Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Patcheslee]

i get they are a business but you need to sometimes do things that directly doesnt bring n money. This company stinks sometimes yet people like myself keep spending a ton of money to go back.... I will say this tho it still brings joy and magic hence the return but the frustration level is at a boiling point.

Wonder if they could do a 15 minute mashup of some of the films represented in Great Movie Ride. Singin' in the Rain, Wizard of Oz, ect.

 

[Jeff4272]

Yes but AP holders that used to be able to go whenever they want now cannot. There is a lawsuit in California fighting this as theres supposed to be “no blackout” dates associated with the APs. The majority of DL park goers are local AP holders. Disney lawyers have tried to have it dismissed and the judge denied their motion saying that the case has merit.


Florida is a different beast altogether. Wdw averages 160k guests per day across the 4 theme parks (not including water parks). Wdw has 36,000 hotel rooms. At an average of 4 per room that’s 144k guests per night in the hotels that go to the parks (a vast majority of them) so while not as big a deal in Florida, it does still take out an spontaneity from families. This is why I’m baffled that they don’t allow pre booking like they did with FP+ But most hotel guests will book park passes well in advance for it to not be an issue but the AP holders still get screwed

 

[crazy4disney]

As soon as you mention DAS, which makes a WDW visit MASSIVELY better, your opinion of FP+ holds little water.

 

[crazy4disney]

Why does my opinion hold less water? FP+ was booked before entering parks and DAS as i said i used to fill in gaps or re rides Mostly tbh. I would say that i used more Fastpasses and add on Fastpasses then i did with my DAS. Generally i would use DAS to say reride 7DMT or another ride with a long wait and a return time way later in the day.

 

[crazy4disney]

Im not denying it made it better but to say massively where if i only had FP my time wouldnt be as fun is a false statement.

 

[Hawg G]

Im not denying it made it better but to say massively where if i only had FP my time wouldnt be as fun is a false statement.

DAS allows you to ride ANY ride without dealing with the line. And it is on top of any other queue system, at least it was last I used it. So you can wait in 3 lines at once. Plus DAS spots NEVER run out. It requires no prebooking of the big rides, if you can even get one. And if lines are short you just walk right on, which can be massive late in the day. Or the system doesn't work, and you just get waved on the 7 dwarves like we did.

It is a MASSIVE advantage. Which is why WDW is still full of 8 person families with someone with an "issue". I can only imagine how amazing trips were with the old systems.

 

[HoustonHorn]

Not trying to defend the horrible Park Pass system but, this isn't true, right? You can look at the Park Pass availability calendar anytime. So you could look at your dates before committing to buying tickets.

That is correct. And when you go to buy tickets, you are explicitly and clearly told to check park pass availability before purchasing:

Personal responsibility still matters folks.

Honestly, of all the recent crappy changes (ending ME, no hopping til 2, must check in to first park before hopping, G/G+/ILL, unnecessary VQ for reliable rides, etc, etc, etc.), Park Pass is one that doesn't bother me too much as an out-of-towner who stays onsite - the 180-day dining and 60-day FP+ selection acted as de facto park reservations anyway.

I have learned from this board that PP is awful for APs, and that sucks. You guys are treated like crap.

 

[crazy4disney]

DAS allows you to ride ANY ride without dealing with the line. And it is on top of any other queue system, at least it was last I used it. So you can wait in 3 lines at once. Plus DAS spots NEVER run out. It requires no prebooking of the big rides, if you can even get one. And if lines are short you just walk right on, which can be massive late in the day. Or the system doesn't work, and you just get waved on the 7 dwarves like we did.

It is a MASSIVE advantage. Which is why WDW is still full of 8 person families with someone with an "issue". I can only imagine how amazing trips were with the old systems.

I will repeat what i said. Yes it helps no denying it but massive is an exaggeration imo. You get a return time 10 minutes less than the actual wait time & can only hold 1 at a time. As i stated when FP+ was around i used more FP than DAS. Obviously it helps but to say it was this massive advantage to me is incorrect. At least how ive used it. FP+ for resort guests you booked your 3 headliners with basically no issues & you kept adding after your 3rd was used. Also. When Rise opened (i was able to get a VQ) but was told that my DAS was useless in regards to getting on the ride. Was told the same thing for Remy last year. So unless multiple CM were incorrect. You cant get on ANY ride.

 

[Hawg G]

I will repeat what i said. Yes it helps no denying it but massive is an exaggeration imo. You get a return time 10 minutes less than the actual wait time & can only hold 1 at a time. As i stated when FP+ was around i used more FP than DAS. Obviously it helps but to say it was this massive advantage to me is incorrect. At least how ive used it. FP+ for resort guests you booked your 3 headliners with basically no issues & you kept adding after your 3rd was used. Also. When Rise opened (i was able to get a VQ) but was told that my DAS was useless in regards to getting on the ride. Was told the same thing for Remy last year. So unless multiple CM were incorrect. You cant get on ANY ride.

Virtual Queue rides are excluded, since they is no standby. I guess soon that will be the newest ride at all parks that have one. But your "you booked your 3 headliners" quote, essentially a direct Disney Marketing quote, says a bit. I don't know of any park that let you get 3 headliners with FP+. Maybe 2 if you were at MK, but only one "Tier 1" ride at the other 3.

