I mean it's not as good as what they had.
Buying Express Pass in Universal is almost never worth it in my opinion, but it's frequently worth it to stay at one of the premier hotels that include it. One night in the hotel gets 4 people express for both days and costs less than buying it for one day.If you loved the FP+ system and used it well (we'd easily did 8-10+ per day) then you will be disappointed with Genie+. It is not flexible and it's clunky software. Once you get used to it hopefully you can get more than the 2-3 they predict you'll get. I think it has value at MK and DHS and if you are a Hopper. Do I like it, no because I think it's an inferior product compared to FP+ even without the 3 in advance plus you pay for it.
BUT DS#2 just got back from both ...
... Disney using Genie+ with Hopping and buying ILL
and
... Universal with hopping and top Express Pass
He was disappointed with Express Pass and felt ripped off when comparing to what he was able to do with Genie+. He thinks Disney offers a better product but don't tell them because they'll raise the price up to a crazy amount. I'll just keep complaining about it to them in surveys.
Completely agree but he was with a large group so Cabana Bay was their budget. Only a handful got the express.
One benefit I liked better with express pass is that you could use it on a ride as often as you like. I like express pass and genie + for different things.
Yes it is a good comparison. I've done it where I stayed at a premier hotel then went to Disney and bought Genie+, but I've never paid the full price. Express gets you on way more rides and even saves you time when taking Hogwarts Express, but the price difference is insane.
This is good perspective, thanks. I hadn't thought about which parks made the most sense to use Genie+. I wonder if that is why Disney will now only allow buying by the day? We booked our upcoming December trip six or 7 months ago, so we were able to add Genie+ to the entire package, doesn't save money, but at least I don't have to go thru the hassle of buying it day by day. EPCOT, assuming GoG stays VQ, Remy and Frozen will be the only two we "have" to do, as we've never done them before. TT and Soaring, want to do, but won't be as disappointed if they don't happen or I have to do some standby late in the day.
I would actually add Soarin to the list of things you can get that is worth getting Genie+ for. The last time I went was before GOTG opened and Remy was still ILL, so I was able to get Frozen at 7 am but Test Track was gone by the time I could book a second, so I got Soarin and saved 40 minutes. If I could get Remy, Frozen, and one or two smaller rides then I would say Genie+ is worth it.
I've been going for a very long time as well, don't want to say how long but long enough that I've been going since there was no line skipping, old paper FP and then FP+. We have used G+ a bunch and it's not hard to get the hang of but it's got some issues, as expected with anything Disney IT touches. We only use G+ in MK and DHS, I feel like it's not much of a value in Epcot and AK given fewer rides and really even on the busiest of days, you can mitigate the headliner waits with arriving early or riding at park close. Just not much bang for the buck when you have to pay for a whole family to skip the line. We also will purchase iLL$ for some headliners at some of the parks when we feel like sleeping in or doing other things. That is a nice option but you pay a premium for that and it kind if stinks. I like the system, it's pretty easy to navigate but it's glitchy for sure. I know when it was first released late last year, you had to have it for all days of your tix, it was all or nothing but when we went, you could add it a la carte to each day, each morning and that is the preferred method. I would have felt robbed if I had to pay for G+ for AK and Epcot. And in all honesty, you really could tour DHS without it so long as you plan to RD or stay late to get on some of the headliners.
This is exactly how I view it and explained it myself.
