|
|
Genie + 😡
Feb 20, 2023 2:24:04 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by nickys on Feb 20, 2023 2:24:04 GMT -5
How does it work at WDW? Do you need to enter the park before you make your first selection? That’s the way it works at DL. Even rolling in late morning during Christmas week I could still get at least five selections throughout the day. No, first at 7am, next either after tapping in or 2 hours after park opening. |
|
|
|
Genie + 😡
Feb 20, 2023 2:26:47 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by nickys on Feb 20, 2023 2:26:47 GMT -5
I know it’s crowded but park reservations are doing a good job of limiting those crowds, relatively speaking. We were there over Christmas and it didn’t sell out then. Sadly it shows that price alone will not stop people buying it, which means they can increase the price more often. However this could be the “new normal” way of limiting the numbers having G+ , so that they are capping the numbers much lower. Eh not sure I agree that they are good at really limiting. Not surprised at the G+ price. Holiday weekends are slammed like this. The parks at Christmas were busy but not the wall to wall crowded we’d seen before. Allegedly the cap is at 80% so you would only really notice at times when previously it would have been over that. |
|
|
|
Post by bakerworld on Feb 20, 2023 9:02:33 GMT -5
I agree! It just seems like a money grab to me. . Alternatively an attempt to increase profits by a publicly-traded company with a fiduciary responsible to maximize shareholder value. Why would a for-profit company not monetize something that people are clearly willing to pay for? That would be extremely poor business sense. And that is something Disney cannot accurately be accused of 
Sure, it would be great if prices were lower and many things were free, but that's just not realistic. Well, if they plan to pay employees a reasonable wage and return shareholder value.
Cheers.
I hear you and to be complete transparent, we weren't frequent participators in the FP paper version. It was only when FP+ arrived with the ability to select rides 60 days out that we started used FP. |
|
|
|
Post by bakerworld on Feb 20, 2023 9:14:13 GMT -5
Yeah, we've no plans of using G+ due to the cost. Iger says he believe is G+ and will not abandon it so we're hoping he'll throw DVC or AP people a bone with a freebie LL perk. I agree! It just seems like a money grab to me. And I don't want to pay for something that was once free. when we moved from FL we couldn't renew our FL resident AP's, who knew they would discontinue AP?? I'm not holding my breath to see if they return. but by nature I'm an optomist, so I keep hoping. Historically, Disney has had some creative ticket pricing mechanisms. My ex sister in law still has days on her old no-expiration 10-day ticket. (And she hates WDW, so go figure?!?) Hopefully, they will be throwing DVC members some real incentives to keep our family returning for park experiences. Until then, we go to the resorts for down time, enjoying resort features and different dining experiences. . We're on the same page. My optimistic hope is they'll offer a DVC perk of one free LL per day. Afterall, if DVC or AP were offered one free LL then maybe more would purchase G+. Not us - LOL - but some others. |
|
|
|
Post by helenabear on Feb 20, 2023 11:05:38 GMT -5
Eh not sure I agree that they are good at really limiting. Not surprised at the G+ price. Holiday weekends are slammed like this. The parks at Christmas were busy but not the wall to wall crowded we’d seen before. Allegedly the cap is at 80% so you would only really notice at times when previously it would have been over that. I felt differently in all of my recent trips. It's absolutely been wall to wall at times I have gone (March, November, June etc). Granted I only took 2020 off and saw how nice early 2021 was. No trips since then have felt less crowded. Given that so many things are not 100% back, even a reduction in numbers will not allow a feel to be better. We're all still packed walking through parks at times. Only rain has helped us. |
|
|
|
Post by Adelard of Bath on Feb 20, 2023 11:20:09 GMT -5
I felt differently in all of my recent trips. It's absolutely been wall to wall at times I have gone (March, November, June etc). Granted I only took 2020 off and saw how nice early 2021 was. No trips since then have felt less crowded. Given that so many things are not 100% back, even a reduction in numbers will not allow a feel to be better. We're all still packed walking through parks at times. Only rain has helped us. I agree with this; we went in Sept 2022 and I had always read that Sept was supposed to be quieter, and the points charts would concur. Well it was 100% not quieter, the only luck we had was going to MK on "party days" because they closed at 6pm and thus nobody wanted to go. So I guess they can sell G+ all they want and raise ticket prices all they want and food prices all they want, because people will (and do) pay it. |
|
|
|
Post by jedimom3 on Feb 20, 2023 12:21:01 GMT -5
Not having APs, and only having a very limited number of a very busy Oct/Columbus Day holiday week, convinced me that we might be willing to plunk down money and try Genie+ in future scenarios. We are big rope droppers, often near the front of the tapstiles, and we didn't get nearly as much done at rope drop as usual. What was wonderful were the extra evening hours at MK. If I hadn't been to Disney before, or it had been a very long time, I'd do genie with rope dropping/staying late. We did do paid ILL for Guardians, with the virtual, and I"d be willing to do that too for FoP, and Rise. But I won't like it....
