Disney Genie announcement

[Raychell]

You don’t have to pick the ride across the park and it’s just giving you a return time for the non standby line. It’s not promising you a set wait time.

Actually, the free service will do exactly that - recommend from your list of favorites when the best time to ride will be based on forecasted SB wait times. The paid service is the one that tells you when to return to the Lightning Lane. So if my Genie, not my Genie+ tells me "Hey - waits for Splash are low - go now" I'd be annoyed if that line swells - as it does - in a short period of time.

 

[JakeAZ]

Actually, the free service will do exactly that - recommend from your list of favorites when the best time to ride will be based on forecasted SB wait times. The paid service is the one that tells you when to return to the Lightning Lane. So if my Genie, not my Genie+ tells me "Hey - waits for Splash are low - go now" I'd be annoyed if that line swells - as it does - in a short period of time.

My bad...I didn't see this was about the free version.

 

[twodogs]

So aside from the fact that it's an upcharge I really don't like that G+ is only one ride at a time. Which is not how Maxpass worked. 1.5 hours after your selection you could book something else, regardless of the time window (For paper FPs it was 2 hours).

Worst case scenario: If all the popular G+ rides are booked through to the afternoon, then you're not getting any use of it before then. Or if you book something less popular with a sooner slot the popular ones may all be gone by the time you go back. So either you're using it for the less popular rides that don't have a wait anyway or you're getting 1-2 of the better rides out of it. Either way that seriously hurts the value.

And I get that they don't want to have everything booked up right away but without any stacking or guarantee before the day of I can get at least one ride I want I'm more reluctant to purchase at all.

Is it confirmed that it will be one ride at a time, as in you can’t have 2 LLs for the same ride booked at a time, or one ride at a time, as in you can’t have more than one LL booked period, until the one is used (like how FP+ was at WDW after you used the first 3 pre-booked FPs)? I thought it was just speculation right now as to which of these booking conventions would apply to G+. I agree with you that the difference between those two booking conventions really affects the value of the service for me (as a person who adored MP at DLR!).

 

[Delirium]

This was our FP strategy (Family of 4) over a very busy Thanksgiving Week in 2018. Despite the crowds, we were able to do every single attraction that was open. For the popular rides for which we did not have FP, we used late night or rope drop. For example, we got in line for Test Track 5 minutes before close. Middle of the days were spent at the pool or, if in the park, at shows and the usual list of walk-on attractions.

The ONLY thing we waited for more than 30 minutes the whole week was to see Mickey on Main Street.

Yes, we wasted some FPs in Epcot, but the tiering system required it. The first Epcot Day was arrival day. At 7 AM, we were still on the road driving through Georgia.

It was a great plan that worked to perfection during a busy holiday week. Genie chews a plan like that up and spits it out.

Day 1: Epcot (Soarin, Living W/Land, Figment).
Day 2: MK (Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain)
Day 3: HS (Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Fantasmic!)
Day 4: Epcot (Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Frozen)
Day 5: AK (Everest, Safari, Na'vi River)
Day 6: MK (Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Mine Train)
Day 7: AK (Everest, Rivers of Light, Flights of Passage)
Day 8: HS (Slinky, RNR, Star Tours)

It took some planning, but FP+ gave us exactly what we needed for the type of vacation we wanted. The opportunity to experience everything we wanted by doing almost all the work 60 days in advance. Genie would force us to keep our heads buried in our phones all day while we are there. That is not vacation!

 

[DL1WDW2]

Is there a science to this? It seems Disney wants to train us to behave in their theme parks. And they keep spending money to devise a new system . Maybe they should have just expanded in the good old system Walt utilized. I can remeber being amazed that the attractions just seemed to flow into each other when I visited Disneyland. And the timing matched my movement to easily move around DL.
A guest entered and had a choice to walk straight into the center or go left or turn right. But each area I entered was also an inviting flow to create a fairly consistent pattern.Almost as if we were on the Carousel of Progress with the ingenious design of entering and exiting .That theatre is a good example of crowd control and movement because we are constantly loading and unloading in the pattern that he kind of re- created in each land.
Instead the lands have been re-designed to shove new lands into position that fails to enhance traffic flow. They have broken the wheel so to speak.
Also would probably help if we all remembered how we drive to keep traffic flow better. We could be a little more efficient and save energy if we all stayed to the right when the parks begin to overflow. Instead we are constantly zigzagging to avoid running in to each other. Especially when people are entering the bathrooms and not remembering to enter to the right and exit on theit right.
We seem to kinda do this automatically in a grocery store but we can’t be quite as smart in a theme park. Occasionally Disney still demonstrates they have traffic control organized when they are prepared for extreme crowds. I think Disneyland is maybe better at this in my experience With humanity whereas DisneyWorld was better at controlling the stroller parking in my observations over the years.

