Disney raising Genie+ pricing effective immediately

[HIRyeDVC]

I agree that the headlines would not match reality.

In reality, a family of 4 can vacation at Disney for 2 WEEKS for $4000. Tickets, off-site hotel, bring food and drinks to eat into parks, drive instead of fly

A family of 4 can also vacation at Disney for 2 DAYS for $4000. Park-hopper tickets, Genie+, On-site hotel, Eat many sit-down and character meals in the park, pay for after-hour events, fly.

But the media loves the headlines of how expensively it can be done, and acts like that's the norm


Here is my poor man 2 week vacation:
10 day tickets good for 14 days: August 13-26, $577/person (total: $2308). Hotel Monreal Express International Drive Orlando ($59/night): $762. Drive from New York: $400 - $350 in gas roundtrip and $50 for hotel along the way. Total cost about: $3600. (And then buy food for sandwich packed lunch and dinners at supermarket for $400 or less)

Here is my rich man 2 day vacation:
2 day park-hopper tickets Dec 24-25: $404/person, Genie+ $88/day = $1792. Grand Floridian 2 nights: $2200 (this is probably too low, they'd probably opt for something bigger). 2 sit down meals x 2 days = $400x4=$1600. Breakfast at Grand Floridian and Snacks in park: $800. Souvenirs: $2000. Flight first-class from NY: $1500/person = $6000. Total cost: $14,400.

Most people aren't on either extreme, but either can be done.

I love this breakdown. Most people obviously fall somewhere in between, but people love to complain and emphasize the extremes. Magic is what WE make of it.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

You take a 10 year old to Paris and they'll be bored to death. He will be begging to go home and play with his friends. It will be a waste of money.

Take that same 10 year old to Disney and he will have the best time and memories of his life. And he'll also be able to see the Eiffel Tower and eat French Pastries. He'll learn just as much about France, and be excited to be there and talk about it later.

A 22 year old might want to be in Paris more. The Louvre, the architecture, the culture... all will be recognized and enjoyed much more.

I’ve been to Paris. It’s filthy, crowded, and overrated. The line for the Louvre is ridiculous with thieves hovering around like birds. Streets smell like piss. The people are rude. And the food is outrageously expensive. I’ll take Disney every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[bbeagle]

I’ve been to Paris. It’s filthy, crowded, and overrated. The line for the Louvre is ridiculous with thieves hovering around like birds. Streets smell like piss. The people are rude. And the food is outrageously expensive. I’ll take Disney every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I completely agree. Especially with little kids. It's enough to have to deal with little kids while fending off pick-pocketers, thieves and conmen. And new currencies, customs, culture. It's a LOT with little kids.

I went to Italy (Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice and a lot of the countryside). The architecture, views and sights were awesome, but I'll never go back again because of the crazy con-people, thieves and pick-pocketers. I parked in what I thought was a legal spot for 20 minutes to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I got a $200 ticket. Got conned bringing luggage from the trunk of my car in the parking lot to a hotel in Rome. 'Helpful' people came up to us as we got out of our car, and helped carry our bags 50 feet to the hotel lobby. Thought they were hotel people - they weren't. I was ready to tip $20, but they demanded $200. And the people in the hotel just watched them rob me. Had women try to shove flowers in my chest and demand that I paid $50 for them. If I gave them back, she would yell 'Polizia! Polizia!'. If you stay, the police will force you to pay. If you get out of there quickly, you'll be fine. Again, hard to do with kids.

Pisa was completely filthy and stunk when we arrived there at 7am. Garbage everywhere. By 10am, most things were cleaned up and it was nicer. But there was graffiti everywhere. Felt safe only in the tourist areas.

I learned a lot about cons that Americans don't understand. But would never go back there. Italy was the worst, by far. France was nice, United Kingdom was nice, Germany was nice, but you still have to watch yourself.

It's a lot more care-free in Disney.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I completely agree. Especially with little kids. It's enough to have to deal with little kids while fending off pick-pocketers, thieves and conmen. And new currencies, customs, culture. It's a LOT with little kids.

