I think the free fast pass system we had was fine, and that a fee could have been added for more than 3 passes. I wonder if cash guests will still find the deluxe resorts, without the free parking, free fastpasses, free airport shuttles, and so forth worth the prices? If not, things will change, as Disney does not want to be stuck with thousand of empty onsite rooms. And this may even affect DVC sales, as people do by in for the onsite experience. Right now, Disney is riding high on the 50th anniversary stuff, but after that is over, we may see attendance drop significantly.
I liked fast pass because it was much simpler to schedule table service meals between FP times, and plan the day overall.
Actually, it is a science. Prior to this, they purposely inflate the wait time to help disperse crowds to other rides. Every now and then, a CM will give a card to a guest entering the line and ask them to give the card to the CM as you get on the ride. So Disney knows exactly how long the wait is. This policy was proven by the folks over at touringplans. So they say.I foresee complications of inaccurate data: app says wait time is 75 mins when it is only 45 is predictable. It happened a lot. It’s not a science.
THIS is what Disney should be doing. Still give 3 free and options to purchase more. this would make most people including me happy.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.
Most people are already up at 7 for work. And so it was more palatable. And most, like myself, didn't log in at 7 or even on the 1st day possible and still get a FP for your favorite ride. 7am while on vacation, is just not acceptable. And if you don't, you are likely to miss out for the day. Too much stress for what is suppose to be a vacation day.I'm getting a kick out of the 7am daily Genie+ access. So many people complained about having to do FP+ at 7am from home two months before their on-site stay
Actually, it is a science. Prior to this, they purposely inflate the wait time to help disperse crowds to other rides. Every now and then, a CM will give a card to a guest entering the line and ask them to give the card to the CM as you get on the ride. So Disney knows exactly how long the wait is. This policy was proven by the folks over at touringplans. So they say.
Now Disney has a financial incentive to inflate wait times.
I would be happy with one. Provided I could make the reservation before I leave for my trip.THIS is what Disney should be doing. Still give 3 free and options to purchase more. this would make most people including me happy.
I've seen other suggest this as well. I think the main problem with that is that if everyone buys them, then you'll see long fastpass lines or unavailable times to reserve. My wife was a former CM and she said guests would always ask why they couldn't just buy a fastpass for rides they wanted to avoid lines for. The real problem is that there are just too many people in the parks and their solution is to keep on cramming as much people and to "optimize park experiences" based on how much more you're willing to pay.THIS is what Disney should be doing. Still give 3 free and options to purchase more. this would make most people including me happy.
Just so I'm clear, this is OPTIONAL, correct? So, if you don't want to pay an extra $15, $20, $25... you don't have to. Just go to the parks and wait in line, regular line. No need to wake up early on vacation, no need to plan for large groups, no need to sell. Just do what's comfortable for you and have a magical time.
People may pay a premium for what they feel is added benefit that suits them. Pay more for a better cut of meat? Up to you, you don't have to. Pay for for a nicer car? Up to you, but you don't have to. Pay more for a shorter line?
I'm happy with $15 day. I don't expect to be given a DVC discount - don't use it if you don't want to. Disney is a business - they want to be here another 50 years ! Disney has CMs that deserve get paid and if this improves life for all I say go for it, 2020 was a hard year for all.
Even as former CM I will never get over the things people feel they "should be entitled to" at WDW.
The difference is, this is the sort of upcharge that lessens the experience for those who don't pay the additional fee. Compare it to the fancier WDW restaurants - if you book a dinner at Victoria & Alberts because the premium food and service is worth the price to you, that has no negative effect on my vacation. If, however, most park-goers opt into the Genie+ system, the stand-by lines are going to become the stand-still lines for people who don't pay, because ride capacity is a fixed resource. For every guest paying the upcharge, a guest who didn't pay the upcharge literally gets pushed back a place in line.
Just finished watching the video overview again. For the trip planner aspects of the regular genie service, I wonder how accurate/optimized the underlying algorithms will be. We all know how inaccurate Youtube/Netflix/Spotify recommendations can be and how easy it is to game AI/ML algorithms (like the story of the guy in Europe who was able to manipulate google maps navigation recommendations by carrying a bunch of cell phones in a wagon). Not implying that anyone will actively try and game their systems to create fake lines, but we all know the issues Disney has regarding something as simple as website development, can we trust them to have optimized/accurate recommendations on Genie?
A bunch of you are banking on being able to pick and choose what days your can add this to a park..... watch this be like the park hopper option where it's an add on that must be applied to all park day.