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

[mercuryvenus]

IP Related - Tarzan or Jungle Book perhaps?

I’d love to see more on Jungle Book! It’s such a fun movie. Maybe something around 101 Dalmatians too? I love that movie and I’m sad that it gets zero love at the parks.

 

[tmg4612]

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.

Just got back ourselves. We only did Genie Plus one day and found it a waste. We purchased the Individual Lightning Lanes most days and were at the mercy of the time slots they ended up on by the last screen. Clicked on a 10:15a Guardians and by last screen it was 5:25p. So had to ride and race to ADR in other park. Hated the stress of the 6:50a wake up after the heat, crowds and 21,000 steps the day before. Two of the days we wanted to just sleep in, go to lunch at Dis Springs and go to our afternoon park - but had to make the trip to swipe in reserved AM park first. Ridiculous. Still a magical place to walk and enjoy but attractions are too difficult to arrange. You really need to stay onsite now to have a chance at the headliners. Sad changes.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Regarding the section where you talk about the potential Genie+ being lower than previous iterations: I just fundamentally disagree with this assertion that you (and many others on this board) are making. There are recent YouTube videos where Molly (All Ears) walks into MK and does every single attraction using Genie Plus. She has shown you can do that at every park. Even further she does the same thing in other videos but makes it more of a "perfect day" experience instead of just trying to ride everything as fast as you can. We visited towards the tail end of spring break when crowds were very heavy and we were easily able to do all major attractions at both MK and DHS very easily in half days at the parks.

Regarding planning, I don't see it as a major earth-shattering change. With FP+ you could book the three attractions ahead of time but those choices were limited to tiers and the fact that everyone else was also able to pick 3 ahead of time meant that options were could be much more limited after you were able to use your first 3 FP+ and get more. With just a little planning, you can get an idea of which Genie Plus attractions to for first thing in the morning and then also you are able to pick a time that works best for you when you book the $ILL attractions. Again - during our recent Spring Break trip we made plans based on our research here and watching 4-5 YouTube videos and were easily able to get everything we wanted at very close to the times we were expecting.

Yes, but in the "every single attraction" video, Molly criss-crosses the park many times. She's also a pretty fast walker. She has even specifically said that the only way to get your money's worth from Genie+ is to criss-cross the parks. And that if you prefer to minimize walking and do attractions in the general vicinity, that Genie+ might not be for you. Or, at the very least, you won't get your worth out of it. She also fiddle-faddles quite a bit. Which she did with FP+ too, but it seems to be taken up a notch with Genie+.

Many of us can't, or don't want to, walk 30 miles a day at the Magic Kingdom going from one end of the park to the other.

As far as a planning....it's a huge change, which I have already mentioned. There is a big difference between knowing the actual times that you will be doing a particular attraction, and you can plan your day around those attractions and those particular lands. You will also know, generally, when you can eat lunch or go back to the resort, or leave for the day.....and being sort of at the mercy of the G+ return times. And, even if you don't mind fiddle-faddling, it's not like you are given options....options that you can choose to coordinate with your day. (And yes, sometimes with FP+ there was only one time option, but a lot of the times, there were multiple to choose from)

Listen...this system is the system we have....so I have every intention to watch the videos, do the work, analyze the times, and maximize it to the best of my ability. But, I still think this is a lesser product.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Yes, but in the "every single attraction" video, Molly criss-crosses the park many times. She's also a pretty fast walker. She has even specifically said that the only way to get your money's worth from Genie+ is to criss-cross the parks. And that if you prefer to minimize walking and do attractions in the general vicinity, that Genie+ might not be for you. Or, at the very least, you won't get your worth out of it. She also fiddle-faddles quite a bit. Which she did with FP+ too, but it seems to be taken up a notch with Genie+.

Many of us can't, or don't want to, walk 30 miles a day at the Magic Kingdom going from one end of the park to the other.

