Major Walt Disney World Changes Debut This Week

Just thought I'd point out a typo. It's called the Lexus Lane, not Lightning Lane, for obvious reasons.

Half a year ago, I wrote on this site I was looking forward visiting WDW again as soon as: enough people were vaccinated (USA is now at 55%?), the travel ban to the USA was lifted and fireworks, shows and parades were running at the parks again. Furthermore, this time around I would want to stay on site in Florida to have the full Walt Disney World Experience.

However, after the amount of service cut-backs (no Magical Express, half-hour early entry, you know the list) and ongoing price increases as well as the pay-to-play additions with Genie+ and Lightning Lane, I have decided to postpone my visit for the time being although the travel ban to visit the USA from Europe has been lifted.

Robert put forward that the price of certain special event tickets were too high for him, but might be right for someone else. I agree. And of course, the whole package of WDW is worth a good lot of people’s money.

Nevertheless, something has changed within me (sorry Elsa), and I’ll try to describe what that means.

First of all: I really don’t like my face to be rubbed in the fact that Disney can raise prices almost indefinitely but people will still come and that the company wants to rob me of my last cent.

It’s this corporate greed, this incredible hunger for more money-grabbing that has changed my attitude towards Disney. I don’t know if US-Americans are less sensitive towards companies blatantly putting out their need for your dough, but in Europe, wanting people’s money should not be what a company is foremost known for.

Of course I was aware that The Walt Disney Company is in it for the money and as a premium brand with extremely high brand recognition it can charge whatever the market is willing to pay for it. But since the Disney Company also claims to be a family-oriented brand, there is now too much friction in my perception towards their offering.

For me it started with the whole Avengers, Marvel and Star Wars acquisitions, brands based on violence, war and explosive conflict. Not something I associate with family friendly fare. But I was able to blend that out and focus on the story-telling and the beautiful art produced in their animated movies.

The story-telling quality remained, the enchantment of hand-drawn animation is gone. And it has been replaced by generic looking, Barbie-like dolls (just compare modell sheets of Ana, Elsa, Moana and Raya and THEN compare that with hand-drawn animation modell sheets). Or take a look at Sony’s Into the Spider-verse and how inventive they use computer animation.

So I cancelled Disney+ after a year.

The friction continued with Disneyland Paris not building anything new for over 10 years. During that time, I’ve visited Disneyland California and all the WDW parks + the Universal parks and now with the expansion plans for the absolutely horrible Studios Park in Paris delayed till 2028 (!!) I still don’t feel the need to return and pay double the price from 2009, the last time I visited and add Lightning Lane to just be able to ride the low capacity Crush’s Coaster, for example

And now I feel my emotional connection to Disney is somehow damaged. Not because of Disney being expensive, it has always been expensive. But because of the attitude. The arrogance the company is showing towards its long and loyal customers. Towards families with children. Paying 200$ per person for a few hours in the park? Charging 150$ for a day ticket per person AND adding paid Lightning Lane and Genie+ AND taking away Extra hours AND the Magic Express AND free on-site parking for hotel guests AND the list goes on.

You may ask: why do you care? Because it’s an emotional thing. Disney has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Me as a baby looking at a mirror with Thumper, my first movie in the cinema (Sleeping Beauty), watching Lion King in the cinema with my family after my grandmother died, working in Disneyland Paris as a young man at Phantom Manor, dancing when I first set foot in EPCOT: somehow it’s personal.

And to feel you are being taken advantage of, because you somehow crave that feeling of reassurance, that connection to the child in you but now there’s the feeling that the other side doesn’t care because they know someone else and enough others will pay to have that experience, makes me sad, angry and has caused the need to disconnect.

So I’ve unfollowed all Disney-related channels on social media. Themepark Insider is the only source I am still visiting because of its high quality and the great exchange between other theme park fans in the comments.

