Interesting email from DVC

[unixgirl]

We did the velociraptor - it was awesome. My sister did not enjoy it.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by unixgirl

TOT is one of my favourite rides - that and FOP. The new Star Wars land is quite immersive but was so busy.

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I’m looking forward to seeing the Californian GotG version. When I go there, I am buying 2 or 3 day tickets and Genie as we have never been and will be in the parks nearly all day.

I think Disney Parks fatigue also set in this year. These rides we have been on many times, they are so slow at building new ones, that we were not prepared to queue 75 mins (queue immediately at extra hours rope drop) for a Mine Train ride for example lasting a couple of minutes, and certainly not willing to pay $60 plus tax to ride it- it’s ludicrous.

[unixgirl]

I definitely have favourite rides that I look forward to and experiences. I love the Frozen sing a long as the narrators are very funny. I was lucky enough to get an AP at the DVC price before they stopped selling them and I bought the Universal one as I thought it would save costs for my sister as they would get a discount but unfortunately that is only the case if they bought multi-day passes so that was an expensive mistake. I just think too many people are allowed in the parks and that makes for massive queues and I do not like queuing at all.

[stace]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Yes that is surprising.

Trip was fantastic. Not so much the parks with the changes unfortunately, we are done with WDW for the foreseeable future, but resorts were great, weather fabulous, Miami Beach stay exceeded expectations. I will do a trip report when I hopefully get around to it.

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Exactly this! Just returned from our christmas / new year stay at bay lake and I think I am done with the parks

Have been at this time of year twice previously using fastpass and always got on lots of rides - never rope dropped always just winged it and never queued for rides or food.

This year absolutely ridiculous - Genie + is mad:

We where in the parks 7 days - i think i purchased it 3-4 days and tried to make the most of it in one day to get value for money.

Didn't see the point using it at Epcot so we did the extra evening hours but by the time park had closed and we had done the two big rides, test track and soarin because of all the construction we didn't have time to do any of the other
classic rides.

Animal Kingdom I would say worked out ok - we paid for fop and genie plus the other rides, ride by ride.

Hollywood studios, paid for rise seperately - a complete waste for genie plus really as ror was down most of our trip, my theory was to stack hollywood studios rides and do in the afternoon but avaibility was shocking.

MK again really struggled with avaibility - even though we kept refreshing. Didn't even manage to get big thunder all holiday.

Genie plus - overall they are charging $15 for an inferior service than the original fast pass free service was much better in every way. The platform and new app for genie plus is really confusing and hard to understand and doesn't even recommend what you have listed on your tip board. It doesn't give you any option of time it just plucks one out of thin air. If you are stacking and see a better ride that you would prefer but are not within your slot to be able to add another ride you cannot cancel what you already have stacked and change it to the new ride as it then resets the 2 hour wait window.

There are probably lots of other quarms I have with it but thats all i can think of at the moment, I also don't understand the park reservation they still have in place - this also gets annoying when looking at genie plus to plan your park days as you cannot change your park reservations over christmas as it is so busy and they are all full. The whole thing of genie plus disney said was so you dont have to pre plan and are not on your phone constantly - well you do have to pre plan as you have to book park reservations and I was constantly on my phone much more than the fastpass system previously.

My son decided on one of our first days he wanted to do savvis workshop and luckily found a reservation to go - however we didnt have a park reservation for hs that day and as it was christmas we couldnt change it as hs was full. Therefore we did go to guest services and they changed our park reservation for us so he could go - however most people would not have done this.


The whole new genie plus, park reservation and new annual passes have just put a no go on the parks for me and my experience. As others have said I think maybe in summer it maybe a different case but for me I'm out.

The whole annual pass issue annoys me as if you are an annual passholder you can only book so many park reservations if you are not staying on site which I do sometimes in summer, and also if you are ap you cannot add genie plus to the pass - which you can if you have a uk ticket, so it does make the uk ticket better but if you are visiting more than once it doesn't.

It is all a big mess to me and everything is too complicated

I took my partner to disney for the first time, he has always said he wouldn't do disney etc (he's more of a vegas guy) but he really did enjoy it even with the genie plus issues etc. However he did say for people who come the first time it is really confusing - i said well it is for me at the moment this new app and I've been coming over 16 years.

