Disney Genie announcement

[JakeAZ]

Looks like staying at deluxe resorts and getting those late night hours looking more promising for those not wanting to make rope drop to cut their wait time without paying.

Agree, but leaving out AK and HS sucks.

 

[honeymo78]

There will be a stand by but it will be bad again, not like the lines this past summer. It will go back to super long standbys because of people using lighning lane.

That really will depend on whether the same number of people are willing to pay for lightning lane as those who used FP, and whether the same number of slots will be available for LL as FP.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Right. Part of my frustration is that 15 dollars is clearly a floor. I'm willing to bet we're at 24.99/29.99 within 3 years MONTHS of launch.

Fixed that for you...

 

[isabellea]

I was debating between staying at ASMovie or POFQ. With this news, we decided to stay at Movies and used the money we saved to pay for Genie+ and some LL rides.

 

[SealedSeven]

Looks like staying at deluxe resorts and getting those late night hours looking more promising for those not wanting to make rope drop to cut their wait time without paying.

Hopefully it's 2 hours or so, and Tier 1 lines are open / not virtual queue limited only. Then it'll be with it for sure / would be happy as a DVC guest.

 

[Morieris]

What happens if you buy this for a day, but you're too slow and you can't get into an attraction.

I'm watching the video (Woof @ that negative ratio). As someone who hasn't gone since 2013, I need to see this in action to better understand.

 

[sbbwdw]

Why do I feel like the guy in this Genie Disney Park video is trying to sell me a used car?

 

[elleherself]

I know people are comparing this to Universal's Express Pass. The thing about Universal is that once you have express pass, you can forget about it. You can easily skip all the lines you want (except the two newest attractions). You don't have to plan, you don't have to wait, you don't have to hunt on your phone for availability. You pay, you ride. Easy.

And as people have noticed, the rides without express pass, the lines move pretty quickly after the first few months of opening. I was in for a rude awakening the first time I got in the "regular" line for Forbidden Journey after they opened an express lane for that ride. A line that usually flew by took forever. But everyone is in the same boat for the newest rides, the regular line is what it is, it's fair for everyone, not just those willing to pay top dollar.

The thing I hated about FastPass+ was the preplanning and the waiting and checking on your phone to get more passes. It makes vacationing anything but relaxing. Now you get all the hassle of checking, but you can also pay for the privilege. I skipped out on Disney years ago for Universal and nothing about this tempts me back.

 

[sarbee]

I've made a few snarky posts in my time here and this is a Disney money grab. But I've made peace with having to pay more to get more / better service as that is the way most things in life have moved. (Don't flame me!)

I remember when a 5 day pass with park hopper and 2 "waterpark" days was $250 and never expired just 15ish years ago. Times change. We now have a $6k *two night* Star Wars hotel experience. That is literally a 10 day European Cruise with airfare!!! For some it's worth every penny.

Right now the person who has never been to Disney World or going for their first time, or who was saving and canceled because of COVID and rebooking are the ones who really get the shaft here.

However, this may get more play than just on the "disney blogs". Already saw postings on CNBC, Fox, Hollywood Reporter... Places where normal Disney news isn't posted...

The first article I read about it was in the NYT.

(FWIW, I think the snarky "huh" was in relation to the socialism label being applied to Disney's very capitalistic new plan.)

 

[ChanaC]

Wonder when DCL will start charging you to ride the AquaDuck and to enter Castaway Cay?

It's like RCI with their Coco Cay waterpark. You would think being on a cruise on their private island would mean most things are included, but nope, they want you to pay more to go into their waterpark. Sure, charge extra for cabanas and snorkels, but really, a whole section of the island?

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

Wow...total slap in the face. Pay more to stay on-site and we'll allow you to pay more to reserve a time...2 hours earlier than those who don't say on site...but at the same price they pay.

Once again, no one is forcing you to stay on-site. I think many people are forgetting the basics of this. None of this is forced upon you to use on your trip.

