Genie Service

[Aussie RJ]

Touring plans is alleging Space, Mine Train, Test Track, Slinky, Kilimanjaro, and FoP are the attractions not included in the $15 Genie+ option. These will fall under "individual attraction selections" - available for individual purchase. They also mention RAT and ROTR will have a (higher) available for purchase pass.

 

[sethschroeder]

introductory special to allow you to purchase the Genie+ for the duration of your annual pass

If they let you buy an AP.... Still waiting on that...

 

[sethschroeder]

Gold pass plus. It’s an extra $100.

For real? If so that is okay as it really start to decrease in price over the daily rate.

 

[sethschroeder]

Touring plans is alleging Space, Mine Train, Test Track, Slinky, Kilimanjaro, and FoP are the attractions not included in the $15 Genie+ option. These will fall under "individual attraction selections" - available for individual purchase. They also mention RAT and ROTR will have a (higher) available for purchase pass.

Ya basically anything that was in the top tier of FP+ likely is in the extra extra paid tier.

 

[kes601]

A few things stand out. You can use at different parks which can work to ones favor and maybe not get it every day of the trip.

Not everyone in the party needs it. I think it will be good. I am also happy about some of the DAS changes that will work well for me!

What do you mean not everyone in your party needs it? If they are going through the “lightning lane” with Genie+ then everybody must purchase it. As in, lets say one person in a party of 10 purchases Genie+ for the day and reserves a lighting lane pass, it’s not like all 10 of those people are going to be allowed through the lightning lane, just like all members of your party needed a FP.

Or are you talking about something different and I am missing your point?

 

[Sparky984]

For real? If so that is okay as it really start to decrease in price over the daily rate.

No. Wishful thinking. I’d consider that and it’s a new blue card perk! I’d be reluctant to pay $15 per person per day.

 

[corpcomp]

So $15 per person per day IF you can get on your rides! You know that's just the introductory price for this year just like Mears Connect introduced their "Introductory" pricing to replace the free Magical Express.
Next you are going to see coin operated toilets.

 

[Sandisw]

What do you mean not everyone in your party needs it? If they are going through the “lightning lane” with Genie+ then everybody must purchase it. As in, lets say one person in a party of 10 purchases Genie+ for the day and reserves a lighting lane pass, it’s not like all 10 of those people are going to be allowed through the lightning lane, just like all members of your party needed a FP.

Or are you talking about something different and I am missing your point?

Sorry. I think it was confusing. I meant those who want to purchase it can and then people can do their own schedules based on that while others just do standby together for other rides.

For example, it would not be worth it for some of my group to do it at AK while it would for others.

I realize that we would all need it for the LL but with regular FP+ we had to coordinate touring to work around FPs that only some wanted. This seems like it will offer more flexibility.

 

[Narcoossee11]

What do you mean not everyone in your party needs it? If they are going through the “lightning lane” with Genie+ then everybody must purchase it. As in, lets say one person in a party of 10 purchases Genie+ for the day and reserves a lighting lane pass, it’s not like all 10 of those people are going to be allowed through the lightning lane, just like all members of your party needed a FP.

Or are you talking about something different and I am missing your point?

I think the advantage is for adults/teen that pay for the extra charge for thrill rides ( shorter wait), while others in the group only has to wait a few minutes for the " paying " family members

 

[kes601]

Sorry. I think it was confusing. I meant those who want to purchase it can and then people can do their own schedules based on that while others just do standby together for other rides.

For example, it would not be worth it for some of my group to do it at AK while it would for others.

I realize that we would all need it for the LL but with regular FP+ we had to coordinate touring to work around FPs that only some wanted. This seems like it will offer more flexibility.

Got it, makes more sense.

I do have to question the DAS end of this though and the potential mis-use it could lead. It appears you will be able to do a video chat up to 30 days ahead of time and pre-select two rides per day for your entire party. This seems wrong to me and will encourage people to try to get into the DAS system who otherwise shouldn’t.

 

[kes601]

I think the advantage is for adults/teen that pay for the extra charge for thrill rides ( shorter wait), while others in the group only has to wait a few minutes for the " paying " family members

Oh, I completely get that. I thought Sandi was saying that not everybody in your party had to PAY for Genie+ in order to get into the lightning lanes.

 

[Sammie]

I hope DVD is prepared to hire more people to work the ROFR paperwork. If this isn't the straw for you, it ought to be.

Why?
I have no idea what you spend your discretionary money on and honestly it's none of my business, just like this isn't yours. If it's a tipping point for you, that is your personal decision just as mine is not to be bothered by this.