I just returned from a two-day visit to Efteling, the best theme park in the world. Paid 29 Euros / 34 Dollar for a weekday ticket (regular ticket would be 42 Euros) per person and had a magical experience. Efteling offers so many different attractions and experiences, it covers such a vast piece of land, it has become impossible to see everything in one day anymore. The park is only open from 10 am to 6 pm, which is a shame. But compared to a couple of years ago, the staff was so extremely friendly and service-oriented, the food-offerings and -quality increased and the attractions are still world-class.

So I have decided to start visiting other theme parks than Disney. I went to Phantasialand this summer with its incredibly themed coaster offerings and its amazingly beautiful hotels. I plan to finally visit Europa Park in Germany, Gardaland in Italy and if money allows, again go to Alton Towers in the UK.

Maybe we need this. I am reading several comments of people writing they are spending their money elsewhere, discovering other parks and parts of the world. I think we are somehow influencers in our own way. We are the ones who are the most emotionally invested in what makes Disney Disney. We are the ambassadors of this brand too. If we lose the fire, if we feel disconnected, that feeling will spread to the people we talk to, the people we used to take with us to the parks, watch the movies with, give advice on how to tackle the parks and to share the love with for what connects us with our inner child.

If that happens, maybe one day things will change for the better at Disney too.

I think the next few weeks will be a very interesting experiment. Sadly, it seems that Disney is fine experimenting on guests who planned their WDW vacation months ago and now have to pivot to adapt to a slew of new policies, parameters and variables. If I had scheduled a visit to WDW for the second half of this month, I would have instantly cancelled, because I think all of these changes could have a significant impact on the guest experience.

In my view, the Genie+ upgrade could be the most impactful change for guests. I think it's a complete crap shoot as to what percentage of guests will actually pay the $15 upgrade for Genie+. A part of me feels that the average WDW guest will not want to fork over even more money with skyrocketing ticket prices and other costs associated with a vacation. However, another part of me feels that enough people will purchase Genie+ and most WDW guests have enough experience with FP+ that they will need to mimic their past experience by succumbing to the upcharge for at least part of their trip. The problem is that if a majority of guests are buying Genie+, the minority of guests that don't buy the service will be at a significant disadvantage. Genie+ could be the most unpredictable change to Disney operations and park planning since the original Fastpass debuted over 20 years ago.

(Sarcasm)

What a great time to Visit Disney.

You can pay for an overpriced room with two beds in it complete with One small bathroom, no service from the Airport and an Upgrade change to actually ride on an attraction....

This is not at all what I want out of a vacation.
I get up whenever visit whatever park on whatever day.

I do not want a Part time job planning a vacation months in advance guessing at what moment I want to to what...

What is next for Disney, upcharge for Toilet paper in the parks... Planned bathroom schedule...?

In some ways 30 minutes magic morning hours is more obnoxious than none at all.

The poor dad who doesn't speak English, or is on a super tight budget or isn't experienced going to theme parks, his family will be waiting in godforsaken lines all day while everyone else is Genie+ plussing past him.

And now, that new ride you wanted so desperately to ride: You can wait in a four hour standby, or you can pay EVEN MORE. So disrespectful.

Good idea Dutchwork - you should even consider expanding out of theme parks and see what Mother Nature or what ancient man has to offer!

@DutchDuck - You took the words right out of my mouth.

@Tiptop22: I always make longer journeys of four to five weeks to discover new areas of the world when traveling, be it cities, nature or themeparks.

What is meant by "ancient man"?

@Rob McCullough: I really had to get that off of my chest and am glad to hear other Disney fans have similar feelings about what is happening to their connection with Disney.

I don't think the next few weeks will tell much. Every blogger will be buying it every day figuring out their new and improved "Touring Plan". Locals will try it out for curiosity. Lots of uninformed visitors will buy it not knowing anything about how it works, probably thinking it's like a Universal Unlimited Express. Forcing Disney to make signage everywhere clearly stating the rules.
Disney will probably be doing giveaways to AP holders randomly to try and get them hooked.
I think it will be a sh$%t show for a few weeks and then again during the holidays.

