Disney Genie+ and ILL$ Details & FAQ - Launches 10/19 at WDW, Paid "FastPass" at WDW and Disneyland (date TBD)

[Marionnette]

Based upon the ones I know, theme park vacations are on the list, along with 2 or 3 other vacations during the year. I think it depends upon the family and possibly region/city.

We obviously travel in different circles.

 

[Mousey0324]

Actually, this part of August and early September are generally lower crowd times due to kids heading back to school and the weather conditions (hot, humid, lots of rain, peak hurricane season). I wouldn't judge demand based in wait times on this past week.

a few years ago…there was no good time to go to Disney. It was wall to wall people no matter when you went; just varying degrees of wall to wall people.

 

[cakebaker]

Based on the 2-percenters that I know, a theme park vacation with average hotels and restaurant offerings is very low on their list of vacation destinations. That's if Disney even makes the list.

The top 2% average household income is only just over $200,000. While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is not what I consider to be extremely wealthy and in some parts of the country, it's not wealthy at all. It really depends on where you live, but you've got to move into the top 1% before we're talking the kind of wealth I think you are.

Disney's current prices, even with the new increases and Genie aren't catering to only the wealthy by any stretch. I know a lot of people who are in the top 2%, none of them I consider wealthy though and most of them take the kind of vacations average Americans take- camping, theme parks, beach, cruise and on rare occasions, trips abroad. None of them I know think theme parks are beneath them or can't provide the level of service they demand- in fact, I'm as picky as any of them and I earn nowhere neare 200k- and WDW is well within my budget.

For those who are in that ultra wealthy group- Disney is capapable of catering to their wants and can certainly give an superior experience to them. It just costs more money.

 

[cakebaker]

Agreed. Honestly based on wait times I’ve been seeing lately…it looks like demand is already waning. This is normally a strong month for summer vacations.

i just looked at MK…pirates 10mins, mansion 15 mins, thunder 25 mins. Doesn’t seem busy.

This is one of the slower seasons and with conditions as they are in Florida and other parts of the country, I would bet they've had more than a few cancellations. I'd also add in the fact that a lot of people ( me included) are tiring of the partial experience being offered and are willing to wait for things they want to return as well as people waiting to go until the anniversary. If they don't pull off big crowds in October, then we might be on to a problem, but I'm betting they will.

 

[jhglassman]

The top 2% average household income is only just over $200,000. While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is not what I consider to be extremely wealthy and in some parts of the country, it's not wealthy at all. It really depends on where you live, but you've got to move into the top 1% before we're talking the kind of wealth I think you are.

Disney's current prices, even with the new increases and Genie aren't catering to only the wealthy by any stretch. I know a lot of people who are in the top 2%, none of them I consider wealthy though and most of them take the kind of vacations average Americans take- camping, theme parks, beach, cruise and on rare occasions, trips abroad. None of them I know think theme parks are beneath them or can't provide the level of service they demand- in fact, I'm as picky as any of them and I earn nowhere neare 200k- and WDW is well within my budget.

For those who are in that ultra wealthy group- Disney is capapable of catering to their wants and can certainly give an superior experience to them. It just costs more money.

The worst thing about this is that even paying for two lightning passes and the genie + is worse than the old three+ fastpass system. Not that I like paying extra but it Would have been better to just buy into the old system than this nonsense.

 

[Marionnette]

The top 2% average household income is only just over $200,000. While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is not what I consider to be extremely wealthy and in some parts of the country, it's not wealthy at all. It really depends on where you live, but you've got to move into the top 1% before we're talking the kind of wealth I think you are.

Disney's current prices, even with the new increases and Genie aren't catering to only the wealthy by any stretch. I know a lot of people who are in the top 2%, none of them I consider wealthy though and most of them take the kind of vacations average Americans take- camping, theme parks, beach, cruise and on rare occasions, trips abroad. None of them I know think theme parks are beneath them or can't provide the level of service they demand- in fact, I'm as picky as any of them and I earn nowhere neare 200k- and WDW is well within my budget.

For those who are in that ultra wealthy group- Disney is capapable of catering to their wants and can certainly give an superior experience to them. It just costs more money.

