Rumored Changes to G+

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think Disney is very afraid to make their line-skipping option a $150-300 product which is only available to a few thousand guests per day. Specifically, concerned about the public outcry. In terms of the impact on Standby lines, it could end up being the best implementation for everyone. But cries of "Disney is only for the ultra rich" would grow exponentially.

Personally, I think Disney probably takes a very thoughtful approach to projecting how changes impact the overall guest experience. Disney SHOULD be able to come off the 7am reservation time and probably offer better ability to chose ride times. Those are my biggest beefs, and the pain points they can seemingly most easily address.

But in terms of capacity, the core problem is that you've got an average of 30,000 people per day visiting parks like DHS and Epcot, and rides like Slinky + Remy only being able to accommodate 50-60% of those guests. (Less if there's a breakdown.) That includes both standby and Genie. So every change is really just a matter of shuffling the deck. They aren't putting any more butts in seats, it's just changing the way of doling-out existing capacity, making it more or less painful for certain groups.

Most def. PR-issues is why they haven't gone the route they have. They however pinned themselves in that corner. I don't even know that hindsight is 20/20 here because they have past precedent but the best time to have done this was during the pandemic when they launched their product. They have known in the past countless times when they price things too low. I don't actually think Disney takes a very thoughtful approach unless by that you mean they look at short-term vs long-term.

Remember the special bus that would take you into a different entrance into the park? That started low priced and quickly raised and then eventually they stopped doing it. It was very well received but my hunch is they figured out it was unsustainable for the pricing they had it for.

MaxPass started at $10, then went to $15, then went to $20.

And so on and so on.

I don't disagree about shuffling the deck but I don't know that any poster has stated anything differently. You can't just create more capacity out of an existing attraction. What people are talking about is adjusting the Genie+ line. No one has argued anything differently when discussing existing attractions. Most of us recognize Disney needs more people-eating attractions that aren't attracting newer guests but providing a break for existing attractions.

 

[jade1]

That's going to be a lot of people with EP if each room has 4 occupants. I'm curious to see what the rack rates will be for these rooms.

I believe they already announced that the other two hotels are "Values". No EP there.

That's 2,000. Currently the other 3 would be 9,600 (at 4 guests ea). If Epic (being bigger than the 2 current parks combined) is being added to the mix, that seems like a drop in the bucket.

 

[Jeb2318]

Seems the root of the problem is capacity. With the existing model where you pay extra for ILL, wonder if they’ll add the ILL attractions into genie and boost that genie price way up. You can still get a chance at VQ or wait in standby, but by adding the ILL into genie then you increase capacity across the board.

 

[mikeishere]

I can ask as someone who’s only in early 30s what happened in 80s/90s before fastpass or genie plus? Did most just wait in 2 hour queues?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can ask as someone who’s only in early 30s what happened in 80s/90s before fastpass or genie plus? Did most just wait in 2 hour queues?

Well yeah..although not speaking to length of time one waited just that it's what you did, you waited in line.

But to counter this my regional amusement park (owned by Cedar Fair) didn't have a skip the line until 2012 despite having been opened since '73 and operated by Cedar Fair since '95

 

[Dulcee]

I can ask as someone who’s only in early 30s what happened in 80s/90s before fastpass or genie plus? Did most just wait in 2 hour queues?

We just waited lol I vividly remember lots of eye spy games with my parents and siblings. My family really doesn't blink an eye at hopping into a 45 - 60-minute line now to be honest.

That said, I don't remember waits going much beyond an hour or so.

 

[mikeishere]

We just waited lol I vividly remember lots of eye spy games with my parents and siblings. My family really doesn't blink an eye at hopping into a 45 - 60-minute line now to be honest.

That said, I don't remember waits going much beyond an hour or so.

We’ve obviously become an impatient world as I’d rather not wait in a 60 minute line now and would try ride something else and check back at that ride later to see if the wait time reduced.

I see what the point is for Disney making you book line times but at least at universal with our express pass I’ll be able to go hopefully go from one ride in a land to the other next door to the next ride next to it etc. With Genie+ your going from one end of the park to the other a lot as you have ride times for rides in different areas of the park quite a bit.

 

[BrianL]

We just waited lol I vividly remember lots of eye spy games with my parents and siblings. My family really doesn't blink an eye at hopping into a 45 - 60-minute line now to be honest.

That said, I don't remember waits going much beyond an hour or so.

Yeah, on my trips as a kid, I remember the worst lines topping out at about 60 minutes. I had begged to ride Space Mountain again, but my dad was hesitant becuase the line was an hour, but we did it. That was the longest line in the park. I can't necessarily speak for businer times, though it was peak summer. The nice thing was the lines actually moved a bit faster than the time becuase, you know, no FastPasses.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Yeah, on my trips as a kid, I remember the worst lines topping out at about 60 minutes. I had begged to ride Space Mountain again, but my dad was hesitant becuase the line was an hour, but we did it. That was the longest line in the park. I can't necessarily speak for businer times, though it was peak summer. The nice thing was the lines actually moved a bit faster than the time becuase, you know, no FastPasses.

