Disney Genie and Genie+ at Walt Disney World

[JIMMYEDDIE]

Exactly. If I may use your post as a jumping off point… The underlying problem that existed for years over the course of at least 3 systems but maybe all 4 still exists.

In order for X, Y, and Z poster on this board to get 8-10 attractions on Genie+, all the headliners, or whatever is being put out there, it means somebody out there was getting less and somebody out there was missing out. There’s a finite and too small amount of desirable capacity to go around, no matter how it’s sold and distributed. This is best displayed with Disney’s own Genie+ disclaimer, that you could expect to get 2-3 attractions.

The various ways they’ve packaged it over the years change what kind of park guest can get the most out of the system, but there is no system in which everybody or most can get ‘more’ than another system.

Agree....But Genie+ at least leveled the playing field and had availability all day

 

[Disstevefan1]

I will limit myself to two factual statements:

1. Beast is back at Be Our Guest as of this week.
2. I'm on record saying Disney's first response to park things not going well is to throw characters at it.

At least folks are getting characters

It could be going poorly AND have no characters. I fear we may see this happen.

What it has come to is that we have to take what we can get with Disney....... That's sad..

 

[Purduevian]

Im not sure about that......the popular Tier 2 selections are more apt to sell out (or have too late of a return time) than some Tier 1 selections....So now you cant get your first choice for Tier 1 OR Tier 2

This system severely penalizes any touring plan other than rope drop

It is is 7 days from your check in, so most parks days for onsite people will be more than 7.

So really is what is inventory 8, 9, 10 days out .... If Tiana's and Remy, etc are sold out consistently 9 or 10 days out then I think that is an issue but don't think that has been shown to be the case yet

Time will tell. It's 11:05am on day 2.
Sold out are: Tiana's (although it popped up again for me without even refreshing), Frozen, Remy, Indy, SDD, TSMM, ToT

So I will add Frozen, TSMM, and ToT to my list of rides that might be sold out for some onsite guests 7 days out, although I think this will be rare.

Frozen vs Remy should keep at least 1 of them available for all onsite guests

Tot is the clear best value tier 2 in DHS, but the "scary" factor of it I think will be enough of a turn off to not sell out.
TSMM I feel like should sell out, but for some reason I just don't think it will except in rare cases (holidays or peak spring break)

There really isn't any point in arguing, give it ~a month for the dust to settle and we will see what availability looks like 7+ days out.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

Agree....But Genie+ at least leveled the playing field and had availability all day

It dont think it leveled the playing field. It prioritized a certain touring style and type of guest like all the systems have. It prioritized willingness to spend, a flexible schedule, and desire to spend either more time in the park or a certain portion of time in the park, like late afternoon/evening with a stack. I’d argue it had availability all day - in certain attractions to be clear, many big hitters sold out early or by midday-, because the majority of its users were unable to hold those attractions due to holding something else or not understanding the Genie+ rules.

Genie+ had a lot of upside for an educated guest, with a willingness to spend, and who has familiarity with the park. I wonder if they found it actually was a worse for the average guest, hence the shift to the system that guarantees 3 with times of your own choosing as a starting point.

 

[nickys]

Saw this posted on the disboards.

International DVC Members Can Purchase Lightning Lane Passes Before Arriving in the USA

Learn how DVC Member Services can help international DVC members purchase Lightning Lane Passes before their Disney trip!

dvcfan.com

I’d heard that too.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It dont think it leveled the playing field. It prioritized a certain touring style and type of guest like all the systems have. It prioritized willingness to spend, a flexible schedule, and desire to spend either more time in the park or a certain portion of time in the park, like late afternoon/evening with a stack. I’d argue it had availability all day - in certain attractions to be clear, many big hitters sold out early or by midday-, because the majority of its users were unable to hold those attractions due to holding something else or not understanding the Genie+ rules.

Genie+ had a lot of upside for an educated guest, with a willingness to spend, and who has familiarity with the park. I wonder if they found it actually was a worse for the average guest, hence the shift to the system that guarantees 3 with times of your own choosing as a starting point.

I think Genie+ was more of a level playing field than LL multipass.

I dislike both systems, both inflate standby times and both are money grabs.

 

[nickys]

that's interesting... I bet they got a lot of blow back on that

have to think doing it over the phone though would take forever

I suspect DVC got a lot of complaints from international members. It makes sense for them to help.

However I haven’t yet read if the app actually allows them to then get through to the pre-booking part.

 

[JIMMYEDDIE]

It dont think it leveled the playing field. It prioritized a certain touring style and type of guest like all the systems have. It prioritized willingness to spend, a flexible schedule, and desire to spend either more time in the park or a certain portion of time in the park, like late afternoon/evening with a stack. I’d argue it had availability all day - in certain attractions to be clear, many big hitters sold out early or by midday-, because the majority of its users were unable to hold those attractions due to holding something else or not understanding the Genie+ rules.

Genie+ had a lot of upside for an educated guest, with a willingness to spend, and who has familiarity with the park. I wonder if they found it actually was a worse for the average guest, hence the shift to the system that guarantees 3 with times of your own choosing as a starting point.

What I meant is, it did not penalize hotel guests, day guests, rope droppers, mid day guests or late arrival guests..........

It could have been tweaked to add a benefit for hotel guests and eliminate the 7am thing and it would have appealed to the masses vs this system

 

[JIMMYEDDIE]

Time will tell. It's 11:05am on day 2.
Sold out are: Tiana's (although it popped up again for me without even refreshing), Frozen, Remy, Indy, SDD, TSMM, ToT

So I will add Frozen, TSMM, and ToT to my list of rides that might be sold out for some onsite guests 7 days out, although I think this will be rare.