Top 2% income level in 2020 was well north of $300K. A $200K income puts you in the top 10%. Big difference.

https://dqydj.com/average-median-top-household-income-percentiles/

 

[cakebaker]

Top 2% income level in 2020 was well north of $300K. A $250K income puts you in the top 6%. Big difference.

https://dqydj.com/average-median-top-household-income-percentiles/

We could have a battle of sources, but the few I looked at quoted what I said. Regardless, just go with your number- 300k is not super wealthy or elite either. And I don't think income level has a thing to do with whether you visit WDW- it just affects how much you're willing to spend or if you can go at all. There have always been people who could never afford it, people who have to budget and watch their pennies, those who don't and those who will spend a stupid amount of money to get exactly what they want.

I don't think WDW is anywhere near pricing themselves into trouble. This comes up with every price hike and has for decades- and yet crowds keep growing.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Right, so if they would have said “Hey, we couldn’t raise prices for 2 years because of the pandemic, so we are going to do a big hike to catch-up”, people wouldn’t have reacted so much. I would guess increases now will be more in line with the $4-$8 per tier they had been going up now.

As for fast pass, I think they got out of control. People were complaining if they couldn’t book a headliner 60 days out, but they were giving way too many out and couldn’t get it under control. Standby lines we’re getting worse and worse. I think this is an adjustment to make people able to get in standby lines and know they might actually move again.

completely agree!

 

[Yahweh]

Within the executive decision-making at Disney, there seems to be a failure of understanding why people love Disney World; why so many of us go back year after year. They think by building uber-expensive thrill rides and next-level immersive lands, visitor satisfaction will go up, regardless of what else is going on in the parks.

I think they genuinely believe people will return home and tell all their friends, "you got to go to WDW because this ride experience is the coolest thing ever!!" When, in fact, the opposite is true. The lines on these rides are too long, and the new lands are overcrowded, leaving the guest both frustrated and overwhelmed.

For most Disney lifers, we know it has never been about the headliner attractions. One 5 min ride, if you can get on it, has never, nor will ever, be enough of a reason to return. If it were, Cedar Point would be the busiest park in the world.

The execs need to ask themselves, "Why were more people excited about the Skyliner than they are, Tron?" How many of our guests, without hesitation, would rather have Magical Express with its luggage delivery system than Pandora or Galaxy's Edge?" "Why do the overwhelming majority, even amongst those who can easily afford it, favor an equitable fast-pass system to Genie+?"

There is an intangible quality about the Disney World experience that always seemed worth it regardless of price. These recent changes are a serious miscalculation on what motivates the fanbase. While it may take several years to hurt the financial bottom line, it has already negatively impacted the present atmosphere of the park.

 

[Tyler's Dad]

Agreed. Honestly based on wait times I’ve been seeing lately…it looks like demand is already waning. This is normally a strong month for summer vacations.

i just looked at MK…pirates 10mins, mansion 15 mins, thunder 25 mins. Doesn’t seem busy.

Or, you know, getting rid of FP+ actually helped the standby lines move?

 

[disneydreamer781]

I don't think I would ever prefer the Magical Express over Galaxy's Edge. I'm also not a big fan of Pandora but would certainly prefer it over DME. I want to see Disney invest in the parks even if it's something that I'm not particularly interested in.

 

[Liquidice]

I don't think I would ever prefer the Magical Express over Galaxy's Edge. I'm also not a big fan of Pandora but would certainly prefer it over DME. I want to see Disney invest in the parks even if it's something that I'm not particularly interested in.

imho they should have invested in things to help with overcrowding. Pandora is one thing because Animal Kingdom needed more rides - but Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge could have had more things to handle increased crowds, like a theater show or table service restaurants (one is coming to Toy Story land), etc. Don't get me wrong, I love Toy Story land and Galaxy's Edge, but a little more investment would have helped with crowds.

I agree with investment in the parks though - but I'd like it to be done so that as crowds increase, they can handle the additional crowds and then not have to resort to charging for things to help handle overcrowding.

I honestly wonder what the costs would have been to keep all the perks though.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

The top 2% average household income is only just over $200,000. While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is not what I consider to be extremely wealthy and in some parts of the country, it's not wealthy at all. It really depends on where you live, but you've got to move into the top 1% before we're talking the kind of wealth I think you are.

Disney's current prices, even with the new increases and Genie aren't catering to only the wealthy by any stretch. I know a lot of people who are in the top 2%, none of them I consider wealthy though and most of them take the kind of vacations average Americans take- camping, theme parks, beach, cruise and on rare occasions, trips abroad. None of them I know think theme parks are beneath them or can't provide the level of service they demand- in fact, I'm as picky as any of them and I earn nowhere neare 200k- and WDW is well within my budget.