I went to Italy (Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice and a lot of the countryside). The architecture, views and sights were awesome, but I'll never go back again because of the crazy con-people, thieves and pick-pocketers. I parked in what I thought was a legal spot for 20 minutes to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I got a $200 ticket. Got conned bringing luggage from the trunk of my car in the parking lot to a hotel in Rome. 'Helpful' people came up to us as we got out of our car, and helped carry our bags 50 feet to the hotel lobby. Thought they were hotel people - they weren't. I was ready to tip $20, but they demanded $200. And the people in the hotel just watched them rob me. Had women try to shove flowers in my chest and demand that I paid $50 for them. If I gave them back, she would yell 'Polizia! Polizia!'. If you stay, the police will force you to pay. If you get out of there quickly, you'll be fine. Again, hard to do with kids.

Pisa was completely filthy and stunk when we arrived there at 7am. Garbage everywhere. By 10am, most things were cleaned up and it was nicer. But there was graffiti everywhere. Felt safe only in the tourist areas.

I learned a lot about cons that Americans don't understand. But would never go back there. Italy was the worst, by far. France was nice, United Kingdom was nice, Germany was nice, but you still have to watch yourself.

It's a lot more care-free in Disney.

You want to visit a lovely country with amazing culture, food, and people? Go to Japan! That’s my second favorite place next to Disney. And they have 2 Disney parks too! And the exchange rate is crazy good right now. And it’s totally safe!

 

[Brian Noble]

They don’t care about us.

I’ve written this many times before, but it bears repeating: Disney is a company that makes money by selling happiness. That‘s not the same as “Disney wants me, personally, to be happy.” But, it is very easy to conflate the two.

Inevitably, a long-term guest eventually encounters a situation when it is clear that Disney values something other than their personal happiness. The longer that takes, the worse the cognitive dissonance.

Sure it's not Disney, but family memories are family memories.

Exactly. This often comes up in the “should I pull my kids out of school” conversations. There’s a line of argument that goes like this: The only way we can afford to go is to go in September (or January, or whatever) when the kids are in school, and family memories are priceless, so we really don’t have a choice.

That’s true, they are priceless. But Disney is not the only way to do that, and family memories can be made in lots and lots of different ways. When the kids were growing up, we averaged about three weeks of vacation a year. At most one of those was a “Disney“ vacation. Some of the more memorable ones had nothing to do with the Mouse.

A Disney trip is both a right of passage and a class marker for a particular swath of the population, and that’s a different set of motivations. But, most people aren’t usually willing or able to own up to that—particularly the second part.

I’ve been to Paris.

Odd. Maybe we’ve been to different Parises, because the one I’ve been to (many times) is fantastic. Eye of the beholder I guess. Maybe try the Orsay next time? I like that much better than the Louvre.

More seriously: part of this is that Disney provides a version of reality that is massaged and sanitized, and that can be very appealing. But it also means that those recreations often bear only a passing resemblance to the thing they are based on. For example, people gush over POFQ, but to me it is a faded, boring, and lifeless version of the real thing–easily my least favorite Moderate, and it is not close. Biergarten is fun, but none of my visits there have been nearly as memorable as the evening I spent in the Augustiner Biergarten in Munich, watching Bayern beat Valencia on PKs in the Champions League final. This is also why I have no particular interest in Aulani as a destination unto itself. If I’m going to fly across six time zones, I want to visit Hawaii, not Disney’s version of it.

That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy Disney’s ersatz take on reality. I do, and my credit card statements make that plain. But for me it is not a substitute for the real thing. Instead it’s a thing unto itself. And that’s true even though reality is messy and complicated. I’ve had my pocket picked in a German airport, ripped off by a cab driver playing fast and loose with the meter in Portugal, and was violently ill with food poisoning in Rome.

But, I don’t carry much of value in my wallet while I am traveling because I know pickpocketing can happen. I can live without the Euros the cab driver fleeced me for. And the bright side of being sick and holed up in a hotel room with a total of three TV stations I could understand—two of which being MTV Europe and CNN World (which repeats itself every 30 minutes)—was that I was forced to watch enough of the Tour de France on BBC Sport that I became a lifelong fan.

And yes, Japan is on my “gotta get there” list.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I’ve written this many times before, but it bears repeating: Disney is a company that makes money by selling happiness. That‘s not the same as “Disney wants me, personally, to be happy.” But, it is very easy to conflate the two.

Inevitably, a long-term guest eventually encounters a situation when it is clear that Disney values something other than their personal happiness. The longer that takes, the worse the cognitive dissonance.


