Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
Disney will always be a draw. Like I said a lot of that is they cater to the families with small children. I do think Epic Universe will be a big draw when it opens. Mainly due to Nintendo and Super Mario.
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Disney Genie and Genie+ at Walt Disney World
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
crazy4disney
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I dont know many children now that 'enjoy" waiting in hour long lines on their vacations.. especially the ones who have been there before & use to mostly walk on's bc of FP lanes or Genie + etc.... I will stick to my original statement. Im 47 so yea going to Disney was about waiting on Lines long ones in the summer heat but ill say this NO way i would do that again if they even went away with a viable system... I do have DAS but if you you basically stuck riding 1 ride then waiting say another 60-70 for your next one over and over again that is far from a fun vacation for me my daughter & mom....
Chi84
Premium Member
Line skip systems exist in every major theme park because people want them. Those who don't like the systems can call these people lazy, spoiled, point out that they are not in the majority or not the "average" guest - it doesn't matter.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Dont underestimate how to train your dragon. Thats a huge franchise.
We are going on a non-Disney Cruise (2024) and possibly thinking of adding 2 nights before to go to Epic Universe - I'm not really interested but my other half wants to go. He likes that stuff.
We never would book a trip to Florida just for Universal. It has to be an "add on". And by that either a couple days before Disney or a cruise/beach trip/Keys or something. We wouldn't just tour Orlando.
Vacationeer
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Why we love WDW:
First we’re not big on thrill rides, like HS is just enough for us with ToT & RnRC. More important is variety. We enjoy mixing it up, including the resorts. WDW is a huge playground. A big draw over the years has been not needing to do long standby’s for every single popular ride. We‘d rather do less rides than stand in multiple hour+ lines.
We’ve only done Universal a few times as a day trip when not visiting WDW. When we go down to FL for WDW it is not cost effective doing both parks. After Epic Universe opens, UO seems like it will have enough for us to switch out a WDW week to visit. Depending how that goes, maybe we start alternating trips. Maybe not. Maybe we end up getting UO passes and that changes our focus.
We have enough DVC points to do a trip every other year. When we visit Uni we’ll definitely try at least a few days in deluxe if it has Express perks. Epic Universe will cause many people to give UO a chance. Whatever direction Genie+ park experience goes it will need to compete against that.
First we’re not big on thrill rides, like HS is just enough for us with ToT & RnRC. More important is variety. We enjoy mixing it up, including the resorts. WDW is a huge playground. A big draw over the years has been not needing to do long standby’s for every single popular ride. We‘d rather do less rides than stand in multiple hour+ lines.
We’ve only done Universal a few times as a day trip when not visiting WDW. When we go down to FL for WDW it is not cost effective doing both parks. After Epic Universe opens, UO seems like it will have enough for us to switch out a WDW week to visit. Depending how that goes, maybe we start alternating trips. Maybe not. Maybe we end up getting UO passes and that changes our focus.
We have enough DVC points to do a trip every other year. When we visit Uni we’ll definitely try at least a few days in deluxe if it has Express perks. Epic Universe will cause many people to give UO a chance. Whatever direction Genie+ park experience goes it will need to compete against that.
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Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
Nobody enjoys waiting in lines. I don't either and it's why I buy skip the line passes at most parks I go to. With FP+ unless you only went on attractions that you got a FP for, there is no way you didn't wait in a line.
I've done the same. The one year we went to Orlando the only park we visited was SeaWorld. The rest of the time we explored the area. As much as I love visiting amusement/theme parks I do enjoy exploring new cities.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
We have gotten our money's worth from our APs but in the past few months we have been spending time with new friends doing random stuff in Orlando. There really is a TON to do here and if you need something different, the beach, st augustine or miami is just a few hours away.
Anecdotally, our experience is a little different to the other posters who’ve said they’ve never spent a day at Universal or have tried it a couple of times and felt there was something missing compared to Disney. We are from the UK and first brought our children to Orlando when they were small. Our Orlando holidays over the last ten years have really changed because of what Disney and Universal were / are offering.