For those who are in that ultra wealthy group- Disney is capapable of catering to their wants and can certainly give an superior experience to them. It just costs more money.

Within the executive decision-making at Disney, there seems to be a failure of understanding why people love Disney World; why so many of us go back year after year. They think by building uber-expensive thrill rides and next-level immersive lands, visitor satisfaction will go up, regardless of what else is going on in the parks.

I think they genuinely believe people will return home and tell all their friends, "you got to go to WDW because this ride experience is the coolest thing ever!!" When, in fact, the opposite is true. The lines on these rides are too long, and the new lands are overcrowded, leaving the guest both frustrated and overwhelmed.

For most Disney lifers, we know it has never been about the headliner attractions. One 5 min ride, if you can get on it, has never, nor will ever, be enough of a reason to return. If it were, Cedar Point would be the busiest park in the world.

The execs need to ask themselves, "Why were more people excited about the Skyliner than they are, Tron?" How many of our guests, without hesitation, would rather have Magical Express with its luggage delivery system than Pandora or Galaxy's Edge?" "Why do the overwhelming majority, even amongst those who can easily afford it, favor an equitable fast-pass system to Genie+?"

There is an intangible quality about the Disney World experience that always seemed worth it regardless of price. These recent changes are a serious miscalculation on what motivates the fanbase. While it may take several years to hurt the financial bottom line, it has already negatively impacted the present atmosphere of the park.

You post seems to reflect the feelings of the lifers on these boards. I would say that they represent the minority of people who visit Disney world. I would say the majority of casual guests wouldn’t know what the skyline was, unless they had already experienced it, and yes I do believe the headliners sell the park, you’re crazy if you think star wars land hasn’t drawn a larger crowd to the parks than the skyliner. I do agree that magical express is something guests will definitely miss, but it made zero financial Sense, with all the demand Disney has had, and no I do not believe any typical person would cancel a trip because the magical express is gone, it was a nice perk, but not a make or break. Wait times could cause people to not return and I think that is partially the reason Disney is rolling out the genie

 

[Leight19]

Within the executive decision-making at Disney, there seems to be a failure of understanding why people love Disney World; why so many of us go back year after year. They think by building uber-expensive thrill rides and next-level immersive lands, visitor satisfaction will go up, regardless of what else is going on in the parks.

I think they genuinely believe people will return home and tell all their friends, "you got to go to WDW because this ride experience is the coolest thing ever!!" When, in fact, the opposite is true. The lines on these rides are too long, and the new lands are overcrowded, leaving the guest both frustrated and overwhelmed.

For most Disney lifers, we know it has never been about the headliner attractions. One 5 min ride, if you can get on it, has never, nor will ever, be enough of a reason to return. If it were, Cedar Point would be the busiest park in the world.

The execs need to ask themselves, "Why were more people excited about the Skyliner than they are, Tron?" How many of our guests, without hesitation, would rather have Magical Express with its luggage delivery system than Pandora or Galaxy's Edge?" "Why do the overwhelming majority, even amongst those who can easily afford it, favor an equitable fast-pass system to Genie+?"

There is an intangible quality about the Disney World experience that always seemed worth it regardless of price. These recent changes are a serious miscalculation on what motivates the fanbase. While it may take several years to hurt the financial bottom line, it has already negatively impacted the present atmosphere of the park.

It’s sad how right you are for me. I consider myself a huge Star Wars fan but if I was given the option to have free fast pass+ but lose access to galaxies edge I would without hesitation take fast pass. I would also make the same decision for Disney’s magical express or skyliner as you pointed out.

Going even further now with larger portion of rise of the resistance capacity likely behind a pay wall I really don’t know what I would even be excited to do in galaxies edge except maybe stopping in for a ronto wrap. The fact that me (someone who has watched all the csrtoons, read the books and comics, and even played the tabletop roleplaying gsme for years) feels this indifferent about the billion dollar investment for Star Wars is a tragedy.

