Disney Genie announcement

[Disturbia]

Big ADR glitch of 2020 is flashing through my mind...

There was an ADR glitch on Sept 20,2021 where no one could get in to book Space220

Also, took me 25 minutes and continuously refreshing logging in, putting in code from email to get dessert party booked just 2 days ago. Payment area was blank. Safari didn’t work; finally the reservation appeared in the app and I booked

Be prepared…,

 

[lorileahb]

There was an ADR glitch on Sept 20,2021 where no one could get in to book Space220

Also, took me 25 minutes and continuously refreshing logging in, putting in code from email to get dessert party booked just 2 days ago. Payment area was blank. Safari didn’t work; finally the reservation appeared in the app and I booked

Be prepared…,

Last year, there was an ADR glitch where a ton of reservations opened up - so people took them, including folks that let a lot of other reservations go. Turns out the reservations that opened up weren't real... people that let other reservations go had then lost their reservations (CRT, Ohana, BOG, Ogas, Chef Mickey's, etc.). Disney actually issued $25 gift cards for each reservation lost. Oy!

 

[jodybird511]

I really, really hope this is a colossal flop. It may have appeal to some Disney visitors, but I have to think the vast majority would prefer FP+.

I just don't get this mindset. I understand having concerns about how this potentially could play out, but there are so many unanswered questions at this point, I don't think it makes sense to just hope it all fails. I prefer to instead think along the lines of "I'm nervous that this might not be a better system, but let's hope we're surprised!" There were many people with similar concerns prior to FP+, and now obviously, many of those people just wish FP+ could return. Let's at least keep open minds!

 

[DisneyFive]

I was there for 9 nights over July 4 and another 4 nights in late August evacuating for Hurricane Ida...lines were long, actual standby times were low. It's been that way for over a year now outside of a few exceptions. Rope dropping, being there late and usual "tips and tricks" made things much more simple to spend the days without tons of time in standby lines

This isn't my first rodeo.

Of course lines were physically long since they weren't using all queues. (FP and standby). The actual standby waits were also LONG. We've been many days this exact same time of year, as well as many days during historically slow times. Even with arriving very early and staying late we still waited in lines FAR more than with FP+. I'm tired of people trying to convince me that my experience was different than what I experienced. With FP+, heck even paper FP, rarely did we EVER stand in a line more than 15 minutes. This year there were few times where it wasn't MUCH longer than that, even with arriving 30+ minutes to 1 hour before park open and staying till close.

Speaking of early entry and staying late...

• It royally stunk having to get up so early this year. Parks filled much faster than they did when FP+ was around because the cat was out of the bag. Guests knew they had to get there early if they wanted a chance at the headliners with "low wait."
• Staying late helped for perhaps a ride or two, but for example FOP still took us over 60 minutes standby at the end of the night. With FP we never waited over 15 minutes (and that was during peak hours of the day). Space Mountain took us over 30 minutes... etc...

Feel free to browse my play by play summaries of our trip this year. I documented actual wait times for all the attractions we rode, versus the posted wait times.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/h...g-park-hopping.3807247/page-662#post-63232483
I welcome G+ as an option to help us get on more attractions with less wait, even though we have to pay for it. My wish would have been to have FP+ back, but that ship has sailed.

Dan

 

[Delirium]

I really don't see them ever going back to FP+. FP+ was free and this will earn them money. It's extremely rare for a company to go back and offer something free when the new system is earning money for them.

Paid FP have been rumored and a topic of conversation here for over 2 years. It's just now becoming a reality. I may not purchase it or, not purchase it often but I'm not holding my breath that they'll go back to free FPs.

Oh. I agree it's highly unlikely they go back. I just hope Genie flops enough so that they significantly miss their revenue targets. That way, maybe they will learn that even a Disney consumer has a breaking point on the amount of up-charges you add and benefits you take away.

As of right now, I have absolutely zero desire to return. The Disney vacation that I used to love no longer exists. There is no more magic for me. And, once Disney stops being magical, it becomes like everything else. Vacationers must ask themselves, whether or not the product justifies the cost? In my opinion, it does not. Disney went into all of these changes too hard and too fast. Not just Genie+, but all of the perks that have been taken away. It's truly sad.

Even this forum seems to have a lot less traffic than it used to. To me, that's a sign that I am not alone in the way I feel.

