Marathon Weekend 2022

[Herding_Cats]

I’m definitely re-thinking my costume choice

 

[DanaVonSchweet]

I’m definitely re-thinking my costume choice

Poor Genie! We're all going to look at him a little differently now.

 

[runningDisneygirl]

Poor Genie! We're all going to look at him a little differently now.

It's really not fair to Robin Williams' legacy to drag him down with this... lol ❤

 

[SheHulk]

I’m definitely re-thinking my costume choice

I'm imagining you getting booed as you run through the parks

 

[Herding_Cats]

I could make is soooo snarky though. And possibly do a charity thing? Sounds like too much work for me, but imagine if someone set up a Venmo or PayPal for ($15) donations and had the number for people to send money on the back of their shirt or whatever

 

[GreatLakes]

Maybe I am reading it wrong, but it takes nothing away from people who do not pay up. You are just paying $15 to not have to physically be in line. If you want to still wait in line and save the cash, you can. Now if the physical line jumps up to 3 hours a ride, that is the time to bring the pitch forks out.

The standby lines will increase in wait time compared to now because the new FP people will be prioritized. I also think Disney will artificially slow the standby line to make the pay up option more appealing.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Is Epcot Festival of the Arts going on yet on Marathon weekend? My kids were hoping to do the Figment scavenger hunt. (Especially since recent Genie announcement means they are unlikely to ride the HS rides)

 

[MissLiss279]

Is Epcot Festival of the Arts going on yet on Marathon weekend? My kids were hoping to do the Figment scavenger hunt. (Especially since recent Genie announcement means they are unlikely to ride the HS rides)

Not usually, but this year (2021 virtual year), they had extended the festival dates, so it did overlap with when MW was/should have been. I don’t know if they will continue to extend the dates.

 

[Jason Bryer]

I bet there wouldn't have been this much hate if Disney would have announced Genie + for free. Then in 6 months announced a $15 increase in all tickets. Because it is ala cart people are going to flip their lid. If anything this can help keep prices down for people who are really on a shoestring budget.

Completely agree with this. I haven't fully formed my opinion yet, but when I go without kids my DW and I don't do many rides. We love just wondering around Epcot (especially during festivals) and may do a ride or two if the line is short. Nice to save $15 in those cases. For DATW, no rides covers 1.5 drinks ;-)

 

[Barca33Runner]

Didn’t mean to start any arguments. My feeling is largely that we all knew this was coming and “it is what it is.” Despite my hyperbole, my anticipation really hasn’t changed that much for my trip; I always enjoy Marathon Weekend and I’m sure I will this year as well.

The service as a whole seems preposterously optimistic and potentially very bad for Disney PR-wise. Promising to plan a perfect Disney day for everyone using the service does not seem remotely possible. This service seems to be promising the ability to predict demand patterns for thousands of people, ride availability, dining availability. It would be theoretically possible if people got their Genie plan, stuck to it, nothing broke down or slowed down in the park, and everyone did what the Genie tells them. Because, of course, that’s realistic. What happens when Splash Mountain breaks down for two hours, or people deviate from their plans, or Genie tells everyone in the park that the predicted wait time for Flight of Passage at 4 pm will be the lowest of the day and half the people in the park plan around that?

I don’t think it will change the average day at WDW at all for people who have a pretty good expectation of what they’re doing. For that reason it doesn’t really affect me much. Promising what almost certainly can’t be delivered: A pre-planned Perfect Disney Day really feels like a fool’s errand.

It seems like Disney is trying to control and predict demand by influencing it; I just don’t see how it could possibly work.

 

[SheHulk]

It seems like Disney is trying to control and predict demand by influencing it; I just don’t see how it could possibly work.

Sorry, sorry, not trying to continue this convo here but, this right here.
I mean, you see this in all kinds of systems, right? Waze detects a traffic jam, so they send everybody on an alternate route, not meant for high traffic, now that route they just sent everyone on is jammed. Or economists study a phenomenon, but now everybody knowing about the phenomenon changes people's behavior so the phenomenon doesn't happen in the same way now. Schrodinger's Cat something something.

 

[camaker]

Sorry, sorry, not trying to continue this convo here but, this right here.
I mean, you see this in all kinds of systems, right? Waze detects a traffic jam, so they send everybody on an alternate route, not meant for high traffic, now that route they just sent everyone on is jammed. Or economists study a phenomenon, but now everybody knowing about the phenomenon changes people's behavior so the phenomenon doesn't happen in the same way now. Schrodinger's Cat something something.

Less Schrodinger’s Cat and more the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, I think.

 

[SheHulk]

Less Schrodinger’s Cat and more the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, I think.

Haha I'm a neuroscientist posting on a Disney forum cut me some slack!
One thing I do know about human behavior is, if you think people were irate over high-demand rides shutting down after spending just the regular inordinate sum for park admission, wait til you see how irate some people get when that ride breaks down after they paid extra to ride it at a certain time. Heaven help those poor CMs in Guest Relations.

