Deep dive into Fastpass/Genie+ on Defunctland

[CanucksRock]

I miss FP+ …and I was an off-site guest that went every few years. But, I learned the tricks and was able to maximize usage and could usually get headliners (ie by checking for same day drops). I have had a few (pandemic) trips now without, it will be interesting trying out Genie+ in January to see how it compares. I have watched just over an hour of the video thus far.

 

[CBMom01]

Just a guess, but I am guessing it's primarily onsite guests who are missing fastpass + and are the group that it worked pretty well for. As an offsite guest who travels at busy times and maybe does one or two Disney parks every other year I found it pretty worthless. I would typically just make two reservations. I use touring plans (from the unofficial guide people) and typically there wasn't anything except maybe a fastpass for Space Mountain and Pirates that actually would save me any time, so having three was actually worthless (back tracking that would take more time than what the fastpass would save time for). The recommended fastpasses to try to get and times to try to get them (TP people) have never for any trip that I've taken been available 30 days in advance. FOP and 7DMT for example were never available, so the first I've never done and the 7DMT was a one and done that I skip because of long lines (and I wasn't inclined to try refresh strategies and thing like that (wasn't worth it to me) or wait in the long lines that formed, even at rope drop (again not worth it to me).

I think you should post this on every complaint thread on DIS. I don’t think the folks here understand. We stayed inside but often booked less than 60 days out. Same experience

 

[jimmymc]

I watched the video again and found it entertaining, but really this issue is not so difficult.

Your doctor's offices and restaurants effectively use a fastpass (free appointment) setup. Some even take standby patients/walk-ins while some don't. Most places are setup like that because it minimizes # of patients in the queue and time spent waiting. They especially don't want people to wait in a queue, but end up never seeing a doctor or getting seated at the restaurant at day's end. If this free appointment+standby system didn't work for WDW, it is not because it was broken, because the basic appointment+standby setup works EVERYWHERE ELSE. It is WDW's implementation that is botched. Check out TDL/TDS - they even have a raffle/drawing system for shows to keep things fairer when demand outstrips supply.

WDW's FP+ implementation gave 3 FP+ 60 days ahead, then once you spent 3, you get more. People game the system and standby too long? Stop giving out more after 3. Standby line too long during early morning rush? Only give out FP+ to quieter time of the day to flatten out the curve. Need to save room for nonplanning guests? Give out only 1 or 2 FP+ and save 1 or 2 for people who didn't reserve. The possibilities are endless.

Now if WDW decided to let too many guests into the park, that is not something that can be fixed by tinkering with appointment and/or standby. Nothing will fix too many guests until there are more attractions, i.e. adding more doctors to see patients, more tables at restaurant, etc. In real life, no sane doctor's office or restaurant will let more and more people to line up on standby, like WDW "increased capacity" but knowing they've not hired additional staff or setup more tables (equiv. to WDW holding ride capacity/hour x # of rides constant). I pay docs and restaurants plenty of money, and literally none of them screw up their capacity management so consistently. Only at WDW, would people accept getting told that free appointments ahead of time are unfair and paying more to cut in front of fellow vacation-goers is a better way forward.

1 Fastpass ahead of time, only for times before 2 or 3 pm, then you start making more after you use it or 2 hours after opening seems like the obvious solution, but Disney was at the point where they wanted to monetize it.

But I'm not sure that Disney is screwing up capacity. Wait times are pretty similar to what they were during busy times in 2019. Disney has been crowded for the past 10 years, and with the 50th we're finally getting back to pre-Covid levels.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Really amazing video.

Also if anything it shows the redeeming value of Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane purchases.


I assume nearly everyone who would even consider posting here was planning their trips to the point that they were “friends with the monster”.

I really feel for anyone who booked a trip during the fast pass+ days (which were pretty annoying even for those of us “friends”), arrived at the park not having known about it, and there was nothing they could do to help the rest of their trip because everything was booked months in advance.