I was curious based on your comments. It's been 25 years now since the original FP was introduced. Doesn't seem that long!

 

[Dulcee]

Yeah, on my trips as a kid, I remember the worst lines topping out at about 60 minutes. I had begged to ride Space Mountain again, but my dad was hesitant becuase the line was an hour, but we did it. That was the longest line in the park. I can't necessarily speak for businer times, though it was peak summer. The nice thing was the lines actually moved a bit faster than the time becuase, you know, no FastPasses.

Yup, same. Lines always kept moving. We were always summer trips as well. When we took my parents two years ago one of the things my Dad kept mentioning was "We waited but at least lines kept moving back then!"

 

[BrianL]

I was curious based on your comments. It's been 25 years now since the original FP was introduced. Doesn't seem that long!

Yup, I'm old. There was no FastPass system at all on my two trips as a kid. I only discovered that it was a thing on my first adult trip in 2010.

 

[Minnie1222]

I can ask as someone who’s only in early 30s what happened in 80s/90s before fastpass or genie plus? Did most just wait in 2 hour queues?

I still remember the wait times for Space Mountain since it was our favorite ride. It was usually between 45-60 minutes. As soon as we got out of the shuttle, my cousins and I would quickly ran back to the queue for a reride. We typically rode 3 times before moving on to another ride. Grand Prix (currently Speedway) was another great ride and I believe the wait was probably an hour.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Yuip, I'm old. There was no FastPAas system at all on my two trips as a kid. I only discovered that it was a thing on my first adult trip in 2010.

Me, too. Possibly older! I remember using the ticket books!!

 

[Philsfan77]

Personally I would never pay the 285 for Express. 285 is on the high side of it.

This is the pricing the next two weeks. Even at 164 I would probable not buy it, but I go to Universal quite a bit..
View attachment 835226

For a family of four you can book one night at the least expensive premier hotel and get two days free for all 4.
So you get a room at a very nice hotel.
Check in at 7AM and get your express passes for two days is almost always a better deal than paying for it, depending on the number of people in your party..

Room rates can vary a lot. But 400-600 is not unusual, and if you have an AP $350 is not unusual.

Absolutely, and very well aware of how to work Universals system, which is why I noted it in my post that Disney will never include it for their Deluxe resorts like Universal does for Premier resorts. My comment was simply in response to those who have said they would rather them shift to universals system, but also have some underlying issue with the fact that Disney charges money for something that used to be free.

If they make the shift to a Universal based system, those will be the prices you will be seeing. $140+ on slow days and $250+ on busy days. The flip side is, way less people will be using it, which could help the standby lines move a little quicker. Or you will just see even more abuse of the DAS system that some people already seem to think is a growing issue/concern.

 

[mamaofsix]

I can ask as someone who’s only in early 30s what happened in 80s/90s before fastpass or genie plus? Did most just wait in 2 hour queues?

Similar to others, I don't remember the lines being all that long as a kid. Longest was waiting an hour and half for Splash when it first opened.

The parks weren't nearly as busy, either. Felt like very low wait times for almost everything.

 

[bluecastle]

I can ask as someone who’s only in early 30s what happened in 80s/90s before fastpass or genie plus? Did most just wait in 2 hour queues?

Some things to know about the “old days”:
Park hours were longer, so you could strategically plan to get there early, leave for a nice long break at your hotel, and go back to the park later for several hours. We were always entering the MK after our break, refreshed, and walking against the crowds of tired people leaving for the day.
Strategic planning was also involved once the original paper and machines FP system started. You needed a runner to get your FPs for the most popular rides and then you would ride the less popular ones til your time arrived. People on the stand by line would look at you like you were cutting in line. There was a lot of criss-crossing the park sometimes.

 

[Minnie1222]

Me, too. Possibly older! I remember using the ticket books!!

I remember the ticket book, too. I just tell people that I was very young when I first went to the parks.

 

[lowlight]

With Genie+ your going from one end of the park to the other a lot as you have ride times for rides in different areas of the park quite a bit.

The first time I used Genie, I was convinced that was the actual purpose of it- to move people all across the park and disperse crowds by making you walk back and forth all day. I’ve never done more steps in MK in my life.

 

[BrianL]

Me, too. Possibly older! I remember using the ticket books!!

I'm gonna go ahead and say not possbily.... I never used the ticket books.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I keep thinking I'm gonna click on this thread and see an updated G+ rumor

...although that will probably not happen until *right* before my next trip just so Disney can really screw with my planning