 

[Delirium]

I just don't get this mindset. I understand having concerns about how this potentially could play out, but there are so many unanswered questions at this point, I don't think it makes sense to just hope it all fails. I prefer to instead think along the lines of "I'm nervous that this might not be a better system, but let's hope we're surprised!" There were many people with similar concerns prior to FP+, and now obviously, many of those people just wish FP+ could return. Let's at least keep open minds!

If it doesn't fail, then Disney management feels validated that they can do whatever they want with no consequences. For me, they already have gone too far with all of the changes they made, but I hold out hope that they realize they have been pushing too hard too fast before they cross the point of no return.

Disney is not too big to fail. History is littered with companies that used to be dominant in the marketplace, but were poorly managed to the point they could not recover. Disney could be headed down that path with their resorts and theme parks with many of these recent decisions.

 

[jodybird511]

If it doesn't fail, then Disney management feels validated that they can do whatever they want with no consequences. For me, they already have gone too far with all of the changes they made, but I hold out hope that they realize they have been pushing too hard too fast before they cross the point of no return.

Disney is not too big to fail. History is littered with companies that used to be dominant in the marketplace, but were poorly managed to the point they could not recover. Disney could be headed down that path with their resorts and theme parks with many of these recent decisions.

Understood. Again, though, is there zero possibility that this won't improve guest experience? None? Zilch? Because hoping that Disney will see that they "have gone too far" assumes that this new system is a terrible one. I mean, I guess if the belief is that no matter how good Genie+ may turn out to be, Disney should not be adding to cost, then sure...this thinking makes sense. I can say I'm going to just wait and see, though.

 

[thptrek]

Big ADR glitch of 2020 is flashing through my mind...

That would be a circus. Just in case I am printing out all my confirmations for next week. As Scar says "Be Prepared"

 

[Grasshopper2016]

This isn't my first rodeo.

Of course lines were physically long since they weren't using all queues. (FP and standby). The actual standby waits were also LONG. We've been many days this exact same time of year, as well as many days during historically slow times. Even with arriving very early and staying late we still waited in lines FAR more than with FP+. I'm tired of people trying to convince me that my experience was different than what I experienced. With FP+, heck even paper FP, rarely did we EVER stand in a line more than 15 minutes. This year there were few times where it wasn't MUCH longer than that, even with arriving 30+ minutes to 1 hour before park open and staying till close.

For what it's worth, we went in mid- to late- July, and our experience was just like yours. Yes, the lines moved faster than they used to. But they were still very long (except in the opening and closing hours). And we still spent much more time in line, and were able to go on significantly fewer rides, than we used to with FP+ on days with similar crowds.

 

[yellowfish78]

I'm lucky I won't be at Disney in January. We can stress and worry and discuss all day and it will still be different by the time it starts.

I'm curious about the long term of it all. How many people (1st time visitors) will buy a length of stay G+? How many 1st timers that didn't buy morning of or realize what it is halfway through their day/stay will buy at 2pm in the afternoon when lines in the summer are 1.5 hours long? How many repeat visitors/extreme planners will buy on a day by day basis? What will the most popular park be for G+? What are they doing for AP holders? Do they still sell battery chargers in the parks since this is all phone based?! LOL

I can see Disney doing this as a package promotion too - instead of free dining, you get Genie+ included!

Disney WANTS this to work (even the basic Genie) because if we are in lines, we aren't spending money.

 

[Sunelis]

I'm lucky I won't be at Disney in January. We can stress and worry and discuss all day and it will still be different by the time it starts.

I'm curious about the long term of it all. How many people (1st time visitors) will buy a length of stay G+? How many 1st timers that didn't buy morning of or realize what it is halfway through their day/stay will buy at 2pm in the afternoon when lines in the summer are 1.5 hours long? How many repeat visitors/extreme planners will buy on a day by day basis? What will the most popular park be for G+? What are they doing for AP holders? Do they still sell battery chargers in the parks since this is all phone based?! LOL

I can see Disney doing this as a package promotion too - instead of free dining, you get Genie+ included!

Disney WANTS this to work (even the basic Genie) because if we are in lines, we aren't spending money.

To the Bolded... I would be 100% for this, or included in the higher tier annual passes.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Disney WANTS this to work (even the basic Genie) because if we are in lines, we aren't spending money.

My approach will be to buy G+ and ILL BUT do not ADD it to my budget, which is what Disney wants. I'll book less ADRs, stay off-site, buy less merch, etc.