At least with the old fastpass if you had friends who where visiting for the first time you could pre book them some fast passes and show them how it works physically before they get there. Genie plus you are going in blind until you are physically on property.

Another issue I thought about whilst I was there was they don't ever thing about international visitors with jet lag. They have put genie plus in place - you can only purchase at 7am and book rides then also, yes you are usually up but when I am on holiday I don't like to have to set an alarm espcially when I am trying to get used to another time zone. Extra magic hours the same, don't really want to have to get up early for the morning ones but can't stay up so late with the evening ones either - but then again I suppose they where like that previously.


I spoke with one of the managers I think at Bay Lake upon leaving just in general about my stay and said how awful genie plus was and he agreed that he wasn't keen either - well in so many words.

Anyway that's my rant over for tonight - will probably think of more things that annoyed me when I go to bed

And I am glad it is just not me that has thought the same thing about the parks - I too am going to do a disney non park trip.


Stace

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by stace

Exactly this! Just returned from our christmas / new year stay at bay lake and I think I am done with the parks

Have been at this time of year twice previously using fastpass and always got on lots of rides - never rope dropped always just winged it and never queued for rides or food.

This year absolutely ridiculous - Genie + is mad:

We where in the parks 7 days - i think i purchased it 3-4 days and tried to make the most of it in one day to get value for money.

Didn't see the point using it at Epcot so we did the extra evening hours but by the time park had closed and we had done the two big rides, test track and soarin because of all the construction we didn't have time to do any of the other
classic rides.

Animal Kingdom I would say worked out ok - we paid for fop and genie plus the other rides, ride by ride.

Hollywood studios, paid for rise seperately - a complete waste for genie plus really as ror was down most of our trip, my theory was to stack hollywood studios rides and do in the afternoon but avaibility was shocking.

MK again really struggled with avaibility - even though we kept refreshing. Didn't even manage to get big thunder all holiday.

Genie plus - overall they are charging $15 for an inferior service than the original fast pass free service was much better in every way. The platform and new app for genie plus is really confusing and hard to understand and doesn't even recommend what you have listed on your tip board. It doesn't give you any option of time it just plucks one out of thin air. If you are stacking and see a better ride that you would prefer but are not within your slot to be able to add another ride you cannot cancel what you already have stacked and change it to the new ride as it then resets the 2 hour wait window.

There are probably lots of other quarms I have with it but thats all i can think of at the moment, I also don't understand the park reservation they still have in place - this also gets annoying when looking at genie plus to plan your park days as you cannot change your park reservations over christmas as it is so busy and they are all full. The whole thing of genie plus disney said was so you dont have to pre plan and are not on your phone constantly - well you do have to pre plan as you have to book park reservations and I was constantly on my phone much more than the fastpass system previously.

My son decided on one of our first days he wanted to do savvis workshop and luckily found a reservation to go - however we didnt have a park reservation for hs that day and as it was christmas we couldnt change it as hs was full. Therefore we did go to guest services and they changed our park reservation for us so he could go - however most people would not have done this.


The whole new genie plus, park reservation and new annual passes have just put a no go on the parks for me and my experience. As others have said I think maybe in summer it maybe a different case but for me I'm out.

The whole annual pass issue annoys me as if you are an annual passholder you can only book so many park reservations if you are not staying on site which I do sometimes in summer, and also if you are ap you cannot add genie plus to the pass - which you can if you have a uk ticket, so it does make the uk ticket better but if you are visiting more than once it doesn't.

It is all a big mess to me and everything is too complicated

I took my partner to disney for the first time, he has always said he wouldn't do disney etc (he's more of a vegas guy) but he really did enjoy it even with the genie plus issues etc. However he did say for people who come the first time it is really confusing - i said well it is for me at the moment this new app and I've been coming over 16 years.

At least with the old fastpass if you had friends who where visiting for the first time you could pre book them some fast passes and show them how it works physically before they get there. Genie plus you are going in blind until you are physically on property.

Another issue I thought about whilst I was there was they don't ever thing about international visitors with jet lag. They have put genie plus in place - you can only purchase at 7am and book rides then also, yes you are usually up but when I am on holiday I don't like to have to set an alarm espcially when I am trying to get used to another time zone. Extra magic hours the same, don't really want to have to get up early for the morning ones but can't stay up so late with the evening ones either - but then again I suppose they where like that previously.


