Rumor My Genie Conclusions - The Future of WDW’s Ticketing

[mysto]

Disney World’s new slogan - the happiest most challenging and expensive place to vacate on earth!

I was looking for you to make a crack about Disney IT.

Sure, maybe genie will be rolled out 10/1/21, but it won't function to the point of usability until 10/1/22. And if they fire the entire IT staff like they did after FP+ was launched usability won't be achieved until 10/1/23.

In spite of all the complaints about the current state of the parks, what if we look back at summer 2021 as the last hurrah, the end of the golden age of the parks?

 

[danv3]

This all sounds more Disney, more family, more timeless and more relevant to me.

 

[Dan Deesnee]

I know a DVC family who just spent a week doing just that. They were not happy, but Disney knows they'll be back next year and the year after, etc.

Sure, a dvc family is already invested. But the go once or twice to check the box family might just skip it all together.

Literally everything that got these people that I know to go like ease of transportation to the park, luggage being handled, and fast passes to skip lines are now essentially up charges or gone.

Yes I know this is anecdotal but there's no way these people were unique.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Disney World’s new slogan - the happiest most challenging and expensive place to vacate on earth!

What will be more difficult, filing your taxes or booking a Walt Disney World vacation?

This is where I'm at. I *genuinely* don't care about price increases. It's their bizarre fetish for making things impossibly complicated that I don't understand.

 

[pdude81]

Sure, a dvc family is already invested. But the go once or twice to check the box family might just skip it all together.

Literally everything that got these people that I know to go like ease of transportation to the park, luggage being handled, and fast passes to skip lines are now essentially up charges or gone.

Yes I know this is anecdotal but there's no way these people were unique.

They also need to keep selling DVC contracts, so I'm curious to see if hotel categories factor in to how much you have to pay for genie to set up your vacation. It's tough to be ripping people off on the daily and then tell them they can pay 40 grand for the privilege of being similarly ripped off for the next 50 years. They would need to make sore some decent incentives that I honestly wasn't expecting given the pittance that's already been announced.

 

[marni1971]

It's like death by a thousand cuts. I just don't get all of the stupid decisions being made by management. They seem to have totally lost sight of the Disney Parks legacy. They are intent on destroying every element of goodness and value involved with the theme parks in the name of profit.

That stock price is a demanding pimp, and those Disney execs are willing to prostitute the parks as long as they get their cut. This is simply not sustainable. Constantly making cuts, jacking up prices and demanding more contortions by guests will only drive people away.

I guess the good news is that social media is going to shed more light on what a disaster a Disney Parks vacation is being made to become. No amount of Disney fantasy spin can hide the fact that the parks and resorts are a cluster cluck of disappointment and that you way overpaid for what (little) you got (mostly frustration at every step of the way). There is a reason people are flocking to Universal, and I don't think it has anything to do with masks.

There is no leadership in the Walt Disney Company. I guess that's what happened when Iger cannibalized his replacement talent, and we were left with Chapek. I'm starting to get the sense that Iger has set up the company, especially the theme parks division, for failure after he (Finally) leaves. The village idiot is in charge and he only cares about the stock price. The irony is that Disney could have built upon it's success and chosen to meet the demand by (Gasp) building a 5th park, but the only thing that matters is the stock price (and executive bonu$e$) , so nope, that's a hard pass.

And yes, Disney is a company that must make a profit, but there must be a balance between profits and desirability. What is happening now to the parks is so ill conceived it is destined to serve them poorly, along with people who used to be devoted to a Disney vacation. You simply can't take a core component of your business and constantly erode it in the name of profits.

These are dark days indeed and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

~NM

 

[Disstevefan1]

Remember when Disney was an amazing brand, capable of building mind blowing, one of a kind attractions? Capable of developing the utopia-on-earth WDW Resort, full of distinctly themed and carefully curated theme parks, amazing, unique hotels, unparalleled experiences and entertainment, and so much more? A place that truly offered something for everyone?

A place without endless upsells, thoughtless IP intrusions, intrusive and tedious smartphone apps, and hyper-overplanning?

A place that treated its guests as much more than mere data points to be served up to the all-powerful gods of analytics?

Do you remember those glorious days when a vacation to WDW was relaxing, spontaneous, and transformative? Full of variety and value? An experience like no other?

