WDW Magic Kingdom: General Discussion

[Benjsh]

Here at Disney at the moment and staying on property, having a really good time and is amazing to be back in Florida!

However lack of maintenance is becoming apparent in some areas and on some rides too. Splash Mountain is practically falling apart, however I may let this slip due to the refurb but it’s in a really bad state!

The whole Genie thing is super annoying! I went to MK today and it was super busy and it was advising me 2/3 hour waits until my next lighting lane. Admittedly I went a couple of days earlier and used it and it was amaing and managed to practically do everything!

Price incecreases are noticeable too but this could be because of how bad the £ is.

How much have you paid in fastpass then over a typical day at MK if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Excalibur]

How much have you paid in fastpass then over a typical day at MK if you don't mind me asking?

I’m paying for 2 people around £31/32 a day when I use it. I got a refund on it though yesterday as having to wait 2-3 sometime FOUR hour gap is ridiculous.

Guest services when explained told me I should be aiming at 2-3 rides her day anything else is a bonus… I did look at her with a blank expression because that is simply ridiculous to say.

Honestly, Genie is awful. They need to go back to Fast Pass and even if they charge for that it worked so much better than the current system in place. However I think it’s here to stay unfortunately.

 

[AT86]

Guest services when explained told me I should be aiming at 2-3 rides her day anything else is a bonus… I did look at her with a blank expression because that is simply ridiculous to say.

That is the ‘official line’ with Genie+ now, they expect you to get 2/3 attractions done with it per day. The whole thing has been a complete mess from the start.

 

[Benjsh]

I had no idea it was that bad. They are definitely going to change it then as I imagine they will be getting bombarded with complaints. Paid fastpass at Disney won't be going anywhere now though sadly. They will just tweak the system.

 

[John]

When it's just 2 rides per person it's a complete scam. Just give up on the whole thing and go LL only as DLP have.

 

[jon81uk]

I’m paying for 2 people around £31/32 a day when I use it. I got a refund on it though yesterday as having to wait 2-3 sometime FOUR hour gap is ridiculous.

Guest services when explained told me I should be aiming at 2-3 rides her day anything else is a bonus… I did look at her with a blank expression because that is simply ridiculous to say.

Honestly, Genie is awful. They need to go back to Fast Pass and even if they charge for that it worked so much better than the current system in place. However I think it’s here to stay unfortunately.

To be fair there used to be big gaps like that with old paper FastPass too, for example Toy Story Mania used to fully distribute all return times within half hour of opening or less and then you couldn't collect another return time for two hours, by which time the return time you get would often be a further two hours or more away.
It depended on the park of course, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom had fewer Fast Pass attractions and more shows while Magic Kingdom has a lot more attractions, but there were some days were you might only get three paper Fast Passes back then.
Of course there were other days where you could get a return time that was sooner than the standby queue!
The new Genie+ is basically the same with the additional faff of being able to book at 7am if you are onsite.

The major issue is the attendance has grown but the capacity hasn't, everyone wants to ride the newest and most popular rides but there isn't enough space for everyone.
Going back to the old paper fastpass would be similar to Genie+ really, just without the fee and FastPass+ wasn't much better its just some rides sold out 60 days in advance, but at least you knew you had three things booked in.
Personally I think the 7am thing should go and you can't get a return time unless physically within the park.
Or just do away with it all and have fast moving regular queues only, no FastPass at all.

 

[Excalibur]

Another issue is though with Fast Pass you used to be able to book three at the start of the day.

At the start of the day now your only allowed to book one at a time and that’s throughout the whole day until you’ve checked into that attraction or ride.

I do agree the 7am thing is ridiculous they’ve turned it into a military operation on when you have to get up and book things.

However, Guardians was a blissful experience booking because it has a virtual que and managed to get in it with ease and then also paid for a lighting lane as it was so good.

 

[Benjsh]

Crazy that after spending hundreds of pounds to enter these parks you're having to pay more to get on certain rides.

Absolute disgrace really.

 

[Burbs]

However, Guardians was a blissful experience booking because it has a virtual que and managed to get in it with ease and then also paid for a lighting lane as it was so good.