I think I would be happier to re-train myself in the parks for a cheaper price tag than what is currently offered for a modern solution.
I know this is obviously a bigger problem than my scenarios but maybe just maybe if we all just moved forward to create a little improvement it could result in a little better experience. We can’t keep spending money to fix this without an effort on behalf of each one of us individually and collectively.
I guess that is why I am asking if this is a science to think about beyond a Genie in a bottle?

 

[pineapplepalms]

If G+ works pretty similarly to MP in the following ways I’d be more okay with it:
Can see available time slots and select a specific one
Can stack by being able to get another one either after using one or after a set amount of time
Can add on to an AP for an annual rate

What I really dislike about this change is the additional charge for Tier 1 LL. I don’t think I’d be willing to pay for the Tier 1 rides. We’re a family of 5 with APs and DVC and with enough days we’ll hopefully be able to ride those from time to time via standby without crazy waits, and that would be good enough for me. We would probably pay for G+ but if there isn’t an AP add on, I think we’d only add it for select days of a trip.

Coming from the west coast, I’m not into the 7am start time for everything. Especially with little ones it takes a while to adjust, and I really liked booking FP+ for later in the day so we didn’t have to get up early or rush in the mornings.

 

[menotyou21]

I also wonder if they will hold spots on ROTR for Star Wars Hotel guests when it opens. And also, what happens when the free Genie tells a guest to cross the park to catch a 20 minute Splash Mtn wait and by the time they get there it is 50?

I read one “example itinerary” and it looked like the hotel group would be riding ROTR before park opening.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

None of us know what the availability of LL is going to be, but Disney will not sell many G+ at all after the first few days of the roll out if times are “never available”. So I don’t see this happening (and MP at DLR is a great example of how it will likely work). Also at DLR, you could see the current available FP return time for every ride BEFORE you purchased Max Pass for the day. So you could decide, with real time information, if it was “worth it” to you, on the day, BEFORE you purchased it.

If they will only sell a limited amount, I understand why they will allow you to purchase at midnight. Many will buy for length of stay instead of having to fight it out to even get G+ at midnight or 7 am. Even if they only wanted it for a 2 out of 6 days.

 

[Katie Dawn]

Have they listed anywhere what hotels are onsite.
Hilton bonnet creek was onsite for the 1/2 hour park opening, do you think it will be for the LL?

sounds like 7am for genie + will be just I’m fine there

Disney hasn't specified which hotels do and don't qualify for the 7am Individual Attraction Selection (the 2 paid rides). I am also booked at one of the non-Disney hotels that used to qualify for 60+ FP and will now qualify for the 30 minute Early Entry, so tried finding the answer to that question and couldn't find any specific info from Disney on which hotels. I asked on a other forum here and a well-informed Disser tried digging into it and couldn't find any specifics. The only thing they COULD find is that Disney has used the language "Disney World Resort Hotels". When the hotels you and I are staying at qualify they usually say "Disney World Resort Hotels and other select hotels". A moderator contacted a Travel Agent and was told Disney hasn't been specific with the agents either.

So we'll just have to wait and see what they say as more details are released. The Dis Food Blog info page lists the participating hotels as Disney Resort Hotels (Disney-owned) as well as Swan and Dolphin and Shades of Green, but we can't find anything from Disney that says that. Hopefully Disney releases a specific list in the near future.

 

[MMSM]

Actually, the free service will do exactly that - recommend from your list of favorites when the best time to ride will be based on forecasted SB wait times. The paid service is the one that tells you when to return to the Lightning Lane. So if my Genie, not my Genie+ tells me "Hey - waits for Splash are low - go now" I'd be annoyed if that line swells - as it does - in a short period of time.

If I purchase LL and stay on property I can choose up to two for the whole day to pay for At 7am? Can I make both selections at the same time? That is what is confusing.

 

[Gordo Gato]

it confirmed that it will be one ride at a time, as in you can’t have 2 LLs for the same ride booked at a time, or one ride at a time, as in you can’t have more than one LL booked period, until the one is used (like how FP+ was at WDW after you used the first 3 pre-booked FPs)? I thought it was just speculation right now as to which of these booking conventions would apply to G+.

I haven’t seen confirmation one way or the other in terms of being like MP (book 2nd at 90 minutes) vs only holding 1 at a time but I could have missed it.

 

[buzz1fan]

Do you pay for each or will it be one price for 2?

 

[mousestruck]

I remember our child free days. Original prints. Signed prints. Thankfully wdcc ended right before kids. Lol but yes we deff spent waaaay more then. Now it has to be something really special or rare for us to jump on it.

Disney doesn’t want us multiple year after year trippers. We don’t buy T-shirt’s every trip. We don’t come home with bags of stuff we will never use again. I have said that for 10 plus years now. We have zero effect on the Disney outcomes whether we go or not. If every simple multi trip family stopped going in theentire world it would have zero effect at the end of the day. Zero. Disney needs the magic in the now not after the trip ends.

