Disney Genie/Genie+ On Their Way to Anaheim

[waltography]

This is gonna make me ILL, and not in the Individual Lightning Lane way.

 

[castleparker]

Well the non-inflated fastpass free lines were nice while they lasted. Many people I have talked to seem to think the upcharge for lightning lane is a good deal. So I'm expecting it to be used heavily.

 

[waltography]

Disneyland-specific video advertising the new program also dropped:



Disney must be thanking YouTube for disabling dislike counts platform-wide.

Strange they're advertising dining reservations as a highlight of Genie (and even stranger that they're using Blue Bayou of all places when it's a rarity that walk-ups are available for more than a minute at a time).

Web Slingers is a poor choice for ILL. Audio Tales is a strange addition; wish we had the AR lenses instead too.

"Live in the moment. Enjoy the magic. Rule your Park day." is a strange value proposition for an app that will inevitably force you to check on it constantly for new LL windows.

Anyway, we have two reservations this December, so we'll try Genie+ on one day to see if the difference in experience is worth it.

 

[DrAlice]

Disney Genie+ will be available for $20 per ticket per day, and allows you to select the next available arrival window for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrances at a variety of attractions, one at a time (subject to limited availability; limit one Lightning Lane selection per experience each day).

This is really the difference from FastPass. No more can you get off a ride, grab a FastPass for 30 minutes later (or maybe less!) and ride again. Whether this works out to be an overall "plus" or "minus" for the guest will depend upon how Disney manipulates the standby lines. I'm not optimistic.

 

[Newtwo]

Disney must be thanking YouTube for disabling dislike counts platform-wide.

It was the exactly reason Youtube disabled the dislike button, to prevent the consumers from showing this dislike for a corporation and or media entity for their ty practices.

 

[CaptinEO]

Ugh we're visiting this weekend for our annual christmas visit

 

[TP2000]

Disney Genie service will be available at the Disneyland Resort beginning Dec. 8, 2021.

Built right into the existing Disneyland app, the Disney Genie service offers new features to help you create your best Disney day. With the Disneyland app, be sure to download the latest version and make sure that your notification and location services are turned on so you can get the most out of the app’s features.

The new service will include:

Complimentary Disney Genie Features​

At the heart of the Disney Genie service are features like a personalized itinerary creator inspired by the things you tell us you love, helping you make the most of your park time so you can have more fun! Tell Disney Genie your favorite things – foodie experiences, must-do attractions, Super Heroes or princesses – experiences that make your Disneyland Resort day special, and Disney Genie does all the work to suggest fun options tailored to you.

The Disney Genie service will also offer great additional features like a personal tip board to see your favorite attractions and dining options in one central place, and forecasted future attraction wait times, helping you predict the best time to visit during the day.

These features are created to help you spend less time waiting in line, so you can enjoy more of what you love. What’s more, Disney Genie service even works around your existing plans, like dining reservations!

Similar to a navigation app on your phone, Disney Genie does all the work behind the scenes and updates your itinerary continually from morning to night so you can stay spontaneous and make the most of your time in the parks!

Ability to Access the new Lightning Lane Entrance
If you’ve been to the Disneyland Resort lately, you may have noticed some new signs being installed for Lightning Lane entrances at a number of popular attractions. The Lightning Lane offers the convenience of saving you time waiting in line. You can access the Lightning Lane entrance for select attractions two ways:

1) Disney Genie+ service.

Disney Genie+ will be available for $20 per ticket per day, and allows you to select the next available arrival window for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrances at a variety of attractions, one at a time (subject to limited availability; limit one Lightning Lane selection per experience each day). Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrances are available at select attractions at both Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park – great for those who have Park Hopper tickets. Disney Genie+ also includes unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from your day, as well as fun new audio experiences that let you discover the parks in cool new ways—through fascinating fun facts and behind-the-scenes insights.

Disney Genie+ service may be purchased in the Disneyland app after you’ve entered the park and have linked your park ticket. After Dec. 8, you may also choose to purchase Disney Genie+ prior to your visit when you purchase a park ticket. You can begin making your Lightning Lane arrival window selections as soon as you enter a theme park!

AND/OR

2) Individual Lightning Lane Entrance Selection.

This new “a la carte” option allows the individual purchase of Lightning Lane entrance arrival windows for some of our most popular attractions: Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure park, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for the “a la carte” option will vary by date and attraction. Be sure to check the Disneyland app on the day of your visit for the latest pricing for each available Lightning Lane attraction entrance arrival window. If you choose this option, you may purchase the next available arrival window, one at a time, for up to two (2) attractions per day upon entering a theme park.