As far as a planning....it's a huge change, which I have already mentioned. There is a big difference between knowing the actual times that you will be doing a particular attraction, and you can plan your day around those attractions and those particular lands. You will also know, generally, when you can eat lunch or go back to the resort, or leave for the day.....and being sort of at the mercy of the G+ return times. And, even if you don't mind fiddle-faddling, it's not like you are given options....options that you can choose to coordinate with your day. (And yes, sometimes with FP+ there was only one time option, but a lot of the times, there were multiple to choose from)

Listen...this system is the system we have....so I have every intention to watch the videos, do the work, analyze the times, and maximize it to the best of my ability. But, I still think this is a lesser product.

You can absolutely have options with G+ if you just refresh the tip board. My husband was able to stack 6 G+ reservations during one night in MK.

 

[ForWhomTheMouseTolls]

I personally think that Disney should only feature their original IP at the parks. Too much German fairy tales for my taste. Whatever happened to fairy tales from elsewhere? What about American fairy tales? I’m done.

 

[ForWhomTheMouseTolls]

Cedar point has snoopy. Long live snoopy!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

You really need to stay onsite now to have a chance at the headliners.

I don’t feel that this is true. Just a couple of weeks ago we rode Rise twice one evening and could have done a 3rd had we wanted to, all in just over an hour. No $ILL required. The key is waiting until later in the evening after the crowds died down.

We did stay on-site, but couldn’t justify the additional fees for the $ILL attractions when 3 of the 4 had very short waits. Only Flight of Passage had an evening crowd.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Cedar point has snoopy. Long live snoopy!

My local amusement park does too (Planet Snoopy) but it is owned and operated by Cedar Fair so that's why. In a sorta weird way it's something I distinctly remember seeing Snoopy at the local park

 

[DCLMP]

You can absolutely have options with G+ if you just refresh the tip board. My husband was able to stack 6 G+ reservations during one night in MK.

I think it's a learning process. I didn't get how to use Fast pass plus until after several trips.

 

[DCLMP]

I don’t feel that this is true. Just a couple of weeks ago we rode Rise twice one evening and could have done a 3rd had we wanted to, all in just over an hour. No $ILL required. The key is waiting until later in the evening after the crowds died down.

We did stay on-site, but couldn’t justify the additional fees for the $ILL attractions when 3 of the 4 had very short waits. Only Flight of Passage had an evening crowd.

I think a lot of people are worn out by evening or they have little kids that need to go to bed. We've never gone to the parks in the evening. We like hanging out at the pool and going out for a nice dinner. For the night owls out there that sounds like a good plan.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I don’t think complaining to Disney at guest services will do anything other than waste vacation time. They started advertising that G+ is an average of 2-3 rides per day so they could stop having to offer refunds to dissatisfied guests. It’s probably also why they are disabling length of stay pre-purchase of G+—too many people complaining they would not have bought it for 10 days once they find out the first day it has so little benefit in some parks. I think they figure after the first year, people will all be used to it and stop complaining. I hated it at first but have come around because 3 rides without a long wait is better than none. Sad how we are made to feel grateful for paying more for less but it is they way of the world these days.

Complaining at Guest Services used to (almost automatically) get you a fast pass or two. Now it won't get you a LL?

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I think a lot of people are worn out by evening or they have little kids that need to go to bed. We've never gone to the parks in the evening. We like hanging out at the pool and going out for a nice dinner. For the night owls out there that sounds like a good plan.

That’s why my strategy works so well, although I don’t really consider 9 pm as Night Owl territory.

Guests arrive way too early in the morning and eventually tire out well before the crowds die down.

As for the little kids, they may surprise you when it comes to Disney. My fondest Disney memory is chasing my then 3 year old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mountain moments before midnight with her screaming “One More Time Daddy” all the way.

 

[mercuryvenus]

That’s why my strategy works so well, although I don’t really consider 9 pm as Night Owl territory.

Guests arrive way too early in the morning and eventually tire out well before the crowds die down.

As for the little kids, they may surprise you when it comes to Disney. My fondest Disney memory is chasing my then 3 year old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mountain moments before midnight with her screaming “One More Time Daddy” all the way.

