The Pro-Genie App discussion thread - speculate how the app could make your trip next trip great!

[Jrb1979]

Except it hasnt, its been exact opposite.....waking up every day before 7am and being on your phone all day isnt laidback at all

it also penalizes non rope droppers a ton

I do agree it's not good for those who like to stroll into the park later in the day.

As far as being on your phone all day people were already doing that when they were doing the refresh method.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

I hope the average guest does not research the app, or understand the app. In which case while they are being led around and manipulated by the genie, we planners are hitting all the headliners and missing the long lines.

I'm banking on this to be at least somewhat true. I honestly thinking of doing the opposite of what the Genie tells me, or taking it's advice as to what not to do as that is where the cattle is currently being herded.

I'm just happy I came on here when I did and my trip isn't until this thing is implemented for a few months.

To all the people who will be taking their trip when this thing first rolls out, we here at DIS thank you for your sacrifice!! Please please please report back in detail and I'll buy you a churro with my last $10.

 

[Cynner]

I'm banking on this to be at least somewhat true. I honestly thinking of doing the opposite of what the Genie tells me, or taking it's advice as to what not to do as that is where the cattle is currently being herded.

I'm just happy I came on here when I did and my trip isn't until this thing is implemented for a few months.

To all the people who will be taking their trip when this thing first rolls out, we here at DIS thank you for your sacrifice!! Please please please report back in detail and I'll buy you a churro with my last $10.

I have a touring plan subscription too - and will be in the Parks from Oct 1 to Oct 7 (with 6 non-hop park days, HS & MK twice). I'll also be at a Deluxe resort the entire stay. I'm going to get Genie+ for my length of stay - and I would not likely do that in the future - to really run it through it's paces. Hell, maybe Disney will remember what a great beta tester I was for the Magic Bands and give it to me free (hah!). I'll be comparing the wait times especially, as I think Disney will really fudge those (like they already do with the posted times) to attempt to influence the crowds.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

I have a touring plan subscription too - and will be in the Parks from Oct 1 to Oct 7 (with 6 non-hop park days, HS & MK twice). I'll also be at a Deluxe resort the entire stay. I'm going to get Genie+ for my length of stay - and I would not likely do that in the future - to really run it through it's paces. Hell, maybe Disney will remember what a great beta tester I was for the Magic Bands and give it to me free (hah!). I'll be comparing the wait times especially, as I think Disney will really fudge those (like they already do with the posted times) to attempt to influence the crowds.

2 churros for you then.

 

[NuJoy]

()

 

[Spaghetti Cat]

With that first G+ pass and two IAS I'm finally sure I can plan a decent morning in a park, I can finally see myself returning.

I need two more IASs for the evening....

 

[ThistleMae]

I watched it three times and read Tom Bricker's updates as well. It sounds great in theory but it also has to work well and be accurate. When new tech comes out there always seems to be issues. I'm hoping it works like they say it will.

 

[DisTXMom]

I loved Maxpass at DLR. It was easy to use and very flexible. When you go to book a Maxpass you can see what return times are, so you have a sense of how quickly they are going and can plan for that. I liked not having to choose our fastpasses 60 days in advance. Now… if demand for tier II rides is similar to what we saw in DLR, we would expect to get 4-6 (or more) fastpasses a day and at that rate, the $15/day would be worth it to our family. If demand is nuts and they are largely gone by noon and each family ends up with only 2-3, that would not be worth it to us.
I’m still wrapping my head around the lightening lanes, but conceivably accept paying an extra $60-$80 per day as a family of 4 to lock in one ride on our favorite Tier I attractions without having to ride standby. I don’t think we’d pay to repeat tier I in lightning lanes on multiple days, but over the course of a 5 day trip, to spend an extra $300-$400 to check off those big rides stress free- I can sort of get there (particularly for the new rides). I struggle with paying for things like 7DMT, Everest, FoP, Space Mountain, Test Track, etc because they were free before and the $$$ outlay on a per ride basis is significant. If G+ works as I’d hope and we get 4-6 passes a day, we would likely use the LL’s pretty sparingly.