How long did you have to wait once joining the physical queue when your time rolled around?

 

[Excalibur]

How long did you have to wait once joining the physical queue when your time rolled around?

15/20 mins max? If that?

 

[jon81uk]

Another issue is though with Fast Pass you used to be able to book three at the start of the day.

At the start of the day now your only allowed to book one at a time and that’s throughout the whole day until you’ve checked into that attraction or ride.

I do agree the 7am thing is ridiculous they’ve turned it into a military operation on when you have to get up and book things.

However, Guardians was a blissful experience booking because it has a virtual que and managed to get in it with ease and then also paid for a lighting lane as it was so good.

No, with FastPass+ you could book three in advance and that only launched in 2013 lasting through to the pandemic in 2020. Original FastPass from 1999 to 2013 had guests collect a return time ticket which were one at a time.
The old FastPass system at least didn’t need much pre-planning, that’s the main issue with the current one for me, the collection of return times starts at 7am not park opening.

 

[Squiggs]

At the start of the day now your only allowed to book one at a time and that’s throughout the whole day until you’ve checked into that attraction or ride.

There is also a caveat where you can get two at the same time. The two hour rule allows you to book a second after two hours, if your original booking was over two hours away.

It is an odd system, you basically need an instruction manual to get the most out of it.

 

[AT86]

I appreciate that the Fastpass+ system and the booking of attractions at 60 or 30 days ahead wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, personally it didn’t bother me having to sit down 60 days ahead of the trip and book those major fast passes.

For me it was part of the build up to the trip and meant you arrived knowing you had secured your place for the major rides that you wanted to do, kind of important on a holiday that doesn’t come around very often and is costing thousands of pounds.

The Genie+ system seems to be the worst of all worlds to me. Not only do you have to pay extra for it - but on top of that, instead of spending one day 60 days ahead booking those fast passes, you now need to be up at 7am each morning of your holiday to be in with a chance of getting just 2 or 3 rides done on an average day.

I know a Disney holiday is not the same as laying by the beach for 2 weeks in Spain, but I still don’t want to be up for 7am on my holiday.

 

[Plastic Person]

I appreciate that the Fastpass+ system and the booking of attractions at 60 or 30 days ahead wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, personally it didn’t bother me having to sit down 60 days ahead of the trip and book those major fast passes.

For me it was part of the build up to the trip and meant you arrived knowing you had secured your place for the major rides that you wanted to do, kind of important on a holiday that doesn’t come around very often and is costing thousands of pounds.

I get where you're coming from in terms of anticipation, but it always just felt fundamentally daft to me, sitting down in March in order to reserve a seat on Big Thunder Mountain in May. Fair enough if it's Rise Of The Resistance, or something equally new, shiny and spectacular, but I've already been on er, Living With The Land. Once was enough. The policy of literally not being able to ride GOTG or ROTR once you're in the park is ruthless, and must catch so many guests out on the day.

I don't think I'll ever bother with WDW again. You get more out of three or four days across the two adjacent parks in California, and when you tire of those, you're not just stuck in the swampy cultural wasteland of Central Florida. Universal have my heart for the foreseeable.

 

[jon81uk]

There is also a caveat where you can get two at the same time. The two hour rule allows you to book a second after two hours, if your original booking was over two hours away.

It is an odd system, you basically need an instruction manual to get the most out of it.

Old FastPass had the same two hour rule, you could get a new return time after the first one had started or two hours from collecting the pass. Anyone familiar with the pre-2013 system should be familiar with Genie+. Only difference is you now book on the app instead of collecting paper slips and at WDW you can collect from 7am if staying onsite (Disneyland is still from park opening).

The policy of literally not being able to ride GOTG or ROTR once you're in the park is ruthless, and must catch so many guests out on the day.

You can now do Rise of the Resistance on standby. Only had a five minute wait earlier this week apparently.

 

[Benjsh]

Old FastPass had the same two hour rule, you could get a new return time after the first one had started or two hours from collecting the pass. Anyone familiar with the pre-2013 system should be familiar with Genie+. Only difference is you now book on the app instead of collecting paper slips and at WDW you can collect from 7am if staying onsite (Disneyland is still from park opening).