Again, just reminding me of my age to vividly recall the days before the Internet when you had no idea what a line would be like and took your chances with a two hour wait now and then.

I get concerns even if I don't get as upset about it (and this coming from a huge Disney park fan). Yet I do acknowledge I'm troubled at some Disney decisions as of late and get why they're doing them but not liking it.

Again, the excellent observation from David Koeing on "everyone knows Disney is a business. They just hate it when it acts that way." That said, it's not a good thing to alienate your key customer base and Disney seems to be ignoring that more in the last several years. When long-time loyalists like us can be affected, that should be a warning for the company.

@MrTorrance - Which is why I think Disney's decision to make this change now with such minimal notice very peculiar. I agree that WDW is going to be a complete MESS over the next few months with advise from so-called "experts" all over the place as to how to work with, around, over, and under all of the new operational changes. Disney has trained a majority of its visitors to plan ahead and everything else that WDW does is geared directly towards those pre-planners - park hours, maintenance windows, new attraction/event announcements, etc... Everything at WDW is planned and announced months in advance, yet over the past 2 months, Disney has given scant advanced notice for major changes. Even minor changes (like the opening of Space 220) have been done with far less notice than is typical.

When WDW first announced they were going to flip the switches in mid-October, it made absolutely no sense. It's almost like Disney has completely lost touch with their biggest and most vocal fans. While the next 2 weeks are not the busiest time of the year, they have become some of the most popular weeks for loyal visitors to come to WDW because of a confluence of factors - Halloween and the quick transition to Christmas during the first week of November, minor holidays that allow families additional days off to visit during a less crowded time of the year versus Winter Break, Spring Break, and Summer, EPCOT Food and Wine, and other events at competing parks. This year added the 50th Anniversary celebration as well as the anticipation for new attractions and experiences that have already debuted.

Yet here comes WDW operations to muck things up and stick their thumb into guests that come to Orlando on a pretty regular/routine basis during this time of year. Perhaps Disney wanted to test their new toys out on their regulars before unleashing them against the uneducated masses that will arrive in December, but the timing of this does seem really tone deaf, particularly since the loyal, frequent visitors are the ones bearing the brunt of Disney's wrath to squeeze every last penny following the losses inflicted by COVID. I realize Disney couldn't keep Genie+ in the bottle until 2022, and launching it in the uber slow weeks of early November might not have yielded much valuable data.

Let's face it, the people visiting over the next few weeks are probably some of the core fans that Disney would want to hold onto. Many of them likely saw their fall vacations last year curtailed, delayed, or cancelled due to COVID, and were excited to return to a sense of normalcy at WDW with a full slate of attractions with few limitations, and the weight of FP+ finally lifted off their shoulders. Now, those guests planning on enjoying a traditional fall visit to WDW are being faced with the prospect of an increased charge to consider. It's a bait and switch for those guests, and given the nominal cost for Genie+ (depending on the size of your family), I agree with MrTorrance that most return visitors will pay it, while most first timers will buy in too because they're too stupid not to pay it. That means we end up with a WDW that is virtually identical to what it was pre-COVID with guests using Genie+ just as they did FP+ less the 30-60+ day reservation window. The only substantial difference will be that Disney will be "profiting" off the system. The question will be is whether the $15/day each person spends on Genie+ results in a net increase in per-cap spending, or if guests cut back their spending in other areas (food/souvenirs/tours/experiences) to pay for Genie+.

As far as the upcharge Lightning Lane attractions, I just don't think a lot of guests will use that option. WDW vacations are just too expensive to justify spending an additional $15 per ride just to cut a line (most of which were averaging 1-2 hours during the summer when it was all-standby all the time). While the cost of Lightning Lane compared to the overall trip cost is very low, I think visitors value their money once they step into the gate, and won't be so quick to part with their money on something as intangible as a single line skipping pass. Maybe I'm misreading the Drones (I've been wrong on their behavior before), but I just don't see a large percentage of guests throwing cash to circumvent a single line - most would probably rather find another "free" way around the line or calculate how many Mickey Bars they can buy for what it currently costs to cut 60 minutes off the RotR line.