That in itself will lead to more revenue because unlike food, merch, etc. there is no production cost associated with my purchase but I do have a fear the less money spent in the parks will result in staffing cuts.

 

[Disturbia]

Last year, there was an ADR glitch where a ton of reservations opened up - so people took them, including folks that let a lot of other reservations go. Turns out the reservations that opened up weren't real... people that let other reservations go had then lost their reservations (CRT, Ohana, BOG, Ogas, Chef Mickey's, etc.). Disney actually issued $25 gift cards for each reservation lost. Oy!

I didn’t know other restaurants has also opened up (last nov). We were in the parks that day. I had Oga’s that day and was able to change it in the morning (by an hour). We had to wait over 40 mins because they were accommodating extra people.

 

[Marionnette]

Understood. Again, though, is there zero possibility that this won't improve guest experience? None? Zilch? Because hoping that Disney will see that they "have gone too far" assumes that this new system is a terrible one. I mean, I guess if the belief is that no matter how good Genie+ may turn out to be, Disney should not be adding to cost, then sure...this thinking makes sense. I can say I'm going to just wait and see, though.

There are a few areas where I see Genie+/IA$ is not an improvement on the guest experience and this is based on what we already know.

The first is the impact it will have on those who choose not to pay for it. They will be faced with longer standby waits than they do now.

For those who do elect to pay for it, the choice to do so may mean dropping something else such as a character meal, dessert party or even staying offsite in order to offset the cost. To me, that's a zero sum game. Disney doesn't get more revenue, the guest doesn't get more happiness.

Then there's the need to get up before 7 AM while on vacation to book IA$ and (maybe) that first G+, whereas FP+ allowed you to choose your first 3 FP days in advance. Yes, I know! You don't HAVE to buy either. But we're talking about how G+/IA$ might improve the guest experience.

There's very little flexibility to G+. You either take "next available" or constantly check for a time that suits you better.

G+ comes with no guarantees that you will get a set number of experiences for your money. In fact, Disney has already stated that G+ will never sell out BUT the number of reservation spots are finite. A busy day could mean a lot more G+ buyers all vying for those limited slots. At least with the CL FP+, you knew you were getting 3 paid FPs daily for the money you spent.

True, there will be guests that paid for G+ and every IA$ who will walk away thinking it's the best thing since sliced bread. But I also feel that there will be quite a few who will feel ripped off and highly dissatisfied with the overall experience as well. Especially given the confusing terms that Disney has chosen.

I guess the question is: Who's level of satisfaction is Disney interested in - every guest or only those with deep pockets?

 

[Disturbia]

This isn't my first rodeo.

Of course lines were physically long since they weren't using all queues. (FP and standby). The actual standby waits were also LONG. We've been many days this exact same time of year, as well as many days during historically slow times. Even with arriving very early and staying late we still waited in lines FAR more than with FP+. I'm tired of people trying to convince me that my experience was different than what I experienced. With FP+, heck even paper FP, rarely did we EVER stand in a line more than 15 minutes. This year there were few times where it wasn't MUCH longer than that, even with arriving 30+ minutes to 1 hour before park open and staying till close.

Speaking of early entry and staying late...

• It royally stunk having to get up so early this year. Parks filled much faster than they did when FP+ was around because the cat was out of the bag. Guests knew they had to get there early if they wanted a chance at the headliners with "low wait."
• Staying late helped for perhaps a ride or two, but for example FOP still took us over 60 minutes standby at the end of the night. With FP we never waited over 15 minutes (and that was during peak hours of the day). Space Mountain took us over 30 minutes... etc...

Feel free to browse my play by play summaries of our trip this year. I documented actual wait times for all the attractions we rode, versus the posted wait times.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/h...g-park-hopping.3807247/page-662#post-63232483
I welcome G+ as an option to help us get on more attractions with less wait, even though we have to pay for it. My wish would have been to have FP+ back, but that ship has sailed.

Dan

In June we waited 60 mins at close for FOP (posted 55); Star tours we waited 40 mins (posted 15)

 

[Disturbia]

Oh. I agree it's highly unlikely they go back. I just hope Genie flops enough so that they significantly miss their revenue targets. That way, maybe they will learn that even a Disney consumer has a breaking point on the amount of up-charges you add and benefits you take away.

As of right now, I have absolutely zero desire to return. The Disney vacation that I used to love no longer exists. There is no more magic for me. And, once Disney stops being magical, it becomes like everything else. Vacationers must ask themselves, whether or not the product justifies the cost? In my opinion, it does not. Disney went into all of these changes too hard and too fast. Not just Genie+, but all of the perks that have been taken away. It's truly sad.