You can now do Rise of the Resistance on standby. Only had a five minute wait earlier this week apparently.

If you go to WDW in September when all the kids in the world have just gone back in school I'm sure you'd have an amazing time and wouldn't even need fast pass tbh.

This is probably true of most Theme Park resorts in the world. I envy anyone who has this option. I sadly can't with an 8year old son in school.

 

[jon81uk]

If you go to WDW in September when all the kids in the world have just gone back in school I'm sure you'd have an amazing time and wouldn't even need fast pass tbh.

This is probably true of most Theme Park resorts in the world. I envy anyone who has this option. I sadly can't with an 8year old son in school.

The quoted tweet was more to show that it does have a standby queue as Rise opened without one.
But yes waits are much shorter in September, at the Seaworld parks last week all coasters were walk-on but Universal did get some hour long queues.

 

[Plastic Person]

But yes waits are much shorter in September, at the Seaworld parks last week all coasters were walk-on but Universal did get some hour long queues.

Halloween Horror Nights is such a big draw now that it has presumably played a part in Universal not having the absolute dead season that was once guaranteed. Their hotel occupancy is through the roof.

 

[Burbs]

I'm not defending Disney here, but a few things I've picked up from the Genie+ system of late:

• It's not designed to be an instant fast pass system. From how I see it, it runs similar to how RAP works at the UK parks but is usable by all guests.
• Yes there's a chance you'll only get 2 or 3 rides out of it per day, but it works as a virtual queue - nothing is stopping you waiting in a standby queue/seeing a show/having food in the meantime. If you visit on a busy day and want to use it for Seven Dwarfs/Jungle Cruise/Space Mountain, you're going to be locked out for longer than if you wanted to use it to quickly nip on Barnstormer.
• Guardians of the Galaxy uses a separate system to Genie+. Disney Genie (not +) is free for all and largely serves as a glorified queue times app, which includes use of Virtual Line - the only way to get on to Guardians of the Galaxy. All other attractions use Lightning Lane, which aside from a handful of E-ticket rides is free on Genie+.
• I don't see it as that expensive. Yes it's not free like it used to be, but at $15 a day, it doesn't seem like much on top of what you're already paying for your holiday. I'm at WDW next week and we've got it included in our ticket package for just $7/day. I'm also not denying that I'd rather they sacked off all form of fast pass and just have one standby queue per ride, but hey, that's irreversible.
• Yes, it's bloody complicated! I've tried to get my head around how to navigate the app but still can't work it out fully. Simple and user-friendly it is not.

 

[Benjsh]

I'm not defending Disney here, but a few things I've picked up from the Genie+ system of late:

• It's not designed to be an instant fast pass system. From how I see it, it runs similar to how RAP works at the UK parks but is usable by all guests.
• Yes there's a chance you'll only get 2 or 3 rides out of it per day, but it works as a virtual queue - nothing is stopping you waiting in a standby queue/seeing a show/having food in the meantime. If you visit on a busy day and want to use it for Seven Dwarfs/Jungle Cruise/Space Mountain, you're going to be locked out for longer than if you wanted to use it to quickly nip on Barnstormer.
• Guardians of the Galaxy uses a separate system to Genie+. Disney Genie (not +) is free for all and largely serves as a glorified queue times app, which includes use of Virtual Line - the only way to get on to Guardians of the Galaxy. All other attractions use Lightning Lane, which aside from a handful of E-ticket rides is free on Genie+.
• I don't see it as that expensive. Yes it's not free like it used to be, but at $15 a day, it doesn't seem like much on top of what you're already paying for your holiday. I'm at WDW next week and we've got it included in our ticket package for just $7/day. I'm also not denying that I'd rather they sacked off all form of fast pass and just have one standby queue per ride, but hey, that's irreversible.
• Yes, it's bloody complicated! I've tried to get my head around how to navigate the app but still can't work it out fully. Simple and user-friendly it is not.

I presume you're a young lad with no kids??? Times that by 3/4 and you're looking at an extra 60 dollars per day for your average family. It adds up.