BREAKING: Walt Disney World Introduces Date-Based Variable Pricing for Genie+ Service

[nikem3]

I feel like they are going to slowly rise the price and maybe add some features back so that in another year or so we'll be back to the old fastpass+ system, but paying wayyyyyyyy more. After dealing with the ****-show that is genie+ we'll all be so thankful to pre-select our rides and times that we won't care what they are charging us lol!

This is a fairly normal business strategy. You raise prices until you hit a plateau, then you add additional features to generate more demand, then you raise the price again until it plateaus. Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[kwdw]

Slowing creeping to the US Express Pass prices....... Sigh.

 

[DisneyFive]

So, Instead of averaging out the price to keep it similar to now, some parts of the year higher than $15 and some lower, they decide to only increase price. Sigh. I guess that's been the status quo.

Also, that's before tax. The $15 was really $16 already.

I absolutely thought G+ was worth it this past summer for $16 but these constant additions just keep lowering the attractiveness of WDW. It's already off the list for next year.

Dan

 

[Jrb1979]

So, Instead of averaging out the price to keep it similar to now, some parts of the year higher than $15 and some lower, they decide to only increase price. Sigh. I guess that's been the status quo.

Also, that's before tax. The $15 was really $16 already.

I absolutely thought G+ was worth it this past summer for $16 but these constant additions just keep lowering the attractiveness of WDW. It's already off the list for next year.

Dan

It's not even going to be parts of the year, it's going to be parts of the week. It's going most likely be weekends being the higher price. It's going to fluctuate daily

 

[disney144]

I hope you're right, because looking at the EPCOT G+ stats the past few days, they've been awful. No chance of getting even 2 of the 3 headliners, making it completely useless.

I’m new here. Can you help point me in the right direction where I could see those stats? Trying to figure out if we want to buy it or not for epcot days with a toddler.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Can the once in a lifetime guest make up for the repeat guests who are now cutting their visits way back?

I think I've been asking that question for years, long before the pandemic. Disney has been wanting that high spender regardless of repeat visits for quite a while now. And every year I've been waiting for that shoe to drop and the conversation on the DIS has been much this way as well. It hasn't happened yet. Maybe it will but it's hard to tell because people's memory fades. If the revenge travel drops off next year for example what's to say that people who struggled financially during the pandemic and a bit after aren't now back on their feet ready to spend money like no tomorrow at Disney? I just don't know, I don't know if the lines will blur such that the negative affect from repeat visitors dropping off actually impacts Disney where they steer in a different direction.

 

[set88]

I’m new here. Can you help point me in the right direction where I could see those stats? Trying to figure out if we want to buy it or not for epcot days with a toddler.

Sure thing!
https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/park/wdw/epcot/

If you scroll down to the Lightning Lane Availability Map, you can see exactly what the return times were for each ride at each time of day. It's also easy to see when availability ran out.

Today, TT and Frozen's availability ran out at 10:30 and Remy was already gone by 7:30.

 

[disney144]

Sure thing!
https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/park/wdw/epcot/

If you scroll down to the Lightning Lane Availability Map, you can see exactly what the return times were for each ride at each time of day. It's also easy to see when availability ran out.

Today, TT and Frozen's availability ran out at 10:30 and Remy was already gone by 7:30.

Oh wow this is so helpful! The scientist in me loves seeing the data to make decisions. Thanks so much!

 

[xdan0920]

Let’s do some gorilla math here.

WDW gets about 160k guests a day. At $20pp G+ that’s 1.6 million dollars a day, assuming the 50% number is correct. To get to 1.6m with Universals service they would need about 10% of guests to purchase the new product.

Not sure what’s the more likely outcome.

 

[set88]

Oh wow this is so helpful! The scientist in me loves seeing the data to make decisions. Thanks so much!

You're welcome! I really enjoy looking at the data, too.

 

[Miffy]

There's no conceivable way they would have raised the prices to $50-150 per person for the holiday season this year. The backlash on that would have been unthinkable.

It's only "inconceivable" because they didn't do it. If they had done it, this thread would be full of posters saying how they'd done the right thing and how happy they are that Disney finally did it like they should have to begin with.

 

[DaviVascaino]

With the price increase of ILL, Genie plus, droid, light saber, I decided to buy all the tickets for my upcoming Feb 2023 vacation. just purchased the 4 tickets. I am afraid Disney would increae the price in the next few days

 

[Genie+]

That can be Bob Chapek's new slogan: the more you pay the more you play

That is at the heart of it

It used to be much easier to manage accomplishing an awesome WDW park day while still spending less than most folks. Slice by slice those abilities are getting cut. Convenience and excellence are being preserved for those willing to pay the premium. In the past it wasn’t hard to achieve much of it through knowledge alone. A familiar guest had greater advantages over a new guest regardless of daily spending.

 

[set88]

It's only "inconceivable" because they didn't do it. If they had done it, this thread would be full of posters saying how they'd done the right thing and how happy they are that Disney finally did it like they should have to begin with.

I don't think that would have been the reaction at all.

The problem is the presales. If they hadn't sold so many days this holiday season at $15 already, a huge price increase would have been much easier for them to do.

I figured they wouldn't do a major price increase until after 2022 when no more people had pre-bought Genie+. I still think most of the major changes will come at that time.

 

[HopperFan]

Let’s do some gorilla math here.

WDW gets about 160k guests a day. At $20pp G+ that’s 1.6 million dollars a day, assuming the 50% number is correct. To get to 1.6m with Universals service they would need about 10% of guests to purchase the new product.

Not sure what’s the more likely outcome.

And that would be a very slow day.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

I’m new here. Can you help point me in the right direction where I could see those stats? Trying to figure out if we want to buy it or not for epcot days with a toddler.

Someone on the boards also referenced another site, which puts info from thrill-data.com into an easy to read format. The website is https://www.genieplushelper.com/

 

[Jrb1979]

It's only "inconceivable" because they didn't do it. If they had done it, this thread would be full of posters saying how they'd done the right thing and how happy they are that Disney finally did it like they should have to begin with.

I would be all for it. Less people using Genie+ the better it works. Return times wouldn't jump so quickly like they do now. You would get more rides then you do now.

 

[PaladinButters]

If this is how most people feel, then the price would unfortunately HAVE to be more than $30 per day to keep people from buying.

Disney should be doing research on what people consider their "max price".

Cedar Point sells out of Fast Lane passes at something like $200 each so.... a lot. People will pay a lot. I'll pay even more if they would kindly just go back to letting me book in advance.

 

[Genie+]

I’d bet my house that they will not go to a system like Universal in the next couple years.

 

[Jrb1979]

Cedar Point sells out of Fast Lane passes at something like $200 each so.... a lot. People will pay a lot. I'll pay even more if they would kindly just go back to letting me book in advance.

Yes but they also limit availability. While it costs a lot it does sell out. IMO it's what they need to do with Genie+.