Too much emphasis on proximity
Before we had an opportunity to try Disney Genie ourselves, we read some accounts of what other Disney parkgoers experienced with it. One of the more amusing themes that came up was that Disney Genie has a tendency to give outlandish recommendations based on proximity above all other factors. This issue becomes particularly problematic at Magic Kingdom, especially inside Fantasyland. The scenario tended to go a bit like this:
Guest: Hey Disney Genie, what should I do next? Splash Mountain? Big Thunder?
Genie: Let’s go to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.
Guest: But… I don’t want to do the carousel. I like thrill rides, remember? How’s Space Mountain looking?
Genie: You should try the Carrousel. It’s so close. You would love the Carrousel…
Guest: I don’t want to go on the Carrousel, Genie. Let’s swap that option out.
Genie: Swapping out Prince Charming Regal Carrousel for… Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. It’s awfully close. You would love the Carrousel…
Guest: (exasperated groaning)
Let’s just say I heard about more than one guest who noticed Disney Genie REALLY likes the Carrousel.
We decided to test the theory out. Initially, we tried Disney Genie out at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and didn’t have too many problems. The app’s recommendations were still a little strange—it really wanted us to jump in some curiously long queues—but it didn’t seem to over-emphasize proximity. This may be due to the way attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are more evenly spread out.
Magic Kingdom is positively saturated with attractions, and we quickly noticed the app offered some wacky recommendations right off the bat—one good suggestion of Pirates of the Caribbean, paired with several other attractions with weirdly long lines and restaurants we would never visit. As predicted, the problem became most noticeable when we wandered through Fantasyland.
We only had one attraction from Fantasyland on our list—Seven Dwarfs Mine Train—but the app quickly leaped at the opportunity to recommend a wide dearth of nearby attractions, experiences, and restaurants… Notably emphasizing the Carrousel.
Image: Screenshot from My Disney Experience
Disney Genie says right in the app why this bizarre situation occurs: it places a strong emphasis on what’s closest. This seems to be such a significant part of the algorithm that it overrides all else, even common sense and the very interests guests entered. When we tried to swap out the Fantasyland options, the app failed to offer any decent replacement options besides the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean.
As mentioned, this is a big problem as one of the most common points of advice given to Disney parkgoers is that you can often find shorter queues just by being willing to walk across the park. Most visitors tour Magic Kingdom in a predictable pattern, starting in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, then working their way around the park in a sort of reverse question mark shape. Just by touring the opposite way, you can reduce time spent in line—more so if you’re willing to zig-zag around a bit.
In missing this crucial piece of Disney parks touring knowledge, Disney Genie inadvertently encourages guests to pool in the busiest areas of the park. While proximity may be important to some guests, most parties utilizing Disney Genie will want to reduce time in line. In this regard, Disney Genie not only fails to deliver but actually ends up giving poor advice.
How Could They Fix it?
It’s possible Disney could fix this problem by giving guests an option within Disney Genie to mark if ride proximity is important to them or not. For some guests, reducing walking is their highest priority—its good the app can accommodate that. For most, however, reducing time in line is king, and there needs to be an option to let guests override the proximity priority to emphasize that value instead. The app also needs to be tweaked to utilize the interests and locations guests chose more than random recommendations generated by the app.
It's very reliant on Disney Wi-Fi
Disney’s park-wide Wi-Fi is definitely a boon for families who don’t want to blow their phone data budget, but it’s also infamously spotty and notorious for battery drain. This becomes a bit of a problem if you’re trying to use Disney Genie inside the parks.
We had some difficulty getting Disney Genie to work during times we lost signal with Disney’s Wi-Fi. This may have been due to phone data limitations, but it seemed like the program only updated when Wi-Fi was solid. We noticed it wasn’t easy to get the app to update as you moved around. The only time we could get the itinerary to update was if we stood still at a spot with good Wi-Fi and removed an item from our Genie recommendations.
This is a minor point against Disney Genie, and it ties to larger issues with My Disney Experience overall. The need to slow down and get ideal signal isn’t a deal-breaker for Disney Genie, but it does add extra time into guest itineraries if they want to keep moving. The larger issue is that the app seems to need a very good Wi-Fi signal to update, and simply refreshing didn’t do the trick on most occasions.
How Could They Fix It?
Aside from Disney continuing to improve their guest Wi-Fi infrastructure, it seems like this issue could be improved if it were easier to refresh and update your recommendations within Disney Genie. Common sense says a scroll-down refresh should work, but in most cases, we had to come to a complete stop, ensure a quality Wi-Fi signal, and eliminate or swap something from our recommendations. Streamlining this process could help improve user experience.
Ultimately, Disney Genie feels like a marketing tool for Genie+
The crux of the issues with Disney Genie come down to one thing: the service feels like a cleverly-disguised ploy to encourage users to purchase Genie+ and Individual Attraction Access.
You can’t fault Disney for integrating plugs for Genie+ and Individual Attraction Access into their app—they are a business aiming to make money, after all. We will give it to Disney that Disney Genie’s recommendations weren’t all bad, and we did appreciate that the app didn’t feel as heavy-handed in its nudges to purchase Genie+ and Individual Attraction Access as it could have. The service’s very name, however, hints that its ultimate purpose is linked with steering guests towards purchasing these two services.
Disney Genie ultimately serves Disney’s interests more than improving the guest experience, and the signs are plain throughout the app. While Disney has at least put some groundwork in to make the app useful, it is in their best interests not to give guests too much advice to avoid getting stuck in long lines--to do so would ultimately erode sales for Genie+ and Individual Attraction Access.
In the end, we have to say no, you should not trust your Disney day to Disney Genie…
At this stage, Disney Genie is a promising idea that ends up feeling a mile wide but only an inch deep. While there are circumstances where the service could prove useful, it fails to deliver on its core promise of offering guests truly customized itineraries, taking into account their interests and values. Instead, it offers ambiguous recommendations, with the ultimate solution offered being to purchase Genie+ and Individual Attraction Access. For now, good old fashioned research and know-how will remain the best way to improve your Disney day planning.
What are your thoughts on Disney Genie? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments. Thanks for reading!
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Comments
Very interesting take here! My brother and I created MyBDD - "Best Disney Day" - and it has a similar angle to what Disney was doing with their Genie tool. We honestly think that our app provides more accurate feedback and help when planning for a Disney trip with families. While we don't charge for fast passes or anything, we do have the ability to route people most effectively through the park based on their ride preference or the desire to save steps - plus many other features! Hopefully more folks will try our app and let Best Disney Day grant all their wishes!
Thanks for the recommendation, Reid! I'd not heard of your app, but I'm glad to hear there are some viable alternatives to Disney Genie. I may check it out myself some time in the future. Thanks for reading. : )