My Solution to Fix Genie+ and Reservations

[nickys]

Not according to the Disney website where I read it! But since GENIE+ was started, Disney mysteriously took that wording away!

This was the official announcement, albeit not including “we’re getting rid of FP+“ :

Revolutionary New Digital Offering, ‘Disney Genie,’ Coming to Walt Disney World Resort

You ain’t never had a friend like this! Moments ago, at D23 Expo 2019, details were unveiled by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek for “Disney Genie,” a revolutionary new digital offering set to debut in late 2020 that

disneyparks.disney.go.com

Work was already well underway at that point, since the screenshots provided at D23 were remarkably similar to what it ended up like.

Then there’s this:

Indeed. It was being field tested a year before the pandemic hit.

Since January 2018, guests staying club level were given the option of buying extra FP+, which were booked by Signature Services, and which did not follow all the rules of FP+ as they existed at the time.

And in the summer of 2019 there were lots of reports of people randomly being given FP+ throughout the day.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I really hated those days. FP and then FP+ were such an improvement for us. Others had a different experience, but line-skip systems exist in all major theme parks because people want them.

They want them because everyone likes to cut a line. What they don't do is realize that all the attractions that load and a unload take the same number of people per day no matter how many lines there are. That means that whatever attraction that you don't get a FP for took you considerably longer to ride because masses of people were cutting ahead of you. You think that stand-by is to long now, because it is! It is because you are cutting the line and making standby stand motionless. What all that means is, on average, you spend the same time in line over the course of a day then you would have with just one constantly moving line. The math works only when all the numbers are counted, not just the time in that one fastpass line.

I personally have spent quite a few times walking straight in and feeling smug about it, but never once did I not understand that unless I had a constant, good for everything FP, I would pay dearly for that one moment of grinning. That's not even counting the amount of time you spend, and everyone spends, waiting for our window to open. It may not be in a line specifically, but you still did not have time to see anything else while you wait. That time has to be added in as well. It's all smoke and mirrors and a clever sleight of hand.

 

[Chi84]

They want them because everyone likes to cut a line. What they don't do is realize that all the attractions that load and a unload take the same number of people per day no matter how many lines there are. That means that whatever attraction that you don't get a FP for took you considerably longer to ride because masses of people were cutting ahead of you. You think that stand-by is to long now, because it is! It is because you are cutting the line and making standby stand motionless. What all that means is, on average, you spend the same time in line over the course of a day then you would have with just one constantly moving line. The math works only when all the numbers are counted, not just the time in that one fastpass line.

I personally have spent quite a few times walking straight in and feeling smug about it, but never once did I not understand that unless I had a constant, good for everything FP, I would pay dearly for that one moment of grinning. That's not even counting the amount of time you spend, and everyone spends, waiting for our window to open. It may not be in a line specifically, but you still did not have time to see anything else while you wait. That time has to be added in as well. It's all smoke and mirrors and a clever sleight of hand.

We just used our 3 FP+ and then sometimes got others depending on availability. We didn’t wait in standby lines, so no paying for the grinning.

Also, if you took a second to think about it, it was easy to show up at the end of the window for the first FP then hit the second at the beginning of that window, go to an ADR and then do the third FP.

We usually spent the mornings at a water park or the resort pool to avoid the hottest part of the day, then went to the parks later.

I’m only talking about my experience (and a few others I know) and how we liked to vacation at WDW.

We’re not as happy with the current setup because of the expense but we were still able to have a great time. I’m starting to think the only deal-breaker would be if there was no line-skip system. We’ve done that and hated it.

 

[DfromATX]

Before Genie+ Fastpass+ was ruining the park for many guests that didn't know they had to preplan their rides 60 days in advance.

I know someone that happened to. I wish I knew she didn't know that, but I don't usually offer advice unless asked. I didn't find out until after her trip. However, I hate Genie+ and I loved Fast Passes. For those of us that are planners, it's great - and I get that not everyone is. I don't even mind the reservations because I usually have that planned in advance too.