As a reminder, you can select one, both or none of these options. It’s all up to you and what works best for your ideal Disney day! Attractions will continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue may be used at select attractions. Check the Disneyland app for attraction queue status.

Want additional details? Visit Disneyland.com/Genie for more information, including how to create your itinerary in Disney Genie, purchase Disney Genie+, make Lightning Lane arrival window selections and other helpful tips.

Attractions with Lightning Lane entrances that are Disney Genie+ and individual purchases are limited in availability, subject to change or closure, may vary by date, and are not guaranteed. To enter a theme park, both a valid admission and theme park reservation for the same park and same date are required. Park reservations are limited, subject to availability, and are not guaranteed for any specific dates or park. Wait times are estimates, can vary, and are subject to frequent changes within each day. Guests are responsible for reviewing all attraction restrictions, health and safety advisories, and accessibility guidelines, prior to purchase as certain experiences may not be appropriate for some guests with health conditions. Price, terms and entitlements are subject to restrictions, and change or cancellation without notice. Visit Disneyland.com/Genie for details.

Well, that's a simple and quick concept to explain to customers! I'm sure this will not cause a single problem, even for those who don't speak English well. Clear as crystal!

My God. Can you imagine a CM trying to explain this to a confused customer in front of a crowded Indy or Racers or Haunted Mansion in 30 seconds or less before their eyes glaze over? Those poor CM's!

The description on how Disney Genie+ differs from Disney Genie and how those two things interact with Lightning Lane availability or a Standby line that doesn't apply to rides with virtual queues reminds me of this scene of the instructions on the lavatory door for the Zero Gravity Toilet on the Pan Am Space Clipper from 2001: A Space Odyssey....

 

[mickEblu]

This is really the difference from FastPass. No more can you get off a ride, grab a FastPass for 30 minutes later (or maybe less!) and ride again. Whether this works out to be an overall "plus" or "minus" for the guest will depend upon how Disney manipulates the standby lines. I'm not optimistic.

Won’t this be better for the standby lines though? Maybe it I’ll be a nice balance between making things convenient for people who choose to purchase Genie + and not too much of an inconvenience for those who do not.

 

[DrAlice]

Won’t this be better for the standby lines though? Maybe it I’ll be a nice balance between making things convenient for people who choose to purchase Genie + and not too much of an inconvenience for those who do not.

In theory, yes. However, in practice...... ???? This is why I referred to Disney manipulating the standby line. I can easily see Disney panic that not enough people have purchased Genie+, and then artificially hold the standby line (or remove ride vehicles to lower ride capacity) to "entice" people to buy it. Seriously, I just don't put anything past management at this point. BUT, we shall see....

 

[lazyboy97o]

In theory, yes. However, in practice...... ???? This is why I referred to Disney manipulating the standby line. I can easily see Disney panic that not enough people have purchased Genie+, and then artificially hold the standby line (or remove ride vehicles to lower ride capacity) to "entice" people to buy it. Seriously, I just don't put anything past management at this point. BUT, we shall see....

The problem with this is that it can easily become a reason not to buy Genie+. Disney doesn’t want the next viral tip to be to skip buying Genie+ because the listed wait times are inaccurate.

 

[DrAlice]

Well, that's a simple and quick concept to explain to customers! I'm sure this will not cause a single problem, even for those who don't speak English well. Clear as crystal!

My God. Can you imagine a CM trying to explain this to a confused customer in front of a crowded Indy or Racers or Haunted Mansion in 30 seconds or less before their eyes glaze over? Those poor CM's!

The description on how Disney Genie+ differs from Disney Genie and how those two things interact with Lightning Lane availability or a Standby line that doesn't apply to rides with virtual queues reminds me of this scene of the instructions on the lavatory door for the Zero Gravity Toilet on the Pan Am Space Clipper from 2001: A Space Odyssey....

Don't forget the difference between Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane "a la carte"! Or whatever they are calling it....

 

[DrAlice]

The problem with this is that it can easily become a reason not to buy Genie+. Disney doesn’t want the next viral tip to be to skip buying Genie+ because the listed wait times are inaccurate.

Oh I didn't say fake the wait time, I agree that would do exactly what you say. What I mean is that they ACTUALLY make people stand in line longer than necessary. We already know that in the past they have removed ride vehicles (not running rides at full capacity) to cut maintenance costs, etc. We know that they mess with the percentage of Fastpass vs. standby guests they let through the line. There is nothing to stop them from using these same practices to make standby waits ACTUALLY longer, thereby encouraging people to pay for line skipping. Again, time will tell...