2012: Stayed on-site deluxe for 14 nights at Disney, took one day out to Universal, missed the ‘magic’ and decided our kids were too small so didn’t return for our second planned day
2014: 14 nights on-site deluxe with an additional week at Cabana Bay including three days at Universal parks. Thought the Universal experience was much better this time and really liked Cabana Bay (this was just after it opened)
2015: Two nights on-site at Art of Animation to lock in some hard to get FP+ including meeting Anna and Elsa (remember that being a difficult one to get?) four nights onsite at Portofino Bay with Express Pass which was a game changer, thought the whole system was great as it wasn’t stressful (we could just walk on whatever we fancied with no planning or booking) and it was ‘free’, then 11 nights at Bonnet Creek to do the Disney parks. By this point we were already questioning the value of on-site at Disney
2017: Two nights on-site at Hard Rock for ‘free‘ Express pass then a few days at Cabana Bay driving up and down I4 to Disney parks before a week on-site at Disney deluxe
2018: 4 nights Sapphire Falls, 3 nights Hard Rock with Express Pass and then two weeks on-site deluxe at Disney (free dining, 14 day tickets for price of 7 etc)
2019: 2 nights at Hard Rock for Express Pass, rest of the week at Sapphire Falls and travelling up and down I4 to Disney. We‘d had enough of paying Disney hotel prices at this point and felt Sapphire Falls was excellent value for money. However, we had a stressful five days of early rope drops as it was Presidents’ Day week and being offsite we hadn’t been able to secure the headliners with FP+ at 30 days. It was also the trip I got completely disillusioned with the Disney nickel and diming eg the parks were really busy but opening hours were short with After Hours and Early Morning Magic events taking place most of the five days we were there
2020: The only school holiday we could return this year was the same week as 2019 and we couldn’t face a repeat of the Disney experience so did a week on-site at Universal, relaxing at Sapphire Falls for four nights and then three nights at Hard Rock with Express Pass. We thought we would really miss Disney but we popped to Springs a couple of times and that was enough. It was such a relaxing and fun week, and the trip felt like good value for money
2021: After the pandemic travel restrictions were lifted we had rose-tinted Disney glasses on so split our week over Christmas between three nights on-site at Hard Rock with Express Pass and four nights at Polynesian with Genie+ and ILL. Going from the relaxed way of touring Universal with Express (although slightly less relaxing than usual because of holiday crowds) to the nightmare of using Genie+ made Disney feel even more stressful than if we’d just gone there I think.
This summer we’re doing three weeks in Orlando and all bar nine nights will be spent at Universal hotels (two nights at Portofino with Express) but we upgraded our tickets to annual passes on our last trip so we’ll be in and out of all three parks during the trip. APs get early entry and can use passes as Express after 4 pm on most dates so it feels like we got value for money. We’re doing nine nights on-site at Disney deluxe which was booked before the pandemic and we would lose money to cancel but believe me I felt like doing so after our last trip using Genie+. We got a pretty good deal on the booking when it was made in 2021 (14 day tickets for the price of 7, $200 gift card, welcome basket, $68 per night dining credit, free memory maker) so we’re sucking it up but I expect it will be our last time on-site until Genie+ has either gone or improved substantially. I did cut our Disney portion of the trip from eleven to nine nights though.
If you had told me ten years ago that we as massive Disney fans would be taking Universal-only holidays and would feel like more valued guests at Universal than Disney, I wouldn’t have believed you. But with Express Pass especially, touring Universal parks feels much less stressful. Pre-planning ADRs and FP+ was not my favourite thing but at least you could generally make a plan that worked. Now with park passes, ADRs and then trying to book Genie+ and ILLs that don’t then clash with meals and actually work with what you want to do (plus park hopping restrictions) it all just makes me not want to do it anymore.
While writing this I’ve realised that Universal isn’t really any less expensive than Disney in terms of admission, food and merchandise but somehow I don’t feel like I’m being so ripped off there. Maybe it’s because it is a less stressful vacation. Maybe because we’ve always felt like the hotels are better value than what Disney have to offer. It’s definitely partly because we’ve always felt the included Express Pass is a great product and an excellent perk of staying there.
I do understand to a degree about the difference between the two in terms of magic and immersion. But I cried the first and second times I went to Diagon Alley because of how magical they feel. I do think that’s the exception, but for us feeling like valued guests and having so much fun in a way that doesn’t require planning, checking phones or getting stressed about booking passes offers a different kind of ‘magic.’ We’re still escaping reality and it’s a far better experience than the likes of UK parks like Thorpe Park can offer.