I remember those days.

These are not those days.

Not by a long shot.

Not even close.

The brand is no longer what it was. If this is the path chosen by its current caretakers— if this is the best they can do, if this is all they care to do, if this is all they’re capable of doing— WDW’s heyday really has passed.

It has been changed, altered, reconfigured and misshapen— quite deliberately, carefully, and yet somehow also cynically, casually and recklessly— into something hardly recognizable.

Some will have fun staring into the eyes of the magic Genie in their cellphone while sleepwalking through their decision-free, pre-planned and oh-so-expensive vacation.

Maybe a few will stop to look around and remember a much different time. And a much different place.

Maybe the pendulum will swing back someday. Until then, I’ll continue to remember.

And smile for what once was.

Because it was great.

The Disney theme parks today do not want the folks who remember those days.

They are going after the younger folks with money who don't know any better, and they are flocking in to hand their cash to the mouse.

 

[kevlightyear]

With all these extra hoops to jump through and the endless uncharges, doesn't it make more sense at this point to just get a plaid? I mean the cost difference couldn't be that much and you have way more flexibility.

 

[Missing20K]

It's like death by a thousand cuts. I just don't get all of the stupid decisions being made by management. They seem to have totally lost sight of the Disney Parks legacy. They are intent on destroying every element of goodness and value involved with the theme parks in the name of profit.

That stock price is a demanding pimp, and those Disney execs are willing to prostitute the parks as long as they get their cut. This is simply not sustainable. Constantly making cuts, jacking up prices and demanding more contortions by guests will only drive people away.

I guess the good news is that social media is going to shed more light on what a disaster a Disney Parks vacation is being made to become. No amount of Disney fantasy spin can hide the fact that the parks and resorts are a cluster cluck of disappointment and that you way overpaid for what (little) you got (mostly frustration at every step of the way). There is a reason people are flocking to Universal, and I don't think it has anything to do with masks.

There is no leadership in the Walt Disney Company. I guess that's what happened when Iger cannibalized his replacement talent, and we were left with Chapek. I'm starting to get the sense that Iger has set up the company, especially the theme parks division, for failure after he (Finally) leaves. The village idiot is in charge and he only cares about the stock price. The irony is that Disney could have built upon it's success and chosen to meet the demand by (Gasp) building a 5th park, but the only thing that matters is the stock price (and executive bonu$e$) , so nope, that's a hard pass.

And yes, Disney is a company that must make a profit, but there must be a balance between profits and desirability. What is happening now to the parks is so ill conceived it is destined to serve them poorly, along with people who used to be devoted to a Disney vacation. You simply can't take a core component of your business and constantly erode it in the name of profits.

These are dark days indeed and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

~NM

Current management seems to misunderstand the effect of brand equity on the return of capital to shareholders and disregard the long term value built by superior brand equity. Simultaneously, they seem to be underestimating the power of word of mouth advertising in eroding that superiority.

They are working far too hard in the business and not nearly enough on the business.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here, but it’s time I let the Genie out of the bag. Genie was announced at the D23 Expo quite a while ago now. We never knew what exactly Genie meant other than it would really change the way you plan your vacation. Until now. Some of this is based on whispers from my peeps, some of this is based on my best logical guesses, and some of this just is so obvious I’m surprised no one has picked up on it yet. Let’s dive in.

First, the good news, annual passes won’t be going away, and neither will the monthly payment plans. The bad news is that WDW’s ticketing practices will get much more obscure overall. Genie will let you choose options that are important to you and spit out a price depending on what you select and when you want to do it. The price is determined by a variety of factors that probably won’t be explained to you directly, especially if you’re including the package deals. For example, you’ll be able to buy an AP, but it may not be good every day of the year, and Waterparks access or Premier Access could end up being an add-on. Oh, that reminds me. It’s clear to me that the company likes Disney+ and it’s naming conventions, so it’s likely that the Premier Access name from Disneyland Paris will carry over, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually launch Disney Genie as Genie+ or if Genie+ is some kind of upcharge version of regular Genie. I can’t confirm these names because these are just based on my gut, but the products seem real enough, so if I get some of this nomenclature wrong, don’t shoot the messenger.