Which brings me back to what I think is happening with WDW...Disney no longer cares about guest loyalty, fanaticism, frequency of visits, etc... Their new strategies are COMPLETELY targeted towards first time (or very infrequent) visitors. Disney no longer wants people coming every 12-24 months (or even more frequently). They want "new" (stupid) money coming to Orlando every single day, and value those dollars far more than those of us that come to WDW on a regular basis. I started to get that feeling about a decade ago, but these most recent changes really hammer that home for me.

I was at Shocktoberfest with my fiends at the weekend, we all go to Orlando annually and all are equally addicted. The unanimous consensus is that WDW is now off-limits. We refuse to buy 14 day passes, which increase significantly annually, x amount of $25 dollars to park during our 14 days and now pay up to $15 each for the premier attractions. I hope we become part of the loud majority, not the silent minority as Disney need to realise their incessant hubris has now overstepped the threshold of acceptability and affordability. Entertainment and enjoyment should not come at any price Disney which to set.

We are relishing our Discovery Cove Ultimate ticket and our annual pilgrimage to KSC.

Who needs the Mouse? Not us!

As I’ll be visiting the Parks during the Easter holiday, I’ve pretty resigned myself to shelling out for both Genie+ and Lightning Lane. One thing that I’ve recently discovered about Genie+ though, is that you can only make one ‘fast pass’ reservation, per ride. So, once I’ve used it for, let’s say, Haunted Mansion, that’s it! I can’t make another. I’m struggling to find any redeemable qualities in this new system.

@DutchDuck - well said. I'm sad for us all.

@RussellMeyer: That's actually not a new attitude. Even in late '90s, I'd hear the talk from Imagineers and execs on "we're not doing stuff for the folks who go two or three times a month, we're aiming at the folks who go in two or three years."

I got that feeling as from '91-95 my family lived in Jacksonville so would visit WDW a few times a year. After we moved back to Chicago, it was once a year and saw the differences in how it felt. Which just grew when visits became every few years instead.

So, really, we're just seeing a doubling down on what had always been an unspoken policy of Disney to go more for the first-timers/every other year guests rather than the constant visitors.

As for me? Well, I'll gladly risk a longer line rather than pay more as, to be frank, I'm rather frugal with cash and used to long waits but some folks will have a different attitude.

@80sman "So, once I’ve used it for, let’s say, Haunted Mansion, that’s it! I can’t make another."

Holy crap, is that true!? With Genie+ you can only get one fastpast per ride per day??? Obnoxious.

It's funny just how, well, fast we got used to Fast Pass.

I remember my very first trip to WDW in 1999 with it, marveling it, then annoyed a ticket for hours ahead before it hit me I was complaining about getting an easy fast spot in a line after 15 years of visits with regular standby line.

Then it got way so complex and now even more convoluted. I miss being able to "plan on the fly" a bit at WDW, now you need every single hour planned out in detail months before you go.

I'm definitely going to be watching this one closely to get an idea of how it might impact my visit in December. My gut feeling is that if a relatively small proportion of visitors buy Genie+ (say 10-20%) it probably won't make a whole lot of difference for the average guest, but if a larger chunk subscribe (say 40+%) then it becomes pseudo-mandatory to experience a reasonable number of attractions in a day. Personally, I'm more likely to buy the Lightning Lane access for a specific ride if it's one I haven't done before and can't easily ride otherwise rather than getting Genie+ for the day, and I wouldn't be surprised if more guests are along those lines. I doubt the planner or early entry will have much of an impact for anyone who doesn't use them.

