Disney Genie, Genie+ officially introduced along with confirmed details of how it will work

[Jrb1979]

do i agree that a Disney trip requires planning 100% i would be a fool to say otherwise but as ive stated it is not the only place that requires planning and i understand disney wanting to make guests happy (coough couogh wink wink) but again how they thought this was the answer is beyond comprehension and again not buying the story especially when park pass reservations are going nowhere, adr's are going nowhere so now you created this absolute debacle and people still have to plan almost everything.

In testing and in theory it works. What they didn't expect is everyone and their cousin all buying it.

It won’t improve any while they sit on their hands doing nothing. The reason it will take so long is because they have sat on their hands (and profits) so long.

Line skip programs will always advantage one group over another. The higher prices versions will advantage the people with more money. So the squabbling is about which version advantages a given poster. This would continue even if a more exclusive higher prices system replaced the current one. Maybe even more so.

People spending $600 for a family of 4 to spend one day in the parks need to demand better without needing a pricey add on.

People need to stop thinking that you MUST skip the line to visit Disney. Yes it's their fault people got used to skipping lines for free and it was available to everyone. They have to limit availability in some way. Either by capping sales or pricing people out.

 

[bhg469]

Sounds like you're some combination of stubborn and lazy.

Nah, you're just defending the indefensible

 

[Jrb1979]

Sounds like you're some combination of stubborn and lazy.

Not at all. Has nothing to do with that. It's how my family tours parks. We don't do Character meals as it's over priced crap food. Rarely eat on property or stay in the "Bubble". Cheaper and better options off site.

It's attitudes like yours is another reason I have turned off Disney.

 

[bhg469]

People need to stop thinking that you MUST skip the line to visit Disney. Yes it's their fault people got used to skipping lines for free and it was available to everyone. They have to limit availability in some way. Either by capping sales or pricing people out.

Both please

 

[crazy4disney]

In testing and in theory it works. What they didn't expect is everyone and their cousin all buying it.

People need to stop thinking that you MUST skip the line to visit Disney. Yes it's their fault people got used to skipping lines for free and it was available to everyone. They have to limit availability in some way. Either by capping sales or pricing people out.

so you feel people didnt like to plan in advance but are going to prefer to wait in hour long lines instead and that is going to raise guest satisfaction by pricing majority of people out or as you suggest as well capping the availability where even if you want to pay you cant? Good luck w that model & dealing with that PR mess

 

[bhg469]

so you feel people didnt like to plan in advance but are going to prefer to wait in hour long lines instead and that is going to raise guest satisfaction by pricing majority of people out or as you suggest as well capping the availability where even if you want to pay you cant? Good luck w that model & dealing with that PR mess

Less people in the lightning lane means less wait in standby. And guest satisfaction? If that truly mattered they would do one simple gesture for them by making park hours longer again.

 

[JD80]

Nah, you're just defending the indefensible

Not defending anything, G+ is a terrible product. FP+ worked but it was also flawed in many ways.

But this is what we're working with.

Expecting to go to Disney with ZERO planning, but also expecting a top level experience and access to everything and anything at any time is also ignorant of reality.

 

[drizgirl]

They have to limit availability in some way. Either by capping sales or pricing people out.

And as long as people keep setting up this false dichotomy, Disney will continue to avoid building the net new attractions that are needed.

 

[JD80]

Not at all. Has nothing to do with that. It's how my family tours parks. We don't do Character meals as it's over priced crap food. Rarely eat on property or stay in the "Bubble". Cheaper and better options off site.

It's attitudes like yours is another reason I have turned off Disney.

You spend quite a lot of time on a Disney message board for having turned off Disney.

My attitude is that I enjoy my time in the parks but I also realize there are systems in place to provide access. So I either chose to engage with them to maximize my experience or I don't engage with them and set my expectations that my access may be limited.

I've done both, and I had good experiences both ways. My opinion is that the ride systems are garbage. I prefer FP+ significantly more even if that system sucked unless you knew how to manipulate it.

 

[crazy4disney]

Less people in the lightning lane means less wait in standby. And guest satisfaction? If that truly mattered they would do one simple gesture for them by making park hours longer again.

Honestly i truly wish they went to a basic "full standby" with limited skip the line access to once and for all settle this debate about lines and what FP does to them... YES i did watch the Defunctland doc on it. When there is not enough capacity lines are not going to be greatly reduced imo and ill stand by that statement. Will lines be "less" possibly but when a line goes from say 80 minutes to 60 minutes yes its "25%' less but still an hour wait and doesnt solve the problem when you had a system in place that literally allowed you to ride many if not all attractions with no wait. Valid point on guest satisfaction lol

 

[JD80]

No line skip system will ever work in MK with the expected attendance levels until they build significantly more attractions across the park. I'm talking about additions in every land.

 

[Jrb1979]

You spend quite a lot of time on a Disney message board for having turned off Disney.

My attitude is that I enjoy my time in the parks but I also realize there are systems in place to provide access. So I either chose to engage with them to maximize my experience or I don't engage with them and set my expectations that my access may be limited.

I've done both, and I had good experiences both ways. My opinion is that the ride systems are garbage. I prefer FP+ significantly more even if that system sucked unless you knew how to manipulate it.

My point isn't about what's in place. My point is that IMO it's too much planning required to enjoy it. Visiting a theme park shouldn't this much planning.

No line skip system will ever work in MK with the expected attendance levels until they build significantly more attractions across the park. I'm talking about additions in every land.