 

[mickEblu]

In theory, yes. However, in practice...... ???? This is why I referred to Disney manipulating the standby line. I can easily see Disney panic that not enough people have purchased Genie+, and then artificially hold the standby line (or remove ride vehicles to lower ride capacity) to "entice" people to buy it. Seriously, I just don't put anything past management at this point. BUT, we shall see....

From what I understand it hasnt impacted lines too bad at WDW. With that said, I’m not sure if it’s true and DL is a different demo

 

[DrAlice]

For the record: I really hope I'm wrong!!!

But, there's a reason I'm vacationing elsewhere this summer. Management has made me totally lose faith in their ability to deliver on their promised "premium experience". I'll let all this shake out for at least a full year before we consider returning.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

Me, every time I read what Genie does:

 

[aaronml]

It’s interesting that they’ve changed ILL from WDW where you can pick any available time throughout the day, to a first available time approach like G+.

 

[TP2000]

Don't forget the difference between Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane "a la carte"! Or whatever they are calling it....

I don't even know where to start. It makes me want to cry, but I'm laughing so hard at them that I can't cry. TDA has done all of this to themselves.

So, let's review...

If you succesfully make a reservation for Disneyland and get into the park via the nightmarish "Guest Arrival Experience", to go on an individual ride you need to decide which of the following options you will choose to get on the ride, depending on which of these various choices that particular ride offers:

• Regular Queue for about 25 or so dumb, old rides that were created by that Walt guy
• Standby Queue with the rest of the losers and foreign tourists at bigger rides
• Virtual Queue via Disney Genie at Select Attractions
• Lightning Lane via Disney Genie+ at $20 per person
• Lightning Lane upcharge a la carte, booked via Disney Genie but not included with Disney Genie+

All of this is on the App, so you better be paying attention to that App! You've got to want it! Pay attention!

Seriously, the poor CM's who have to try and explain all this to confused tourists in a crowded Adventureland. I have half a mind to make a substantial donation to a bar tab for them at whatever local watering hole the CM's hang out in.

 

[CaptinEO]

I don't even know where to start. It makes me want to cry, but I'm laughing so hard at them that I can't cry. TDA has done all of this to themselves.

So, let's review...

If you succesfully make a reservation for Disneyland and get into the park via the nightmarish "Guest Arrival Experience", to go on an individual ride you need to decide which of the following options you will choose to get on the ride, depending on which of these various choices that particular ride offers:

• Regular Queue for about 25 or so dumb, old rides that were created by that Walt guy
• Standby Queue with the rest of the losers and foreign tourists at bigger rides
• Virtual Queue via Disney Genie at Select Attractions
• Lightning Lane via Disney Genie+ at $20 per person
• Lightning Lane upcharge a la carte, booked via Disney Genie but not included with Disney Genie+

All of this is on the App, so you better be paying attention to that App! You've got to want it! Pay attention!

Seriously, the poor CM's who have to try and explain all this to confused tourists in a crowded Adventureland. I have half a mind to make a substantial donation to a bar tab for them at whatever local watering hole the CM's hang out in.

It's so convuluted, even as a Disneyland expert it's exhausting. Just linking a party to an account this summer had me posting questions on this board and calling Disney customer support (which was a 2 hour wait).

 

[TP2000]

It's so convuluted, even as a Disneyland expert it's exhausting. Just linking a party to an account this summer had me posting questions on this board and calling Disney customer support (which was a 2 hour wait).

I agree completely.

I've been on Disneyland message boards for decades, been a fan of the park for decades before that. I keep up with stuff (except for the Fullerton Junior College kids they've got waving from that office park balcony in Marvel Land; I have no idea who they are or why I should care), and I feel pretty confident in how to maneuver through Disneyland in the smartphone age. But...

This Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Virtual Queue A La Carte thing just has me baffled. It's all so confusing, so muddled, so overly complicated. And all based on Apps and smartphones and ignoring your family you paid big bucks to spend vacation time with.

I honestly don't care they're upcharging for shorter lines. I just wonder what took them so long to charge for Fastpass? But the overly complicated rules-based App-based frustration-based system of various brands they've created to charge us for a shorter line for Space Mountain? It's baffling and a real turn off.

It's just an amusement park. Why do I need to do this much research to go on Space Mountain?

 

[SoFloMagic]

It’s interesting that they’ve changed ILL from WDW where you can pick any available time throughout the day, to a first available time approach like G+.

Should help increase sales, right? By helping more of the early ones get used while keeping availability for later open.