The big G+ rides at HS gone by 1:07!

[Meglen]

It’s 2 hours from park opening. So if the park opened at 9, you can book at 11 am. If park opened at 8 am, you can book another at 10 am provided the first one was not used. If the first pass is 9-10 am and you didn’t use it, then you need to let it expire (15 min grace so at 10:15 am)

I understand how it's meant to work but many vloggers are running into the same issue as the person I replied to.

 

[Disturbia]

I edited my post; maybe it’s related to the grace period.

 

[petrola]

Question:
Would you rather have paid fast pass or G+?

Paid fast pass. no question. Have everything sorted BEFORE getting to the parks. I'm not a fan of waking up at the crack- the day of- frantically trying to get a fast pass for who knows what -then having to look at my phone all day searching for the rest.

 

[snikki]

Paid fast pass. no question. Have everything sorted BEFORE getting to the parks. I'm not a fan of waking up at the crack- the day of- frantically trying to get a fast pass for who knows what -then having to look at my phone all day searching for the rest.

I would pay extra to prebook 3 G+.

 

[Orsino]

Did you try only at 2 hours or 2 hours and a few min? I have read that say you book at 7am but really it didn't go through till 7:10 you can't book another till say 11:10.

I've booked at 8:55AM and could book second LL at 11AM on the dot. My guess is someone didn't fully tap. Make sure everyone sees Green at the LL tap point.

I would pay extra to prebook 3 G+.

I wonder what would happen if an alternative offering was 3 G+ prebooked, but then that's it. No more. Would that be fair and desirable? What if both options existed concurrently so you had to choose (3 in advance [in my mind it would be 7AM booking for all three] but no more after that, OR 1 at a time, but 'unlimited').

 

[snikki]

I've booked at 8:55AM and could book second LL at 11AM on the dot. My guess is someone didn't fully tap. Make sure everyone sees Green at the LL tap point.


I wonder what would happen if an alternative offering was 3 G+ prebooked, but then that's it. No more. Would that be fair and desirable? What if both options existed concurrently so you had to choose (3 in advance [in my mind it would be 7AM booking for all three] but no more after that, OR 1 at a time, but 'unlimited').

When we used FP+ we booked our FP in the evening for our PM park almost every single day. We were a quality over quantity family. I pulled extra FP probably twice during a 10 day trip and that was at MK. It worked well for us. We did RD, midday break and PM park with the FP. Other days we slept in, did the pool and then to a park with our PM FP. We did everything we wanted, doing our faves multiple times, and had a fabulous time. It would be fair and desirable to me. I was actually hoping they’d just keep FP+ and charge for it.

 

[Disturbia]

I would do paid fast passes as well. We didn’t utilize the 4th FP often. I think it had limited availability for larger parties. However, lines were often doable in the morning (esp. Adventureland), which isn’t the case anymore.

 

[lowlight]

I will sum up the issues I had with Weenie+ and ILLs my last trip.
1) The tech doesn’t work. Lots of errors, trouble paying for the services, and times that shifted after order was placed and billed. I wasn’t alone in this. Waking up at 655 and still not getting what you want because of tech issues is not a good feeling. Or booking for 10am and an hour later you notice it says 1pm now, which is when you have an ADR.
2) Splitting parties up. Our party of 9 (split between families) couldn’t all afford it every day, so we spent very little time together in the parks. This alone ruined the trip for me.
3) Having to choose rides for my kids or the adults in the party. You can’t book an ILL or two and G+ ride at the same time, but you have to. I booked MMRR at 7am sharp and by the time I got to ROTR at 701 it was gone and the time for SDD was way past when we could do it. This happened in MK too.
4) Zigzagging all over the parks. It actually made the older members of our party tap out- we averaged 10 miles a day and it was too much for them. Yes you walk a lot at WDW, this was more than normal.
5) Some days you pay G+ and do 4 rides, some you pay and do 1 or 2. It’s a gamble. I hate gambling with my vacation.

 

[SLThomas318]

Would def pay to pre-book... I wonder if that is part of the future plan for Genie+... I can see Disney now... if you want even MORE flexibility for your day here is Genie++... lock in your favorite rides at your preferred time for only XXX$$$. Ugg!

 

[leeniewdw]

Not sure I understand this? Do you mean $200 a day when you add up the ticket + G+, plus paid ILL?

it is definitely getting to be outrageously expensive. Studies have shown that the people who most want to go (70% of the families in the lower-mid income tier) can’t afford to, and the people who can afford it (high income - I think $250k+ annual), are the least likely to want to (15% or something). That doesn’t seem to be a very sustainable business model. But even then, it may still be enough to keep the parks crowded.

