The Pro-Genie App discussion thread - speculate how the app could make your trip next trip great!

[shortster]

Maybe I’m naive, optimistic or a combination of the two (ha!) but I keep wondering why would Disney choose the name Genie for their in-park system if guests weren’t going to be ”granted three wishes” for free?

There are a million different ways they could have branded this product, considering their IP. COVID gave them an additional chance to rebrand. But they stuck with Genie.

That’s not to say paid options won’t be offered…I think they will and I understand why. But I also think there will be some sort of free “wish/es” provided to guests. I guess we’ll see!

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Just a mathematical breakdown really. Let me state some numbers that are genrally accepted to be true based on info that is out there. MK averages ~60,000 guests per day. According to Touring Plans, 70-80% of a queues capacity is alloted to FP+ (let's split the difference and say 75%). Now let's look at a popular ride's throughput. I'll use Splash Mountain for one example (it has a faily high hourly capacity) and Peter Pan's Flight for another example (faily low hourly capacity). Splash has a throughput of Approx. 1800/hour. Peter Pan's Flight has approx. 1100/hour.

So on an average 14 hour park day, Splash moutain will accomodate 25,200 guests. If ~75% of those riders are pre-booked FP+ riders, that's 18,900 riders. This means that 68.5% of that day's guests, if they want to try and ride, are subject to a very long wait, longer than if there was no FP+ to begin with. Peter Pan is worse. Do the same calcs and 80% of that day's guests, if they want to try and ride, are subject to a long wait, longer than if there was no FP+ to begin with.



By charging for it the % of people that has a FP+ should be drastically lower than the ~75% of a queue that is taken up by it now. Depending how they price it, I'm guessing the amount of the queue that is FP+ will probably be maybe 10-15% Opening up much more of the line to standby and reducing the wait for standby, improving the experience for a much larger number of people. And if genie works as they think it will (by guiding the majority of guests in an overall optimal dispersion through the entire park) then that standby wait in theory could get even better (but that's the biggest unknown that I'm curious to see how this aspect that Disney hopes for will pan out).



There was never a guarantee of the availability of FP+ to everyone who wants it. And by that I mean sure, everyone has "access" to FP+, but the large majority of a given day's park visitors do not in practicality have access to the best FP+'s.

Thank you for this, great information!

 

[New Mouse]

Maybe I’m naive, optimistic or a combination of the two (ha!) but I keep wondering why would Disney choose the name Genie for their in-park system if guests weren’t going to be ”granted three wishes” for free?

There are a million different ways they could have branded this product, considering their IP. COVID gave them an additional chance to rebrand. But they stuck with Genie.

That’s not to say paid options won’t be offered…I think they will and I understand why. But I also think there will be some sort of free “wish/es” provided to guests. I guess we’ll see!

Do you wish to see the swiss family robinson tree house? Your wish is granted!

 

[shortster]

Do you wish to see the swiss family robinson tree house? Your wish is granted!

The funniest part about this comment is the Swiss Family Treehouse has been a literal can’t miss for me since my first trip to Disney at age 11.

 

[snowwhite84]

I've enjoyed reading your posts and I understand your POV.

At the risk of sounding dramatic, which is really not the way I'm trying to come across, if this rumor is true and FPs will cost somewhere around $15 ,$25, $50 pp, per ride, in addition to tickets, with no benefits to on site guests or something else offered that I perceive as better experience, yes Disney will lose my business. Not that there won't be someone to take my place LOL.

I will remain hopeful and wait to see what happens however.

There’s definitely a price in there that I would balk at, too. Im hoping it’s around the $15 mark. We’re probably not so far apart on this. I’m anxiously waiting to hear an announcement and see what that cost is!

 

[snowwhite84]

Just a mathematical breakdown really. Let me state some numbers that are genrally accepted to be true based on info that is out there. MK averages ~60,000 guests per day. According to Touring Plans, 70-80% of a queues capacity is alloted to FP+ (let's split the difference and say 75%). Now let's look at a popular ride's throughput. I'll use Splash Mountain for one example (it has a faily high hourly capacity) and Peter Pan's Flight for another example (faily low hourly capacity). Splash has a throughput of Approx. 1800/hour. Peter Pan's Flight has approx. 1100/hour.

So on an average 14 hour park day, Splash moutain will accomodate 25,200 guests. If ~75% of those riders are pre-booked FP+ riders, that's 18,900 riders. This means that 68.5% of that day's guests, if they want to try and ride, are subject to a very long wait, longer than if there was no FP+ to begin with. Peter Pan is worse. Do the same calcs and 80% of that day's guests, if they want to try and ride, are subject to a long wait, longer than if there was no FP+ to begin with.