 

[MJJME]

I loved Maxpass at DLR. It was easy to use and very flexible. When you go to book a Maxpass you can see what return times are, so you have a sense of how quickly they are going and can plan for that. I liked not having to choose our fastpasses 60 days in advance. Now… if demand for tier II rides is similar to what we saw in DLR, we would expect to get 4-6 (or more) fastpasses a day and at that rate, the $15/day would be worth it to our family. If demand is nuts and they are largely gone by noon and each family ends up with only 2-3, that would not be worth it to us.
I’m still wrapping my head around the lightening lanes, but conceivably accept paying an extra $60-$80 per day as a family of 4 to lock in one ride on our favorite Tier I attractions without having to ride standby. I don’t think we’d pay to repeat tier I in lightning lanes on multiple days, but over the course of a 5 day trip, to spend an extra $300-$400 to check off those big rides stress free- I can sort of get there (particularly for the new rides). I struggle with paying for things like 7DMT, Everest, FoP, Space Mountain, Test Track, etc because they were free before and the $$$ outlay on a per ride basis is significant. If G+ works as I’d hope and we get 4-6 passes a day, we would likely use the LL’s pretty sparingly.

Thers a bunch of problems with Genie+ but one of the bigger ones is that there's a big difference compared to MaxPass and that's the size of the park and number of rides...........

Both Epcot and AK only have 3-4 rides that will be on Genie+ .....

It works well in DL because there's a ton of rides to use it on

in Epcot, both GoG and Remy will be IAS.....so that only leaves TT, Soarin, Spaceship Earth and Frozen..........Even if you get a ride with Genie+ early, there's a very good chance that you wont get a second b they will all be sold out because there's not enough options for people to choose from (forget it if you don't enter park for rope drop)


its worse in AK.......FOP and Safari will be IAS so that leaves on EE, Dinosaur, Kali and Navi........I wouldnt be too happy if I booked my first EE and when I go to book my second the only thing left was Kali (when sure the standby wouldnt be terrible anyway)


Theres no way its worth it to buy Genie+ ion either of those 2 parks

 

[cakebaker]

its worse in AK.......FOP and Safari will be IAS so that leaves on EE, Dinosaur, Kali and Navi........I wouldnt be too happy if I booked my first EE and when I go to book my second the only thing left was Kali (whim sure the standby wouldnt be terrible anyway)


Theres no way its worth it to buy Genie+ ion either of those 2 parks

By the time Genie actually rolls out, I would hope they've brought back shows and you can bet those will be included with Genie+. While some people never liked using FP's for shows, we always liked the preferred seating you got with them and they were super easy to get. At any rate, it will lessen the demand on actual rides.

 

[Faithful Raider]

Gonna try to keep on topic. As a first time WDW guest coming up next year, and a DL vet, I absolutely love the potential that Genie has. While I love these forums and watching all the WDW content on YouTube, I've never actually been to Florida. An app like Genie could be super helpful in a lot of ways. For example, my DD6 is on the spectrum and sometimes she just HAS to have a certain food or a snack or it's meltdown time. A newbie like me doesn't know food menus by heart, so an app where I can ask "where is the closest place to get some fries?" could be invaluable. Or where is the closest restroom? And not just that. I know about headliners, but what about lesser talked about shows and attractions? An app that can point out "Hey, wanna see an actual Oscar?" or "Need a break from the heat? Enjoy the AC at the ABC Commissary and get free refills on soft drinks!" as you walk around HS could be really helpful for a first timer.

But as far as potential, I mean Disney could really make it amazing for guests while still using it to drive revenue. Data driven incentives like "The Genie noticed you're spenting a lot of time in the Japan pavilion. He's granted you a 10% off coupon good for today!" Or dynamically react to lower snack demand - if you're passing the churro cart and sales are down the past 30 minutes, you could get a push notification saying "Here's a BOGO coupon for the churro cart (good for the next 60 minutes). Make it opt in or easy to opt out.

Why not let it grant Wishes!? And we all know what wishes we want - G+ and LL$!! Day 1 of your stay and don't have G+? Genie can drop a G+ pass for your party for Dumbo or IASM for free (we all know how 'the first one's free' works). How about randomly dropping a G+ pass after picking up your mobile order? Or a Jungle Cruise G+ pass for your group when you buy 2 Dole whips? Or bring back earning a G+ pass by doing a task or "side quest" - I think there was one for Pirates before. Give ways for people without G+ to get some passes for free by doing something fun. Did 3 Genie recommendations in a row? Here's a G+ pass! Walking past Nemo? Genie says check it out and here's a G+ pass! So you do it and Genie says "Wanna do something else educational? Here's a G+ for Living with the Land!"

Or let it do achievements. Daily, multi-day, and entire vacation "side quests". Visit all four parks, get a coupon for a free drink. Do all 4 in a day and get a G+ or LL$ for your final park. It could send you on scavenger hunts, keep track of snack purchases (buy a mickey bar, popcorn, dole whip, and a churro and get a G+), or even a free day of G+ or some LL$ for doing "Drinking Around the World" by buying a drink (alcoholic or non) in each world pavilion.