Yes, I meant after price of ticket (using our next trip, park days are 3/4 and 3/5) , $293 for a 2 day (1 park / day), add G+, another $31, and even just 1 ILL$ / day , say for $24. That's $350 of "park tickets" for 1 person for 2 days. So I guess the $200 is an exaggeration. Buy 2 ILL$s and you are still under $200/day but north of $175.

We haven't ever gone to WDW w/o hoppers, so that would add even more if we wanted to visit as we always have.

Our plan is very tentative for 2 weeks from now. Airfare/points are completely refundable, hotel is room only, so we have another week to decide, and park tickets aren't purchased yet. We are waiting until the last minute to make final decision.

 

[DisneyFive]

I wonder what would happen if an alternative offering was 3 G+ prebooked, but then that's it. No more. Would that be fair and desirable? What if both options existed concurrently so you had to choose (3 in advance [in my mind it would be 7AM booking for all three] but no more after that, OR 1 at a time, but 'unlimited').

I wish there was a perfect answer. I do feel that overall FP+ hits the nail on the head MUCH more than G+.

The 7am thing is killer though. That's one of the top complaints, if not THE top complaint, of G+ right now. Can they figure out a way to sort that out?

I never understood why you could book so far out. (same for ADR's... I mean 180 days?) 60 days and even 30 days were overkill for FP+. Make it 11 days so that those staying for the maximum of 10 nights can book all their G+'s in advance. I think that's a huge compromise. If guests don't know 11 days out that they are going to Disney, well they will just have to deal with the consequence. I have to think that the VAST majority of guests know 11 days or more in advance that they are visiting.

The prebooking 3 was such a big benefit, definitely #1 on my list

Dan

 

[leeniewdw]

The 7am thing is killer though. That's one of the top complaints, if not THE top complaint, of G+ right now. Can they figure out a way to sort that out?

When we went in December, we had an early flight, so I was booking our first LLs literally in the line to board. We attended an AH event at MK so we decided not to RD the next morning, but I had to wake up to book our first LLs for AK. The "plan" was to go back to sleep. That didn't happen. My alarm woke us both up and then after "stressing" to get thru a re-login and 2 LL$ purchases and then a regular LL, who was going back to sleep.

Again, if was just me and DH so we were fine with rolling with whatever happened, but I'm still thinking trying to do this with our adult children/SOs is going to be a pain. It just seems like "well, I'll try to get XYZ around 123 time, but I won't know until 7am. So I don't know if you need to get up early or if it'll be a later morning". It's just weird. Like how "fun" would it be to text the rest of your traveling party and say "hi, it's 7:05, but I wanted you to know we don't have a LL until 10am so you don't actually have to get up".

 

[ScarletFire]

I would pay extra to prebook 3 G+.

That's funny because I would have balked pre-pandemic. Now I'm like ME TOO.

 

[sp'smom]

08791906

7-10k for “world class entertainment” to spend half the day at the pool? This is the loss of value rub many Disney veterans feel. Holiday Inn on the other side of town has a pool, there is a Wendy’s next door for “quick service”.

We must break this mind lock that just becasue it’s Disney, that it’s AMAZING! 10k for pool days is ludicrous, 130 dollars a day for park pass to only spend 4 hours there is absurd.

I completely agree. I am exhausted just reading the posts. I love Disney BUT why add stress to VACATION!!!

 

[Delirium]

Not planning any Disney trip for the foreseeable future, but if I was, I would likely skip Genie+ and Paid Lightening Lanes and try something like this. Yes, without Genie+, we would probably end up not doing EVERY attraction. We usually do, but some are done just to achieve that goal, not because we are huge fans. But, I'm simply not going to pay for this service if I can't schedule in advance and for the times that I want.

Trip assumes 8 afternoon/evenings (including arrival day) and 7 mornings. Park Hopper. I'll use the same basic park setup that we used over Thanksgiving Week 2018. Obviously, we'll do more than what's listed. Just trying to show how we might do major attractions without dealing with the Genie+ chaos.

Evening Day 1 - Epcot (get in line for Remy 3 minutes before park close)

Morning Day 2 - MK (Rope drop Space Mountain)

Evening Day 2 - MK (Spend last 45 minutes in Frontierland. Do Big Thunder, then hustle over to Splash.)