By charging for it the % of people that has a FP+ should be drastically lower than the ~75% of a queue that is taken up by it now. Depending how they price it, I'm guessing the amount of the queue that is FP+ will probably be maybe 10-15% Opening up much more of the line to standby and reducing the wait for standby, improving the experience for a much larger number of people. And if genie works as they think it will (by guiding the majority of guests in an overall optimal dispersion through the entire park) then that standby wait in theory could get even better (but that's the biggest unknown that I'm curious to see how this aspect that Disney hopes for will pan out).



There was never a guarantee of the availability of FP+ to everyone who wants it. And by that I mean sure, everyone has "access" to FP+, but the large majority of a given day's park visitors do not in practicality have access to the best FP+'s.

I love this breakdown, thanks. It’s in line with what one of my main takeaways is: Disney must have some formula they’re using to create a better guest experience. It’s why I have a let’s wait and see attitude about this. I know the counter argument to that is “Disney doesn’t care about guest experience, just revenue” and my counter argument to that is: Disney cares about a better guest experience in order to generate greater profit. It’s in their best interest to not make people miserable!

 

[snowwhite84]

Maybe I’m naive, optimistic or a combination of the two (ha!) but I keep wondering why would Disney choose the name Genie for their in-park system if guests weren’t going to be ”granted three wishes” for free?

There are a million different ways they could have branded this product, considering their IP. COVID gave them an additional chance to rebrand. But they stuck with Genie.

That’s not to say paid options won’t be offered…I think they will and I understand why. But I also think there will be some sort of free “wish/es” provided to guests. I guess we’ll see!

Great point!

 

[Karin1984]

You know what WOULD be neat? If we could tell the genie what one or two attractions per park we are interested in, and during the day the genie works his magic and gets me a FP/VQ/whatever verbiage they use without me having to check and recheck and check again. Then we just get a notification of “good news, your wish has been granted and here is a 2 PM FP for SDD! And don’t worry your ADR is for 330 so you won’t miss it”

i wouldn't be surprised if this was an idea that came out of the very first brainstorm sessions to improve guest experience. I do believe that the very first intentions of these changes were good.

But after that in came people with figures, with costs, stakeholders, it became more complicated and changed.

And somewhere in an office at Disney an Imagineer is sobbing over the loss of his/her awesome idea that would create a better world for their guests

 

[Cynner]

Just a mathematical breakdown really. Let me state some numbers that are genrally accepted to be true based on info that is out there. MK averages ~60,000 guests per day. According to Touring Plans, 70-80% of a queues capacity is alloted to FP+ (let's split the difference and say 75%). Now let's look at a popular ride's throughput. I'll use Splash Mountain for one example (it has a faily high hourly capacity) and Peter Pan's Flight for another example (faily low hourly capacity). Splash has a throughput of Approx. 1800/hour. Peter Pan's Flight has approx. 1100/hour.

So on an average 14 hour park day, Splash moutain will accomodate 25,200 guests. If ~75% of those riders are pre-booked FP+ riders, that's 18,900 riders. This means that 68.5% of that day's guests, if they want to try and ride, are subject to a very long wait, longer than if there was no FP+ to begin with. Peter Pan is worse. Do the same calcs and 80% of that day's guests, if they want to try and ride, are subject to a long wait, longer than if there was no FP+ to begin with.

By charging for it the % of people that has a FP+ should be drastically lower than the ~75% of a queue that is taken up by it now. Depending how they price it, I'm guessing the amount of the queue that is FP+ will probably be maybe 10-15% Opening up much more of the line to standby and reducing the wait for standby, improving the experience for a much larger number of people. And if genie works as they think it will (by guiding the majority of guests in an overall optimal dispersion through the entire park) then that standby wait in theory could get even better (but that's the biggest unknown that I'm curious to see how this aspect that Disney hopes for will pan out).

There was never a guarantee of the availability of FP+ to everyone who wants it. And by that I mean sure, everyone has "access" to FP+, but the large majority of a given day's park visitors do not in practicality have access to the best FP+'s.

Oh! I love the math
I keep speculating that the new 'wishes' will be free for certain levels of resort guests. Your numbers makes me think more about how that might be distributed.

It made me go and do some totals for the different levels of Resort guests - assuming full capacity at the resorts and an average of 4 guests per room, those numbers could break out:
Value Resort Guests: 44,432 - (1/4 11,108)
Moderate Resort Guests: 29,540 - (1/4 7385)
Deluxe Resort & Villas Guests: 52,984 (Includes all the resorts eligible for EEH) - (1/4 13,246)
Good Neighbor Resort Guests: 18,964 (estimate on a couple hotels, includes non-disney resorts in the Early Morning Hours) (1/4 7385)

If 1/4 of those go into a park a day, that accounts for 36,480 guests.

