Can we talk about how Difficult Disney Vacations are becoming

[whiporee]

I think Disney made things much easier with this.

These boards had been filled -- practically overflowing -- with people bemoaning that they didn't want to make their FPs 60 days out "I don't want to have to know what I'm doing on every day two months before I leave for my VACATION!!" Now they don't. You get there, pick a virtual line and do stuff until your return time. Then you do it again -- you mix the standby with the virtual queues. The difference is you don't have three committed time frames, you just have one at a time.

If there's a ride you want to do, you can buy an LP. Just a couple of times a day.

Disney had simplified things a lot. What they've said is here's a line -- either virtual or physical -- and if you want to ride, you wait in it. Don't know how much simpler they can make it.

Now whether it's better or not, that's a different story. But I think more than anything else, Disney took complexity out of WDW planning. Which is what people had been wanting and complaining about for years.

 

[shh]

People are making it harder then it is

Nope...when one person doesn't understand, perhaps it's him/her. When many, many people don't understand something or are confused, you don't blame the RECIPIENTS of the message. It is a failure of the communicator.

Regardless of whether you like, dislike or are neutral on Genie, WDW's team did a terrible job of presenting and explaining this new system. Huge fail.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Nope...when one person doesn't understand, perhaps it's him/her. When many, many people don't understand something or are confused, you don't blame the RECIPIENTS of the message. It is a failure of the communicator.

Regardless of whether you like, dislike or are neutral on Genie, WDW's team did a terrible job of presenting and explaining this new system. Huge fail.

What they did release seemed pretty self-explanatory to me. I think the issue some have is that they didn't release all the little details, which I'm sure will come to light eventually.

 

[Jrb1979]

Nope...when one person doesn't understand, perhaps it's him/her. When many, many people don't understand something or are confused, you don't blame the RECIPIENTS of the message. It is a failure of the communicator.

Regardless of whether you like, dislike or are neutral on Genie, WDW's team did a terrible job of presenting and explaining this new system. Huge fail.

Not really. The jist of Genie+ is FP+. Now you pay for it and can only make selections on your phone. If you want to ride to ride the top tier rides you have to pay for those seperately.

 

[DL1WDW2]

But first Genie will grant me 3 wishes , right?

 

[Belle1962]

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but Your “wishes” are not line holders/fastpasses. They’re what you want to do and Genie will build your itinerary using those. I’ve watched so many YouTube’s on this I’m confused-because they seem confused also.

 

[Turksmom]

If there's a ride you want to do, you can buy an LP. Just a couple of times a day.

A la carte options (IAS) are only available for a few headliners and you can purchase a maximum of two per day. $15 pp/pd gives access to rides that offer lightning lane, but there is no guarantee of availability at any specific time (or at all)

 

[RoseGold]

Now whether it's better or not, that's a different story. But I think more than anything else, Disney took complexity out of WDW planning. Which is what people had been wanting and complaining about for years.

How do we know this is less complex? Planning this out a day at a time -- along with all the virtual queues and the optional a la carte add ons -- at 7AM sounds pretty complex to me, and then it's one ride at a time all day.

 

[JenLT]

To get Genie + for 10 day tickets is $150 a person (plus tax). That’s a pretty big increase in ticket prices. But yet I worry about how long stand by lines will get. If people are getting a Lightning Lane time and then riding something else in the meantime - they are essentially in two lines at once. I wonder how much this will increase wait times.

what I’m unclear about is do you pick your first time at 7 am or just your first paid Lightning Lane time for the top rides?

 

[pigletgirl]

So, I have 6 parks days in May. So $90/ticket, correct? About $180 for both my daughter and I? If we choose not to pay the upcharge, I can't imagine Disney not allowing SB riders to not get on a ride, right? I feel like I'm really over thinking this but maybe I'm not really understanding

You can't budget with Disney anymore

 

[RoseGold]

So, I have 6 parks days in May.

May is so far out in Disney timing, no point in even worrying about it. By then, they might have just shoved Genie back into IT and just hiked ticket prices, which is an outcome I would have liked better than this.

 

[DavidNYC]

I think Disney made things much easier with this.

These boards had been filled -- practically overflowing -- with people bemoaning that they didn't want to make their FPs 60 days out "I don't want to have to know what I'm doing on every day two months before I leave for my VACATION!!" Now they don't. You get there, pick a virtual line and do stuff until your return time. Then you do it again -- you mix the standby with the virtual queues. The difference is you don't have three committed time frames, you just have one at a time.

If there's a ride you want to do, you can buy an LP. Just a couple of times a day.

Disney had simplified things a lot. What they've said is here's a line -- either virtual or physical -- and if you want to ride, you wait in it. Don't know how much simpler they can make it.