The expense of all this, both due to the increase in ticket prices and the upcharges on systems like Genie, is a big reason why I'm just doing two days at WDW on my visit this year (vs. four at Universal plus one at SeaWorld). A two-day hopper is roughly the same as a four day, one park per day was five years ago, and if two days prove sufficient to get in the highlights of the four parks (possibly with a couple Lightning Lanes added for good measure), I honestly don't see myself ever doing a long visit to WDW again. Like I've said elsewhere, I think the current strategies being employed by Disney are really good in the short term, but might come back to bite them in a decade when those visiting now don't feel it worthwhile to visit again and attendance drops off due to the market of first time visitors drying up. On both coasts, Disney is going hard toward catering to infrequent visitors at the expense of regular visitors, which is a high risk, high reward game.

I’m fine with Genie+ and Lightning Lane due to it’s only allowing one ride for each attraction participating in it(And when you factor in how much Universal charges for their Front of the line passes, it’s a much cheaper than what Universal charges).

Though, I’m still interested how queue wait times will change with this new system.

I don't get it, all those negative comments. Disney isn't on top anymore for themed environments or innovations in rides and shows. They try to keep up with Universal Studios and Legoland an KiteFail all the time. But when they do something very innovative, using the same financial model as (the much beloved) EA in most of it's games, they get a lot of hate.
And what is 15 bucks extra, a cup of coffee, one Mickey ear, the left sleeve of a t-shirt? It's nothing for getting the honor to ride some attractions Disney people call amazing.
And that extra high price for that blockbuster ride is nothing after you ignored your kids for most of the year. You can buy off your guilt and slam a smile on that little face by flashing your credit card. That is pure magic. And haven't we been trained for over a decade in paying more for less, yes we have and we kept coming.
So don't go to Efteling or Universal Studios, those places where you can have a "relaxing" vacation but aren't permitted to hit or spit on a castmember or slap a guest over a souvenir in the face. No wine mom will like your photo on the socials if it hasn't got a princess or a Mickey in it.
So kneel to Bob Paycheck and donate to the most magicali-grab-your-money place on Earth and kneel to D.I.N.O.(Dinsey In Name Only).

I’ll be going to Epcot next Tuesday which might be the worst park for virtual queues and paid Fast Pass. I’ll see if Genie+ is a total waste of money though the cost is similar to Universal Express if you break it down per line skipped.

@80sman …. It’s my understanding that you can only hold 1 ride reservation at a time, not 1 and done for the day. I also haven’t found where you can only ride 1 attraction the once, for that day. Again, the way I read it was, having used your 1st reservation, then any ride becomes available, even if that means you going back onto the one you just got off ??

Trouble as I see it, is getting a decent time slot for the ride(s) you actually want to go on. Sure, Dumbo might be available at 9:30am, but 7DMT isn’t available until 4:15 !! So, you are faced with a choice, ride more ‘smaller’ rides and get some value for your Genie+ $15, or wait until 4:15 to go on 7DMT, and see if anything is available after that. But wait, that’s why there’s LL !?!?

I was all ready to go to DAK on the 19th, to pay my $15, and see how many times I could ride FofP in a day, but ….. a torn Achilles tendon has me binge watching Game of Thrones, instead of playing with Disney’s new toy. Bummer, to say the least.

Nope. Disney is NOT damaging it's brand in any shape, way or form. Not NOW and not in the future. It must be my own feverish imagination and that deep resentment of My childhood when thinkerbell refused to passby again during the fireworks so i can take the photo properly. Good. That's settled.

@thecokonel @ Makorider, here’s an example of a genie+ faq question (not sure if I’m able to link to the site on here, but will mention it if I can):

“Can I repeat attractions? Like if my kid LOVES Peter Pan, can I just get Genie+ reservations for that all day?
As of now, it looks like you will not be able to repeat attractions with Genie+. Once you get and use a return time for an attraction, you will not be able to obtain another one for that attraction during that park day. Same for Individual Lightning Lane Access: you can only purchase access once per attraction per day.”

