Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[DisneyDreamer08]

So there has been so much discussion on Genie+ but I have not seen little on regular old Genie. After watching Molly from Allears explain it as being super intuitive (a product of customers using magic band for 8 years I suppose) it had me questioning though who would really use it and will it be necessary to use in the parks. (wait time readings) Will the Disney My experience go away?

The thought of having to put in all my preferences actually annoys me as I have been enough to know where I want to go, we do not know where we want to eat until we are hungry. Will the Disney veterans be forced into using Genie? Currently the map of times listed as one of my only resources. Wonder how reliant we will be forced to become on just Genie?

Then again it could be amazing like the Bus times listed on my experience app that completely revolutionized when I left my hotel room or left the parks. Now that was a game changer for us!

I have no desire to use Genie. It sounds like your phone will be pinging all day telling you where to go, step by step. I’m familiar enough with the parks that’s I’d rather navigate on my own and not be staring at my phone all day.

 

[Patcheslee]

I have no desire to use Genie. It sounds like your phone will be pinging all day telling you where to go, step by step. I’m familiar enough with the parks that’s I’d rather navigate on my own and not be staring at my phone all day.

Other than needing to know show times for some things it's not as needed as it use to be. Now if say I have put in that I'm headed to Haunted Mansion and it pings me if the ride goes down, that could be a bit useful.

 

[mikejs78]

Pretty much.

However I think under the new system, when you get it you will get 2 return times up front. But the return times are still based on standby waits.

Sort of... You get one at a time only - no stacking. And it's not next available LL window, but as you said, it's the posted standby time (not actual). Given the way Disney inflates wait times, let's say the attraction has a 90 minutes standby time but the actual wait is 60 minutes and next available LL is in 15 minutes.

* The LL guest will wait 15 minutes before they can tap in.
* The standby guest will wait in line for 60 minutes.
* The DAS guest will wait 90 minutes before they can tap in. They can still go on other standby lines in the meantime, but they can't get any other DAS passes until they tap in.

However I *think* a DAS guest who also purchases G+ will be able to get one DAS pass and also utilize G+ seperately. So DAS may be more of a way to get around ILL$ than anything else...

 

[MisterPenguin]

Pretty much.

However I think under the new system, when you get it you will get 2 return times up front. But the return times are still based on standby waits.

Right. Those 2 freebies, tho, are for those who sign up for it ahead of time after a Zoom time chat.

 

[larryz]

Still take all the profit (minus the 0.04% maintenance fee.) Thats good enough for me!

Not until you sell or your fund makes distributions.

Until it's in your bank account, it's all monopoly money.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Assuming you can, of course. I get your point that they’ll usually be available. Until they’re not, like currently the first week in January has zero availability for DHS for resort guests or ticket holders.

Understood, and that's a fair caveat, I just don't think it'll apply once things are fully "back to normal." When labor supply and travel demand stabilize, I don't think we'll see random week in January selling out three months ahead of time.

 

[mikejs78]

Understood, and that's a fair caveat, I just don't think it'll apply once things are fully "back to normal." When labor supply and travel demand stabilize, I don't think we'll see random week in January selling out three months ahead of time.

Disney is pushing the "you need a park pass to gain entry". I think there will be some like you who don't really care, but I suspect the vast majority won't think about it and will just do it because Disney tells them to.

 

[larryz]

I mean, I guess if I were in Japan for like three weeks sure I’d check out TDL. But if I’m in a situation where I have that kind of time on a trip in the Far East, I’d probably spend part going to other places in the region and not spending three weeks in Japan.

Three weeks might be just enough time to hit most of the sushi bars in Tokyo...

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Disney is pushing the "you need a park pass to gain entry". I think there will be some like you who don't really care, but I suspect the vast majority won't think about it and will just do it because Disney tells them to.

I'm not questioning *whether* people will do it, I'm questioning *when* they'll do it. With FP+, there were big, bright, bold lines at 60 days and 30 days.

 

[larryz]

I don't think anyone will *have to* use Genie if they don't want to. If you're a seasoned WDW vet who knows his way around the parks, and how to efficiently navigate lines and minimize wait times, then you'll likely be able to just ignore Genie if you want (although I am curious to see how what it will suggest compares to what my own well-honed WDW skills tell me).