As I understand it, Genie the app will be a free planning product. It will help you plan and achieve an itinerary that will be right for you and your family. But to guarantee an itinerary, you’ll need to opt in for Genie+ or Premier Access or whatever they end up calling it. I’m sure what you can guarantee will depend on the resort you’re staying at and the ticket types you include in your itinerary. The name of the game will be up-selling, and boy oh boy will you be up-sold to. Premier Access? Check. Photopass? Check. Parking? Check. VIP experiences? Check. Pre-order food and Merch? Check. It’s actually quite amazing how much will be implemented with Genie. This engine will also re-arrange your itinerary on the fly if attractions or experiences aren’t available as planned. For example, if Space Mountain ends up being unexpectedly closed for the rest of the day, it will re-arrange a later day of your vacation to hop back to Magic Kingdom to ride Space Mountain, and it will re-arrange dining reservations so you don’t miss your dinner at Ohana. It’s THAT good. But you’ll be paying for it.

You don’t want to use Genie? No worries, but no guarantees that you’ll be able to do what you want. There will be a definite bias towards pleasing the visitors that use Genie, especially the premium version of Genie. And that Premier Access product Disneyland Paris is using? Yeah, that can be an option for you day guests that just want to ride something now without waiting. It could be worth $25 bucks to you to just ride Flight of Passage now instead of that 180 min wait. Or maybe not. But at least you’ll have the option.

Fastpass+ as you knew it isn’t coming back. The name might, but since the new product is a paid service for most (it could be included as part of your hotel rooms or pass types in some cases) using the same name would be unwise in my opinion. Plus, now that it’s paid, it has to be guaranteed. That wait time has to be guaranteed to be 10 minutes or less (or whatever they come up with) and the CMs at all attractions will need to be re-trained to make sure they understand that guests are now paying to ride an attraction with little to no wait, and they have never done that before. This should encourage attraction CMs to upsell the faster access to their attractions as well.

Now, in terms of tech, we know Genie is dependent on multiple hardware and software upgrades at WDW that are occurring right now. Assuming they go well, you should see Genie roll-out before Oct 1st. If you have a keen eye, walking around property you may have noticed that Disney World has moved to SnApp for ticketing and to Appetize for merchandise and Food & Beverage point of sales systems. I suspect these upgrades must be complete before Genie can be rolled out. That’s just a hunch.

So, my advice: If you have the option to buy or renew an AP right now, I would recommend you do so before the new products replace the current AP offerings. It is likely there will be some grandfathering for the remainder of an active pass (not beyond a year though), and if you really prefer the new offerings over the old, I’m sure they’ll allow you to convert or upgrade. Obviously we just saw DL’s new Magic Key product, so we sort of have an idea on how things could work. Either way, it is a completely different team that is working on WDW’s ticket options, so we don’t know for sure, but one would think it can’t be TOO different.

If you have more information on Genie or want to chime in, of course I’m sure all of us here would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. For me, I think this is a good step for the parks overall: it monetizes what we knew as FastPass, it keeps reservations, it normalizes the operations a bit, and it allows Disney to sell a product that guarantees you’ll be able to ride Space Mountain almost a year out ahead of time. But what do you think?

I like the concept; your day planned, guaranteed, no waiting, no zig zagging the park to get to or from a fastpass to get to or from a dining reservation etc.

It's a nice concept but I already know it will be too expensive for me.

I also question if it will work in very large numbers of guests.

And let's face it, even after this Genie system is implemented, there WILL BE WAITING. Waiting for attractions, waiting for dining, waiting for counter service but hopefully the waits for this stuff will be reasonable.

It will be interesting to watch from the sidelines how this plays out. I'll be at SeaWorld and Universal.

 

[Missing20K]

@Missing20K said


Remember, if you're not the lead sled dog, the scenery never changes.

What he was in FACT doing was moving the dirt around with a broom, to give it a change of scenery and a chance to make new friends.

 

[GhostHost1000]

It's like death by a thousand cuts. I just don't get all of the stupid decisions being made by management. They seem to have totally lost sight of the Disney Parks legacy. They are intent on destroying every element of goodness and value involved with the theme parks in the name of profit.

That stock price is a demanding pimp, and those Disney execs are willing to prostitute the parks as long as they get their cut. This is simply not sustainable. Constantly making cuts, jacking up prices and demanding more contortions by guests will only drive people away.

