Genie+ Changes and April Direct Sales

Join Shannon, Pete, and Sue for this week's update. Harmony Shop, Genie+ changes, Eat to the Beat concerts, direct sales for April 2022, and a new DVC retail store on I-Drive in Orlando. Episode 78








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Story #1 Harmony Barber Shop Reopening



Harmony Barber Shop will reopen on July 31 for the world’s most magical haircut. A limited number of reservations for this timeless experience will be bookable in the My Disney Experience app beginning June 28. Walk-in appointments will be accepted based on availability.



Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was confirmed to be reopening later this year at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, but no specific dates have been provided. 



Source: Disney Parks Blog



Story #2 Genie+ Changes at Walt Disney World



In an announcement that Walt Disney World Resort will open bookings for theme park tickets, Disney Resort hotel stays and packages for visits in 2023 on June 8, a change to Genie+ was also mentioned. 



Starting June 8, Disney Genie+ will only be offered for purchase through the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit. Previously, Disney offered the option to purchase this service pre-arrival as a ticket add-on.  



This means that moving forward, whether you have an Annual Pass, multi- or single-day ticket, you may only purchase Disney Genie+ service on the day of your visit via the app, one day at a time, subject to availability. Disney hopes this adjustment will help manage the strong demand guests have shown for Disney Genie+.



Disney stated, on average, guests who purchase Disney Genie+ service will continue to enter 2-3 attractions or experiences each day using the Lightning Lane entrance when the first selection is made early in the day. 



Any tickets already purchased that include Disney Genie+ service for dates later in 2022 will still be honored. 



Note this update is also only happening at Walt Disney World Resort and will not affect guests at Disneyland Resort.  



Disney also confirmed the early theme park entry benefit for Disney Resort hotel guests will continue beyond the 50th Anniversary for visits throughout all of 2023! This benefit gives Disney Resort guests an opportunity to enter ANY of the 4 Walt Disney World Resort theme parks to enjoy select attractions, shops, and dining EVERY day (valid admission, park reservation, and Resort ID required).



Source: Disney Parks Blog



Story #3: 2022 Eat to the Beat Concert Series Announced



Disney announced 2022 Eat to the Beat Concert Series presented by Florida Blue Medicare coming to the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival presented by CORKCICLE starting this July.  Internationally recognized artists, as well as local bands, will perform on the America Gardens Theatre stage including favorites like Baha Men, Tiffany, and Air Supply, and new acts like Hoobastank, Los Amigos Invisibles, and Stokley.



July 14-15 – Baha MenJuly 16-18 – Big Bad Voodoo DaddyJuly 29-30 – Taylor DayneJuly 31-Aug. 1 – TiffanyAug. 5-8 – Joey Fatone & FriendsAug. 12-13 – The Devon Allman ProjectAug. 14-15 – Christopher CrossAug. 19-20 – Journey former Lead Vocalist Steve AugeriAug. 21-22 – Air SupplySept. 2-3 – Southern AvenueSept. 4-5 – Kris Allen & David CookSept. 9-10 – Hoobastank (NEW)Sept. 16-17 – Los Amigos Invisibles (NEW)Sept. 23-24 – BBMakSept. 30-Oct. 1 – Stokley (NEW)Oct. 2-3 – Sheila E.Oct. 7-8 – Mark WillsOct. 9-10 – 38 SpecialOct. 23-24 – Billy OceanOct. 28-31 – HansonNov. 4-7 – Boyz II Men



Eat to the Beat Dining Packages will be offered Friday through Monday. Reservations open on May 24th. 



Source: Disney Parks Blog



Story #4 Direct Sales break 300,000 points in April 2022



Lead:  Peter



For only the second time in the 12 years DVCNews has tracked direct sales, more than 300,000 Disney Vacation Club points were sold in a single month. Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa continued to dominate however Disney's Riviera Resort tallied its highest monthly sales numbers in more than two years.



310,866 DVC points were sold in April 2022 for the 11 resorts at Walt Disney World.   The last time DVC sales topped the 300,000-point mark was in July 2013 when 364,416 points were sold.  Coincidentally, July 2013 was also the second month of sales for the original Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.  Grand Floridian accounted for 57.2% of April’s sales, while Disney’s Riviera Resort represented 30.0% of total sales. 



Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort —  In its second month since resuming sales, 177,819 points were sold for Grand Floridian.  It was the largest number of points sold for a single resort in a single month since Disney’s Riviera Resort sold 181,289 points in January 2020.  Disney has now sold 293,818 points, or 16.5% of the 1,779,822 points that have been assigned to the 202 Resort Studios located in the Big Pine Key building. 



Disney has declared exactly half of the 202 Resort Studios for the DVC inventory.  This means that 101 resort studios can be booked using DVC points on any given Use Day.



Disney’s Riviera Resort —  In April 2022, 93,218 points were sold for Riviera, the largest single-month sales since 153,416 points were sold in March 2020 at the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Disney has sold 2,874,658 points, or 42.7%, of Riviera’s 6.7 million points.   The resort has averaged 78,190 points in monthly sales, which includes several months in 2020 when sales for all DVC resorts were severely impacted by the COVID pandemic.



On April 15, 2022, Disney declared additional vacation homes for the DVC inventory at Riviera.  180 of Riviera’s 341 vacation homes are now available for DVC members to book using points.  The declared inventory accounts for about 3,605,940 points or 53.5% of the resort’s total points.



Source: DVCNews.com



Story #5 DVC Virtual Discovery Station Coming To International Drive



Later this month, Disney plans to open a new retail location on the I-4 / International Drive corridor which will feature a remote Disney Vacation Club sales center. 



The new Walt Disney World Store will feature Disney merchandise, theme park ticket sales, and a new Disney Vacation Club Virtual Discovery Station. With floor-to-ceiling screens, The Disney Vacation Club Virtual Discovery Station can transport guests to our theme parks, resorts, and cruise destinations around the world via first-person virtual tours, photo galleries, and videos.



The location will also feature a dramatic ribbon-like display board that wraps around the parking garage in Hollywood Plaza. The display will be used to showcase Disney characters, theme park attractions, and more. 



The retail location is scheduled to open on May 31, 2022. 



Source: DVCnews.com



Story #6 Showtime and Pricing Announced for Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue



Join the Pioneer Hall Players for 2 hours of rousing Wild West dancing, singing and zany comedy at Pioneer Hall in Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.



In between skits and song standards, chow down on all-you-care-to-enjoy fried chicken and smoked BBQ pork ribs, as well as a tossed green salad, cowboy beans, fresh-baked cornbread, macaroni-and-cheese and creamy coleslaw. And be sure to save room for the grand finale… strawberry shortcake!



The doors open at 4:00 PM, 6:15 PM or 8:30 PM. Seating will begin immediately at these times; the show begins 20 minutes later.



Choose from 3 different seating categories. Prices include tax and gratuity. 



Ages 10 and older Ages 3 to 9



Category 1



$74 $44



Category 2



$69 $40



Category 3



$66 $39



Source: Walt Disney World website








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