Also, I guarantee at least 50% of the people complaining in this thread will end up using this service. Disney knows that, that's why they are introducing it. Until there's a mass "no" to something new, this trend isn't going to change. To quote the great Bruce Hornsby: "That's just the way it is."

 

[Airb330]

Once again, no one is forcing you to stay on-site. I think many people are forgetting the basics of this. None of this is forced upon you to use on your trip.

I don’t think anyone is forgetting the basics. We get your point, no one is forcing anything. We can still discuss here. If you don’t like the discussion, that’s fine, please go elsewhere.

 

[joelkfla]

Correct, but you can't pay for the specific time unless you pay for the Genie+

DFB said Genie+ is not required to buy individual attractions.

 

[pigletto]

Why do I feel like the guy in this Genie Disney Park video is trying to sell me a used car?

Right ? Captain Corporate Personality was not the right man for the job. They should have brought back Stacey so we wouldn’t feel so stabby about this.

 

[loves to dive]

Those of us who rarely used FP and just waited in line if we wanted to ride aren't too upset about this. I don't see paying for it for myself, I just wait in line if I want to ride a ride or not. I'm lucky enough to be a frequent visitor (once or twice a year for last 10 years) so if I don't ride something it's no big deal. I don't go just to ride rides or to see how many rides I can ride in a day. I also rarely pay attention to the posted wait times. Pre-Covid with the FP system, if you went often enough you could just eyeball a line for about 30 sec. and know how long you are going to wait.

I am a little confused about the top tier thing. Say you pay for it but wait too late to get on your phone and the first available top tier is 1 pm. Say you also paid for Genie. Are you able to go ahead and book a second tier with that before 1 or do you have to wait until you've done your 1 pm ride to book something. Sounds a bit wonky to me.

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

I don’t think anyone is forgetting the basics. We get your point, no one is forcing anything. We can still discuss here. If you don’t like the discussion, that’s fine, please go elsewhere.

If I don't like certain parts of the discussion, that's part of a discussion. It's a message board. I'm doing just fine, thanks.

 

[ChanaC]

Also, I guarantee at least 50% of the people complaining in this thread will end up using this service. Disney knows that, that's why they are introducing it. Until there's a mass "no" to something new, this trend isn't going to change. To quote the great Bruce Hornsby: "That's just the way it is."

Honestly, there is a good chance I will. I'm tentatively planning a short trip for early December, just my sibling and I. We're probably going for two park days and doing park hoppers so we can attempt to do all four. I haven't been since 2015 so there is a whole list of new things I want to experience for the first time. We're already staying off-site to save some money. For the two of us to get to as much things as possible in such a short amount of time I think it will be worth it and it will hopefully be a good tool. However, if I was bringing an entire large family for multiple days I don't know if it would be worth it.

 

[storey13]

Has anyone found out or has it been disclosed if you can add Genie + to one day for Magic Kingdom? We our a family of 5 and have 9 day tickets for late October, and there is no way I am going to spend 75 x 9 for the entire trip, especially when this really isn't needed at AK or Epcot.

 

[JakeAZ]

Once again, no one is forcing you to stay on-site. I think many people are forgetting the basics of this. None of this is forced upon you to use on your trip.

Also, I guarantee at least 50% of the people complaining in this thread will end up using this service. Disney knows that, that's why they are introducing it. Until there's a mass "no" to something new, this trend isn't going to change. To quote the great Bruce Hornsby: "That's just the way it is."

Never said I was forced to stay on site or forced to use this. My point is I'm surprised (maybe I shouldn't be) they priced the same regardless of where you are staying. It absolutely incentivizes people to stay off-site with shorter trips while using the savings to get on the rides they want.

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

It absolutely incentivizes people to stay off-site with shorter trips while using the savings to get on the rides they want.

Absolutely! Totally agree - the cost ratio to benefits of staying on property is just not worth it anymore.