Genie Service

[AlanBradley]

If you are a single person, yes, this might not be as big of a deal.

We are a family of 4, but I believe it will be a $1000 up charge for every trip we take. We usually go for 10 days so that's $600 for just the regular rides and then they are stating that E tickets are $8-24 per person per ride. (Btw, that range is CRAZY.) So let's say we just pick 4 of the biggest E rides...that is an additional $400.

That's a LOT of cash for something that used to be FREE. And we aren't even getting into the fact that in the past you could repeat many of the E rides for free. And, goodness, I feel for people with larger families.

That's factoring on maximizing every part of Genie and LL.

I wouldn't say it was free, it was baked into the ticket prices as many have mentioned.

Also - EVERYONE had it making it not special at all. MaxPass worked very well for large family trips in the past and it allowed us to spend more time together as a family as apposed to waiting in line/racing around DL trying to get to rides with low waits. those who didn't have MaxPass were still able to enjoy the parks - they just had to wait in lines a little more. It's not like MaxPass ruined the park experience.

 

[zavandor]

All you people excited about the possibilities of early rope-drop tickle me. I'm glad you're so excited there may be a momentary "out," but you're just dismissing the real issue and giving them a pass. Stop doing that. We don't do ropedrop anymore. I'm not in my 20s anymore. I don't want to get up at the crackass of dawn on vacation anymore. I beat the sun up every morning to make a living. I don't want to do it on vacation. And I am not alone. I'd bet money on it.

Stop. Giving. Them. A. Pass.

I am disgusted about this and I've been writing it all along. And I am not actually famous for giving Disney a pass, I nearly started a class action 3 years ago.
However I am waiting to see how it works in practice. In DLP they have introduced paid FP before the pandemic and no one bought them. Now they have rebranded and added them to the app and still no one buy them (or very few). Who knows, it might be a complete failure from a financial perspective a PR nightmare, so much so they might backtrack.
This is prisoner's dilemma: if no one buys g+ or LL we all win. If everyone buy them, we all lose. If just a few buy them, they win and the others may win or lose depending on adoption rate. Let's hope no one buy it.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

For some of us, it's not the price, it's the hassle. Even if I'm paying less than I would if everything went a la carte like the old E ticket days, I'm annoyed at having to continually pay for something and make constant financial decisions while in WDW. This is the same reason the dining plan was popular ... some people prefer a vacation from budgeting and tallying while in Disney.

And my biggest fear is that it's going to make our trips with large groups impossible and cause hard feelings daily when people can't agree on what's worth paying for. (we had disagreements before, but we had them *at home* and not while we were together on vacation) Grandma and grandpa used to sleep in and only come to the parks when it was time for their FP. They can't handle rope drop or several hours in the park.

Even if overall wait times drop, this really changes the tenor of WDW vacations compared to what they've been over the last 10-15 years.

This is a good observation, and your correct.

All you people excited about the possibilities of early rope-drop tickle me. I'm glad you're so excited there may be a momentary "out," but you're just dismissing the real issue and giving them a pass. Stop doing that. We don't do ropedrop anymore. I'm not in my 20s anymore. I don't want to get up at the crackass of dawn on vacation anymore. I beat the sun up every morning to make a living. I don't want to do it on vacation. And I am not alone. I'd bet money on it.

Stop. Giving. Them. A. Pass.

