Disney Genie and Genie+ at Walt Disney World

[Creathir]

You can stand in line to see the characters for free...... For now

When that happens, that will be a different discussion.

For now, you can still stand in line, or take advantage of your express pass and skip some of the line.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

When that happens, that will be a different discussion.

For now, you can still stand in line, or take advantage of your express pass and skip some of the line.

So then you see it coming…but there’s “nothing to see here…now?”

decisions tend to stack up over time

 

[CAV]

I view this more as Disney attempting to increase the value of Genie+.

I’m not at all a fan of the concept of Genie+ (have yet to use it though, so I’ll have more to say about it after my next trip) but this is not pay to play after you paid entirely.

You can stand in line to see the characters. You don’t have to pay. It is optional.

The problem with this is Disney PURPOSELY creates chokepoints to increase the perceived value of genie+.

 

[Magicart87]

That’s free money…literally free cash. Why on earth would they not revert/expand it?

they had a PR disaster brewing around Christmas…even slappo isn’t ballsy enough to test that. The parks business is under greater scrutiny from the financial world as they have started to see more and more bleed.

just today…Disney’s stock was down $7 a share this morning…and had fo use all of its “rally juice” for the week to get back to where it started. So it’s gonna bleed the rest of the week…just a hunch. There’s reasons behind that and interest in parks is a big one.

I have the same hunch. Not hearing anything per se just reading between the lines and seeing less than stellar "things" that reflect poorly on the company and it's shareholders. Anticipate stocks tumbling in the short-term but they'll probably bounce back to around $150 or so. Still, I already dumped mine. Hard to support the mouse right now. Didn't do much for my portfolio anyway. My sig says it all.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have the same hunch. Not hearing anything per se just reading between the lines and seeing less than stellar "things" that reflect poorly on the company and it's shareholders. Anticipate stocks tumbling in the short-term but they'll probably bounce back to around $150 or so. Still, I already dumped mine. Hard to support the mouse right now. Didn't do much for my portfolio anyway. My sig says it all right now.

It was at $150 a week ago…$191 a year ago.

it’s not worth either…but will always stabilize somewhere. Traditional stocks are like crypto markets these days…millions of trades performed by high speed computers in nanoseconds.

there were big dogs that undoubtedly bought it today at $129 and will dump it tomorrow at $137 for easy “earnings”. Winner, winner

but Bob has been missing his revenue targets (he’ll probably just start lying) and the love affair with Disney plus is on hiatus. Blame Netflix

 

[matt9112]

If let everyone book 1 before their vacation it would eat up a lot of availability each day. The point of Genie+ is that no one has an advantage. It's a level playing field.

This is a joke right? the paid up charge....is a level playing field.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is a joke right? the paid up charge....is a level playing field.

Well it’s a level field if you pay on that day…I sorta agree with it…partly

but you can’t put a price on experience, you add the magic

the company is just reaping what they have sown

 

[Jrb1979]

This is a joke right? the paid up charge....is a level playing field.

Not being able to pre-book makes it so that anyone who pays are all on the same playing field.

 

[Chi84]

Not being able to pre-book makes it so that anyone who pays are all on the same playing field.

Did Disney eliminate the advantage for resort guests? I thought they could book earlier, but I haven’t been following closely.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Did Disney eliminate the advantage for resort guests? I thought they could book earlier, but I haven’t been following closely.

I don’t believe so…but I haven’t been following it closely the same as you.

since it’s a daily paid service that goes active hours before the park opens (still can’t figure that?)…there really isn’t a way to “prebook” based on hotel, right?

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Did Disney eliminate the advantage for resort guests? I thought they could book earlier, but I haven’t been following closely.

The only advantage for resort guests is ILL purchases. Everyone can book their first G+ selection at 7 AM - unless you're a Passholder, in which case you have to wait to purchase G+ until 7 AM and then make your first pick when you get through the payment process.

 

[matt9112]

LOL...it always sticks in my brain as being a '20 thing...the "19" threw me.

China wants you to forget its a 19 thing too.

 

[pdude81]

The only advantage for resort guests is ILL purchases. Everyone can book their first G+ selection at 7 AM - unless you're a Passholder, in which case you have to wait to purchase G+ until 7 AM and then make your first pick when you get through the payment process.

