Details About the New Disney Genie Digital Offering
Announced at the D23 Expo were details for a “revolutionary new digital offering” called Disney Genie. This new tool will debut in late 2020 and is said to enhance the way you plan for and experience a trip to Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney Genie will be designed to help you make the most out of your visit, whether you’re a first-time guest or a seasoned pro by making planning easier. Disney Genie will provide customized itineraries geared to your interests.
In addition, if you tell the tool what you’d like to experience, it will quickly evaluate millions of options to present you with an optimal day. (This sounds vaguely familiar….) Disney Genie will be flexible because if you change your mind or your plans, you can just re-optimize your day. (This sounds really familiar….)
Disney Genie will also be able to send you real-time tips and updates, including recommendations for experiences it thinks you’ll love, as well as helping you navigate the theme parks. Oh and if you don’t want to worry about making reservations in multiple steps, as this tool can do that for you too.
This will be just another digital offering, such as mobile food ordering, the Play Disney Parks app, and online check-in that the Disney Parks have rolled out over the past few years.
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I know what you mean, Abby. Disney will advertise what they are doing is in YOUR best interest, but most people who follow the theme park industry are saying what they are doing is in DISNEY’S best interest.
Keep using those touring plans from this site. That’s what I am doing as I trust this site is doing what is best for me!
What they are saying that genie is- is that basically like touring plans? That they will customise it just the same way etc.
Yes and no. Yes, it will give you a touring plan. But, no, the prevailing opinion is that it will be used by Disney for controlling the foot traffic throughout the park by inflating wait times at certain attractions (they do this already) and to encourage pay-per-ride Lightning Lane passes. Touring Plans (the company) plans are designed to save you the most time in lines, period.
I’ll always used touringplans. Used them since I was 12 lol
Back then it was a book and you ripped out the best plan from the back.
But what I mean is that disney is trying to do the same as touringplans.
Will be interested in a year or so to compare a customised touringplan with a genie one and see what the differences are.
My first thought? ‘Oh Disney finally got round to *borrowing* TP’s ideas’
My second thought? Will be fun to play with, might use it for the reservations if those work, but staying faithful to TP and what’s worked for us for our last few trips.
We’re not heading back till 22 or 23, but I still pay my TP subs every year. I can’t live without the Lines apps even when I’m not there.
Thanks for the hard work you all put into this site <3
Just an aside, I just renewed my TP for another year. Thanks for the great job.
First off, kudos to TP for taking the high road and sharing this with us.
Secondly, even though we are the TP faithful, we should reserve judgment until the actual launch of the app.
We SHOULD, anyway…
Having said all that, I can’t imagine this will be better than what we are used to. The DG app looks very graphically intense, and we know the reason the Lines app (TP’s app) is plain looking is because less graphics means less to download in the often times spotty internet service in the parks. Also, we all know Disney sometimes overestimate an attractions’s wait time on purpose as a means of crowd control. The DE app will likely be used the same way, thus making TP’s app more accurate. Finally, I would be shocked if this were released for free as part of My Disney Experience. I think it is will likely be an overpriced add-on to gouge those who don’t bother to research their trips.
My biggest concern is how it will effect our plans. By the Unofficial Guide’s estimation, only 2% of people in the parks use this company’s touring plans. What happens when more people are using a computer-optimized plan no matter what company is providing them?
TouringPlans offers a feature Disney Genie will never have: An independent voice. As Disney works so hard to control every aspect of its media, this voice will only increase in value. Keep up the good work!
I generally have about 50/50 chance of the MDE app actually functioning, whether I’m planning from home or at the park, so I don’t see myself using Genie. It’s just another way for WDW to manipulate foot traffic patterns within the parks anyway. Definitely fits the pattern of Disney “adopting” products they’ve seen small businesses make successful (designer Mickey ears, ”I’m such a” princess tees spring to mind).
Don’t worry Touring Plans, if it works as well as the rest of Disney’s technology, it will never get off the ground.
Sorry Disney Genie, but I’ll stick with the TouringPlans Genie and folks like Len Testa for planning my Disney trips.
i would be absolutely stunned if this ends up being a free offering. my guess is that disney knows sites and subscriptions like this are out there, they see that people are willing to pay for them, so they want their slice of the pie and are banking on people willing to shell out for the “official” version of something that already exists. this is going to be a paid premium offering, a detail they conveniently left out of the announcement. get people excited for it, then alter on announce the pricetag. i’ll stick with TP.
Genie says you should get a FastPass+ for Mickey’s Philharmagic again.