyway that brings the cost of the room to under 200/night.

 

[gharter]

With them changing to be able to purchase Genie + the day of only, this leads to several possibilities:
1. Limit the number of Genie + available each day
2. Raise the price as quantity is limited.
I can only hope this will be time spent fixing all the issues instead of just limiting the sales and increasing the price.

 

[DebbieB]

If Disney goes this route people will complain that they are favoring the “wealthy” who stay at deluxe resorts. And what happens to DVC members at deluxe resorts? If they give it to all who stay on property then it is too popular and not useful. If the price goes up too much then they are gouging hard working families.

I don’t know what the right answer is. I just know someone will be unhappy no matter what.

I think that’s why they came up with the Deluxe After Hours. There are too many Deluxe/DVC to offer free Genie.

 

[NickC]

I feel like if Disney charged $190 for a one time use Genie+ pass, people would still buy it and it would still sell out. The demand is super high right now.

We are not super ride-focused guests, but I can see doing this at HS, for example. Currently, admission plus G+ plus ILL would be, what, $150-ish(?). We typically go to HS 2 days per trip. If we can save the cost of a second day of admission and get everything done in one day, it might be worth it. We could even cut the trip short by a day and not have the expense of the resort....although, that's less likely for us to do. We wouldn't do that at other parks, though, because we used to go for the atmosphere and not really for the rides.

 

[Smugpugmug]

We are not super ride-focused guests, but I can see doing this at HS, for example. Currently, admission plus G+ plus ILL would be, what, $150-ish(?). We typically go to HS 2 days per trip. If we can save the cost of a second day of admission and get everything done in one day, it might be worth it. We could even cut the trip short by a day and not have the expense of the resort....although, that's less likely for us to do. We wouldn't do that at other parks, though, because we used to go for the atmosphere and not really for the rides.

I could see a pass like that selling out at MK and HS but not at other parks. But like others said, Disney won't sell a pass like that due to the VIP tours that sell out anyway. Also the fact that you said you would make your trip shorter is why they won't do it either. They want people to stay longer on property - it's why they give UK visitors such great deals on packages.

 

[kassonvike]

What other industries/business deal with outrageous demand purely by raising prices? Sure, raising price, is something you should do/take advantage of, especially in the short term, but what about long term? Wouldn't increasing supply to bring in new and keep existing customers be the better plan long term plan. Increase capacity in the parks. They can't handle the demand anymore. They need a 5th gate and/or more attractions that eat up people and keep them engaged. Bring back shows. Make newer, longer shows. Create more rides. Give people more to do instead of everyone getting in line for 1 or 2 rides at three of the parks. I just don't see how this isn't going to kill them at some point. As a consumer I'm pretty much already there. It no longer feels worth it. I'm not opposed to spending a little more money but now I'm spending more money AND standing in even longer lines, getting a lot less done than we used to. We took a trip to universal and it was awsome. We stayed at Hard Rock which, yes, was a bit more expensive (but no where near Disney deluxe prices) but included front of the line. It was great. Even the rides that didn't accept the express pass (Hagrids and Velocicoaster) were not bad lines. Hagrids was 60 - 70 minutes (about my limit admittedly) and Velocicoaster was never over 45 that I saw. We went on it about 8 times the week we were there. Try to do that with Rise of the Resistance.