I am not giving them a pass. I am not dismissing anything. It happens to work better for me. That's my opinion, and it's as valid as yours. Stop telling me what I have to do.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

This is prisoner's dilemma: if no one buys g+ or LL we all win. If everyone buy them, we all lose. If just a few buy them, they win and the others may win or lose depending on adoption rate. Let's hope no one buy it.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I am on board and will be buying it. Like most tools, I will not likely buy it every day. I will buy it intelligently based on my park and planning. Certainly I will buy LL for things like SDD if it's available. I am looking forward to that aspect of the system. I am sure I am not the only person.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I am disgusted about this and I've been writing it all along. And I am not actually famous for giving Disney a pass, I nearly started a class action 3 years ago.
However I am waiting to see how it works in practice. In DLP they have introduced paid FP before the pandemic and no one bought them. Now they have rebranded and added them to the app and still no one buy them (or very few). Who knows, it might be a complete failure from a financial perspective a PR nightmare, so much so they might backtrack.
This is prisoner's dilemma: if no one buys g+ or LL we all win. If everyone buy them, we all lose. If just a few buy them, they win and the others may win or lose depending on adoption rate. Let's hope no one buy it.

I agree with this. Based on this thread everyone is going to buy this, so the line will be the same, but you paid more to stand in it. If no one buys, it will go away. We have plenty of money for vacation and the extra $1500 it will cost us per trip with G+,LL, and no ME is not going to affect my life at all, but it is not what I want for my vacation.

I loved not having to rent a car, arrange a car service, pray a ride share was soon available at a decent price, or drag my luggage around. I loved having 3 FPs available and could plan my day accordingly. I prefer to know if I choose to go stand by for most attractions the wait would not be horrible.

Most importantly I loved knowing each morning that I did not have to get up at 7am and make a huge decision on how much to spend that day for my party of 5, and if I don't spend max dollars will we regret it and have a horrible day.

Yes, maybe it will be good, but so far I am not a fan of any of these changes in theory.

 

[Heather07438]

We're unlikely to buy LL but might buy a few days of g+. Staying DVC will help us avoid some upcharges by doing EE and pmEMH.

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

I'm of the mindset of a few previous posters - I don't want to feel like I have to wake up at 7am each day on vacation to book my first ride, and then have to be on our phone every time we're done with our ride to book our next time. Our phones are usually buried all the way at the bottom of the backpack because we barely use them in the parks.

I also don't like the idea of paying $15, and then not being able to get as many passes out of it during the day for the rides we want to do. And it's going to be a headache when we're on larger family vacations - my husband and I would be okay prioritizing spending money on this and taking the money out of our Disney budget elsewhere (food & souveneirs), but the rest of the family is going to be a toss up of who is willing to also purchase it or not. We always did the planning - we'd know which parks we were going to because we'd have a meal reservation in there somewhere, plus the fastpasses set up before we arrived. Other members in the family would want to be more spontaneous and and try to get us to change plans and it usually caused tension somewhere along the trip. If some of us are paying for genie+ and some aren't, I can already feel the headache lol.

Our next trip if planned for February, and I have to say I'm really happy this is getting launched months ahead of our trip so we can see how it shakes out.

 

[Marionnette]

[

Not a popular opinion it would seem, but this new system sounds great to me!

Guest willing to spend more deserve to get more.

If $15 a day is a tipping point for you - Disney is likely happy to see you leave as you clearly are not a high spending visitor. There is already too many people in the parks and if this will help filter out people who were only purchasing tickets and not food and merch this is going to be a win for Disney.

You would be quite incorrect about us not being the "high spending" guest. Signature ADRs every night. Dessert Parties. Morning and Evening Extra Hours. Tours. Cabana rentals and lots of cocktails by the pool. We could find value in those things even if they weren't cheap. This is nothing more than a money grab and we won't be a part of it. With all of the other diminished perks that have been trotted out over the past year, this is quite likely the straw that broke the camel's back for us.

 

[Suzabella]

. And it's going to be a headache when we're on larger family vacations - my husband and I would be okay prioritizing spending money on this and taking the money out of our Disney budget elsewhere (food & souveneirs), but the rest of the family is going to be a toss up of who is willing to also purchase it or not.

I've been saying this, too. Most families have a set amount they're willing/able to pay for a Disney vacation. They may pay the extra $ but they will trim costs elsewhere to compensate. They'll eat in their rooms or off property more, they won't buy the merchandise this trip, they won't buy the snacks in the park and will bring their own or they'll reduce the number of days in the park. In the end, does this really make Disney any more money?