I still think Disney is going to give some free FP+s to resort guests, I think the outrage will be too much.
I think then they could still offer '3 wishes' to Value guests, 4 wishes to Moderate and Good Neighbor and 5 to Deluxe.
Charge for Fastpasses or Wishes to out of resort guests to recoop the loss of resort income.

But maybe it takes 2 wishes to get a Fastpass to the Tier One of FP from the old system?
MK rides are all in the same FP Tier. So everyone would have 3 minimum.
Epcot Tier One rides are: Soarin', Test Track, Frozen and Fireworks seating. (assume Remmy will be here)
Hollywood Studios Tier One rides are: Slinky Dog Dash, Millennium Falcon, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Animal Kingdom Tier One rides are: Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey (really think should be Tier 2)

 

[Marionnette]

I still think Disney is going to give some free FP+s to resort guests, I think the outrage will be too much.
I think then they could still offer '3 wishes' to Value guests, 4 wishes to Moderate and Good Neighbor and 5 to Deluxe.
Charge for Fastpasses or Wishes to out of resort guests to recoop the loss of resort income.

Any FP benefit to Good Neighbor Hotels or any hotel other than Disney hotels is going to justify the migration to offsite for a lot of people. If they can stay at a hotel that gives the same benefits as a Disney moderate resort for much less money, is there a good reason to book the Disney resort? The guest can take what they save by staying in a Good Neighbor and put it in their pocket or use it to buy additional FOTL passes..

I'm not saying that it won't happen but it wouldn't be the smartest way to roll out a pay-to-play scheme.

 

[Cynner]

Any FP benefit to Good Neighbor Hotels or any hotel other than Disney hotels is going to justify the migration to offsite for a lot of people. If they can stay at a hotel that gives the same benefits as a Disney moderate resort for much less money, is there a good reason to book the Disney resort? The guest can take what they save by staying in a Good Neighbor and put it in their pocket or use it to buy additional FOTL passes..

I'm not saying that it won't happen but it wouldn't be the smartest way to roll out a pay-to-play scheme.

No, I don't disagree. I just grouped them due to the size of the Moderate resort members and the previous benefits also extended to GN hotels. What we don't know is the amount those hotels pay disney for that privilege - cause you can be sure they do. There's no way Disney would give them ANY benefits if they didn't. I'm sure they pay for access to the early morning hours and having character meals - cause those are official characters, actual Disney Cast members. But you're probably right that they would want true Disney resort guests to have benefits above GN guests - and the GN guests already get the extra 30m in the parks, from Disney's stand point, they probably already gave them enough.

I was also thinking about different FP windows by resort level, that would be a huge benefit, but that outrage would be even worse than extra wishes that the value/moderate guests can just buy more of if they want. But I do think they need to give Moderates a slightly higher reward than Values, and right now they don't have one. Extra wishes would let them add some icing to that cake.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Sorry hon, it turns out you cannot have a pro Genie thread.

I personally think Genie could be OK but I really have no idea.

I've decided I'm excited for Disney to make the mistake of not offering any free fastpasses for on-site stays. I've never stayed offsite but just discovered that there is a resort property two miles from Disney that offers condo & townhome style stays for around 1/5 the price of what I pay to stay at a deluxe. I will definitely be staying there from now on if there is no more fastpass benefit for on-site stays, and the property looks really nice, with a great pool and splash zone for my daughters. I will also be able to use the funds I get from selling my small DVC contract at the polynesian to finance something like the next 30 trips at an offsite.

 

[philly_mcphillyface]

We like to budget. If/when we take our kids again, short of scoring abnormally cheap flights, we'll have to look at line items that have to come out to fit into a world where the Magic Express has turned into a $100-ish shuttle and FastPasses have turned into a $250-ish additional expense. I get the concept that less time in line means more time in stores and restaurants, but I think there will be people who are going to be shifting around money from an overall pot of X to cover new costs, and the splurge items may be first to go. Maybe we just eat bagels in the room ("the kids don't eat that much anyway") in the morning or don't get the giant Stitch plush ("he's adorable, but will just sit in the corner of the playroom").

 

[Disneylover99]

We like to budget. If/when we take our kids again, short of scoring abnormally cheap flights, we'll have to look at line items that have to come out to fit into a world where the Magic Express has turned into a $100-ish shuttle and FastPasses have turned into a $250-ish additional expense. I get the concept that less time in line means more time in stores and restaurants, but I think there will be people who are going to be shifting around money from an overall pot of X to cover new costs, and the splurge items may be first to go. Maybe we just eat bagels in the room ("the kids don't eat that much anyway") in the morning or don't get the giant Stitch plush ("he's adorable, but will just sit in the corner of the playroom").