Your 3 year old was tall enough to ride Space Mountain? That’s impressive!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Your 3 year old was tall enough to ride Space Mountain? That’s impressive!

Yes, she was very tall for her age. Eventually ended up at 6’ 1”.

Her daughter just turned 2 and may pass her up some day. She hit the mark for Barnstormer this summer but isn’t quite up to 7 Dwarves yet.

 

[Disturbia]

Complaining at Guest Services used to (almost automatically) get you a fast pass or two. Now it won't get you a LL?

Now even a valid argument (like conflicting ADR/LLI$) is like they did a huge favor by ‘allowing’ you to ride because their system booked 7 pm when you clicked 9 am (with no ability to modify when availability opens again).

A kind CM at TOT gave one of our kids a rider switch to join his sister and she had to explain herself to another ride CM (he stopped us and questioned why we have 2 kids with an RS; so I went back and grabbed her (she didn’t change shifts thankfully) so he would let us through) and he ended with a big bullying instruction that it’s only one kid per rider switch OK! She gave that one because she had to cancel our ROTR RS to activate a new one (purchased LLI$).

Where is the magic?

 

[pahoben]

Adapted from Alexandre Dumas-

but had remained like the treasures of the Arabian Nights, which lay in Orlando under the eyes of the Genie+. I searched, ransacked, counted, calculated a thousand and a thousand times the income and expenditure of the family for three hundred years. But no no matter how many candles grown short, no matter how many writing instruments dulled, the necessities of life on this ledger did not allow the fondest wish of the children to be realized. The genie's demands were too great, his protections too strong.

Disney could have picked a good genie or a bad genie to watch over WDW. They chose a bad corporate accountant genie.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Be honest. We all know its at 26%

1. At 25% it is a stretch.
2. At 26%, it is being grossly over kind.
3. As ex-CM and retried DIS, we are saddened.
4. We belong to several CM-Only groups.
5. Many current and past CMs think The Magic is GONE!
. . . lots CMs seem not to care about guests
. . . Disney also keeps removing guest experiences
. . . Disney keeps finding new ways to gouge the guest
6. Current things Walt would never allow except in emergency
. . . trash easily seen and not picked up as quickly
. . . CMs are seen viewing and typing on phones
. . . general maintenance is performed in front of guests
. . . wet-paint signs can be seen posted
7. New appearance guidelines are so "common"
. . . folks go to Disney to get-away from the everyday world
. . . we want to be transported to a true magical land
. . . if I wanted sloven appearance, I would go to my mall
8. If folks only knew The Magic they are missing

9. Pinwheel Walt must be turning over in his grave
. . . Used to be The HAPPIEST Place In The World.
. . . Now, it is The HAPLESS Place In The World !!!

 

[Leigh L]

On the topic of immersion I just thought of something. I can't for the life of me remember what road it was or what parks the road lead to (entrance to DHS parking lot maybe and another park I just can't remember) but anyways it's where the Star Cruiser entrance is at. I was a bit surprised to see that from that road the back part of the spires/rocky formations they left it just open so you can see the supports. I thought..geez that seems a bit lazy in so much that it sorta gives you that reminder that it's not real when that's the last thing you want for that expensive of an experience. It's not in the parks but it did seem out of place.

We comment on that every.single.time. Considering how they made ToT blend with Morocco, this definitely seems lazy. But I guess technically not in the parks where it's visible, unlike ToT.

We've begun calling the back of Galaxy's Edge the 9th wonder of the world (after the backside of water) lol

 

[Nabas]

Do you have an AP? When we have APs, we think nothing of doing a leisurely visit to the parks. But if I'm paying $100+ per day on a multi-day ticket to just enter a park, getting on a couple of rides would make my price-conscious head explode!

Yeah, with ticket prices the way they are, you pretty much have to spend most of the day at the parks to justify those prices.

I really wish Disney would offer an “after 5 pm” ticket.

It would would help spread out crowds.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

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.

Make sure to send an email to guest relations to let them know this.