Even this forum seems to have a lot less traffic than it used to. To me, that's a sign that I am not alone in the way I feel.

I hope the prices adjust (reduce) with demand and that everyone can enjoy being in the parks again (riding rides/watching parades/meet&greets)

 

[Disturbia]

If it doesn't fail, then Disney management feels validated that they can do whatever they want with no consequences. For me, they already have gone too far with all of the changes they made, but I hold out hope that they realize they have been pushing too hard too fast before they cross the point of no return.

Disney is not too big to fail. History is littered with companies that used to be dominant in the marketplace, but were poorly managed to the point they could not recover. Disney could be headed down that path with their resorts and theme parks with many of these recent decisions.

Reminds me of a case study we did with Starbucks moving into the sandwich business (away from their core competency). That was a big fail and they had to move back. I think Disney will eventually stop catering to impulsive buyers and short term profits and go back to being an enjoyable family vacation spot; Genie+ might evolve to make things better; who knows..

 

[ucfknight]

I just don't get this mindset. I understand having concerns about how this potentially could play out, but there are so many unanswered questions at this point, I don't think it makes sense to just hope it all fails. I prefer to instead think along the lines of "I'm nervous that this might not be a better system, but let's hope we're surprised!" There were many people with similar concerns prior to FP+, and now obviously, many of those people just wish FP+ could return. Let's at least keep open minds!

There are 2 perspectives from which to look at this:

1) For guests who will shell out the $15 per day per per person and will pay for ILL without batting an eye because money is no object for their vacation, the question is if the new G+/ILL system is better or worse than FP+ for making their days easier with lower overall wait times. This is the unknown at this point. It may end up being better for them, although from everything I've seen that seems unlikely. Only 1 use per attraction per day, one-at-a-time booking with a "take it or leave it" return time, not having 3 rides prebooked, having to be up and worried at 7:00 am on vacation trying to get your first G+ of the day, and only being able to ride 2 out of the 8 best rides per day if you are a park hopper all seem to be recipes for a worse experience. The jury is still out, though, until the system is out in the wild and is put to the test. It may turn out to be an overall better system than FP+ for these guests if it is lightly used and they can get quick return times for in-demand attractions.

2) For frequent visitor or local APs who are not going to give Disney an extra $15 per person per day and won't be paying $7 to ??? to ride ILL, the new system is objectively worse for them than FP+ and objectively worse than the current "all guests use standby system". There is no way around that fact. With FP+ you were guaranteed to get 3 rides with low wait times before you ever stepped into the park, and could continue to pull new FP+ throughout the day. If you aren't willing to pay for G+/ILL on top of the cost of your tickets, you will be in standby for every ride of the day. Those standby lines will be longer than they are currently since LL guests will be skipping the standby line to get ahead of you. Depending on the LL:standby ratio of any particular ride, the difference in standby waits will range from "a little worse" to "way worse", but there is just no way the standby waits will be better than the current "everybody uses standby". For these guests the system will be worse and there is no way around this.

 

[Disturbia]

The thing is we can’t go back to FP+, so we have to stop comparing because that’s no longer an option. Now the choice is 40 mins for Star tours and 60 mins for small world or $15…in 95 degree Florida heat btw

 

[SCDisneyfanatic]

I guess the Genie+ is really going to be good for some and not worth the cost for others. But since you can get it for just certain days and not have to purchase for all days, I see some definite advantages for our upcoming trip. We are focused on introducing our granddaughters (4 yo and 2 yo) to the Wonderful World of Disney! So, by purchasing Genie+ for our Magic Kingdom days we can ensure getting them on the busier little kids rides like Peter Pan and Jungle Cruise and still be able to do the shorter lines like the Carousel and Small World. On the other hand, going to somewhere like EPCOT or Animal Kingdom, no need for Genie+. There aren't that many little kids rides at either and using the EE half hour will work well. Then considering some of the rides at a place like EPCOT that they would ride (Frozen) isn't even included. So, 2 MK days...5 tickets...$15 each...that's $150 cost to ensure they get to do what we really hope they can do. Yes, that means a few less stuffed animals or maybe we skip having them do the Princess make-up (although I doubt Grandma will buy off on that) or we just increase our overall expected cost by $150. For their enjoyment, I'll take it!!