|
|
|
|
Post by brp on Feb 20, 2023 12:23:42 GMT -5
We did do paid ILL for Guardians, with the virtual, and I"d be willing to do that too for FoP, and Rise. But I won't like it.... We do rope drop for FoP and RotR and it works whenever we try. FOr paid Guardians, they'd have to pay me a fair bit to ride that again...
Cheers.
|
|
|
|
Post by jedimom3 on Feb 20, 2023 13:37:24 GMT -5
We did do paid ILL for Guardians, with the virtual, and I"d be willing to do that too for FoP, and Rise. But I won't like it.... We do rope drop for FoP and RotR and it works whenever we try. FOr paid Guardians, they'd have to pay me a fair bit to ride that again...
Cheers.
Totally agree in most cases. FoP at rope drop is always great. our issue on the last trip, was we only had 2 days, and one was not an AK rope drop day. We did end up getting in line 15 mins before park closing. Posted wait was around 100 mins, and it took about 65. Much prefer rope drop. Usually we're getting off just as safari is opening, and can get that done easily. I did rope drop Rise, and that was great. But DS and DH rope dropped ToT/RnRC. ToT was backed up, not open at rope drop. By the time they did that and were off, RnRC was over 1 hour, Rise was crazy, like 120 mins at least. They ended up never riding it. (they'd both done it before, and DS was ok skipping.) But since I don't ride ToT/RnRC, I easily choose Rise w good rope drop results. For someone wanting to do the other big rides, I'd pay for Rise, and do the others in standby. All is moot if we'd had more days, and could schedule more rope dropping. Since Guardians was a must-do, we had to schedule one of those 2 days as Epcot. |
|
|
|
Genie + 😡
Feb 21, 2023 8:28:01 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by skywatcher1206 on Feb 21, 2023 8:28:01 GMT -5
I used Genie + over Labor Day weekend with good results at Epcot and Magic Kingdom but it was definitely not easy or cheap. Now that it is even more expensive, I am not sure that we would purchase it again for our family of 4. I really wish that they would throw DVC a bone with Genie +, LL, or AP, but am starting to think that they will not as they do not have a reason to. Our trip at New Years was water park only due to the DVC discount and the fact that our oldest still had some water park days on an old non expiring ticket (I miss those!). I think that our next trip in April will be water park only as well. I do not feel like having to spend a ton of money on admission, and then feel like I have to spend more to not have to wait in line all day, especially when it is so hard to get rides I want anyway through the Genie + system.
|
|
|
|
Post by pooh bears mom on Feb 23, 2023 13:39:53 GMT -5
Not sure Genie + is worth it. I think you are better off with Magic hours than genie. Are evening magic hours still offered for deluxe guests - I found that so much better than genie last year
|
|
|
|
Post by JaxFLBear on Feb 23, 2023 13:51:06 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by donalddork on Feb 24, 2023 13:51:39 GMT -5
I personally don't have a problem with surge pricing. It's ugly if you have to pay it, but this is a pretty decent way to even out the crowds. This is why I tell young families to go to Disney a bunch before the kids get into Jr High School, when it will matter if they miss school. Mid to late September is always a good time to go.
|
|
|
|
Post by henrycpa on Feb 24, 2023 14:06:25 GMT -5
Have not read any of this thread.
My opinion as I’m on-site for first time since Genie started.
Genie has ruined the park experience.
Bring back fast pass!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by fuzzylogic on Feb 24, 2023 14:52:08 GMT -5
Don't buy G+ out of FOMO. Buy it if you want something special. Just like you wouldn't do After Hours or Dessert Parties every night it's available just because it's offered. If you psyche yourself into needing to buy something all the time and at all costs, then naturally people will sell to you at a high cost.
If it's more than you feel is worth it -- don't buy it.
If you find you're still buying it -- then Disney is charging the right price.
Remember too how everyone hated FP+ back in the day and now we can't live without it. Despite whatever system comes and goes, smart touring is timeless and always wins.
|
|