 

[Goofyernmost]

We just used our 3 FP+ and then sometimes got others depending on availability. We didn’t wait in standby lines, so no paying for the grinning.

Also, if you took a second to think about it, it was easy to show up at the end of the window for the first FP then hit the second at the beginning of that window, go to an ADR and then do the third FP.

We usually spent the mornings at a water park or the resort pool to avoid the hottest part of the day, then went to the parks later.

I’m only talking about my experience (and a few others I know) and how we liked to vacation at WDW.

We’re not as happy with the current setup because of the expense but we were still able to have a great time. I’m starting to think the only deal-breaker would be if there was no line-skip system. We’ve done that and hated it.

That is your right. You don't have to agree. If you actually realize how much time you have wasted doing your little end of one window, beginning of next move or spent the time calculating when the optimum time is to make that ADR and also how long that it will take to finish the ADR and make it to FP #3 you might have added time to your wait.

Also, I assume that you have been there a number of times and are only interested in certain attractions and are willing to skip many of them rather then stand in a long standby line. How about those that are paying the same amount to get in and are not familiar with the "tricks" or even if they are familiar with those in theory they will never get to see the number of things that we saw with no fastpass at all. That is why I kept going back after the first trip. I saw everything, never skipped one of them, in spite of the advice of others about what to see. I loved them all, no matter how simple or how complex. Later when I had decided what ones I truly wanted to see was I able to use the system to my advantage.

However, I am not the only person in the parks. I went again and again because of the enjoyment of my first experience and that joy ended with the introduction of the first FP system even though I knew how to use it. It created a "us vs. them" attitude where large portions of people that had no choice but the standby had to watch people cut in front of them while they stood still in heat and humidity. Before that everyone b*itched about it, but were never angry. Right from the first day of FP that complaining changed to outright anger. I suspect that much of the violent events in the parks today can be connected to that situation of frustration, fatigue and last nerve reaction.

 

[jloucks]

I've bought it for my family as we didn't stay on property. We used to for 3 days and it cost us close to $1000. It was well worth the price.

We had that much budgeted, but only managed to spend about $300 because of throttles that were in place at the time (March '22)

 

[DfromATX]

I've bought it for my family as we didn't stay on property. We used to for 3 days and it cost us close to $1000. It was well worth the price.

Wow, that's a lot extra! How many people was that for?

 

[DfromATX]

I loved Fast Passes, but I know not everyone did. I hate Genie, but I wouldn't hate it as much if it was only the $15 and no extra costs for the "fancy"rides. That's what annoys me the most. I'd be ok with one $15 purchase and being able to pick any lightning lane rides or even if they did something like Disney resort guests could pick theirs free. I'd like to see more perks to resort guests.

 

[Chi84]

If you actually realize how much time you have wasted doing your little end of one window, beginning of next move or spent the time calculating when the optimum time is to make that ADR and also how long that it will take to finish the ADR and make it to FP #3 you might have added time to your wait.

Why is it so important to you to deny the experience that I actually had? What I described isn't a particularly difficult thing to do and it didn't add to our wait time. The minute or two you're talking about pales in comparison to all the time we spent waiting in lines prior to FP.

There is a lot to do at WDW and Disney never promised that everyone could do everything during whatever time they choose to spend there. Prior to line-skip systems, my mom was older and my kids were very young, so we just skipped the rides with very long lines. We didn't blame Disney; we did what we thought was best to have a great time and we always did.

FP was free to everyone, so no "us versus them" mentality. Everyone could get them and Disney did everything but knock on peoples' doors to let them know about it.

We visit the park quite often and the vast majority of people are genuinely happy to be there. I'm sure there are people acting out and treating others badly, but that happens more and more often in our society now. It's not just at WDW.

 

[Jrb1979]

Wow, that's a lot extra! How many people was that for?