Ignore Genie at your own peril -- it'll be shifting crowds to the low-wait-time attractions, and the ultimate effect will be homogenized waits across the park.

 

[Disstevefan1]

You don’t have to worry…it will outlast you…or be bought.

doesn’t mean you want it to suck more and more

I don't think I will see TWDC broken into parts and sold off. Not saying it won't eventually happen, I don't think I will see it happen unless I am looking down (or up) from the other side

 

[dreday3]

Well, next Wednesday we arrive and plan is to go to Epcot in evening. I will see how late we can wait to buy a ride on RAT.

Or I may see if I can buy it at 6am (7am Orlando time) while waiting for plane and schedule it for around 8pm! I wonder if it will work on our arrival day, but we are still at home...

 

[dreday3]

Do we know yet if there is a time-frame for when we need to use the Lightning Lane pass?

Say we do early entry at AK and ride Everest, but at 7am in hotel scheduled a ride on safari at regular park opening because that's the only time Genie gave me...do we have a buffer in case we are late coming from Everest?

 

[Disstevefan1]

Well, next Wednesday we arrive and plan is to go to Epcot in evening. I will see how late we can wait to buy a ride on RAT.

Or I may see if I can buy it at 6am (7am Orlando time) while waiting for plane and schedule it for around 8pm! I wonder if it will work on our arrival day, but we are still at home...

If you would please post here with your experiences. I am looking forward to hearing your experience.

 

[dreday3]

If you would please post here with your experiences. I am looking forward to hearing your experience.

I will!

 

[dirtnap101]

The regular (free) Genie seems like it's main goal from a corporate perspective is to spread people out in the park, especially people not that familiar with the parks. From watching that All Ears video, you can tell it what rides you're interested in (but it looked like you can only select up to 8 rides), and/or you can just tell it "I like Star Wars and Princesses" - more general interests.

For instance, in HS I can see it directing people who like Star Wars and don't want to wait for the more popular attractions to go over to Star Tours (hardly a replacement for RotR or Smuggler's), because the programming logic thinks Star Wars + a lower wait="maximizing your fun and minimizing your wait". If you say your family likes Princesses, it will direct people equally to anything involving a princess in whatever park, etc.

Of course Genie will constantly find itself telling people that if you REALLY want to ride RotR instead or Star Tours, and you don't want to wait 100+ minutes to do it, hey, ILL is available for purchase. Or if you don't feel that the Mulan meet & greet in China that it suggested is a suitable replacement for waiting 45 mins to ride Frozen in Norway, hey, buy a ILL for that too.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Do we know yet if there is a time-frame for when we need to use the Lightning Lane pass?

Say we do early entry at AK and ride Everest, but at 7am in hotel scheduled a ride on safari at regular park opening because that's the only time Genie gave me...do we have a buffer in case we are late coming from Everest?

They give you a 1-hour window like they did with FP+. I think FP+ gave you about 5 minutes on either side of your window to account for delays, watches not in sync with Disney's clocks, etc. I know I was able to get on rides about 5 minutes early at times, but never experienced arriving past the end of our 1-hour window to test out how late you could be and still ride.

 

[dreday3]

They give you a 1-hour window like they did with FP+. I think FP+ gave you about 5 minutes on either side of your window to account for delays, watches not in sync with Disney's clocks, etc. I know I was able to get on rides about 5 minutes early at times, but never experienced arriving past the end of our 1-hour window to test out how late you could be and still ride.

Perfect, thanks!

 

[pdude81]

They give you a 1-hour window like they did with FP+. I think FP+ gave you about 5 minutes on either side of your window to account for delays, watches not in sync with Disney's clocks, etc. I know I was able to get on rides about 5 minutes early at times, but never experienced arriving past the end of our 1-hour window to test out how late you could be and still ride.

5 early, 15 late

 

[GhostHost1000]

Not at the IAS attractions, they don't. Those things run full-bore pretty much open to close. We're not talking about running fewer boats in Splash Mountain when it's 60 degrees outside, you're suggesting that they're going to cut back on ride vehicles in things like *Rise of the Resistance.*

Common breakdowns of trackless rides like RotR and Remy could also cause larger lines as well