Exactly. This often comes up in the “should I pull my kids out of school” conversations. There’s a line of argument that goes like this: The only way we can afford to go is to go in September (or January, or whatever) when the kids are in school, and family memories are priceless, so we really don’t have a choice.

That’s true, they are priceless. But Disney is not the only way to do that, and family memories can be made in lots and lots of different ways. When the kids were growing up, we averaged about three weeks of vacation a year. At most one of those was a “Disney“ vacation. Some of the more memorable ones had nothing to do with the Mouse.

A Disney trip is both a right of passage and a class marker for a particular swath of the population, and that’s a different set of motivations. But, most people aren’t usually willing or able to own up to that—particularly the second part.


Odd. Maybe we’ve been to different Parises, because the one I’ve been to (many times) is fantastic. Eye of the beholder I guess. Maybe try the Orsay next time? I like that much better than the Louvre.

More seriously: part of this is that Disney provides a version of reality that is massaged and sanitized, and that can be very appealing. But it also means that those recreations often bear only a passing resemblance to the thing they are based on. For example, people gush over POFQ, but to me it is a faded, boring, and lifeless version of the real thing–easily my least favorite Moderate, and it is not close. Biergarten is fun, but none of my visits there have been nearly as memorable as the evening I spent in the Augustiner Biergarten in Munich, watching Bayern beat Valencia on PKs in the Champions League final. This is also why I have no particular interest in Aulani as a destination unto itself. If I’m going to fly across six time zones, I want to visit Hawaii, not Disney’s version of it.

That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy Disney’s ersatz take on reality. I do, and my credit card statements make that plain. But for me it is not a substitute for the real thing. Instead it’s a thing unto itself. And that’s true even though reality is messy and complicated. I’ve had my pocket picked in a German airport, ripped off by a cab driver playing fast and loose with the meter in Portugal, and was violently ill with food poisoning in Rome.

But, I don’t carry much of value in my wallet while I am traveling because I know pickpocketing can happen. I can live without the Euros the cab driver fleeced me for. And the bright side of being sick and holed up in a hotel room with a total of three TV stations I could understand—two of which being MTV Europe and CNN World (which repeats itself every 30 minutes)—was that I was forced to watch enough of the Tour de France on BBC Sport that I became a lifelong fan.

And yes, Japan is on my “gotta get there” list.

“I’ve seen much of the world. Disney is the light.” -Maximus.

I kid. Paris wasn‘t all bad, along with the rest of Europe. Everyone’s idea of a vacation is obviously very different. At one point in my life, backpacking through Europe and sleeping in dirty hostels was my ideal vacation. Now it’s lounging in a deluxe resort and going to a Disney park, watching my kids faces as they experience Disney magic. In 20 years, it’ll probably be fishing in Montana and sitting by the fire in my snow covered cabin in the woods sipping warm apple cider.

 

[Smugpugmug]

You want to visit a lovely country with amazing culture, food, and people? Go to Japan! That’s my second favorite place next to Disney. And they have 2 Disney parks too! And the exchange rate is crazy good right now. And it’s totally safe!

Definitely agree with this. Their Disney parks are better than WDW in my opinion. I don't think it's super easy to go there with little kids given how long the flight is (it was 14 hours from DC) but if you can go, do it. I went with my friend before the pandemic and had an awesome time. Can't wait to go back when the new expansion at Disneysea opens.

 

[lugnut33]

I'll take my 3 week vacation in Spain over Disney every single day.

 

[Moliphino]

Odd. Maybe we’ve been to different Parises, because the one I’ve been to (many times) is fantastic. Eye of the beholder I guess. Maybe try the Orsay next time? I like that much better than the Louvre.

Or Les Invalides. We spent 4 hours there and didn't even make it to the tomb of Napoleon (ran out of time before closing).

I'll take my 3 week vacation in Spain over Disney every single day.

Spain (specifically Andalucía) is my new favorite place.

 

[Jrb1979]

And to this…as I’ve said before. For my family of 4, I pay for flights down (not Disney’s problem), on property hotels, out of state APs, all their food when down there and they’ve taken away magical express, night magic hours, ability to just walk into a park, ability to hop before 2:00, raised EVERY price on everything, etc. etc. etc. and now they have the “guts” to tell me I need to pay another $88 a day to get on most rides and $80 to get on individual rides!?

Hey Disney: Go F yourself.