I’ve read this in several guides and faqs now, and seen it in a couple of videos, so I’m leaning towards it being a thing which, of course, sucks! This whole new system feels like a huge step backwards from both Fastpass and Fastpass+, with Disney essentially saying “Not only are we going to charge you for something that used to be free, but we’re also going to limit how it’s used, even more”.

(Blows dust off of Orlando Sentinel Letters to the Editor section from 1986)

"Disney is too expensive. Disney is too crowded. Disney is no longer family friendly."

(Chuckle)

NEXT!

It does sound like we need some more information regarding how Genie+ and Lightning Lane works in the parks. Disney was pretty clear in stating that individual Lightning Lane attractions (top 2 attractions in each park where guests pay a 1-time dynamic price to avoid the standby line) were not repeatable and guests were limited to a total of two (2) attractions per day. However, no such limitations were announced for Lightning Lane for the remainder of the attractions through Genie+ (1-time $15 per day fee). My initial read of the way Genie+ would work is that it was essentially identical to the way MaxPass worked at Disneyland/DCA, where the only limitation guests had was the return time available for attractions (if all the FP availability for the day was consumed at noon, there were no FPs available with MaxPass), but guests could ride the same attraction through the FP queue as many times as they wanted.

If Genie+ limits the number of times a guest can ride a single attraction through the Lightning Lane, that would significantly decrease the value of the $15/day/person upcharge. For me, it would be very disappointing if they limited guests, because frankly a lot of the attractions available with Lightning Lane are not worth the hassle and so rarely have significant standby lines that you wouldn't want to waste a Lightning Lane reservation when you could use that time to reserve a superior attraction (Dumbo, Little Mermaid, The Land, Tough to be a Bug, etc... pale in comparison to BTMRR, TestTrack, Soarin', Kali, etc...).

Hopefully Disney will provide some clarity on this situation or guests on the ground in Orlando can see if Genie+ is artificially limiting selections or forcing guests away from re-rides.

@Russell Meyer, I completely agree. I also thought/assumed that Genie+ would work as per the old system. Unfortunately, having just searched some more, I’m seeing the ‘no re-rides’ rule being reported on even more sites. If this does turn out to be confirmed by Disney, I think it’s quite sneaky that they never mentioned it, beforehand.

@80sMan - Yeah, I'm seeing the no re-rides through Lightning Lane aspect of Genie+ starting to spread through many of the fan sites too. I can kind of see the rationale behind this from Disney's perspective (it helps to level the playing field for guests of varying experience and knowledge levels), but from a guest perspective it's a real deal-killer IMHO. Some rides are just meant to be ridden multiple times on a single visit like many of the coasters (different seats - I can only imagine the demand for front seats now that guests will be essentially limited to 2 or 3 rides per day on a given ride, depending on standby waits), the numerous gaming-based attractions (TSM, Buzz Lightyear, and MFSR), and the attractions with oodles of detail and variable ride programing (like Haunted Mansion, Pirates, RnR, and ToT). It just doesn't make any sense for Disney to deliberately deter guests from riding attractions multiple times. It undermines the work that Imagineers do to flood attractions with details, variability, and depth in order to widen and lengthen the appeal of an attraction. Why should Imagineers bother making attractions so good if Operations is going to prevent guests from re-riding and falling in love with their creations?

Disney has some explaining to do, because this limitation is like cutting off their nose to spite their face!

Yes Russell, this no re-rides is exactly why I said it was going to be a sh#$t show. Guest services will be swamped with complaints and they will need to increase signages all over so people know what crud they are actually purchasing.
Or, very unlikely, they will need to add re-rides, with an upcharge of'course!
Another $15 for every attraction you want to ride again.

Or the no re-rides policy can be clearly stipulated at the time of purchase.

@Mr. Torrance: How will we know if guest services has been "swamped with complaints"?

"Or the no re-rides policy can be clearly stipulated at the time of purchase."

