Is Genie+ creating worse standby lines than FastPass did?

[shambolicdefending]

I've seen this argument made or implied a few times. Is it true?

If so, how?

G+ is purely a paid option and FP was available for free. Shouldn't fewer people be using the former, easing the impact on standby queues?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I've seen this argument made or implied a few times. Is it true?

If so, how?

G+ is purely a paid option and FP was available for free. Shouldn't fewer people be using the former, easing the impact on standby queues?

That was not my experience. People just want to have 3 canned rides from their phone/computer in advance and a dining plan. It’s “more convenient”…I suppose. This requires more effort.

 

[Phroobar]

It shows people will pay for shorter lines. It is also extremely underpriced. It should be closer to $90-$100 per person per day to be in line with even Magic Mountain's Flash Pass or Universal's Express Lane.

 

[mickEblu]

I've seen this argument made or implied a few times. Is it true?

If so, how?

G+ is purely a paid option and FP was available for free. Shouldn't fewer people be using the former, easing the impact on standby queues?

I believe it’s the ratio. They re letting fewer standby guests through per FP/ Genie + guest now. They have to show the Genie + guest the value of what they just purchased and I guess by default they show the standby guest too.

With that said, I don’t think it’s effect on standby guests is much worse than the Fatspass system was it? I mean other than having to pay. I want to say maybe 25% longer waits than standby guests were waiting in the old days. Granted, it adds up and adding 25% to an already long wait is not run.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It shows people will pay for shorter lines. It is also extremely underpriced. It should be closer to $90-$100 per person per day to be in line with even Magic Mountain's Flash Pass or Universal's Express Lane.

Oh no…

First, wdw’s slate of attraction are inadequate and mostly dated.

Second, average Stay is 6+ days…unlike 1 at the places you mentioned or 2-4 at universal

Just…no…it’s not worth it

 

[waltography]

I think we would've eventually gotten to this point with MaxPass if we had it for long enough; I feel like Genie+ simply picked up on uptake where MaxPass left off.

Also worth noting that MaxPass didn't limit FP redemption to just 1 per ride, so I feel like guest experience would fare worse from MaxPass in that even those who had it may not be able to redeem the rides they want.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I believe it’s the ratio. They re letting fewer standby guests through per FP/ Genie + guest now. They have to show the Genie + guest the value of what they just purchased and I guess by default they show the standby guest too.

Pretty sure that’s backwards. FP+ Standby lanes didn’t move because the ratios kept rising.

I saw mock cheers quite a few times when they would let 5 people out of the standby.

But that is anecdotal

 

[mickEblu]

Pretty sure that’s backwards. FP+ Standby lanes didn’t move because the ratios kept rising.

I saw mock cheers quite a few times when they would let 5 people out of the standby.

But that is anecdotal

We didn’t have FP+ here.

 

[Phroobar]

Pretty sure that’s backwards. FP+ Standby lanes didn’t move because the ratios kept rising.

I saw mock cheers quite a few times when they would let 5 people out of the standby.

But that is anecdotal

I counted that when standing in line for HMH. The CM was doing 40 to 1. She would ask the standby line how many in their party. Then she multiplied that number by 40 to let in Lightning Lane people.

 

[mickEblu]

I counted that when standing in line for HMH. The CM was doing 40 to 1. She would ask the standby line how many in their party. Then she multiplied that number by 40 to let in Lightning Lane people.

So if the person said “5” they would let in 200 lightning lane people? Yikes

 

[Phroobar]

So if the person said “5” they would let in 200 lightning lane people? Yikes

That is exactly what she did. They even gave her a little calculator app for her phone. Sad thing is, she used it often.

 

[Phroobar]

At Magic Mountain Fright Fest is pretty cheap but you really need to add Fright Lane.

The problem is they put priority on the Fright Lane guests. If someone enters the Fight Lane queue, the standby line stops until thy can load another group. If the load area never empties, the standby never moves.

 

[mickEblu]

That is exactly what she did. They even gave her a little calculator app for her phone. Sad thing is, she used it often.

Wow.

Anyway @Sirwalterraleigh i believe was trying to say that the FP systems ratio was already terrible before Lightning Lane. Not sure why that makes my theory “backwards” though. It may have already been bad but it wasn’t this bad. Then again he said FP + so maybe he was talking about Florida.

 

[mickEblu]

That is exactly what she did. They even gave her a little calculator app for her phone. Sad thing is, she used it often.

Thats not a Lightning Lane. It’s a PAID standby line. And with that ratio for the standby guests that’s not a standby line. That’s a glorified holding pen.

 

[The Colonel]

I feel like standby waits are shorter. And I'm positive that the actual standby waits are much shorter than the posted wait times.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wow.

Anyway @Sirwalterraleigh i believe was trying to say that the FP systems ratio was already terrible before Lightning Lane. Not sure why that makes my theory “backwards” though. It may have already been bad but it wasn’t this bad. Then again he said FP + so maybe he was talking about Florida.

Ok…my bad. I probably read that backwards.

My experience - though limited wish genie, but extensive with + - is that standbys are more useful now that during prebooking.

But the reality is that Iger let crowds catch and overtake “comfortable capacity”…which means both systems don’t have what they need to work “well”

 

[mickEblu]

I feel like standby waits are shorter. And I'm positive that the actual standby waits are much shorter than the posted wait times.

I think standby waits are shorter on the non Genie + rides and longer on the Genie + rides than they were under the FP system. It makes sense as people are trying to get their moneys worth and/ or utilizing the system they purchased for the day so they are going on all the Genie + rides. When FPs were free you didn’t have that pressure.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I feel like standby waits are shorter. And I'm positive that the actual standby waits are much shorter than the posted wait times.

I don’t know if they are posted lower…but they moved faster.

There were 90-120 “standby waits” with + that had hardly anyone in them…they just had people standing/sitting as the clicker on the screen told the CP in polyester to let the left line in.

 

[lazyboy97o]

G+ is purely a paid option and FP was available for free. Shouldn't fewer people be using the former, easing the impact on standby queues?

There are a variety of factors that can impact operations.

Despite being free, not everyone used FastPass.

By being a paid service, Genie+ is going to encourage people to use the service more to get their money’s worth. On top of this, Genie+ removes the physical barrier to getting a pass further encouraging more use.

Anything else that is still closed or operating at reduced capacity removes options for virtual queue users and also encourages them towards attractions.

 

[waltography]

FastPass was a more balanced system in part because you had to go to the physical location of the kiosks by the attraction entrance in order to redeem a FastPass for that ride. Since the E-tickets were all spread apart from each other, it meant you were pretty much tethered to certain regions of the park if you wanted to be efficient in your FP redemption.

MaxPass and Genie+ got rid of that, so now I can be in line for Space Mountain redeeming a LL for Indy, then redeeming Indy while grabbing a LL for Matterhorn, daisy chaining my way through the park with little effort.