As a resort guest and passholder, you also have the privilege of waiting in line at Guest Services at your hotel before 7am with people who need help using the app. Then if you make it through the line in time, they can purchase it and add to your account.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

As a resort guest and passholder, you also have the privilege of waiting in line at Guest Services at your hotel before 7am with people who need help using the app. Then if you make it through the line in time, they can purchase it and add to your account.

Sounds fun! Good thing there's still an indoor mask mandate at WDW because my morning breath is fierce and I'd hate for a CM to experience that.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The only advantage for resort guests is ILL purchases. Everyone can book their first G+ selection at 7 AM - unless you're a Passholder, in which case you have to wait to purchase G+ until 7 AM and then make your first pick when you get through the payment process.

So for all intents and purposes…just an extra ticket charge after that “discounted” room

 

[Chi84]

The only advantage for resort guests is ILL purchases. Everyone can book their first G+ selection at 7 AM - unless you're a Passholder, in which case you have to wait to purchase G+ until 7 AM and then make your first pick when you get through the payment process.

Okay so nothing has changed then. I thought from the other post that maybe that advantage had been taken away. It was nice to be able to schedule FOP, Rise and Rat, but I wasn't a fan of the 7 am start time - and then we had to figure out a way to work our Genie+ around our ADRs and ILLs. For us, it was the same amount of work getting rides (maybe a bit more) than previous trips, we just had to do it "day of" instead of in advance and without knowing what we would be able to ride. We're going to give it another try in April with a larger group and see what happens.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Okay so nothing has changed then. I thought from the other post that maybe that advantage had been taken away. It was nice to be able to schedule FOP, Rise and Rat, but I wasn't a fan of the 7 am start time - and then we had to figure out a way to work our Genie+ around our ADRs and ILLs. For us, it was the same amount of work getting rides (maybe a bit more) than previous trips, we just had to do it "day of" instead of in advance and without knowing what we would be able to ride. We're going to give it another try in April with a larger group and see what happens.

That’s an extra fee…not really an advantage. They don’t sell like hot cakes either

 

[Chi84]

That’s an extra fee…not really an advantage. They don’t sell like hot cakes either

The extra fee applies to everyone, so the advantage would be booking earlier than non-resort guests. I'm not sure what you mean about not selling like hotcakes. I just checked and Rise, FOP and Rat are showing LL not currently available. MMRR is showing a 7:20 pm return time (about the same for FEA).

Genie+ return times for the more popular rides like TT and SDD are already well into the evening hours. When we were there in October, the earliest time we could get for Rise was around 3 pm, and that's the first thing I booked at 7 am.

There are rides that really don't make any sense as ILLs - EE and really any ride at MK. But the most popular rides - the ones people are most likely to pay for - were selling quickly when we were there in October. Maybe it was a different experience when you used the new system.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The extra fee applies to everyone, so the advantage would be booking earlier than non-resort guests. I'm not sure what you mean about not selling like hotcakes. I just checked and Rise, FOP and Rat are showing LL not currently available. MMRR is showing a 7:20 pm return time (about the same for FEA).

Genie+ return times for the more popular rides like TT and SDD are already well into the evening hours. When we were there in October, the earliest time we could get for Rise was around 3 pm, and that's the first thing I booked at 7 am.

There are rides that really don't make any sense as ILLs - EE and really any ride at MK. But the most popular rides - the ones people are most likely to pay for - were selling quickly when we were there in October. Maybe it was a different experience when you used the new system.

It’s 12 o’clock though…so shouldn’t those “experiences” be all gone by now?

a fee for a line is just never gonna make sense. I’ll remember these last 6 months of “acceptance” when the beast gets out of control and eats the keeper

 

[Chi84]

It’s 12 o’clock though…so shouldn’t those “experiences” be all gone by now?

a fee for a line is just never gonna make sense. I’ll remember these last 6 months of “acceptance” when the beast gets out of control and eats the keeper

The most popular ones were gone. Maybe we have a different definition of "selling like hotcakes." I agree with the no-fee suggestion (free is better), but the only thing worse for us than paying for a line-skip system would be having to wait in standby lines all day long. I remember those days and have neither the will nor the ability to return to them.