Yes, I agree with this. Many people who are willing to pay for fast passes are going to likely spend less money in the parks on food/souvenirs.

 

[Lewisc]

Do you wish to see the swiss family robinson tree house? Your wish is granted!

or Muppets, Bugs movie, Living with the Land.

More like ....You wish to immediately ride an attraction at no extra cost....Your wish is granted.

Think multiple choice: Your wish
Ride an attraction with no wait and no cost.
Ride FoP later with a reduced wait.
Ride RoP immediately $$$

 

[DeeSee]

I admit, I only read the first 4-5 pages and then this last page, so I clearly missed lots of comments and might just be repeating what almost everyone has said...
I would not say I'm "excited" about the Genie app, but I am hopeful that it will actually be a really cool experience-enhancing addition. I hope we will still get 3 free FP+ (or whatever they will be called) and that there will be perks for on-site guests. I am totally fine with a paid FP option, as long as free FPs aren't permanently eliminated.
I hope it will be something that still allows me to plan out my day and not have to rely on my phone more than usual (because I don't want to be charging my phone all day long).
I agree with PP who said that the Genie name is not a coincidence. I can't imagine Disney would arbitrarily name an app after Genie if it didn't reflect the character in some way. And especially not if it's going to turn out to be something everyone hates!

 

[JPinkc]

I admit, I only read the first 4-5 pages and then this last page, so I clearly missed lots of comments and might just be repeating what almost everyone has said...
I would not say I'm "excited" about the Genie app, but I am hopeful that it will actually be a really cool experience-enhancing addition. I hope we will still get 3 free FP+ (or whatever they will be called) and that there will be perks for on-site guests. I am totally fine with a paid FP option, as long as free FPs aren't permanently eliminated.
I hope it will be something that still allows me to plan out my day and not have to rely on my phone more than usual (because I don't want to be charging my phone all day long).
I agree with PP who said that the Genie name is not a coincidence. I can't imagine Disney would arbitrarily name an app after Genie if it didn't reflect the character in some way. And especially not if it's going to turn out to be something everyone hates!

Disney is showing the world how tone deaf they are with Slappie in charge, The Scar Jo thing and now with Shang-Chi, I think your faith may be displaced. Everything they are doing is to keep Wall Street/Investors happy. The average guest they could care less about. Its evident also in how they have run WDW, there is no reason for them to have the capacity issues they have today, except Laziness on their part and lack of care about WDW in general. This isnt landlocked Anaheim.

 

[Lilsia]

We'd feel bad for the people who wouldn't be able to afford that kind of access or those who don't have or aren't proficient in using smart phones.

Why would you feel bad the someone could not afford it? Did you steal your money or get it through illegal means? We worked our behinds off for decades often scrimping, saving and going without, and sitting at home, to be able to afford nice vacations. We don't smoke or drink or waste money on purses, clothing, knick knacks, etc. I don't feel one shred of guilt going on my vacations and being able to afford something others may not. I worked for it.

 

[snowwhite84]

Why would you feel bad the someone could not afford it? Did you steal your money or get it through illegal means? We worked our behinds off for decades often scrimping, saving and going without, and sitting at home, to be able to afford nice vacations. We don't smoke or drink or waste money on purses, clothing, knick knacks, etc. I don't feel one shred of guilt going on my vacations and being able to afford something others may not. I worked for it.

I understand the sentiment of feeling a bit bad if you are enjoying something while around others who aren’t also enjoying it. But when it comes to a Disney vacation, most people in the parks are enjoying some level of privilege (of course I’m generalizing here).

And I think plenty of families might choose not to pay for FP not necessarily because they couldn’t make it work for their travel budget, but just on the principal of not wanting to pay for it. I imagine there will be families who won’t pay for FP, but will pay for a nice sit down meal. We all find value in different things.

 

[ThistleMae]

We like to budget. If/when we take our kids again, short of scoring abnormally cheap flights, we'll have to look at line items that have to come out to fit into a world where the Magic Express has turned into a $100-ish shuttle and FastPasses have turned into a $250-ish additional expense. I get the concept that less time in line means more time in stores and restaurants, but I think there will be people who are going to be shifting around money from an overall pot of X to cover new costs, and the splurge items may be first to go. Maybe we just eat bagels in the room ("the kids don't eat that much anyway") in the morning or don't get the giant Stitch plush ("he's adorable, but will just sit in the corner of the playroom").

Exactly! Granola bars for breakfast. Fruit for a snack. Quick service for dinner instead of the more expensive sit downs. One souvenir per trip under a certain amount of dollars. Or no souvenir at all. I do think folks will have to figure out where to spend less in the parks. Doesn't that sort of defeat the whole idea of more profits?