There's no doubt about that TH, because while Disney was clear about the limitations on the single attraction Lightning Lane upcharge when they announced the new program (no re-rides and only 2 allowed per day), there was no mention of this limitation on Lightning Lane attractions reserved through Genie+. The only way this policy is getting publicized is because many regulars and bloggers who live in Orlando went to the parks on Day 1 and discovered it AFTER they bought Genie+. If guests are going to continue to be prohibited from securing another Lightning Lane reservation for an attraction they already experienced through Lightning Lane, that limitation needs to be spelled out clearly BEFORE a guest is asked to submit payment information - not something you find out through a blog or 3rd party website.

As far as complaints, Mr. Torrance was merely surmising that guest services would be "swamped with complaints" if this rule is not clearly articulated during the purchase process, which it does not currently appear to be. If I was at WDW today and paid $45 for my family of 3 to have Genie+ for the day and found out afterwards that the system would not allow us to get a second Lightning Lane reservation for a popular ride like ToT or MFSR, we'd be racing to guest services for a refund the moment we realized Disney was putting unadvertised limitations on our use of the system. Unfortunately, the only way we'll be able to tell if guest services gets a bunch of complaints is if they reverse course on this ridiculous limitation or there are pages of anecdotes from guests on message boards and fan sites.

RM: "The only way this policy is getting publicized is because many regulars and bloggers who live in Orlando went to the parks on Day 1 and discovered it AFTER they bought Genie+."

Me: And if this becomes a real problem, where guests are "swamping" guest services with complaints, is there any doubt Disney will respond and address the problem?

By the way kudos to Dutchduck for reporting: "So I cancelled Disney+ after a year."

For all the Disney bashing on this site's threads it is rare (if ever) a Disney "hater" commits to breaking away from the company and all of its franchises.

@TH Creative: I'm #donewithdisney for now like I and others wrote: there are many other parks and beautiful places to visit.
And I really think there is a difference between the complaints about Disney being expensive in the past and just being outrageously greedy now. The difference is the part of your income a stay at Disney is costing back then and now.

@Duck: Disney does not have a monopoly on product pricing outpacing income. Likewise, Disney's overhead costs are going up every bit as much as it is for other business models. It's not necessarily limited to greed. It could be a matter of long term survival of a business model where the parent company sustains ownership.

By the way, just visited Dollywood for the first time on Monday. With parking around $200 to walk in the place.

Upgrade available for preferred parking. Front of the line option upgrade available. $30+ for two bad cheeseburgers (cold), two orders of bad fries (cold) and two 10 oz. cups of soda that (according to the sign) were supposed to be 16 oz. cups of soda.

Anyone here wanna start berating Ms. Parton about greed, price and value? I hope not. Because they shouldn't!

I'm guessing that the "no re-rides" policy is intended to reduce Lightning Lane demand on headline attractions. You do have the option of getting in the standby line for an attraction AND using the Lightning Lane for that same ride at another time of the day.

Still a fan - I have no doubt that you've hit on the rationale, but the issue is that this limitation is not clearly identified anywhere on the app when guests are making the decision to purchase Genie+. Given that Disney does not plan to limit the number of guests who can buy Genie+ for the day, they've got to have some type of mechanism to ensure that there are some top Lightning Lane choices for guests who arrive later in the day. However, Disney has to be clear up front that this is in place, because frequent visitors coming to WDW for the first time since this system has been available will assume that it operates similar to MaxPass, and this limitation significantly distances the operation and use of Genie+ from MaxPass.

I think disappointments happened often with FP, too.

TH. Actually there is very little " Disney Bashing " in here, only a few complaints, an thats because of our common love for Disney's theme parks, and the memories. Some of US ( not everyone of course ) feel sad with this tsunami of changes that have an impact on our vacations and limit the visits of old and loyal fans with our families. I come here for civil comentary and the insigth of more seasoned fans ( like You ) If I wanted Disney Bashing I go to You Tube where hordes of howlering monkeys destroy the company and announces it's downfall by next quarter. Some of US are venting a little and some others are planning to go elsewhere to pass the holidays. We can only hope somebody at Disney take notice. We are true fans .