I have to disagree somewhat. We go year after year. While we spend less on souvenirs, we spend a lot more on dining. No free dining for us as DVC members, and dining has become a bigger part of our experience as my kids are now grown and we are older. We also splurge on tours and other special events to keep things fresh and new. So if Disney values us less or thinks we spend less on our trips, they are wrong.

 

[Gordo Gato]

Do you pay for each or will it be one price for 2?

You pay for each.

also any confirmation that you can buy both at once? Or can you only hold one at a time?

 

[Lashed34]

I can't see any reason that they'll stop you buying both LL at the same time as you get to choose what time suits you, plus, they get the money there and then. If they only allow 1 at a time they risk you not getting the 2nd one and losing the money.

And Disney want your money...

 

[Gordo Gato]

And Disney want your money.

Agreed.

 

[JoJoGirl]

If they will only sell a limited amount, I understand why they will allow you to purchase at midnight. Many will buy for length of stay instead of having to fight it out to even get G+ at midnight or 7 am. Even if they only wanted it for a 2 out of 6 days.

My belief is that Disney will sell an unlimited amount of Genie+, so no one will have to worry about being closed out of purchasing it. The midnight purchase time is to help relieve pressure on the system during the 7:00 am drop, and to keep the pre-purchasers from having the slight advantage of being able to nab their first G+ while the day-of purchasers are still buying access.

The return times, however, are what will be finite in number and distributed on a first-come-first-served basis. No one will be promised G+ access to any particular ride when they want it, or ever. Rather, they are promised access to what G+ has available at the time. Disney will happily sell that to as many people as will pay for it, even if the only options available in the next hour are Philharmagic and Journey of the Little Mermaid. That said, I truly believe access will be much better than that except on the busiest of days.

 

[Turksmom]

I'll preface this by saying that I do overthink things. I like to have a plan, a back up plan, and a stuff has hit the fan- new plan! for everything.
So in overthinking, I realized how many arguments and irritations this is going to cause when families don't agree on how to book attractions or can't get similar times for different attractions.

For example, 3 want to ride ST- available in 30 minutes. 2 want RNRC -available in an hour and 15 minutes. No RNRC available for that time by the time the ST people are done, so now they have to wait for the RNRC people to finish, if they want to book the next ride together. Or they book something else and the cycle continues until the whole group can finally sync times again.

And DD21 and I usually share planning- how many minor skirmishes will there be when one of us wants to take the later spot for a wanted ride and the other says just grab next available for whatever?

I have to say, for the first time since 1982, I am not looking forward to this trip ☹

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

I'm so disappointed. I liked the planning. It meant we could sleep in on vacation and still ride the headliners. I split up the FPs for our family of 4 - my son doesn't ride roller coasters. So DH & DS rode Peter pan while DD and I rode thunder mountain. I'm not convinced scheduling those two different things at the same time will be so easy now. I also go on vacation in order to NOT have to wake up at 7 every day.

And the pay for tier 1 rides thing? Yuck. I feel like I'm hitting up a scalper outside a playoff game. "Psst - lady - you want to go on the ride? For $100, I'll get you and your family on the ride fast." I can even picture the Genie in a trench coat showing me his pockets full of tickets.

 

[Boardwalk III]

I'll preface this by saying that I do overthink things. I like to have a plan, a back up plan, and a stuff has hit the fan- new plan! for everything.
So in overthinking, I realized how many arguments and irritations this is going to cause when families don't agree on how to book attractions or can't get similar times for different attractions.

For example, 3 want to ride ST- available in 30 minutes. 2 want RNRC -available in an hour and 15 minutes. No RNRC available for that time by the time the ST people are done, so now they have to wait for the RNRC people to finish, if they want to book the next ride together. Or they book something else and the cycle continues until the whole group can finally sync times again.

And DD21 and I usually share planning- how many minor skirmishes will there be when one of us wants to take the later spot for a wanted ride and the other says just grab next available for whatever?

I have to say, for the first time since 1982, I am not looking forward to this trip ☹

Agreed. I’ve always been the planner for our group of family, extended family and friends. Have loved doing it. We have a large trip scheduled for November (DVC @ BWV). I literally have older friends in our party who don’t go onto MDE at all, as I do everything for them on my app. Our grown sons and other millennials in our group obviously can do their own thing. Given all that it looks unlikely that we’ll be doing many (if any) attractions together as a group. It just becomes too complicated in trying to coordinate everyone with Genie+.

In addition to that, how is the $15 paid for? If I were to go into MDE at midnight and purchase everyone’s Genie+ for the next day, am I paying all of those $15 charges, or are they somehow charged to folks individually? It seems like a nightmare to manage.

For this reason I plan to make use of resort early entry and late night hours at MK and Epcot and will probably skip Genie+ altogether. Heck, maybe we’ll even splurge for a once in a lifetime VIP tour to avoid all of these roll-out headaches