 

[johnsgrl]

I agree, DVC will play into this in some way. You can be a "direct" member with only 25 direct points. But if you are staying at OKW on your 110 worth of resale points, it may not apply, even if you have those 25 direct points.

I definitely see this happening, I happened to look at my digital membership cards yesterday. We bought resale first, and when we purchased direct the card for our resale was mailed out as a blue card, when I looked yesterday the direct membership was a blue card and the resale had reverted to a white "you get no benefits" card. I don't know when it changed, but we have used both the digital and physical cards for the resale membership and they were always blue.

 

[The Prophet]

This may be a bit off-topic, but I am looking at this in another way.
I think most of us can agree that the theme parks are over crowded, and this is Disney's way of making sure that all guests have the opportunity to get on their favorite ride(s)

Why are the parks so crowded? The last theme park (Animal Kingdom) opened 23 years ago, in 1998
Since then, there have been numerous deluxe, value and DVC resorts added, which increased the number of available rooms on property by thousands

Instead of up-charging guests for something that was previously free, a fifth theme park should be considered to reduce capacity in the other four

Granted, this is a longshot, but as long as guests are willing to pay, Di$ney will continue to create/increase fees anywhere possible

 

[AlanBradley]

[

You would be quite incorrect about us not being the "high spending" guest. Signature ADRs every night. Dessert Parties. Morning and Evening Extra Hours. Tours. Cabana rentals and lots of cocktails by the pool. We could find value in those things even if they weren't cheap. This is nothing more than a money grab and we won't be a part of it. With all of the other diminished perks that have been trotted out over the past year, this is quite likely the straw that broke the camel's back for us.

That's interesting. I would imagine you are in the minority and that most that spend large amounts of money on the additions you mentioned won't be phased by the cost increase.

I would really like to know why this would be the straw for you? You are already okay being gouged for everything you listed(which I am fine with BTW) so why would this be any different? You will be able to find value in the Genie and LL just as you say you have for the other events and activities that are Disney priced.

I am always taken aback by how many people threaten to sell(I would imagine not many follow through) DVC or boycott the parks based on seemingly incremental change or price increases.

You seem to have the means to pay for this, so aside from the inconvenience of looking at your phone - what is the negative here? If this wasn't a stand alone 15 dollar add-on it would have just meant that ticket prices would have increased more - how is this not the better option?

 

[Tiberella626]

My issue with all of this is the constant add ons. It's just take take take!

Free magic bands gone, I get it you dont need 50 of them hanging around but really what did it cost you Disney? $1 a person?? Optics matter guys!!!!

Magical Express gone. So your telling us to find our own way and you don't want to keep us captive. Ok, you got it and guess what so does Universal! I will now eat off site, grocery shop and consider Universal. Could I have done all that before with Lyft and Uber, absolutely but it's a PITA and it pops my bubble so I never did before but we will now.

Paid Fast Pass- I understand every other park has this, and to some extent I understand. I look at my Disney vacations as time is money so I would likely pay but I need to see how many rides I could get for $15 a person. From the current appearance of this plan it looks like instead of getting up at the crack of dawn and planning my trip 60 days in advance I now get to do that each and every day of my ACTUAL VACATION!! Nothing says relaxing and spontaneous like grabbing my phone at 6:50am every day on vacation.

Cast Members/Entertainment- What in the holy heck! Even before COVID the living/working conditions, pay rates and treatment was getting worse all the time but now these poor CM's deserve a medal! I call on Chapek and the rest of the leadership team (Josh, you can be this companies Knight in shining armor if you play your cards right here) to really step up to the plate. Take less income, make decisions to add magic not charge if you want magic. Give back to your loyal CM's and bring the magic back for them and the guests they pixie dust every day.

Pre Covid Disney was not the follower company but throughout COVID is has become just that.

