Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[jpeden]

So your only complaint is that G+ cost money where Fastpass didn't.

Would you have been better off with a straight across the board price hike to get into the park and free line skipping?

Actually my issue is they are charging for something that used to be free, and delivering a lesser product for it. I can't plan in advance, I have to pay for it day of (so I can't even work the cost into my budget planning for the trip because they decide what the cost is and announce it the morning it goes on sale), AND it's only good for one use per ride - unlike FP which was good for as many FP's as you could pull for the ride during the day.

Now, they charge you MORE if you want to use G+ in multiple parks versus there being one singular charge. The entire thing is more convoluted and complicated than it ever has been.

So, to answer your question - yes I would have rather them increased prices by $25/person per day and still had FP+ than have to be nickeled and dimed every morning of my vacation to use Genie+ instead.

 

[el_super]

Actually my issue is they are charging for something that used to be free, and delivering a lesser product for it. I can't plan in advance, I have to pay for it day of (so I can't even work the cost into my budget planning for the trip because they decide what the cost is and announce it the morning it goes on sale), AND it's only good for one use per ride - unlike FP which was good for as many FP's as you could pull for the ride during the day.

This is part of the overall issue with Fastpass though. If you're using it to get on more attractions, that means someone else has to lose out. The bar for having a great experience was too high and having too much of a negative impact on people who did not want to hyper-plan everything months in advance, or made trips without 180 days advance notice.

So, to answer your question - yes I would have rather them increased prices by $25/person per day and still had FP+ than have to be nickeled and dimed every morning of my vacation to use Genie+ instead.

Personally, I would have rather they increased the prices until there wasn't a need for Fastpass at all, but I know people would have complained about that too.

 

[jpeden]

This is part of the overall issue with Fastpass though. If you're using it to get on more attractions, that means someone else has to lose out. The bar for having a great experience was too high and having too much of a negative impact on people who did not want to hyper-plan everything months in advance, or made trips without 180 days advance notice.



Personally, I would have rather they increased the prices until there wasn't a need for Fastpass at all, but I know people would have complained about that too.

They could have easily eliminated the hyper planning part by going to a max pass style system like they had at DL versus FP+ and the 60 day window. It could have been day off or day before planning. They chose to do a money grab instead plain and simple.

There is nothing superior about G+ versus FP+.

 

[el_super]

There is nothing superior about G+ versus FP+.

Maybe not, but the parks are much better off without Fastpass.

 

[Trauma]

Maybe not, but the parks are much better off without Fastpass.

That’s your opinion.

I would say the opposite.

If someone like @lentesta has information showing the parks are better off with G+ instead of fast pass I will shut up and accept it as true.

 

[jpeden]

Maybe not, but the parks are much better off without Fastpass.

Have to disagree. G+ just causes more lines at guest relations, angrier guests because they’re not getting access to things they feel they paid for access to, and frankly is just one of many examples of how they’ve been value engineering the parks for the past few years to extract more and more blood from a stone.

Neither would have been needed if they had actually invested properly in the parks since the early 2000’s but that ship has sailed.

 

[Marionnette]

You can compare wait times from pre-COVID to 2023 (or any year following the introduction of Genie+) by using this website:

Disney Magic Kingdom wait time statistics

Get historical wait time statistics for all rides and attractions at Disney Magic Kingdom.

queue-times.com

Overall, I don't see much improvement, if any, in wait times. In fact, wait times have increased for the most popular rides.

So, how does this make the parks better?

 

[Lilofan]

Ah, the paper Fastpass days. Good times indeed. The best part about paper Fastpasses was to go to the end of the queue and make some magic for someone and give them a fastpass.

One way some guests made some magic to other guests is to give another guest a pin and not ask or expect a pin in return during the heyday of pin trading.

 

[Lilofan]

The parks are making more money than they ever have before.

Maybe they should make Josh the CEO so he can bring that winning energy to all of Disney...

Well whatever Josh was doing he moved up the food chain to impress his bosses and now he reports to Iger .

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Maybe not, but the parks are much better off without Fastpass.

I disagree with this also, the G+ lines seem much longer than the FP lines used to be, before when FPs were gone they were gone, now Disney has financial incentives to sell as many G+ and ILL as they can, and (in my experience) the standby lines move slower now than they ever did with FP, which leads me to believe Disney is offering more G+ than they ever offered as FP so more people are “skipping” the line.

 

[el_super]

I disagree with this also, the G+ lines seem much longer than the FP lines used to be

At DLR or WDW? DLR has been weird since *everybody* can afford Genie and pretty much everyone buys it. It's still way underpriced at Disneyland, even though it started off more expensive than WDW.

 

[Jrb1979]

To add to this discussion, what I hate is having to schedule my ride times. I'm surprised so many love the amount of planning involved to have a good Disney trip.

 

[el_super]

Have to disagree. G+ just causes more lines at guest relations, angrier guests because they’re not getting access to things they feel they paid for access to, and frankly is just one of many examples of how they’ve been value engineering the parks for the past few years to extract more and more blood from a stone.

Pretty sure this was happening under Fastpass too. It was just a diffrent class of guest being angry.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

At DLR or WDW? DLR has been weird since *everybody* can afford Genie and pretty much everyone buys it. It's still way underpriced at Disneyland, even though it started off more expensive than WDW.

I thought World was much worse than Land our last trips.

When they first implemented G+ it was much worse at DL and made it absolutely unbearable but most people seem to have stopped buying it now. DL feels much more like normal (pre 2020) now than World does.

 

[jpeden]

Pretty sure this was happening under Fastpass too. It was just a diffrent class of guest being angry.

I have to disagree again. People didn’t get angry about something free they didn’t get. People get very upset about PAYING for access and then not getting it. For example, if a ride was down and you had a FP for it maybe it wasn’t great but you didn’t have to go stand in line for a refund like you do for an ILL. G+ is significantly harder and more complicated on the average guest than FP or FP+ ever was - that’s a fact.

 

[Disstevefan1]

One way some guests made some magic to other guests is to give another guest a pin and not ask or expect a pin in return during the heyday of pin trading.

My wife who is a huge pin trader still does this. The folks she gives pins to cant believe whats happening.

 

[Grimley1968]

To add to this discussion, what I hate is having to schedule my ride times. I'm surprised so many love the amount of planning involved to have a good Disney trip.

It’s beyond absurd, IMO.

 

[jpeden]

Interestingly enough I received a request to consider taking part in a live moderated focus by Disney Destinations. It is 90 minutes and if selected they will provide you a $200 Disney gift card. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.

Someone is giving the research group a budget for sure which means that GSR’s must not be good.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Interestingly enough I received a request to consider taking part in a live moderated focus by Disney Destinations. It is 90 minutes and if selected they will provide you a $200 Disney gift card. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.

Someone is giving the research group a budget for sure which means that GSR’s must not be good.

You don't need 90 minutes to tell people whether you would or wouldn't like a guided tour of X, Y, or Z.

You're there to be pitched at so you sign up for a tour.

 

[jpeden]

You don't need 90 minutes to tell people whether you would or wouldn't like a guided tour of X, Y, or Z.

You're there to be pitched at so you sign up for a tour.

This wasn’t from Adventures by Disney - it was from the same group that sends out the post-park stays and specifically noted it’s about my recent trip to WDW.

The email noted there will be no sales pitch and they will not attempt to sell any product during the call: