No the Magic isn’t gone but it’s at 25%

[Jrb1979]

That doesn’t make sense though because everyone had access to Fastpass+. How many rides you got to do with it each day just depended on how well you used the system.

We always stay offsite because I don’t think Disney hotels are worth what they charge in the slightest but we were always able to ride everything we wanted with it everyday and even get things like Frozen, SDMT and FOP at 30 days if you knew how to refresh.

A big part of that is I believe they released a lot more FP then they do LL. Taking away the top attractions from Genie+ leaves a lot less inventory.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I don't think this has brought up specifically, but does anyone think lack of cast members is hurting hourly ride capacity. What i mean is, are the rides operating at 70% capacity, when the crowds demand 110% capacity?

 

[john7994]

The easiest solution would be to cap sales each day. Limit the amount of people that can buy it. It amazes me it took Disney this long to realize you can't this many people have Genie+ and it work.

I honestly believe they thought the take rate would be much lower. Chapek was nearly sobering in talking about the initial Q1 results they saw - before the backlash likely reached his office. They really do need some media training in that C-Suite, but that's a different discussion.

Here's the problem, at least selfishly for me, I get that Genie+ to hop for me, so I absolutely hate this same day purchase approach with the possibility of it being limited. I have already prepaid it for my July and September tickets. Nonetheless, I am keenly looking forward to an even better experience with this limitation (whatever it might be).

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

A big part of that is I believe they released a lot more FP then they do LL. Taking away the top attractions from Genie+ leaves a lot less inventory.

not to mention most casual guests thought it was hard capped at 3 per day, and didn't realize after your initial 3 were spend, that you could get more. i think that is severely overlooked

 

[Smugpugmug]

That doesn’t make sense though because everyone had access to Fastpass+. How many rides you got to do with it each day just depended on how well you used the system.

We always stay offsite because I don’t think Disney hotels are worth what they charge in the slightest but we were always able to ride everything we wanted with it everyday and even get things like Frozen, SDMT and FOP at 30 days if you knew how to refresh.

I think a part of it is that not everyone necessarily had access to Fastpass+. My sister worked at WDW during the Fastpass+ era and every single day she had to explain to guests that were clueless about Fastpass+ what it was and how to use it. But by then all of the E-tickets are gone and then she'd have to explain to them that you had to book passes 2 months ago. Services like Fastpass+ and Genie+ work best when you have a percentage of guests not using it and not everyone knew the tricks like people on here do.

I stayed offsite back when Fastpass+ was around too. I had relatives that lived nearby so I would stay with them and we would drive to the parks each day. I remember never being able to grab Slinky but I was able to get everything else.

Now I don't plan on returning to WDW for a while so I'm mostly waiting and seeing how WDW adjusts Genie+. I wonder if they're straight up increase the base price or do dynamic pricing like Express pass.

 

[john7994]

I don't think this has brought up specifically, but does anyone think lack of cast members is hurting hourly ride capacity. What i mean is, are the rides operating at 70% capacity, when the crowds demand 110% capacity?

I think the rides get prioritized - I just think they are missing in the crowd control, kiosks, janitorial, characters, shows, transpo, trams, and other experiences. CM staffing isn't just at the parks of course - there is the whole hotel and restaurant side of things too. I think most things are getting more "normal" at least between my Jan and May experiences.

 

[Jrb1979]

I honestly believe they thought the take rate would be much lower. Chapek was nearly sobering in talking about the initial Q1 results they saw - before the backlash likely reached his office. They really do need some media training in that C-Suite, but that's a different discussion.

Here's the problem, at least selfishly for me, I get that Genie+ to hop for me, so I absolutely hate this same day purchase approach with the possibility of it being limited. I have already prepaid it for my July and September tickets. Nonetheless, I am keenly looking forward to an even better experience with this limitation (whatever it might be).

They did think a lot less would buy it. Similar to how MaxPass was. The other problem seems to be while they wanted a paid system like all other parks they seemed to stop there in their research. They didn't go the extra step to see how they work.

 

[john7994]

They did think a lot less would buy it. Similar to how MaxPass was. The other problem seems to be while they wanted a paid system like all other parks they seemed to stop there in their research. They didn't go the extra step to see how they work.

When I first saw it, I was like, why wouldn't I buy that - thinking MaxPass like functionality - until I read up and researched and then I was like - oh hell no! Then, I used it and now I am like, yeah, I see what you did there

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Agreed. Maybe cause I go to a lot different parks but I have learned that waiting in line is part of going to a park.

I think I may have mentioned it on another thread but really that's because Disney created this beast. It def. is something that waiting in line is a problem for people but that's because Disney does these things:

1) Has a get ahead of the line system that they pushed heavily in marketing (even though yes people went who didn't know it existed or that it was included in admission)
2) Used it like handing candy out on Halloween when the slightest inconvenience (that was largely FP+), ride down you get a pass, a CM said something rude you get a pass, we can't fix something so we'll just throw some passes your way, this guest was mean okay here's some passes
3) Adds it to every single ride it seems like. Universal allows new rides to be standby. Jimmy Fallon did use VQ for a time right after it opened but Hagrid's VelociCoaster have not. Disney's VQ stuff is ugly competition and feeds into this war mentality people get with Disney. What other park do you have people competing for VQ like the system is set up at Disney?

And there's more I'm not even thinking of.

It is an issue that people have issues with using standby but at Disney that's a vicious circle of their own making. It's hard to judge the entirety of guests like they were the ones who are the problem. How can you blame the guest when Disney themselves won't allow something to be standby and by that I mean actually waiting in line rather than VQ without a bypass the line way? And if someone says "well where would they put the line" they don't remember FOP and they haven't looked at Hagrid's when it first opened. Clearly lines can get long and snaking if they let them.

 

[DCLMP]

I think the disconnect in this conversation is not so much the money as it's those whose saying it's unaffordable are of the belief that you HAVE to have a FP to enjoy the parks. It's been said by a poster here that went to both parks recently that Universal guests accept that waiting in long lines is part of going to parks. I have gone to Universal many times and I rarely buy Express Pass.

I loved my three trips to WDW when they didn’t have fast passes. I think the longest I ever waited was an hour for a ride. Lines move when there is no fast pass lane. I would go to Universal without fast passes, but I like the deluxe resorts.In the past you could always get great AP rates that seems to have changed this year. I believe the discounted rooms will be back.

 

[DCLMP]

If you believe the rumours about the alleged stacking changes coming soon then they’ve definitely got something in mind for it to help attraction availability last longer into the day.

What is stacking? Do you mean overlapping your ride times?

 

[DrummerBoy523]

This trip has been our worst ever. Genie plus has been a waste of money everywhere but MK. It’s glitched and canceled things and we got less than 3 rides at both Epcot and. DHS. They’d be better off doing paid lightening lane than this. It has put me in a horrible mood every day of what is supposed to be a fun vacation. They won’t be getting my money again my time soon.

25% is being gratious. I feel the same way as you do.

 

[Jrb1979]

I loved my three trips to WDW when they didn’t have fast passes. I think the longest I ever waited was an hour for a ride. Lines move when there is no fast pass lane. I would go to Universal without fast passes, but I like the deluxe resorts.In the past you could always get great AP rates that seems to have changed this year. I believe the discounted rooms will be back.

My point was towards the scenarios about pricing people out by charging Express pass prices for Genie+. My answer was that who says you have to buy it to have a good time.

 

[DrummerBoy523]

Wife and I are scheduled for mid-October and we'll probably forgo trying to outsmart the Genie. But we ALWAYS do rope drop without fail.

RD has changed now as every park has early entry - but only 30 mins and only choice rides. It is a freaking joke. You can't skip a park that might have early AM EMH and rope drop it because guess what - they all have it now. Our RD strategy was thrown in the trash after the first day at MK waiting 45 mins for Space during ETPE and then getting back to Splash and seeing a 45 min wait already.

 

[DCLMP]

RD has changed now as every park has early entry - but only 30 mins and only choice rides. It is a freaking joke. You can't skip a park that might have early AM EMH and rope drop it because guess what - they all have it now. Our RD strategy was thrown in the trash after the first day at MK waiting 45 mins for Space during ETPE and then getting back to Splash and seeing a 45 min wait already.

What I learned is head to splash and TM first. Everyone heads to space first. Rope drop was a joke with fast pass plus too. They went from one horrible system to another.

 

[DCLMP]

The easiest solution would be to cap sales each day. Limit the amount of people that can buy it. It amazes me it took Disney this long to realize you can't this many people have Genie+ and it work.

That would be a solution. When I was at DL first week of December very few people bought it. A lot of locals and annual pass holders there during a School week and there just not going to spend the money on it. They were there for the holiday festivities. The longest line was always the haunted house because of the jack skelten overlay. They also completely redo small world. Hopefully this year they bring back the ice rink. I highly recommend Disneyland at Christmas. I think you’d feel at least 80% of the Magic even with genie plus.

 

[scrappinginontario]

What I learned is head to splash and TM first. Everyone heads to space first. Rope drop was a joke with fast pass plus too. They went from one horrible system to another.

The challenge he with that is neither of those are open during ETPE so unless you’re towards the front of the normal opening crowds, our experience was once park was open to all, those build quickly then too.

 

[DrummerBoy523]

This just doesn't seem to compute.

Back in 2008 there pages and pages of tips on this board on how to "game" the old legacy FP system. Who amongst us never had the fun job of being a runner? LOL. 99% of the complaints on this board when they changed to FP+ was that people had learned to maximize the legacy FP so well, they were going to lose rides per day moving to a system they couldn't game as easily.

Once everyone got up to speed on FP+ there were a million different tips and tricks shared here to show how to best game the FP+ system to get the most bang for your buck. People eventually got very wise to that system and became very comfortable with how to maximize it for the most rides possible.

Now with Genie Plus, many of the strategies to maximize are actually very similar to previous systems but with some changes in the nuance.

For the last 15 years Disney vacations have been a story about hyper planners who could make the most of their vacation versus people who just showed up at Noon and complained about how long the standby lines were. This is not something new with Genie Plus.

except you can't plan with G+

 

[DrummerBoy523]

What I learned is head to splash and TM first. Everyone heads to space first. Rope drop was a joke with fast pass plus too. They went from one horrible system to another.

except they won't let you back there now. They rope it off until park opening. So - getting in the park 30 mins early does you no good other than you can skip space and wait 30 more mins for the rope at the hall of presidents to drop,

 

[Blondie58]

This trip has been our worst ever. Genie plus has been a waste of money everywhere but MK. It’s glitched and canceled things and we got less than 3 rides at both Epcot and. DHS. They’d be better off doing paid lightening lane than this. It has put me in a horrible mood every day of what is supposed to be a fun vacation. They won’t be getting my money again my time soon.

We 100% concur with your post!!!