That was for 3 people. It's how much it costs at most other parks. Disney is the only one that makes to accessible to everyone. IMO that's why many LLs run out so fast. There isn't enough capacity for everyone to have access to Genie+

 

[Goofyernmost]

Why is it so important to you to deny the experience that I actually had? What I described isn't a particularly difficult thing to do and it didn't add to our wait time. The minute or two you're talking about pales in comparison to all the time we spent waiting in lines prior to FP.

There is a lot to do at WDW and Disney never promised that everyone could do everything during whatever time they choose to spend there. Prior to line-skip systems, my mom was older and my kids were very young, so we just skipped the rides with very long lines. We didn't blame Disney; we did what we thought was best to have a great time and we always did.

FP was free to everyone, so no "us versus them" mentality. Everyone could get them and Disney did everything but knock on peoples' doors to let them know about it.

We visit the park quite often and the vast majority of people are genuinely happy to be there. I'm sure there are people acting out and treating others badly, but that happens more and more often in our society now. It's not just at WDW.

Why is it so important to you to deny the experience I actually had? I believe that I started out my post saying that it is your right to feel whatever you feel. However, I expressed that there might be more to the whole situation than just getting through a particular line faster. There is a domino effect for others. I know, no one cares about what others experience but that doesn't make them any less legitimate then yours. You left out that part in the quote.

I'm so tired of that bogus statement of Everyone could get a fastpass. Everyone could potentially get one but Everyone could not physically get them in reality. Everyone that fell into the category that timed it right could but eventually they ran out of FP's long before demand did. You don't really think that all those people in the standby line didn't know that FP (in any form) existed do you? There were some of course, but not very many. Let's say that, for the sake of discussion, under the original FP system, if 5000 people wanted to get one but Disney limited it to 3000. How were the other 2000 supposed to get one. Even if 5000 people entered the park at the same time and all got to the kiosk at the same time, only 3000 of that 5000 would get one. With FP+ was easier but still had limitations and it also had a reservation system that serviced those onsite resort guest and got first choice and others had to take FP's for attractions that previously never needed one and still didn't even at the time. Now you can't get any of it unless you pay extra for it. If you have a big family the cost per person may be prohibitive to pay for that front of the line experience. That type of thing isn't going to make anyone have a warm and fuzzy feeling watching other go by while standing in a stationary line.

You experienced what you experienced based on what you did and how you did it. That doesn't mean that you took all things into consideration when forming that opinion. I am just pointing out a few of the things that people usually don't take objectively into account that makes up one's experience but that doesn't make it a universally held feeling. It is a system that gets worse the bigger the crowds get. Everyone seems to have the misconception that MK didn't have a major crowd there on a daily basis. I often went off season in the 1980's and that ginormous MK parking lot was full and there were areas where there was so much humanity that you couldn't find a path through them. Yet, never was there an angry word spoken except when someone cut the line. That was directed at the individual person(s) that were cutting not the general prevailing attitude of frustration that has existed since the introduction of FP.

 

[CaptinEO]

I know someone that happened to. I wish I knew she didn't know that, but I don't usually offer advice unless asked. I didn't find out until after her trip. However, I hate Genie+ and I loved Fast Passes. For those of us that are planners, it's great - and I get that not everyone is. I don't even mind the reservations because I usually have that planned in advance too.

I feel the problem with Disney in general is the overplanning. Of course there are always crowds and attraction orders to plan, but fastpass and fastpass+ basically lets over planners and veterans get a huge advantage every time.

 

[DfromATX]

I feel the problem with Disney in general is the overplanning. Of course there are always crowds and attraction orders to plan, but fastpass and fastpass+ basically lets over planners and veterans get a huge advantage every time.

I hear ya, but I probably qualify as an over planner.

 

[CaptinEO]

I hear ya, but I probably qualify as an over planner.

I do too but I feel for the vacationers.