I guess the good news is that social media is going to shed more light on what a disaster a Disney Parks vacation is being made to become. No amount of Disney fantasy spin can hide the fact that the parks and resorts are a cluster cluck of disappointment and that you way overpaid for what (little) you got (mostly frustration at every step of the way). There is a reason people are flocking to Universal, and I don't think it has anything to do with masks.

There is no leadership in the Walt Disney Company. I guess that's what happened when Iger cannibalized his replacement talent, and we were left with Chapek. I'm starting to get the sense that Iger has set up the company, especially the theme parks division, for failure after he (Finally) leaves. The village idiot is in charge and he only cares about the stock price. The irony is that Disney could have built upon it's success and chosen to meet the demand by (Gasp) building a 5th park, but the only thing that matters is the stock price (and executive bonu$e$) , so nope, that's a hard pass.

And yes, Disney is a company that must make a profit, but there must be a balance between profits and desirability. What is happening now to the parks is so ill conceived it is destined to serve them poorly, along with people who used to be devoted to a Disney vacation. You simply can't take a core component of your business and constantly erode it in the name of profits.

These are dark days indeed and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

~NM

I nominate you for post of the year

 

[Tha Realest]

Sure, a dvc family is already invested. But the go once or twice to check the box family might just skip it all together.

Literally everything that got these people that I know to go like ease of transportation to the park, luggage being handled, and fast passes to skip lines are now essentially up charges or gone.

Yes I know this is anecdotal but there's no way these people were unique.

That's all I can think of when I see these DVC booths throughout the resorts and parks. They've diminished the experience over the course of my lifetime* and especially over the last year or two while raising the price. We've greatly enjoyed the parks - have been 4x in the last two years, including 3 visits *during* the pandemic - but we're about at a tap-out point. I tolerated the reduced offerings given workforce and safety issues, but they clearly don't care any more about the latter yet want to use it as an excuse for a bevy of sub-par customer service shortcomings.

If I were a DVC owner, seeing all these expected amenities disappear while the options get limited and the prices keep increasing, I'd think this was the new mascot of WDW Parks...

* I know we all only remember the good things of our childhood, but I also 1) wasn't the dad/head of household then having to pay for everything, and 2) remember the recurring gags and jokes at the Comedy Warehouse at how expensive everything was back then. So, I don't want hazy nostalgia and an unappreciation for inflation or true costs at the time in the late-80's to color things too much.

 

[drew81]

I nominate you for post of the year

Post of the decade!

 

[Parker in NYC]

This is where I'm at. I *genuinely* don't care about price increases. It's their bizarre fetish for making things impossibly complicated that I don't understand.

You’re more evolved than me. I guess Disney’s catering to a more intelligent crowd these days. I’ll sit with my f-a-n-n-y pack in the corner and convene with God.

 

[mightynine]

Is it safe to say management is looking at the parks like an app that offers in-app purchases and hope guests will act like “whales” that just tap tap away to level up?

 

[Parker in NYC]

Is it safe to say management is looking at the parks like an app that offers in-app purchases and hope guests will act like “whales” that just tap tap away to level up?

Yup. The gamification of commerce. There’ll be a little endorphin rush, too. It may even get to the point where people won’t feel “special” or think they’re getting the most from their trip without opting for these in-app purchases. The FOMO world.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Is it safe to say management is looking at the parks like an app that offers in-app purchases and hope guests will act like “whales” that just tap tap away to level up?

I think that's a fair analogy for a system like the Paris FastPasses, but this one feels different. If I'm understanding correctly, there will be a lot of upselling, but most of it will occur in the planning and booking stage as part of your package price rather than on-the-ground "microtransactions" that you make in real time.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Is it safe to say management is looking at the parks like an app that offers in-app purchases and hope guests will act like “whales” that just tap tap away to level up?

I’d say that’s not far from the truth. They seem to be taking micro-transactions to a whole new level and figuring the sheep in the parks will willingly be fleeced.

 

[Parker in NYC]

I’d say that’s not far from the truth. They seem to be taking micro-transactions to a whole new level and figuring the sheep in the parks will willingly be fleeced.

I wouldn’t put it past them to do real-time offers though. Look how many mobile games charge just to get to level 2. Disney knows this and will apply it to their parks and resorts.