That goes for every park in the world. No park has enough capacity for everyone to have a skip the line pass. It's how they work.

 

[JD80]

My point isn't about what's in place. My point is that IMO it's too much planning required to enjoy it. Visiting a theme park shouldn't this much planning.


That goes for every park in the world. No park has enough capacity for everyone to have a skip the line pass. It's how they work.

First point: I never understood the "too much planning" complaint with Disney pre-COVID. Picking tentative dining reservations at 180 days was never an issue. I always changed these leading up to my vacation or the day before. Picking FP+ 60 days out was about 30 minutes of work one morning over a cup of coffee.

Outside of scheduling flights, hotels, taking off of work - what else was there to do that was "too much"?

To your second point: With significant investment in additional capacity - everyone may not feel compelled to get line skip because there are decent choices and times to pick from in a perfect world.

 

[Jrb1979]

First point: I never understood the "too much planning" complaint with Disney pre-COVID. Picking tentative dining reservations at 180 days was never an issue. I always changed these leading up to my vacation or the day before. Picking FP+ 60 days out was about 30 minutes of work one morning over a cup of coffee.

Outside of scheduling flights, hotels, taking off of work - what else was there to do that was "too much"?

To your second point: With significant investment in additional capacity - everyone may not feel compelled to get line skip because there are decent choices and times to pick from in a perfect world.

Outside of flights, hotel and taking time off work nothing else should be required. I look at Universal and how laid back and simple it is to visit. I get Disney has higher attendance but it doesn't to go to this much extreme.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Not at all. Has nothing to do with that. It's how my family tours parks. We don't do Character meals as it's over priced crap food. Rarely eat on property or stay in the "Bubble". Cheaper and better options off site.

It's attitudes like yours is another reason I have turned off Disney.

Based on your comments, why in the world do you think you are going to like what Disney is doing, or planning to do? You are not their demographic or target.

Leaving aside the simple fact that from sporting events, to food ordering, to shopping, that everything is moving to App based, time registering, upsale purchases, Disney doesn't want you, or families that "tour parks" like you.

You don't like Character meals? Seems to me a big draw of Disney that separates itself from other parks IS its characters/IP. You can ride a roller coaster at any regional Amusement Park, but your only eating with Mickey and Mini in one location.

Your not eating on property and not staying in the bubble? Great, for you. But then don't expect Disney to have any of its systems, Genie + or otherwise be tailored to your style. Disney wants people in the parks. It wants people on property. It wants people to skip lines, and to be able to structure its their trip, Dining, then line skip, then shopping, then second line skip, then having a LL in 2 hours, so I can go get some shopping done in between.

The Answer here isn't going to be Disney changing its business model. The simple answer is seems like if you don't like what they are offering, don't go, and let the people who do like it enjoy it.

 

[JD80]

Outside of flights, hotel and taking time off work nothing else should be required. I look at Universal and how laid back and simple it is to visit. I get Disney has higher attendance but it doesn't to go to this much extreme.

You know you can just walk into the parks and do stuff right? Planning line skip or meals isn't required.

 

[pdude81]

Are you serious? Is that how it works?

Yes, but you could buy at 6:45a instead if you wanted to. You don't have to buy at 12a, that's just when it becomes available.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Outside of flights, hotel and taking time off work nothing else should be required. I look at Universal and how laid back and simple it is to visit. I get Disney has higher attendance but it doesn't to go to this much extreme.

I will be honest I never understood this line of thinking. It seems extremely self centered based on your individual preferences.

Besides the above (and maybe park reservations, which seems to me a no brainer, you buy a ticket to a park, you need to pick where your going) nothing else is required for trip to Disney. No one says you HAVE to use Genie ++, Lightening Lanes, make early dining reservations, or make appointments to build droids or any other activity. You want to have a spontaneous trip just doing whatever you feel like as it happens, go for it, no one is stopping you. I however like to micro manage my trip to wring out every minute of the day. We are going to be up at 6:45 with 4 phones out ready to snag LL and Genie plus selections. We were setting alarms 60 days out to get dining reservations (back in the FP days when selections opened day of at midnight, we were setting alarms then to make selections.) We don't mind snagging Genie + after Genie plus, logging in for the next available stacking as many as we can. Thats how we like to tour the parks. We like having the options to manage our trip that way, and don't think Disney should limit our planning/managing ability just because you and some families don't like it. You do Disney your way, we will do it ours. Disney right now is giving you more options, whether you use them or not is completely up to you.

 

[matt9112]

DVC is not about the room accommodations. People buy DVC to have a way to stay at Disney in cases where it benefits them to buy in and stay on "points" instead of paying cash. (This is a calculation based very much on specific circumstances, so I don't want to get into discussions of how DVC never makes sense.) The deluxe rooms aren't the draw - in fact, I personally prefer the moderate resorts to the deluxe ones. But there is no DVC for value or moderates - you have to stay deluxe. So adding resort perks would do absolutely nothing for me. I don't speak for everyone, though.

That’s 100% false for some. If you listen to any dvc specific discussion you will find a lot of people don’t even step foot in the parks…. Sure your example is one use case and probably a majority use case but it is not THE REASON people buy dvc.

 

[bhg469]

I however like to micro manage my trip to wring out every minute of the day.

You don't see how many many people just don't want this on a vacation?! This was not an option in the past yet the parks were much more enjoyable.

We had our honeymoon in St. Lucia.. We planned the flights, and the resort.. Everything else was spur of the moment and it was very enjoyable. I think the only time we had to schedule a meal were two of the more in demand restaurants.