Well the word is they genuinely didn’t expect as many guests to buy it.
Here’s what I think happened……
About a year or so ago some genuine insiders with enviable track records were suggesting a system of tiered access, with “bundles” of passes (Star Wars, Mountains etc), possible perks for onsite (maybe earlier booking). And so on.
In the last few weeks before the announcement, much of that was scrapped, probably by the Board level execs, in favour of a simpler system of a flat rate.
What happened at DLP is probably what changed the minds of the US parks team. Very few people paid for access because it simply wasn’t needed.
And now they’ve realised maybe that’s what was needed to ensure that those that did pay got what they paid for and that the stand-by lines still moved quickly.
So they’re re-thinking and will probably revert back to some of those ideas that both Shanghai and Paris implemented to varying degrees.
I don’t think that’s on the table based on what I’ve heard - and I think that WDW is a different beast than DLR, DLP, and any of the other parks. The changes I think we will see will be more on the margins - giving onsite guests an advantage, allowing time selection, etc, getting rid of 7 AM. I don’t think they will go to pay per ride or to bundles at WDW - it just doesn’t make sense to.
To summarize the points we’ve all been making, they can’t make everyone happy, so a huge overhaul is unlikely. But they can make smaller changes to address the biggest gripes and hopefully make a system that is more tolerable.
I think the thing is right now, very few people are happy. So the question is can they change it enough to make it at a decent number of people are happy and the rest are at least ambivalent?
Yes I’m the planner in my family. Previous we knew what the first few hours were with FPP, then lunch before either swimming at the resort, napping, or even staying in the park longer. It kept family from asking what we’re doing next because it was already set for awhile. Now I’m not sure how many times I’ll be hearing “when was our LL for X again?”. With a hyperactive 13yo knowing ahead of time what is going on helps keep the energy level to tolerable. Moreso knowing a certain time keeps my social anxiety in check. I could work in time for quiet spots.
I would say that many people are miserable but within a stone’s throw of being happy. It won’t take much to fix the main issues that are making people upset. I think they can get there.
I think G+/$ILL is salvageable. People can get decent (if unpredictable) results out of it, it just takes a lot of effort to do it currently. What I would recommend is:
Revamp the UI to make it easy to find and book your LL’s.
Allow selection of return times for all LL’s, not just $ILL. This alone would be a huge step forward in planning your day and not conflicting with ADR’s and such.
Lock selected return time when you click it, so you don’t get surprised with an unwanted time.
Notify you automatically when it’s time to book your next LL.
I would be SHOCKED if they ever did this. The more people who buy it without maximizing its use - which such a notification would ensure - the more they can sell without worrying about running out/flooding the availability. They are counting on people to use it as minimally as possible.
Sorry - was out of town with limited internet access (saw Stevie Nicks at The Gorge in Washington state).
Yes, I’ve heard there’ll be lineup changes and possibly rules updates (but no word on what those rules might be). There’s debate also as to whether to throw money at improving Genie, but nobody thinks that’s going to be a top priority. It’s all about Genie+ and ILL because those are revenue generators.
There shouldn’t be. The idea of Genie sounded nice until you realize that doing it right is extremely difficult (as you obviously know) and that Disney’s motivations for creating it and guests’ motivations for potentially using it aren’t particularly well aligned. When you can’t even trust the posted wait times all that often, why would you trust that a Disney-created itinerary (rope drop the carousel!) is the best way to make the most of your day in the park?
Whatever amount of resources they spent creating the recommendation engine would have been much better deployed just making the app more pleasant to use and not crash multiple times a day.
This is exactly how I feel. I obsessed about planning ahead using FPP and ADR when we went in 2018. But, then it was done and we went to WDW and I felt like I could enjoy myself with the family. And it felt like a successful trip. Now, I’m anxious about our trip and we’re not even going until October! And I’m going to have to train my husband on the app and Genie+ just to have a chance of booking what we want. BIG SIGH. I hope they make some changes.
Right? So it’s either involve another family member - who may or may not be interested in learning the thing - or understand the limitations that would come from just having one person working the process.
That’s what ILLs are.