Or it's day 4 of your 10 day and you haven't purchased G+ or LL$ at all, Genie can crunch the data for you and show your wait times without genie and what it would have been with genie, then offer it for $5 a person for today. Slow day for LL$ sales? Let Genie sprinkle that pixie dust!

I'll even add that Genie could be used even before your trip. 61 days out, let it teach you/remind you about ADRs. Getting close to your trip? Get in the mood by watching a video and get a coupon for a free dole whip!

Making all of the above totally optional would let those that don't want it not have their trip bothered by the Genie app. Want G+ and LL$ but no Genie? No problem! Disney get their revenue while you skip lines. Want Genie but don't want to pay for G+? Get the Genie recommendations and planning, sprinkled with pixie dust!

And that's the thing. There are so many ways Genie can be used to benefit both guests and Disney. But will Disney actually do anything like that? Could be a game changer if they did, but I can't help thinking it will just be the way you buy G+ and LL$ first and foremost, and any true enhancement of the guest experience an afterthought.

 

[sheilafri]

Not excited about it at all! I don't need an app to tell me that there's no line for CoP. Or that the Teacups are "only" a 25-minute wait. And Disney won't be seeing me pay extra for line jumping.

The only "feature" that I'd like to see would be similar to P.T. Barnum's "This way to the great egress" that directs the uniformed guest to an unpopular, people eating attraction that you can practically walk onto any time. That means that the clueless will be standing in the Muppets pre-show while I'm in a now-shorter line for Slinky.

And it's naive to think that a discussion of Genie is going to be self-limited to only the Pro position. Welcome to the internet.

I’m wondering if this makes a competitors app like touringplans more desirable. I’m not sure I trust Disney to put my desires above their needs.

 

[sheilafri]

Thers a bunch of problems with Genie+ but one of the bigger ones is that there's a big difference compared to MaxPass and that's the size of the park and number of rides...........

Both Epcot and AK only have 3-4 rides that will be on Genie+ .....

It works well in DL because there's a ton of rides to use it on

in Epcot, both GoG and Remy will be IAS.....so that only leaves TT, Soarin, Spaceship Earth and Frozen..........Even if you get a ride with Genie+ early, there's a very good chance that you wont get a second b they will all be sold out because there's not enough options for people to choose from (forget it if you don't enter park for rope drop)


its worse in AK.......FOP and Safari will be IAS so that leaves on EE, Dinosaur, Kali and Navi........I wouldnt be too happy if I booked my first EE and when I go to book my second the only thing left was Kali (whim sure the standby wouldnt be terrible anyway)


Theres no way its worth it to buy Genie+ ion either of those 2 parks

I agree. I’m thinking G+ may be worth buying for MK and HS but not for AK or Epcot.

 

[whiporee]

Except you have to wake up at 7am every day and constantly be on your phone all day

Why do you think that? You can only book one VQ at a time, so you aren't on your phone until the next one. I don't think it's doing time-block reservations like FPs were, so you're not shuffling them around. So why do you think you'd be on the phone all day, or more than you'd be with FP?

 

[OhDannyBoy]

I don't think it's doing time-block reservations like FPs were, so you're not shuffling them around.

Just out of curiosity, why do you think this? How else would they do it if not time blocks?

 

[clarker99]

Thers a bunch of problems with Genie+ but one of the bigger ones is that there's a big difference compared to MaxPass and that's the size of the park and number of rides...........

Both Epcot and AK only have 3-4 rides that will be on Genie+ .....

It works well in DL because there's a ton of rides to use it on

in Epcot, both GoG and Remy will be IAS.....so that only leaves TT, Soarin, Spaceship Earth and Frozen..........Even if you get a ride with Genie+ early, there's a very good chance that you wont get a second b they will all be sold out because there's not enough options for people to choose from (forget it if you don't enter park for rope drop)


its worse in AK.......FOP and Safari will be IAS so that leaves on EE, Dinosaur, Kali and Navi........I wouldnt be too happy if I booked my first EE and when I go to book my second the only thing left was Kali (when sure the standby wouldnt be terrible anyway)


Theres no way its worth it to buy Genie+ ion either of those 2 parks

There is almost no change in park strategy with or w/o Genie+, IMO. If you stay on site and get there to take advantage of the 30mins early, you can knock off 2 rides before the rest of the crowd enters and fill up the e-ticket lines. By that time you can be onto the 2nd tier options and then back in your hotel pool for a break before noon

 

[whiporee]

Just out of curiosity, why do you think this? How else would they do it if not time blocks?

