Disney Genie service deeply unpopular among fans before it has launched

ApolloAndy said:

What am I missing?

People that already go gaga over unique merchandise are seduced by something that combines that with Epcot days of yore. It takes them back to one of the last remaining pieces of the park before Bob Iger and Bob Chapek "broke" it.

I'm sure people would say the same thing about going to Disney in the first place or coaster enthusiasm, so maybe it's just a "different strokes for different folks" kind of thing?

I think that is the most of it. I think spending time and money on t-shirts for a visit to Disney is crazy. LOL I like people waiting in line for haunts at CP because its fewer people in line for coasters. And people waiting in line for character meet/greets at Disney because its fewer people in line for rides. But there are reasons those things are offered. People like them and want them to be part of their visits. I think the popcorn is in that camp.

There is also some herd mentality too. People are waiting 6 hours so it must be amazing. And when I come back from my trip and tell my friends/family we didn't get the popcorn, they will be shocked and think I am crazy for missing out. Most people wouldn't but some would. Back in 1990, I had 2 friends who lived in Cincy who waiting in a very long line to get World Series tickets. They knew I was a Reds fan so they got 2 tickets for me (limit was 2 per person). One friend was not a baseball fan. She just thought the excitement of the process was fun and wasn't going to the game. Friends at work the following Monday asked her if they managed to get tickets. They were all excited for her when she said yes. And told her it would be a lot of fun to go to the game. When she told them she wasn't going, they were shocked. She eventually changed her mind and went. I lost one of the tickets. Friend of mine I invited was disappointed I had to take the ticket back but he understood it was out of my control.

Yes, even presidents who think that presidents control gas prices are, maybe not stupid, but obviously pandering to people who think it's true.

Pandering isn't random. Its based on knowing there are people who don't understand the given issue. And for their entire lives (in addition to lacking a basic understanding of economics), people have heard politicians/teams taking credit for everything good under the sun and blaming the other team for everything bad. And elections are often won or lost based on confusing correlation with causation. Shouldn't be a surprise that some people believe them. Thought ultimately I think true but not neutral news reporting is more dangerous than stupid.

It's not a surprise, it's disappointment in American education.

Figment Popcorn Buckets are hitting $1,000 on eBay

$1025 with 10 bids already?? I guess we were all wrong about how much people would be willing to pay.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/beanie-babies-mania-ends-bankruptcy...d=19785126

Raven-Phile said:

$1025 with 10 bids already?? I guess we were all wrong about how much people would be willing to pay.

I'll still be surprised if that isn't relisted.

If there was someone giving away free $1000 bills but the line was 6 hours, I still wouldn't wait for that ****.

^ I call bull****.

Most seem to be selling for in the neighborhood of $120 on ebay. Clearly Disney is not charging enough for their overpriced popcorn.

There are a lot of people who work 8+ hours a day at their job (often one they don't particularly like) and are expected to actually get some things done who don't walk away with $1000 when they leave for the day. And people who work 40 hours a week at said job and don't walk away with $1000. So I expect there would be a lot of people willing to stand in a line for 6 hours for $1000.

And if you can buy more than one, $120 still would make economic sense for some people.

Apparently it's not just Disney that has rabid fans. Who knew Dollar Tree has fanatics? They sure are upset about the price increase.

I still can't get the weird taste out of my mouth from the waxy fake Dollar Tree chocolate my grandmother put in my Easter basket 30 years ago.

The dollar store in my neighborhood, 99-Cent Dreams, had a sign that said "Everything 99 Cents or More" which struck me as a completely unimpressive claim.

(Also, "99-Cent Dreams" ought to be the title of a movie, a series, something.)

SFMM has followed suit. They now offer a single use Flash Pass option for West Coast Racers, Full Throttle, Goliath, and Twisted Colossus.

Goliath seems like a really weird addition there given the age and capacity (bingo!). Is X2, Tatsu, and S:EfK all seem like better candidates? Or was it just they need a fourth ride to stick on there and didn't feel like giving away all the headliners?

A lot of all-day Flash Pass levels only include one ride on X2 or Tatsu anyway, so maybe it’s more a capacity thing?

ApolloAndy said:

What am I missing?

Anyone remember Beanie Babies?

My lack of understanding about the fanaticism over merchandise is only eclipsed by my lack of understanding about the fanaticism over NFTs. It's been explained to me and I still don't get it.

We were in Epcot on Saturday...where the Figment line was still long (3-4 hours) but not the 7 hours it was on Friday. My initial thought: "Those things are ugly". There were three groups of people in the park Saturday. Knuckleheads standing in that line. Those of us making fun of those knuckleheads standing in line. And, drunk people who didn't really know what park they were in.

Did the Genie service ruin my trip? No. We did Epcot, Studios on Sunday and MK on Monday. We did not pay for the Genie but we did most everything we wanted to do. Skipped Remy because we had done it previously. 30 minute wait for Test Track because we got in before park opening since we were resort guests. Soarin' was only about 35 minutes. About an hour for Frozen but that was in the heart of the day so that wasn't a surprise. The food kiosk lines were long...though it appeared that was mostly due to staffing issues.

Studios day was similar with lines...though we did gut it out and wait in the Standby line for Rise for nearly 3 hours. (This time I'm the knucklehead). We've been twice before and landed the virtual line...only to have it break down. So, we were determined to ride it this time. The time in line was not as significant as the lack of movement. Standing in place really takes a toll on my body as I get older. At least some of the other long lines we stood in throughout the weekend moved. This one is just awful...even though they do have a lot of seating areas built into the line. (Great ride...of course...which has been reviewed by others).

Magic Kingdom was a pleasant surprise on Monday. Lines weren't bad at all...even with Splash closed for maintenance. Again, I'm not sure the presence of others using the Genie really made that noticeable difference to me and my family.

On the upside, the mobile food ordering is really a game changer. Cosmic Rays was a common food stop for us over the years...but always a zoo. We've been mobile ordering since the app feature was released but it is obvious that the last two years have taught a lot of people the value in using it. When I went in to pick up my food there were only a couple of registers open for traditional ordering and the rest of the lines were dedicated to food pickup. Because they are putting you into "windows of time" I think it may have the added benefit of managing the seating areas better too. Finding a seat was the only thing worse than ordering food and that is so much more convenient now.

Even with heavier crowds (holiday weekend) and some iffy weather on Sunday...we had a pretty good visit. The Chapek haters have got some ammunition however. I was really shocked to see how many maintenance issues I ran across. As a former Cast Member and industry professional I tend to have a critical eye...but even my wife was noticing things that were not typical for WDW. Lots of ride animation not working. (The video space sequence in Buzz Lightyear was...I guess...blurred so badly you couldn't make anything out. Animatronics not operating on many rides. We experienced a couple of different unusual breakdowns.) I don't know how much of that can be blamed on lack of maintenance or $$, or perhaps on staffing shortages, but it was a little shocking at all three parks. Even simple painting issues that seem to have been ignored were surprising to see.

Vater said:

ApolloAndy said:

What am I missing?

Anyone remember Beanie Babies?

Who could forget?https://www.reddit.com/r/awfuleverything/comments/ekfrd4/a_couple_d...ollection/