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Walt Disney World Tech News & Discussion- Magic Bands, Genie+, and more

Those are the same folks who use VIP service to get this type of access. Will it just cannibalize that segment or bring more folks in?

The difference between $300 and $400+ an hour is significant. There's the rich and then there's the filthy rich. Look at HHN, doesn't look like increased Express Pass prices impacted VIP tours.
 
As someone who just recently went for the first time and only did Hollywood Studios for my 1 day at WDW…

If I didn’t pay for Genie+ I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to ride much at all since standby queues were quite long. It seems like a weird system but hey I was able to book most the rides I wanted and LL queues were short when I arrived at my scheduled time. For one day it totally worked.

I understand the need for more hotel perks and such but the old system favoring hotels for 60 days advanced booking and non resort guests only 30 days, etc… It’s so hard to plan entire days out that far in advance. That always put me off visiting. At least the system now feels somewhat better since you do it all the day you’re visiting.

The whole thing just falls apart though since standby queues are way too long and rides going down unexpectedly makes it all worse screwing up LL reservations and making standby even worse as a result.

$15 per person the day I went seemed like a small amount to make the day totally worth it but felt like an unfortunate necessity otherwise my day would have been so much worse.
 
I think we need to look at what Disneyland Paris is doing. They currently sell 1000 of similar passes per day. I have a feeling one day that model will be brought over state side. People will complain about the price, but there will be less frustration about people “cutting the line” or having a poor wait experience. No one will ever be 100% happy.
 
At WDW over the weekend and wow. The standby lines are CRAWLING. I know they said about half the guests are purchasing Genie+ but it's had to have gone up. (This was on a $22pp day)
 
Changes to the Park Pass are coming soon so that AP's will not need one if entering a park or park hopping after 2 PM:

Beginning in the next few months, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park. Pass blockout dates will continue to apply like they do today. While the theme park reservation system remains important to manage attendance in our parks, especially on busier days, we realize our Passholders enjoy more spontaneous visits – and this change will make that possible.

We’ll share a start date with Passholders soon for when these offerings will become available
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This, and other guest friendly changes by Disney (free parking for hotel guests & hotel discounts open to all), to reverse the negativity they've been receiving, might be good for Universal guests also. Universal, in 2022,
seemed to have a cavalier attitude on pricing and capacity issues, with all that easy stimulus money burning holes in customers pockets. Disney should be getting some of their wayward AP'ers
and former patrons back. So Universal might have to work a bit harder to keep their attendance near that 2022 level. Hopefully, Universal returns to their former customer friendly outlook before Irwin, and
moves away from becoming Disneylike.
 
This, and other guest friendly changes by Disney (free parking for hotel guests & hotel discounts open to all), to reverse the negativity they've been receiving, might be good for Universal guests also. Universal, in 2022,
seemed to have a cavalier attitude on pricing and capacity issues, with all that easy stimulus money burning holes in customers pockets. Disney should be getting some of their wayward AP'ers
and former patrons back. So Universal might have to work a bit harder to keep their attendance near that 2022 level. Hopefully, Universal returns to their former customer friendly outlook, and
moves away from becoming Disneylike.
They'll get me back easier if I don't need to book a Park Pass past 2 (I never go before 2 anyway). I reupped my AP in October and i've been to the parks roughly 2-3 times since then. Just no interest currently.
 
Keep going. No reservations, don't be afraid to keep that phased opening approach. Bring back Magical Express and actually start talking about future projects again. With all those controlled leaks about how Iger was so angry about Chapek raising prices and cutting the product it's time to put up or shut up.
 
Keep going. No reservations, don't be afraid to keep that phased opening approach. Bring back Magical Express and actually start talking about future projects again. With all those controlled leaks about how Iger was so angry about Chapek raising prices and cutting the product it's time to put up or shut up.

Wasn't Magical Express another amenity killed by Iger? I agree that it's a great amenity and one that we used and factored into our planning. We really miss the bus ride to/from, although we didn't like the updated video.
 
The purpose of park pass is yield management, but there's nothing to yield from annual passholders showing up after 2pm other than their discretionary spend on a snack or drink or whatever. Glad someone finally got that point across.

Wasn't Magical Express another amenity killed by Iger? I agree that it's a great amenity and one that we used and factored into our planning. We really miss the bus ride to/from, although we didn't like the updated video.
This was a bizarre one to me because if it was a good idea that was worth operating for so long then why did it suddenly become a bad idea worth shutting down. Ubers have gotten insanely expensive from the airport recently too.
 
This was a bizarre one to me because if it was a good idea that was worth operating for so long then why did it suddenly become a bad idea worth shutting down. Ubers have gotten insanely expensive from the airport recently too.

They have to have some sort of ME replacement ready by end of 2024 for Epic Universe. Don't want guests deciding to get off on 528 and not even make it to I-4.
 
I recognize that their reporting is suspect but Screamscape is reporting that WDW is planning on bringing back pre-trip reservations for Genie+. They stated that WDW President Vahle shared the news with 400 travel agencies. I don't know if this is going to happen or not, obviously, but it feels like a misstep.
 
I recognize that their reporting is suspect but Screamscape is reporting that WDW is planning on bringing back pre-trip reservations for Genie+. They stated that WDW President Vahle shared the news with 400 travel agencies. I don't know if this is going to happen or not, obviously, but it feels like a misstep.
I recall back in early summer Iger mentioned they were looking at adjustments to Genie+ in early 2024. So that info may well be correct....Like you, I don't personally care for it, unless you can buy it and make attraction selections on My Disney Experience like it was for Fastpass, in advance.
 
I would hate this! I’ve used Genie+ on two separate trips and love that the spontaneity was back. Checked into one ride then saw what was available. Also I got far more passes going one by one then back when I could preselect 3 then had to wait for the last to try to get another.

But I’m seeing this as a way for Disney to get an idea for park crowds with them dropping park reservations. It’s a park reservation without calling it that. Disney will have a great handle on anticipated guest numbers.
 
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