I know Disney can’t offer unlimited Express Pass in the way Universal does because of capacity (for a start) but I do wonder how they’re going to magic their way out of the situation they’ve created with Genie+. And I really don‘t think going from a free service to $15 to a big price hike is a good look even if it does limit demand. Neither is telling (for example) on-site guests that they can’t buy it on a given day because supply is limited, when they‘ve paid so much money to get there.
crazy4disney
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I can honestly say i have not waited in any lines of any significance since my daughter has been born and ive gone every year 8 trips so far.... as i have stated i do have DAS but that was used more so as a gap filler than anything especially before it went digital and you had to walk to each attraction. hence why i loved FP because to me day of seemed there were always rides popping up that you can just grab and go on etc... I have also been lucky enough to have some "unfortunate"" things happen while down there (ie they lost my luggage for almost a full day) (didnt have rooms for us when we arrived at midnight) a couple other fun ones as well which ended up with them giving us the full use Multiple experience FP on 2 occasions 3 extra per day for out entire trip along with money back on our rooms. But honestly as you said majority of rides were FP only bc it worked and worked well with some effort while boarding a ride or walking to another etc & choosing rides that had less than 30 minute waits to go on & i assure you we didnt have much if any down time in the parks that we were sitting around waiting... as a matter of fact last year (1st year w genie) was where it was an issue as even w 2 pre booked DAS 7 another one when entering parks.. using genie and buying a LL on occasion i felt myself just wandering around waiting or choosing to wait extended times which honestly none of us was willing to do. hence why I despise for genie but again somethin that is still necessary..... Again this is MY experience i may be lucky I May be the norm or be the outlier i truly dont know...Heading back at the end August & truly dk what to expect
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Ayla
Well-Known Member
There are literally millions of places around the world I have no interest in visiting, Universal included.
solidyne
Well-Known Member
So, someone who is growing increasingly dissatisfied with Disney, is reducing length of trips, and has stopped buying merch altogether is a Diznoid??
JD80
Well-Known Member
EU if done well, and Universal has shown they can do good lands, is going to be a game changer in Orlando. There are a few things that will be tested:
1) Can Universal monsters draw enough people or is it an aged property.
2) How big is How to Train Your Dragon as a draw in a park.
3) Nintendo Land is probably the anchor will it be enough?
4) is the market ready for more potter?
I Wonder what 2026 attendance numbers look like if at least 2 of those questions are positive. Are they expecting 15M? 17M?
1) Can Universal monsters draw enough people or is it an aged property.
2) How big is How to Train Your Dragon as a draw in a park.
3) Nintendo Land is probably the anchor will it be enough?
4) is the market ready for more potter?
I Wonder what 2026 attendance numbers look like if at least 2 of those questions are positive. Are they expecting 15M? 17M?
bhg469
Well-Known Member
But you would go to another theme park and dedicate your time to a forum dedicated to a theme park? I just don't understand why people avoid it when they're putting out an outstanding product.
Chi84
Premium Member
Because people are different and like different things.
mikejs78
Premium Member
Different things appeal to different people. The universal model doesn't appeal to me as much as the Disney model does - I'm happy to visit the universal parks, but to me the draw of Disney is much more than just the rides.
They may be putting out an outstanding product, but it's a product that appeals to me less than the Disney product does.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
I think that all the lands will draw if the last two attractions they built can be as good as what is going into the parks. On top of that I expect a world class hotel experience there as well.. I think its going to be a hit for sure.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
"different things" They're both theme parks, both have good attractions, both have some amazing immersive environments. To never set foot in one while the other is increasingly becoming more awful it seems silly to me.. But you do you boo.
DisneyfanMA
Well-Known Member
What is the time window to arrive/scan in with G+?
Let's say you book an experience for 2:30 PM. Shold you be arriving BEFORE or right at 2:30 or what?
Do you scan into the LL right at the endpoint of the line or not until you're closer to the boarding platform? And either way, what is the grace period window to actually scan into the ride?
Let's say you book an experience for 2:30 PM. Shold you be arriving BEFORE or right at 2:30 or what?
Do you scan into the LL right at the endpoint of the line or not until you're closer to the boarding platform? And either way, what is the grace period window to actually scan into the ride?
DisneyDreamer08
Well-Known Member
There is a one hour window. So your scan in time would officially be 2:30-3:30. However in my experience, the touch point will turn green 5 minutes prior and up to 10 minutes later.