Morning Day 3 - Epcot (Rope drop Soarin)

Evening Day 3 - HS (do standby for what we can and get in line for SDD 3 minutes before park close)

Morning Day 4 - MK (rope drop Adventureland)

Evening Day 4 - Epcot (Get in line for Frozen 3 minutes before park close)

Morning Day 5 - AK (Rope drop Everest, do standby for Safari immediately after. Dinoland and a show or two after that)

Evening Day 5 - Resort time and Disney Springs in 2018 plan, changing to HS (Galaxy's Edge. Get in line for ROTR 15 minutes before park closes)

Morning Day 6 - HS (rope drop RNR & TOT)

Evening Day 6 - MK (Fantasyland after families with small children leave. Get in line for SDMT 3 minutes before park closes)

Morning Day 7 - Was designated a sleep-in morning on 2018 trip. Change to HS (Rope drop Runaway Railroad)

Evening Day 7 - AK (Get in line for FOP 3 minutes before park close. Would skip Na'Vi if wait was more than 15 minutes)

Morning Day 8 - Was HS in 2018 with Slinky FP at 12:15. (Change to sleep-in with no FP to fall back on)

Evening Day 8 - Epcot (get in line for Test Track 3 minutes before park close)

An additional approach would be to take advantage of After Hours at MK and Epcot if we stay at a Deluxe Resort. Our 2018 trip was at Beach Club, but prior to that we always stayed at a Moderate.

Anyway. It's doable without Genie+. There still should be time to do most, if not all, of the non-headliners we enjoy.in the time immediately after rope drop and leading up to end of night. A few days would still allow for an afternoon break between park hops. What we probably won't have time for (and any Disney Marketing staff reading this thread take note) would be shopping. No time for Disney Springs and not time left for the shops in the parks either.

 

[Figvention]

From Frommers (a travel guide):

Disney Raises Prices Again! Even Die-Hard Fans Now Turning Against Poor Quality

Because even though prices are rising ("far outpacing the rate of inflation," according to MarketWatch), Disney is now giving customers less and less for their money—and customers are catching on.


The company used to get away with price hikes because of one word: value. There was a time when customers got a lot of extra incentives for the exorbitant prices they paid for a Disney vacation.

No more.

Even before the pandemic began, Disney started retracting huge segments of its core product, but it didn't bring prices down to correspond.

Last autumn, the company began charging customers to make reservations for shorter waits for lines, a perk that was once granted on a complimentary basis. The confusing Genie+ system can be alienating to many guests, and it glues visitors to their phones for the entirety of a day.

Last week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek bragged to CNBC that "about a third to 50%" of visitors are now spending at least another $15 per day (and in some cases $20 per ride) on top of those sky-high admission prices to use the new Genie+ and Lightning Lane system. Industry observers estimate the new profit center may add as much as $300 million to Disney's coffers in 2022.

 

[lowlight]

Quick, someone buy Chapek a copy of Rollercoaster Tycoon.

 

[Haagen Dawgs]

So, was going to post this in a new thread, but then I figured since this was already expanding on some of the issues here with Disney, I’ve long had a curious question…

…if people are taking so much issue with the nickel and dime treatment that Disney continues to promote, why give them any more money than necessary outside of park entry? On-site benefits are awful now. 30-minutes early entry? Big deal. Granted, you can hit a headliner “if” you are willing to get up at the crack of dawn and rush with the masses at rope drop. The other perk is actually pretty solid, which his the extra magic hours two-nights a week for the Deluxe guests. How much are you paying for that? I’ll tell you.

My family previously stayed on-site due to 60-day advanced bookings, free parking, inclusion of magic bands, regular Mousekeeping (yes, I know this is Covid-related, but I have my doubts of it ever returning to prior levels), etc. We would stay in a Deluxe One-Bedroom as our group of four had a King Bed, Queen sofa-sleeper, and a full kitchen…and a washer/dryer. I can appreciate those who don’t want to cook but we really like having the flexibility of a warm breakfast, full-size fridge, some frozen pizzas and meals…not to mention packing lighter with a mid-week laundering. It was more expensive, but no where near the prices now.