Returning to booking things only on the day of is good.

Cutting down on the overall number of fast passes significantly is also good.

And honestly the concept of the individual LL, for those who are really desperate to experience a ride on a once in a lifetime trip… makes a lot of sense.

It sounds crazy to me to spend $100 getting my family on rise of the resistance, but I also am very willing to rope drop any park at Disney and I know in the next 10 years I’ll probably visit Hollywood studios on at least 20 different days.

 

[kathy884]

I found this super interesting and fun, especially given that we've been going to the parks thru all these iterations. I was even just looking at touringplans.com to do a day at the Magic Kingdom with my 85 year old dad (given that we wouldn't be doing coasters, Splash, and lots of the popular stuff, I wondered if I should get Genie +, but OMG going at a busy time, we'd have three lines of almost an hour long without it. I'll purchase it for shorter lines for Peter Pan, the Jungle Cruise, and Pirates. Means I'll still even doing a relaxing day with an 85 year old be supporting the monster. And there is no rope drop for us any more as offsite visitors.

 

[Figment of Speech]

I really feel for anyone who booked a trip during the fast pass+ days (which were pretty annoying even for those of us “friends”), arrived at the park not having known about it, and there was nothing they could do to help the rest of their trip because everything was booked months in advance.

Returning to booking things only on the day of is good.

This was one of the main takeaways from this video that has stuck with me in the months since I watched it, too, even though it's only mentioned once, briefly.

I know a lot of people who were masters of FP+ consider this one of their greatest complaints, but I think — based on Defunctland's argument — that it's probably the main thing G+ gets right. G+ does have many drawbacks, but I'm not convinced that the obligation to make reservations same-day is one of them. It means that even if a family starts the first day of their trip clueless about the existence of G+, they still have the opportunity to figure it out for the rest of the trip. With FP+, such a family would be have been screwed months in advance.

 

[RamblinWreck]

This was one of the main takeaways from this video that has stuck with me in the months since I watched it, too, even though it's only mentioned once, briefly.

I know a lot of people who were masters of FP+ consider this one of their greatest complaints, but I think — based on Defunctland's argument — that it's probably the main thing G+ gets right. G+ does have many drawbacks, but I'm not convinced that the obligation to make reservations same-day is one of them. It means that even if a family starts the first day of their trip clueless about the existence of G+, they still have the opportunity to figure it out for the rest of the trip. With FP+, such a family would be have been screwed months in advance.

Not only this, but does anyone feel like the trips they took during the days of FastPass+ were just way too overscheduled?

I'm sure that has appeal to certain people. But how much fun is it, really, having a schedule that you need to stick to for the entire day? I better stay around Tomorrowland starting around noon so I don't miss my Space Mountain window! Then I'd better spend the next part of my day in Frontierland! Lame.

I enjoy planning Disney trips but my goal is to have essentially one reservation of any kind in any given day. Make sure everyone congregates for a family meal at some point. Otherwise, see where the day takes you!

 

[jimmymc]

Not only this, but does anyone feel like the trips they took during the days of FastPass+ were just way too overscheduled?

I'm sure that has appeal to certain people. But how much fun is it, really, having a schedule that you need to stick to for the entire day? I better stay around Tomorrowland starting around noon so I don't miss my Space Mountain window! Then I'd better spend the next part of my day in Frontierland! Lame.

I enjoy planning Disney trips but my goal is to have essentially one reservation of any kind in any given day. Make sure everyone congregates for a family meal at some point. Otherwise, see where the day takes you!

I agree! It still happens with dining reservations, where you have an hour before your time and can't squeeze in another attraction. Getting off one ride with 30 minutes before your FP+ time was basically 30 wasted minutes, or you had to walk across the park and back to get on something with a short line.

I think that was one reason I enjoyed having no system in 2020 and 2021. No wasted time, just hop in one line after the other and they moved pretty fast.