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

[Moliphino]

Genuine question: would you have felt better about paying if Disney had charged for fast line access from day one, like Universal?

I wouldn't have paid for it. I would be less annoyed by it if it had been paid from the beginning because they wouldn't then be charging for something that used to be free.

 

[snowwhite84]

I'm sure I would because it would have always been an expense that was included in the budget.

I get that! I’ve never balked about Universal charging for Express Pass, even though I do think it’s costly. It’s a really good system, though. My hope is I like this new Disney system as much as I like Universal’s. That will help soothe the cost increase for me personally.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Genuine question: would you have felt better about paying if Disney had charged for fast line access from day one, like Universal?

Would ticket prices have increased the way they did if FP were an additional charge from the beginning?

 

[snowwhite84]

Would ticket prices have increased the way they did if FP were an additional charge from the beginning?

That’s a good question. Since Universal has charged for Express Pass from day one, does anyone know if Universal ticket prices have increased at a similar rate to Disney?

 

[5DisneyNuts]

That’s a good question. Since Universal has charged for Express Pass from day one, does anyone know if Universal ticket prices have increased at a similar rate to Disney?

I'm sure Universal's ticket prices have increased, not sure at what % compared to WDW increases though.

ETA: there are sites that track historical prices for both, however I'm not sure I'm allowed to mention them here.

 

[Bearval]

Genuine question: would you have felt better about paying if Disney had charged for fast line access from day one, like Universal?

I have been to Universal and have never paid for the line pass.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

I think suggestions such as these may be helpful to first timers at DW, but it will come across as maddening/condescending to seasoned DW travelers.

My first response to an app that tries to tell me what to do during my time at Disney is...let's just say not appropriate for this board!

It's like Facebook continuously saying "We know what our users want better than they do." Really? Then why do you keep trying to make "top stories" happen and making it harder to switch back to "most recent"? Because never in my life have I thought "you know what I want to check? The same inside joke post from 8 days ago that two friends keep going back-and-forth in the comments!"

You know what I want in my Disney app? A map, wait times, and the ability to grab FPs without having to trek across the park to the attraction itself. That's all I need. I'm just a simple guy in a wheelchair with weird dietary restrictions. Let me be my odd self in peace without continuously suggesting things I can't do/eat just because they happen to be near the ride I would much rather be doing!

 

[Disneylover99]

You know what I want in my Disney app? A map, wait times, and the ability to grab FPs without having to trek across the park to the attraction itself. That's all I need. I'm just a simple guy in a wheelchair with weird dietary restrictions. Let me be my odd self in peace without continuously suggesting things I can't do/eat just because they happen to be near the ride I would much rather be doing!

Amen.

 

[Lewisc]

Genuine question: would you have felt better about paying if Disney had charged for fast line access from day one, like Universal?

Universal didn't charge from day 1
They had express kiosks which offered co
complimentary expresses. one ride at a time. Almost the same as the original.FP

 

[Disneylover99]

Universal didn't charge from day 1
They had express kiosks which offered co
complimentary expresses. one ride at a time. Almost the same as the original.FP

I was wondering about that. I’m curious to know how long they’ve been around in their current state.

 

[mrd7896]

You know what WOULD be neat? If we could tell the genie what one or two attractions per park we are interested in, and during the day the genie works his magic and gets me a FP/VQ/whatever verbiage they use without me having to check and recheck and check again. Then we just get a notification of “good news, your wish has been granted and here is a 2 PM FP for SDD! And don’t worry your ADR is for 330 so you won’t miss it”

However i know that’s not realistic because i bet Disney knows the amount of guests that on average used their FPS every day and if they just did this stuff for us that may not be possible

 

[snowwhite84]

Universal didn't charge from day 1
They had express kiosks which offered co
complimentary expresses. one ride at a time. Almost the same as the original.FP

Interesting! I didn’t remember that.

 

[crazymomof4]

To be fair- it's Disney that set up the advance planning to begin with

Absolutely! As someone who made her first WDW in 1987, the extent of my trip planning was calling WDW and asking for a trip planning kit to be sent via postal system. It consisted of (If I remember correctly) a VHS, a magazine size booklet and park maps (only MK and Epcot back then). Booked resort over the phone. Bought tickets on our first day, at a park gate. Made dining day-of ressies at City Hall (?) or under Spaceship Earth via a facetime like system.
Ah, the good ole days!
The advance planning element evolved over the decades because Disney wanted it to.

 

[ThistleMae]

There is no way that SDD is going to be **only** $10 per fastpass. Looking at the prices that just got announced for the Christmas AH event, I'm thinking closer to $50 for the headliners like SDD.

That would be insane!

 

[fabfemmeboy]

That would be insane!

It would indeed! But then, so is spending $250 for 4 hours of park time and a not-very-good parade, so clearly I don't understand Disney's target market these days.

 

[ThistleMae]

It would indeed! But then, so is spending $250 for 4 hours of park time and a not-very-good parade, so clearly I don't understand Disney's target market these days.

Right on! The Christmas Party prices for one night for a family....hello...what is up?