We are staying for a week upcoming. Disney wanted $11k for one of their cheaper one -bedroom Deluxe and 5-day park tickets. My wife and I took about 10 seconds to say no way. We are staying within 8 to 20 minutes of the different parks at the Marriott World Resort Sabal Palms. The 3 pools, lazy river, and water slides are better than anything Disney offers at any of their resorts. The condo is about 400 sf bigger than the average Disney Deluxe One-Bedroom. Even taking Uber or parking expenses to drive at the park, we are saving OVER $6,000. If we fully maximized five-days of early admission, four-hours of extended evening hours (we wouldn’t with a six-year old), and didn’t have to wait for an hour for RotR ($ILL will be sold out by park open), that luxury breaks down to $800 an hour. I can buy G+ and every $ILL every single day and still have money left over from the first hour of savings.

We will eat breakfast before we show up at the parks, brings some snacks, and if a long park day, perhaps split a couple QS meals or grab some snacks. We could get some table reservations, but we simply refuse to give anything more than necessary to Disney besides a couple basic meals, snacks, and some bottles of water. I’m just constantly amazed that people complain about the cost of Disney (rightfully so), but treat staying offsite as some way making their vacation less. The bubble ain’t what it used to be.

Disclaimer…even though I don’t understand the willingness to spend money by staying onsite, I do respect it is your right to spend you money as you see fit…I just am really curious why you think the excessive cost is worth it. Am I being naive and missing something? Is our upcoming trip going to be ruined for taking a route that saves us $6,000?

 

[DisneyFive]

So, was going to post this in a new thread, but then I figured since this was already expanding on some of the issues here with Disney, I’ve long had a curious question…

…if people are taking so much issue with the nickel and dime treatment that Disney continues to promote, why give them any more money than necessary outside of park entry? On-site benefits are awful now. 30-minutes early entry? Big deal. Granted, you can hit a headliner “if” you are willing to get up at the crack of dawn and rush with the masses at rope drop. The other perk is actually pretty solid, which his the extra magic hours two-nights a week for the Deluxe guests. How much are you paying for that? I’ll tell you.

My family previously stayed on-site due to 60-day advanced bookings, free parking, inclusion of magic bands, regular Mousekeeping (yes, I know this is Covid-related, but I have my doubts of it ever returning to prior levels), etc. We would stay in a Deluxe One-Bedroom as our group of four had a King Bed, Queen sofa-sleeper, and a full kitchen…and a washer/dryer. I can appreciate those who don’t want to cook but we really like having the flexibility of a warm breakfast, full-size fridge, some frozen pizzas and meals…not to mention packing lighter with a mid-week laundering. It was more expensive, but no where near the prices now.

We are staying for a week upcoming. Disney wanted $11k for one of their cheaper one -bedroom Deluxe and 5-day park tickets. My wife and I took about 10 seconds to say no way. We are staying within 8 to 20 minutes of the different parks at the Marriott World Resort Sabal Palms. The 3 pools, lazy river, and water slides are better than anything Disney offers at any of their resorts. The condo is about 400 sf bigger than the average Disney Deluxe One-Bedroom. Even taking Uber or parking expenses to drive at the park, we are saving OVER $6,000. If we fully maximized five-days of early admission, four-hours of extended evening hours (we wouldn’t with a six-year old), and didn’t have to wait for an hour for RotR ($ILL will be sold out by park open), that luxury breaks down to $800 an hour. I can buy G+ and every $ILL every single day and still have money left over from the first hour of savings.

We will eat breakfast before we show up at the parks, brings some snacks, and if a long park day, perhaps split a couple QS meals or grab some snacks. We could get some table reservations, but we simply refuse to give anything more than necessary to Disney besides a couple basic meals, snacks, and some bottles of water. I’m just constantly amazed that people complain about the cost of Disney (rightfully so), but treat staying offsite as some way making their vacation less. The bubble ain’t what it used to be.

Disclaimer…even though I don’t understand the willingness to spend money by staying onsite, I do respect it is your right to spend you money as you see fit…I just am really curious why you think the excessive cost is worth it. Am I being naive and missing something? Is our upcoming trip going to be ruined for taking a route that saves us $6,000?

There’s nothing wrong with going offsite if that will work better for you.

To be fair, you are referencing one of the most expensive rooms in all of the Disney resorts. The vast majority of rooms are lower cost than the one you were referencing.

Personally, our reasons for staying on site primarily focus around staying in the Disney bubble, and not having to drive. However, some people loathe Disney transportation, but we don’t mind it at all and prefer it.

Do what works best for you. Disney deluxe, and moderate prices are pretty ridiculous right now . I agree

Dan

 

[wisblue]

When an article states that Genie+ “glues visitors to their phone for the entirety of their day” you know that the author has an agenda because that is simply not true.