Frozen vs Remy should keep at least 1 of them available for all onsite guests

Tot is the clear best value tier 2 in DHS, but the "scary" factor of it I think will be enough of a turn off to not sell out.
TSMM I feel like should sell out, but for some reason I just don't think it will except in rare cases (holidays or peak spring break)

There really isn't any point in arguing, give it ~a month for the dust to settle and we will see what availability looks like 7+ days out.

Agree we need to see how it settles.......I think it gets worse, not better........just my opinion but this is based on my experiences over 50+ years

 

[Saskdw]

It dont think it leveled the playing field. It prioritized a certain touring style and type of guest like all the systems have. It prioritized willingness to spend, a flexible schedule, and desire to spend either more time in the park or a certain portion of time in the park, like late afternoon/evening with a stack. I’d argue it had availability all day - in certain attractions to be clear, many big hitters sold out early or by midday-, because the majority of its users were unable to hold those attractions due to holding something else or not understanding the Genie+ rules.

Genie+ had a lot of upside for an educated guest, with a willingness to spend, and who has familiarity with the park. I wonder if they found it actually was a worse for the average guest, hence the shift to the system that guarantees 3 with times of your own choosing as a starting point.

One of the many mistakes Disney has made over the last 10 years is slowly taking away all the perks of being an onsite guest and booking their vacation packages.

IMO this system should heavily favor the onsite guest and if someone staying up the road doesn't like it.....well too bad you should stay onsite. They really need to start adding more perks for onsite guests if they want to fill their overpriced rooms.

 

[Saskdw]

What I meant is, it did not penalize hotel guests, day guests, rope droppers, mid day guests or late arrival guests..........

It could have been tweaked to add a benefit for hotel guests and eliminate the 7am thing and it would have appealed to the masses vs this system

No it needed advance booking for Disney resort guests as well. G+ is the single biggest reason Disney hasn't received our vacation money since 2016.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

What I meant is, it did not penalize hotel guests, day guests, rope droppers, mid day guests or late arrival guests..........

It could have been tweaked to add a benefit for hotel guests and eliminate the 7am thing and it would have appealed to the masses vs this system

Maybe. I think Disney has reason to think the masses favoured a schedule of their own making system, or they wouldn’t have swung back to what’s basically a lesser version of FP+.

 

[JD80]

I will limit myself to two factual statements:

1. Beast is back at Be Our Guest as of this week.
2. I'm on record saying Disney's first response to park things not going well is to throw characters at it.

The more important question is "Are they using a trebuchet or a catapult to get them in there faster?"

 

[JIMMYEDDIE]

No it needed advance booking for Disney resort guests as well. G+ is the single biggest reason Disney hasn't received our vacation money since 2016.

Genie+ didnt start until late 2021/early 2022, not 2016....FP+ was in place until the pandemic

Genie+ was a far superior product to this, in my opinion

Genie+ could have been tweaked to allow resort guests to book 7 days out and eliminate the 7am wake up, giving resort guests their on site advantage, while also preserving its best attributes and not destroy inventory.......

Not sure why people wouldnt embrace that? Would have helped everyone

 

[JIMMYEDDIE]

One of the many mistakes Disney has made over the last 10 years is slowly taking away all the perks of being an onsite guest and booking their vacation packages.

IMO this system should heavily favor the onsite guest and if someone staying up the road doesn't like it.....well too bad you should stay onsite. They really need to start adding more perks for onsite guests if they want to fill their overpriced rooms.

Problem is, this penalizes onsite guests more than it helps them

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I will limit myself to two factual statements:

1. Beast is back at Be Our Guest as of this week.
2. I'm on record saying Disney's first response to park things not going well is to throw characters at it.

The Beast meet and greet at Be Our Guest should have come back when the other character meet and greets returned. It was lame when we went last summer and our niece could only wave at him from a distance as the Beast made one of his several walks across the dining room - especially for the character dining upcharge.

 

[gorillaball]

Genie+ didnt start until late 2021/early 2022, not 2016....FP+ was in place until the pandemic

Genie+ was a far superior product to this, in my opinion

Genie+ could have been tweaked to allow resort guests to book 7 days out and eliminate the 7am wake up, giving resort guests their on site advantage, while also preserving its best attributes and not destroy inventory.......

Not sure why people wouldnt embrace that? Would have helped everyone

I'm glad you mentioned the above, I wasn't sure of your stance on it having read the past 20 pages of comments.

I prefer new system personally, to each their own, not everyone tours the parks the same. I enjoy knowing I have a minimum amount of rides (3) booked in advance when I'm forking over cash. Numerous times G+ had terrible availability, just as this system will - that won't change.

Book 7 days in advance and choose your times - the 2 major +'s for me.
I'm not a sleeper inner, the first 2 park hours are some of the best, so yes, I get for some people this disadvantages that crowd but hey, you can truly sleep now and not get up at 7a to book your single ride and then go back to bed.

 

[Saskdw]

Problem is, this penalizes onsite guests more than it helps them

I don't think that's proven yet. All the info we are reacting to is for people on the ground on day 2. We need to see how this plays out over a couple months with people that have booked vacations. I'm pretty sure they will be tweaking the inventory as they go on this.

I'm waiting to see how the dust settles before judging.

 

[JIMMYEDDIE]

not everyone tours the parks the same.

Thank you for making my point........Exactly my point.....this new system penalizes probably 75%+ of guests vs. Genie+, including resort guests..........It ONLY helps rope droppers (which is prob less than 15% of daily park goers and most likely 10%)

 

[gorillaball]

Problem is, this penalizes onsite guests more than it helps them

How? G+ everyone had same availability. Now onsite guests can book ahead of offsite guests.