I don’t agree. First - you had the option of picking three rides. That’s a far cry from having to plan every day. Second - younow have to plan park reservations (which you never had to do before) and still have to plan dining. And you act as if committed time Frames for three rides is a bad thing. Really? You’d rather have Disney dictate your return times and then have to keep doing this during the day? Simpler this is not. Before you planned once and then could do whatever you wanted. And if you change your mind you could. Not any more. This requires continual planing during your day unless you just accept you’re going to spend a LOT more tome on lines that you had in the past.

 

[pigletgirl]

May is so far out in Disney timing, no point in even worrying about it. By then, they might have just shoved Genie back into IT and just hiked ticket prices, which is an outcome I would have liked better than this.

Very true!!

 

[JenLT]

Simpler this is not. Before you planned once and then could do whatever you wanted. And if you change your mind you could. Not any more. This requires continual planing during your day unless you just accept you’re going to spend a LOT more tome on lines that you had in the past.

I personally feel like Genie + is a pretty big ticket hike and I’m worried wait times will really increase. I’m not sure how the reserving your time works. I’d be super happy with this if it was free.

That said I don’t think Genie + locks you into anything. You don’t have to use their planning. And I disagree about continual planning. I think it’s basically the same as choosing your next ride if there were no fastpasses and I would still plan the order I want to ride things. I personally don’t like to zig zag back in forth around the park (too much walking). So I’d just pick where I want to start and get a LL time (for the not top tier) for the longest wait in that area. Then I’d ride something else, eat, shop, or whatever while waiting. I’ll totally be tied to my phone but honestly I will be using it for tons of pictures anyway. I’ll definitely need a few smaller external batteries for each of us.

 

[Timbud2]

But if you're new, you wouldn't really necessarily know anything about the old setup. So if the saying "ignorance is bliss" holds true, it's probably easiest for those unaware of the past iterations. And in many respects, it's likely easiest to ignore the complexities altogether.

Personally I thought the system with booking fast passes in advance and adrs 180 days in advance was too complex and sounded like too much work. My kids are teenagers and I am just planning our first trip only because of galaxy’s edge.

 

[smallworldnh]

As far as "I love Disney, but they don't love me back". I am right there with you. I didn't mind the paper fast passes, yeah someone had to be a ticket runner, but it wasn't all bad. FP+ was a PITA if you had to switch park days closer to your dates. But this new system is just a money grab plain and simple. I fear last Feb might have been our last trip to WDW. It was so nice to not have to over plan and while lines were *long*, they weren't a long wait because the line kept moving with no FP to slow things down

Honestly, I'm usually a very positive person, but there is not much to be positive about with Disney lately. Paying for top tier rides after paying a high price for your tickets? Evening EMH ONLY if you can afford to dish out the $$ for a Deluxe? Magical Express going away to be replaced by a ride that costs you? No more free dining. It's definitely a let down, I feel like so many other places, the pandemic was a great excuse to make so many changes. I'm not debating, this is just how I feel now.

 

[Farro]

The only thing I'm finding difficult is how to attack the parks/rides planning. I've got our days reserved no problem, but I need to know if Genie + is going to be a thing on our trip or not, because it will make a difference in how we tour.

Other than that, I made ADRs today and it was WIDE open. Got everything we wanted, easily.

 

[Jrb1979]

May is so far out in Disney timing, no point in even worrying about it. By then, they might have just shoved Genie back into IT and just hiked ticket prices, which is an outcome I would have liked better than this.

Highly doubtful. I think this is here to stay.

 

[notatallmagic]

What do you mean by no Disney transport?

Sorry - Magical Transport - the airport service to Disney Resorts. It ends at the end of 2021. It is "replaced" by a paid service.

 

[DavidNYC]

I personally feel like Genie + is a pretty big ticket hike and I’m worried wait times will really increase. I’m not sure how the reserving your time works. I’d be super happy with this if it was free.

That said I don’t think Genie + locks you into anything. You don’t have to use their planning. And I disagree about continual planning. I think it’s basically the same as choosing your next ride if there were no fastpasses and I would still plan the order I want to ride things. I personally don’t like to zig zag back in forth around the park (too much walking). So I’d just pick where I want to start and get a LL time (for the not top tier) for the longest wait in that area. Then I’d ride something else, eat, shop, or whatever while waiting. I’ll totally be tied to my phone but honestly I will be using it for tons of pictures anyway. I’ll definitely need a few smaller external batteries for each of us.

The issue will be how long down the road the reservations are and whether you really cannot get another until your first ride is done. Go to park at 11, get a ride reservation for 6pm - you now have standby only for 7 hours. If it’s just a matter of your reserved ride wait being equal to the current wait time that would be one thing - but based on maxpass and how the old paper FP worked - wait times for even moderately popular rides quickly got to be hours with the more popular rides being “sold out” in the first hour or two.