Just looking at a family of 4. I now have to pay about $140 to get to my resort, if I take mears. I now have to buy magic bands, if I don't have them already $60. Now $60 a day for genie+ (average 7days) for a total of $620 in previously included extras. That's the equivalent to about 2 extra nights in a moderate just to do what I could have done pre Covid for free.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

 

[WilsonFlyer]

From everything I'm reading, if I was park engineering, I wouldn't throw the FP signs away when I took them down just yet.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Not a popular opinion it would seem, but this new system sounds great to me!

Guest willing to spend more deserve to get more.

If $15 a day is a tipping point for you - Disney is likely happy to see you leave as you clearly are not a high spending visitor. There is already too many people in the parks and if this will help filter out people who were only purchasing tickets and not food and merch this is going to be a win for Disney.

It’s not a big deal until YOU are the one that it affects.
Heck, just charge a million dollars and limit the line to billionaires.

A trip to Disney is not suppose to be exclusive. It’s not like buying a Lamborghini. It was suppose to be a vacation that the average family could take.
They are starting to price out the middle class.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

And just for the record, I used to really like the genie in Aladdin.

 

[BlackTea]

If you complain about parks are overcrowded or the line is too long, then you should accept this, if you find it hard/impossible to accept, you might be the very group that Disney tries to price out.

I am saying this doesn't mean I am happy, but I understand business justifications of doing this.

 

[Chuck S]

That's interesting. I would imagine you are in the minority and that most that spend large amounts of money on the additions you mentioned won't be phased by the cost increase.

I would really like to know why this would be the straw for you? You are already okay being gouged for everything you listed(which I am fine with BTW) so why would this be any different? You will be able to find value in the Genie and LL just as you say you have for the other events and activities that are Disney priced.

I am always taken aback by how many people threaten to sell(I would imagine not many follow through) DVC or boycott the parks based on seemingly incremental change or price increases.

You seem to have the means to pay for this, so aside from the inconvenience of looking at your phone - what is the negative here? If this wasn't a stand alone 15 dollar add-on it would have just meant that ticket prices would have increased more - how is this not the better option?

I'm not a one-percenter, but it is not unusual for me to spend about $1,000 on my room charge on a solo trip for 8 days, and go to Disney at least 2x per year, in addition to having a Gold AP and Tables in Wonderland card. I do the dessert party, I eat at Tiffin's, and do a table service in the parks daily. If I see souvenirs I like, I buy them. (And let's not forget resort delivery hasn't come back, either) But $15 a day for 8 days just to be able to get on some of rides, and not even one of the E-Ticket rides would pretty much drive me to cut one of my Disney park days and finally go to see Harry Potter at Universal, or take a non-Disney cruise out of Galveston instead a second Disney trip per year. Some of my friends love cruising, and I enjoy it from time to time.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I'm not a one-percenter, but it is not unusual for me to spend about $1,000 on my room charge on a solo trip for 8 days, and go to Disney at least 2x per year, in addition to having a Gold AP and Tables in Wonderland card. I do the dessert party, I eat at Tiffin's, and do a table service in the parks daily. If I see souvenirs I like, I buy them. (And let's not forget resort delivery hasn't come back, either) But $15 a day for 8 days just to be able to get on some of rides, and not even one of the E-Ticket rides would pretty much drive me to cut one of my Disney park days and finally go to see Harry Potter at Universal, or take a non-Disney cruise out of Galveston instead a second Disney trip per year. Some of my friends love cruising, and I enjoy it from time to time.

This is pretty much me/us.

We all have boundaries. I think this has become way more than about a few dollars and thus has thrown some of us over the rail that wouldn't normally be phased by something like this. There comes a point in time where enough is past enough. Congratulations Disney. If you were looking for it, eureka.

I'm surprised more people haven't commented on my county fair comment, because that's exactly what this has become. And I'm not paying $150 just to get in the gate of the county fair. But I may start going again after 30+ years for $20.