 

[nycdisneygal]

I can afford all of this easily but really Disney has been losing me. I felt underwhelmed by a lot of the news things esp Toy story land. All the harry potter stuff at US I feel blows disney out of the water. I only did galaxy edge once during the AP preview and once for ROR but it was not that exciting to me. The value is less and less for me and I feel its really time to look elsewhere for vacation. And honestly a few years ago I did 10 days in Paris including a few days at DLP at their best hotel and, including the flights, it was less than a week the previous year at WDW (inluding the domestic flights to orlando). Most people I know who want to take their kids to disney cant afford all these extras. Its a hard pill to swallow when these used to be included. Really there is no real value in staying on site anymore. I may as well stay at a REAL deluxe hotel (Ritz or Four Seasons) instead of shelling out all that money for the GF that is not even that fancy.

 

[Frank4202]

So saddened by the recent Disney Genie news. Between this and the Magical Express removal, our family has thrown in the towel. While we can still afford to go, I feel like the price gouging has become too much to justify. Just to put into perspective, no more magical express, raised the minimum amount of points for DVC perks, paid "fastpasses", and hotel parking charges and some of the recent changes.

The only way to show Bob Paycheck we will not tolerate this is to no longer visit the parks. Nothing will change and will only get worse until Disney fans, and customers regain control.

 

[Garyjames220]

The top 2% average household income is only just over $200,000. While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is not what I consider to be extremely wealthy and in some parts of the country, it's not wealthy at all. It really depends on where you live, but you've got to move into the top 1% before we're talking the kind of wealth I think you are.

Disney's current prices, even with the new increases and Genie aren't catering to only the wealthy by any stretch. I know a lot of people who are in the top 2%, none of them I consider wealthy though and most of them take the kind of vacations average Americans take- camping, theme parks, beach, cruise and on rare occasions, trips abroad. None of them I know think theme parks are beneath them or can't provide the level of service they demand- in fact, I'm as picky as any of them and I earn nowhere neare 200k- and WDW is well within my budget.

For those who are in that ultra wealthy group- Disney is capapable of catering to their wants and can certainly give an superior experience to them. It just costs more money.

me and my wifes income together is about 40k in dollars and we have booked 2 weeks at CBR next year and a few nights at the polly. (From uk) In dollars for the 4 of us the trip is costing about 12k

u don’t need to be on big big money to go to Disney just takes a bit of saving and budgeting

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I really do believe that the majority on here are upset because over the years they have figured out how to game the system to take full advantage of all the perks, (and there’s nothing wrong with that), I enjoy doing it myself. Recently Disney has been changing the systems, so that the select few don’t abuse it and cause issues for everyone else. I’m not thrilled about learning how to game their system all over again, it completely understand why this is necessary

 

[BadPinkTink]

I really do believe that the majority on here are upset because over the years they have figured out how to game the system to take full advantage of all the perks, (and there’s nothing wrong with that), I enjoy doing it myself. Recently Disney has been changing the systems, so that the select few don’t abuse it and cause issues for everyone else. I’m not thrilled about learning how to game their system all over again, it completely understand why this is necessary

I agree and I said this over the Disneyland California Genie thread

"Before the shutdown, mobile ordering and Maxpass / free Fastpass worked so well for those of us that used them because we were the minority. We were able to game the system and come up with all sorts of hacks and tricks because the % of people using them was so low. So many people didn't even know that Fastpass was free and just accepted waiting in standby lines.

Those of us on Disboards who research and plan and study things like crowd patterns are a very small % of the people in the parks on any given day.

I see the same thing happening with Genie, Genie+ and Lightening Lane. The low % of people using the new systems on any given day , for whatever reason, will actually benefit those of us who will use it. "

 

[Nabas]

I really do believe that the majority on here are upset because over the years they have figured out how to game the system to take full advantage of all the perks, (and there’s nothing wrong with that), I enjoy doing it myself. Recently Disney has been changing the systems, so that the select few don’t abuse it and cause issues for everyone else. I’m not thrilled about learning how to game their system all over again, it completely understand why this is necessary

I think people are upset because Walt Disney World is already the most expensive theme park vacation on the planet, and yet Disney has done a lot of nickel-and-diming over the last few years:

1. Charging for hotel parking when it used to be included in the price of the hotel.
2. Increased hotel rates a lot even though parking is no longer included.
3. Ended free MagicBands for onsite Guests.
4. Ended Disney's Magical Express. (Now that was a great benefit!)
5. Greatly cut back on Extra Magic Hours and then limited what's left to Deluxe Resort Guests only.
6. Theme park parking is now up to $25 per day.
7. Jacked up ticket, food, and beverage prices.
8. Ended the free FastPass+ and replaced it with something that could cost as much as $60 per person per day.

Yeah, I understand why people are upset.