You will now get none of that money. I know I’m not alone and the more you push, the more you risk. Go ahead, try to walk that line. Rooting for it to implode.

You don't have to pay for Genie+. When you go to other parks do you pay for their Skip the line pass there too?

From the complaints I have read it feels like the majority have never been to any other parks but Disney.

 

[lugnut33]

Or Les Invalides. We spent 4 hours there and didn't even make it to the tomb of Napoleon (ran out of time before closing).


Spain (specifically Andalucía) is my new favorite place.

Have you been to Granada yet? That's our spot, we love it. 45 minutes to the Mediterranean and 35 minutes to the ski resort.

 

[Moliphino]

Have you been to Granada yet? That's our spot, we love it. 45 minutes to the Mediterranean and 35 minutes to the ski resort.

Yes, we went last September! I'm dying to go back. Granada and Seville are just heavenly. I also really enjoyed Cordoba, but we didn't get enough time there to really immerse ourselves. Malaga was nice, but a bit more shiny and touristy.

 

[lugnut33]

Yes, we went last September! I'm dying to go back. Granada and Seville are just heavenly. I also really enjoyed Cordoba, but we didn't get enough time there to really immerse ourselves. Malaga was nice, but a bit more shiny and touristy.

Sevilla is the most beautiful city I have ever been to (Stockholm is second), but I prefer Granada since it's a little cooler and drier climate wise. We have a 3 week trip coming up this summer to Spain and right now the only two must-dos are Valencia and Granada.

 

[Brian Noble]

Or Les Invalides.

You know, I've walked by it probably a dozen times, but I've never set foot inside of it. I will try to fix that on the next visit! So far, l'Orangerie is probably my dark-horse recommendation, and I don't think I've ever visited the city without going to the Rodin.

 

[Brian Noble]

Stockholm

Stockholm is great. The last time I visited, I happened to be there during the Ecotrail races, and did the 8K. A very different view of the city, for sure. Plus as an engineer, the Vasa museum is just excellent.

 

[Robber Baron]

I’ve written this many times before, but it bears repeating: Disney is a company that makes money by selling happiness. That‘s not the same as “Disney wants me, personally, to be happy.” But, it is very easy to conflate the two.

It doesn't 'bear' repeating, you just feel you 'need' to keep repeating because nobody cares if it's conflated.

As long as I end up happy, the method you choose to categorize it in YOUR mind doesn't matter.

 

[Brian Noble]

I don't think I explained myself very well. I am perfectly happy with my relationship with Disney! After all, I keep giving them money, and I do so willingly.

But, I do not believe for a moment that Disney cares about me. If you do that's entirely your prerogative.

 

[Devil13]

You don't have to pay for Genie+. When you go to other parks do you pay for their Skip the line pass there too?

From the complaints I have read it feels like the majority have never been to any other parks but Disney.

Sure you don’t have to pay for anything if you want to get technical about it but the fact is that, in my general experience, the difference between having Genie+ and not having it is aggravation and money. That’s it.

I could pay the $80 a day on top of what I’m paying, wake up at 7 on my vacation. Not get reservations for any rides the family wants to go on, be locked in on my phone hoping for an opening to break through in the fabricated 2 hour window then end up waiting in line for hours to get on those rides or use it for Star Tours that has no line anyway.

Or…

I could save the $80, stroll into the park whenever I want, and have the same experience.

So, yeah, I don’t buy it anymore.

Edit to mention that it holds you hostage in the park if you do get that one reservation you’re looking for.

Dinner at Teppan Edo at 6:00, finally get a Genie+ for ToT at 6:15. Thanks for nothing!

 

[Moliphino]

Sevilla is the most beautiful city I have ever been to (Stockholm is second), but I prefer Granada since it's a little cooler and drier climate wise. We have a 3 week trip coming up this summer to Spain and right now the only two must-dos are Valencia and Granada.

Seville in early spring when the orange blossoms are in bloom is incredible. The first time we went it was early April and unseasonably cool and you could smell orange blossoms everywhere. I fell in love. We went back last October and it was very hot and smelled like a normal city, so that was a little less magical.
We have tentative plans to go back to Andalucía in the spring - definitely Granada and Cordoba, since we've only been to them once each. Seville would be for a third time, so we may pick some new places... or maybe not because we love Seville.

 

[Jrb1979]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1594566919411089408

New update. Genie+ now tops out at $29.