 

[camaker]

Haha I'm a neuroscientist posting on a Disney forum cut me some slack!
One thing I do know about human behavior is, if you think people were irate over high-demand rides shutting down after spending just the regular inordinate sum for park admission, wait til you see how irate some people get when that ride breaks down after they paid extra to ride it at a certain time. Heaven help those poor CMs in Guest Relations.

Oh, I wasn’t disagreeing with the core sentiment of your post. I think it’s pretty spot on. I was just suggesting a better physics analogy to go along with it. I’m a chemist posting on these boards, so I’m largely in the same boat as you….

 

[GreatLakes]

It seems like Disney is trying to control and predict demand by influencing it; I just don’t see how it could possibly work.

This is why I don't think park reservations will ever go away. Not only can they predict demand but they can limit the number of people in the park that meet certain criteria. For example, on Christmas Day they can stop accepting AP reservations long before they reach capacity to ensure the out of town guests can get in or run a profitability analysis against your history to see if you will get one of the last remaining spaces.

Disney can do a lot of control using systems that don't cost per play. They are just choosing not to.

 

[sandam1]

That said, this is giving me cause to re-think my MW strategy. I haven't bought tickets yet, and am not sure what I want to do.

Come on over and join me on the dark side (aka Universal)! Seriously, I've stayed at Universal for both of my runDisney weekends so far and it is a perfect set-up. It helps to keep the costs down significantly, has much smaller footprint to minimize walking, and is flexible enough where I can mold my park time around what I need to do to take care of myself. In the past, I've stayed in family suite at Cabana Bay with the extra room and kitchenette. For 2022 MW, assuming that the budget works, I'm considering a split stay - Wednesday through Friday at a premium hotel to get the Express Pass to maximize park time and then move to Cabana Bay after the 10K when rest takes priority over park time. After the 2020 Princess, I did one Disney After Hours at the Magic Kingdom to get my Disney fix (and bling pics), but the UO globe and the Hogwarts castle make nice backdrops as well.

 

[Grumpy_42K]

I'm just fascinated at the amount of technology & algorithms that must be involved with the new GENIE System.
I know Disney had server farms in California & India but man, they must have had to double them!
They already collected more data than the CIA so I believe this had to be in the works for some time.
Will it work? I suppose the software is still Beta and they will debug as time goes by.
There will be early adopters and then more will get onboard.
If you thought folks were walking around with faces glued to their phones before...you aint seen nothing yet!

One thing I'm curious about is if they are pinging your phone location in the park?
In order to play specific music to park attractions, which is part of Genie+, it would seem logical.

I personally prefer spontaneity.
Perhaps get a fastpass then find lines that weren't outrageous.
We used to go to Guest Services and find whatever dinner reservation were available.
Didn't matter which restaurant, could usually find something.
Those days may be gone.

I used to NEVER carry a phone in the parks.
I have never carried one during a race.
Yes, I am very much old school and will never change.

*OK, perhaps I will indeed change when the tech gets to the point that La Cava del Tequila has my Don Julio 1942 margarita poured and paid as I approach the bar...
whether I want it or not...wait, who am I kidding?

 

[Jillfo]

I personally prefer spontaneity.

+1

 

[GreatLakes]

I'm just fascinated at the amount of technology & algorithms that must be involved with the new GENIE System.
I know Disney had server farms in California & India but man, they must have had to double them!
They already collected more data than the CIA so I believe this had to be in the works for some time.
Will it work? I suppose the software is still Beta and they will debug as time goes by.
There will be early adopters and then more will get onboard.
If you thought folks were walking around with faces glued to their phones before...you aint seen nothing yet!

One thing I'm curious about is if they are pinging your phone location in the park?
In order to play specific music to park attractions, which is part of Genie+, it would seem logical.

I personally prefer spontaneity.
Perhaps get a fastpass then find lines that weren't outrageous.
We used to go to Guest Services and find whatever dinner reservation were available.
Didn't matter which restaurant, could usually find something.
Those days may be gone.

I used to NEVER carry a phone in the parks.
I have never carried one during a race.
Yes, I am very much old school and will never change.

*OK, perhaps I will indeed change when the tech gets to the point that La Cava del Tequila has my Don Julio 1942 margarita poured and paid as I approach the bar...
whether I want it or not...wait, who am I kidding?

One of the reasons I was surprised they were going away from the MagicBands is the ability to know exactly where you are at any given time. With a phone that is possible but not as certain. Will they use Bluetooth? I keep my Bluetooth radio off when I'm not using it and I'm never using it at Disney. GPS? I also keep that off. They can use WiFi and Cellular triangulation but the resolution is much lower. Everyone having an MB they can ping takes away our ability to turn off the radio they want to use.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Will they use Bluetooth?

Yes and they already do. I think for some of the photopass elements they have signs that tell you that you must have Bluetooth enabled through the MDE app for it to work.