 

[koc1723]

Same system, different system, doesn't matter. By design, *any* system that charges me for faster ride access, which I was already getting for free, is going to reduce my in-park experience. Even if I get 3 free "wishes" or whatever dressed up name they want to give them, and then have to pay for extras, that reduces the amount of rides I'm able to experience on my vacation unless I want to throw more money at the mouse, which I don't. Mickey is already getting a fortune from me.

I did not read the full 10 pages, but i guess pre-pandemic the gaming of the FP system made it so unusable to many folks. I hated that. As a person who would wait and do the right thing and log in at the correct timeframes (legit based on my actual reservation I was going to use) and did not get any of the popular rides and if I did get one it was certainly not any good times.
Can we all agree that the pre-pandemic FP system was broken? (even if it was free, but I won't get into something free that is broken really has very little value to many, but it may still be of value to some)

IMHO, the FP system was horribly broken and while I may come to regret that position given the pay per ride option DLP is deploying which sounds awful for WDW. I don't really expect that since in DLP they have most guests on short stays based on my understanding. WDW they want you there for longer and the pay-per-ride scenario is not helpful. I suspect that we get a blanket upgrade like pay-per-day-per-person, which I will be fine with (I think).
In full disclosure I am also one of those people who have paid for a VIP tour in order to 'solve' a part of the old FP system problem. It was expensive and I had to make other decisions (like downgrade my hotel choice) to fund (a portion of) that option.

 

[charmed59]

I agree. The management of WDW has made it clear that the target is not the loyal repeat yearly/AP/resident guest and wants the focus on the first timer.

WDW created a situation where you had to become educated in order to have a great experience. Guests that showed up uneducated, did not.

What I have said before though, it is a slippery slope to diminish value and experience for your loyal guests that get you through difficult times. 1st time guest frustration and poor experience does need to be addressed, just not sure it should be on the backs of those that have proven to be loyal customers.

I think WDW unintentionally created a situation that in order to have a great experience you had to become educated and plan way in advance. Certainly everyone would agree WDW did not intentionally want those who did not get educated and plan over 60 days in advance to have a meh time. Yet that’s what they ended up with.

I think the FP+ at WDW was awesome for one group of guests at the expense of another, equally valued group of guests. This Genie app is their opportunity to fix that.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I did not read the full 10 pages, but i guess pre-pandemic the gaming of the FP system made it so unusable to many folks. I hated that. As a person who would wait and do the right thing and log in at the correct timeframes (legit based on my actual reservation I was going to use) and did not get any of the popular rides and if I did get one it was certainly not any good times.
Can we all agree that the pre-pandemic FP system was broken? (even if it was free, but I won't get into something free that is broken really has very little value to many, but it may still be of value to some)

IMHO, the FP system was horribly broken and while I may come to regret that position given the pay per ride option DLP is deploying which sounds awful for WDW. I don't really expect that since in DLP they have most guests on short stays based on my understanding. WDW they want you there for longer and the pay-per-ride scenario is not helpful. I suspect that we get a blanket upgrade like pay-per-day-per-person, which I will be fine with (I think).
In full disclosure I am also one of those people who have paid for a VIP tour in order to 'solve' a part of the old FP system problem. It was expensive and I had to make other decisions (like downgrade my hotel choice) to fund (a portion of) that option.

I definitely did not find FP+ to be broken, not in the slightest.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

No, I don't agree FP+ was broken. I think you are making an assumption that FP+ was broken and "offered very little value to many." There were many many times where I was able to get headliner FPs by refreshing.

With my non-rope dropping family FP- didn't really work for us. By the time we got to the park a number of paper FP were gone for the popular attractions. I remember a few trips where we never got to ride TSM because the wait times were outrageous and FP- gone.
Oh well, we made the choice so that's the way it was, but it was a choice.

You were willing to pay $XXXX for a VIP tour, and that was your choice to make your experience better. I would like to have the choice not to have to spend upwards of $6000 for a VIP tour or $1250 for 10 rides on top of gate admission.

As I've said, I'm open to hearing what WDW comes up with, but I hope it isn't going to be a plan that adds no new value and comes with significant cost.

I did not read the full 10 pages, but i guess pre-pandemic the gaming of the FP system made it so unusable to many folks. I hated that. As a person who would wait and do the right thing and log in at the correct timeframes (legit based on my actual reservation I was going to use) and did not get any of the popular rides and if I did get one it was certainly not any good times.
Can we all agree that the pre-pandemic FP system was broken? (even if it was free, but I won't get into something free that is broken really has very little value to many, but it may still be of value to some)

IMHO, the FP system was horribly broken and while I may come to regret that position given the pay per ride option DLP is deploying which sounds awful for WDW. I don't really expect that since in DLP they have most guests on short stays based on my understanding. WDW they want you there for longer and the pay-per-ride scenario is not helpful. I suspect that we get a blanket upgrade like pay-per-day-per-person, which I will be fine with (I think).
In full disclosure I am also one of those people who have paid for a VIP tour in order to 'solve' a part of the old FP system problem. It was expensive and I had to make other decisions (like downgrade my hotel choice) to fund (a portion of) that option.