Because the release said next available time. I don't think it will work with the kind of hour-long windows we've been used to. My feeling is that this is a way to cycle through the line -- I don't think the Genie+ stuff is a reservation as much as a placeholder.

 

[Tyler's Dad]

Gonna try to keep on topic. As a first time WDW guest coming up next year, and a DL vet, I absolutely love the potential that Genie has. While I love these forums and watching all the WDW content on YouTube, I've never actually been to Florida. An app like Genie could be super helpful in a lot of ways. For example, my DD6 is on the spectrum and sometimes she just HAS to have a certain food or a snack or it's meltdown time. A newbie like me doesn't know food menus by heart, so an app where I can ask "where is the closest place to get some fries?" could be invaluable. Or where is the closest restroom? And not just that. I know about headliners, but what about lesser talked about shows and attractions? An app that can point out "Hey, wanna see an actual Oscar?" or "Need a break from the heat? Enjoy the AC at the ABC Commissary and get free refills on soft drinks!" as you walk around HS could be really helpful for a first timer.

But as far as potential, I mean Disney could really make it amazing for guests while still using it to drive revenue. Data driven incentives like "The Genie noticed you're spenting a lot of time in the Japan pavilion. He's granted you a 10% off coupon good for today!" Or dynamically react to lower snack demand - if you're passing the churro cart and sales are down the past 30 minutes, you could get a push notification saying "Here's a BOGO coupon for the churro cart (good for the next 60 minutes). Make it opt in or easy to opt out.

Why not let it grant Wishes!? And we all know what wishes we want - G+ and LL$!! Day 1 of your stay and don't have G+? Genie can drop a G+ pass for your party for Dumbo or IASM for free (we all know how 'the first one's free' works). How about randomly dropping a G+ pass after picking up your mobile order? Or a Jungle Cruise G+ pass for your group when you buy 2 Dole whips? Or bring back earning a G+ pass by doing a task or "side quest" - I think there was one for Pirates before. Give ways for people without G+ to get some passes for free by doing something fun. Did 3 Genie recommendations in a row? Here's a G+ pass! Walking past Nemo? Genie says check it out and here's a G+ pass! So you do it and Genie says "Wanna do something else educational? Here's a G+ for Living with the Land!"

Or let it do achievements. Daily, multi-day, and entire vacation "side quests". Visit all four parks, get a coupon for a free drink. Do all 4 in a day and get a G+ or LL$ for your final park. It could send you on scavenger hunts, keep track of snack purchases (buy a mickey bar, popcorn, dole whip, and a churro and get a G+), or even a free day of G+ or some LL$ for doing "Drinking Around the World" by buying a drink (alcoholic or non) in each world pavilion.

Or it's day 4 of your 10 day and you haven't purchased G+ or LL$ at all, Genie can crunch the data for you and show your wait times without genie and what it would have been with genie, then offer it for $5 a person for today. Slow day for LL$ sales? Let Genie sprinkle that pixie dust!

I'll even add that Genie could be used even before your trip. 61 days out, let it teach you/remind you about ADRs. Getting close to your trip? Get in the mood by watching a video and get a coupon for a free dole whip!

Making all of the above totally optional would let those that don't want it not have their trip bothered by the Genie app. Want G+ and LL$ but no Genie? No problem! Disney get their revenue while you skip lines. Want Genie but don't want to pay for G+? Get the Genie recommendations and planning, sprinkled with pixie dust!

And that's the thing. There are so many ways Genie can be used to benefit both guests and Disney. But will Disney actually do anything like that? Could be a game changer if they did, but I can't help thinking it will just be the way you buy G+ and LL$ first and foremost, and any true enhancement of the guest experience an afterthought.

If they haven’t thought of it, someone at Disney should read this. You have thoroughly monetized the Disney experience people love. I would imagine something like you laid out could very easily come about, but probably not for a couple of years. Those algorithms take time and data to devise, but get through the full 18 months of the 50th Anniversary and they would have all of the data they could possibly want or need.

 

[Tyler's Dad]

Because the release said next available time. I don't think it will work with the kind of hour-long windows we've been used to. My feeling is that this is a way to cycle through the line -- I don't think the Genie+ stuff is a reservation as much as a placeholder.

I would say there is definitely be some kind of window. No one wants people running across the park to get to a ride at a certain exact time.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

Because the release said next available time. I don't think it will work with the kind of hour-long windows we've been used to. My feeling is that this is a way to cycle through the line -- I don't think the Genie+ stuff is a reservation as much as a placeholder.

There is going to have to be some sort of "grace" period to make it there.