 

[kmorlock]

Cheapek and club seem to love to impose these things in the name of “crowd control”. This doesn’t really do that unless you mean eliminating park guests who have been outpriced. Crowd control is rather easy especially given the new park reservation system. Seems to me they want to control the type of financial status in their crowd more than the actual numbers in the crowd. $15 isn’t a lot but, it’s just the start. They charge resort guests for parking, took away Magical Express, took away fast passes, and AP’s, now this?AND the biggest name rides are an up charge on top of that? The price of things that were originally “included” in onsite stays, tickets and AP’s has not decreased. This just screams next level big corporate greed.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Need to charge up the GoPros. Gonna be some good YT footage when mama has to wait 20 minutes because 100 other people paid for it at the same time she did and her 4YODD is having a tired tamptrum at 5:00pm in 90 degree heat.

"But I PAID to go to the front of the (insert expletives here) lines!"

 

[Sandisw]

Got it, makes more sense.

I do have to question the DAS end of this though and the potential mis-use it could lead. It appears you will be able to do a video chat up to 30 days ahead of time and pre-select two rides per day for your entire party. This seems wrong to me and will encourage people to try to get into the DAS system who otherwise shouldn’t.

I am waiting to see how this plays out too. From what I saw it’s just two and then the rest have to be based on the regular DAS system…except you will now be able to schedule on the phone vs having to find the blue shirt people or crisscross the park to get your return time

But it did seem to indicate if you scheduled the ones ahead there would be limits later. It’s not clear.

Honestly, though, I would hope we won’t see an increase in abuse as not sure what the benefit would be now that one can get the unlimited use.

 

[Lumee23]

I don't know what I think. We were FP maximizers and really made it work for our family... for free. On the other hand I was mentally prepared for paid fastpass and it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. We are a family of five though so any upcharge really adds up. We will probably buy it and cut costs in another area to make up for it but I have to see how it plays out before I really decide how I feel.

Since we can only hold one LL pass at a time, I am wondering how many rides/day will we get to utilize the LL before all LL passes are full? I suppose this will be dependent on how many people are buying into it each day. Also, how much will those headliner LLs cost on an average day? I wonder if you can try for the free virtual queue for ROTR and if you don't get in, then be able to buy the LL for it?

The lack of perks for onsite guests is a little shocking to me considering early FP booking was a major onsite incentive. I would have expected a discount and/or early booking privileges for both offerings at minimum. I suppose they could throw this in as a booking perk like free dining but perhaps there would then be too many people utilizing it thus diminishing the value? I am curious to see if there will be any DVC freebies/discounts but I am not holding my breath.

 

[jennypenny]

IMO the worst part of this is that -- even if you're willing to pay -- you have to get up at 7am every day on vacation to book the big ticket rides. I hate having to do that on HS day when we're trying to get a boarding pass for ROTR ... I certainly don't want to get up at 7am every day on my vacation. What kind of vacation is that?

I'd pay for the ability to book everything ahead of time so I can sleep in on vacation.

 

[Sammie]

IMO the worst part of this is that -- even if you're willing to pay -- you have to get up at 7am every day on vacation to book the big ticket rides. I hate having to do that on HS day when we're trying to get a boarding pass for ROTR ... I certainly don't want to get up at 7am every day on my vacation. What kind of vacation is that?

I'd pay for the ability to book everything ahead of time so I can sleep in on vacation.

Wouldn't that be a nice perk for DVC members and a huge selling point for new buyers.

 

[Matty B13]

I think I would have preferred the old FastPass system of booking 3 rides in a day, and then 1 at a time for the $15/day. At least then you could come up with some kind of schedule.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Why?
I have no idea what you spend your discretionary money on and honestly it's none of my business, just like this isn't yours. If it's a tipping point for you, that is your personal decision just as mine is not to be bothered by this.

And that's fine and I get that, but we all have lines. If we keep letting them get away with nickel and diming us to death, they will continue to do what they have always done.

Did this honestly throw me over the threshold? Probably not. Just drama for effect. But I will draw the line by not paying the ransom. I can at least do that. I'm tiring of the constant rising prices and diminishing value. We'll see when we see AP pricing.

Even if I walk away now, it was a great almost 20 year run. My DD was born and raised at WDW. She's 16 now, and if I walk away, I can sell for a profit and we would have enjoyed 20 years mostly on their dime. I'm probably not there, but every little chip takes away a little more of the paint. Some of it's been gone long enough that there are rust stains starting to appear. At some point, we all have to decide if the cost of repairs is getting too high or if trading in is a better option.