I spoke with one of the managers I think at Bay Lake upon leaving just in general about my stay and said how awful genie plus was and he agreed that he wasn't keen either - well in so many words.

Anyway that's my rant over for tonight - will probably think of more things that annoyed me when I go to bed

And I am glad it is just not me that has thought the same thing about the parks - I too am going to do a disney non park trip.


Stace

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Totally agree Stace. Large numbers seem to be saying the same thing, including many ‘old hands’ who travelled at Xmas this year on here. But we may be accused of being negative etc. Many defend Disney, but I think even they are struggling with this one. It’s a mess.

[stace]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Totally agree Stace. Large numbers seem to be saying the same thing, including many ‘old hands’ who travelled at Xmas this year on here. But we may be accused of being negative etc. Many defend Disney, but I think even they are struggling with this one. It’s a mess.

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Yes, I was trying to really love it but I just couldn't! I have travelled over christmas a few times never ever had issues getting multiple fastpasses - in fact I would say easier than when I went in summer.

Just hoping disney has a change of heart - I would be willing to pay but I am not willing to pay for a service that is inferior to the free one and is confusing and doesn't give any flexibility etc etc.

They've also messed up my flow regarding Annual passes - I just don't know when to go now now for the best travel wise.

Oh and don't get me started on car hire prices also

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by stace

Yes, I was trying to really love it but I just couldn't! I have travelled over christmas a few times never ever had issues getting multiple fastpasses - in fact I would say easier than when I went in summer.

Just hoping disney has a change of heart - I would be willing to pay but I am not willing to pay for a service that is inferior to the free one and is confusing and doesn't give any flexibility etc etc.

They've also messed up my flow regarding Annual passes - I just don't know when to go now now for the best travel wise.

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One big unforeseen issue is now EMH are now absolutely rammed. $70 a family of 4 to ride Mine Train is dragging them all out of bed at 6 (us included but we did it anyway) whereas before they’d just stay in bed and use the FP later.

AK turnstyles at 6.40 am! It’s 6.40 am here I repeat!

Queue for Flight of Passage at 7am - out of Pandora, and AK was the least affected park!

It’s ruined EMH, at least at busy times.

Thanks Bob Chapek!

[stace]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

One big unforeseen issue is now EMH are now absolutely rammed. $70 a family of 4 to ride Mine Train is dragging them all out of bed at 6 (us included but we did it anyway) whereas before they’d just stay in bed and use the FP later.

AK turnstyles at 6.40 am! It’s 6.40 am here I repeat!

Queue for Flight of Passage at 7am - out of Pandora, and AK was the least affected park!

It’s ruined EMH, at least at busy times.

Thanks Bob Chapek!

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I know - i refused to get up that early plus the teenagers where hard enough getting them out the hotel at the best of time - anyone would think they where in skegness

I paid for Ill for rise and pandora as didnt think dwarves was worth it! Only blessing was that disney had included some ILL at christmas with genie plus and that was the only good thing - can't see them doing that every christmas

[lam]

I couldn't wait to get to Disney this year and ended up in Paris because fo covid. no flights.

managed to weather all the changes so far but now they've gone a step too far.

Ltd EMH
genie charges
charging for a construction site (epcot)
flawed park and ride reservation systems leading to
constant long queues
loss of free dining
mobile app long queues for dining orders
no 21 day ult ticket
and NO AP available so far for DVC members.

We have a 28 day @' Disney on site booked and may have to book 2 ultimate/or magic passes each and I will NOT be paying extra each day for genie plus.

They've squeezed enough out of me and I'm quite resentful as this was my favourite place to go on hols.

I''m dreading what i'll find when I get there!

[Bats]

We're due to go in 3 weeks but were never planning to do parks as we're only in SSR for 4 nights.
Our US friend then asked if we'd go to Epcot with her as she loves the Art Festival and we agreed, but I read up on Genie+ and was dreading it.

Luckily, she has found someone else to go with so we will just be lazing around SSR and DS.

So sad that Disney is being ruined for some. Do you think that there will always be people willing to pay the price and work with whatever system they have in place for rides ... like even if we stopped going, they'd be a new family to take our place?

Joa