I also forgot just how easy it apparently was to lock in those 3 headliners. I don't waste money on Disney hotels. I guess if you did, and stayed up late, you could perhaps get 3 rides you liked. But hardly 3 headliners. However, with DAS, you got all the headliners you wanted, as long as you went to the next one as soon as you were done riding the last.

I mean, now, DAS works on rides that normal folks PAY to ride. So DAS has actual real world value. Pretty substantial for a group of 8 using it for a ride that costs $15 per person. You could theoretically get $400+ in free ILLs EVERY DAY now.

But, yeah, not massive....

 

[crazy4disney]

Virtual Queue rides are excluded, since they is no standby. I guess soon that will be the newest ride at all parks that have one. But your "you booked your 3 headliners" quote, essentially a direct Disney Marketing quote, says a bit. I don't know of any park that let you get 3 headliners with FP+. Maybe 2 if you were at MK, but only one "Tier 1" ride at the other 3.

I also forgot just how easy it apparently was to lock in those 3 headliners. I don't waste money on Disney hotels. I guess if you did, and stayed up late, you could perhaps get 3 rides you liked. But hardly 3 headliners. However, with DAS, you got all the headliners you wanted, as long as you went to the next one as soon as you were done riding the last.

I mean, now, DAS works on rides that normal folks PAY to ride. So DAS has actual real world value. Pretty substantial for a group of 8 using it for a ride that costs $15 per person. You could theoretically get $400+ in free ILLs EVERY DAY now.

But, yeah, not massive....

I stay value/moderate bc i agree and refuse to pay anything above that bc im never in the room & i paid for genie even tho it stinks & even tho i have DAS. So yea keep making assumptions about me & my experiences because you are on a roll. Didnt have to stay up late booked them all at my own convenience the day my window opened up & yea for most part i was able to choose any ride i wanted for all morning hours (excluding Frozen which with a polite email to guest relations that was resolved). DAS helps noone denies that but again. Massive is an exaggeration. Go during busy times when there are 90-120 minute waits for any top ride during the day. How many DAS rides are you getting? As i said it helps but Massive is an over statement

 

[Hawg G]

I stay value/moderate bc i agree and refuse to pay anything above that bc im never in the room & i paid for genie even tho it stinks & even tho i have DAS. So yea keep making assumptions about me & my experiences because you are on a roll. Didnt have to stay up late booked them all at my own convenience the day my window opened up & yea for most part i was able to choose any ride i wanted for all morning hours (excluding Frozen which with a polite email to guest relations that was resolved). DAS helps noone denies that but again. Massive is an exaggeration. Go during busy times when there are 90-120 minute waits for any top ride during the day. How many DAS rides are you getting? As i said it helps but Massive is an over statement

But on those 90-120 minute wait days you are still DOUBLING your rides, and can avoid the painful, hot waits like Splash. It's all relative. In the WDW of today, 3 more E TIcket rides during a day is a MASSIVE improvement. It's sad, but that's the cluster Disney has becom.

And Disney Moderates are insanely overpriced, as are "value".

 

[crazy4disney]

But on those 90-120 minute wait days you are still DOUBLING your rides, and can avoid the painful, hot waits like Splash. It's all relative. In the WDW of today, 3 more E TIcket rides during a day is a MASSIVE improvement. It's sad, but that's the cluster Disney has becom.

And Disney Moderates are insanely overpriced, as are "value".

Im paying $130 a night in August & paid i believe $180 last November for Value. Not sure how that is insane to stay on property. Again when FP+ was around i would use that more than DAS. Yes obviously im getting in more rides with the ability to get a few DAS rides but im sorry My trip is NOT massively better because i have DAS. Just not a true or factual statement.

 

[natatomic]

Im paying $130 a night in August & paid i believe $180 last November for Value. Not sure how that is insane to stay on property. Again when FP+ was around i would use that more than DAS. Yes obviously im getting in more rides with the ability to get a few DAS rides but im sorry My trip is NOT massively better because i have DAS. Just not a true or factual statement.

Im a local who has done multiple visits as a non-DAS user, and many with an out-of-state AP holder who IS a DAS user.

I can say from first hand experience that the two cannot be compared, and yes, the DAS is a massive benefit. Once they monetized FP (via genie+), that really pushed it over the edge. I can’t afford $60 per visit for my family every single day to MAYBE get 2-3 lightning lanes (yeah, sorry, I’m one of those cheap locals Disney can’t wait to be rid of). So I don’t buy it and we’ll pretty much never see the inside of a lightning lane again when it’s just us. But when my friend comes down with her DAS, we do 2-4x the number of rides with her pass, and we do it without spending extra money. More rides AND free? Yes, huge benefit.

 

[Rich Brownn]

honest question... you rather wait in hour long lines as opposed to planning your day prior to your trip at your own convenience in the comfort of your own home? Because to me that is NOT a fun way to spend a vacation. Because we all know standby waits are going nowhere even w NO skip the line system &* yes I watched Defunctland's doc on FP etc... if anyone truly believes wait times are going away with the current park capacity/hours etc vs how many people actually visit i dont know what to say

Those people are a one-and-done and won't ever be back. I know a few of them.

 

[nickys]

I don't know of any park that let you get 3 headliners with FP+. Maybe 2 if you were at MK, but only one "Tier 1" ride at the other 3.

Unless you think that MK only has two headliners it was possible to get 3 of them in advance, since there were no tiers.
Space, Splash, Big Thunder, HM, 7dmt …..

I mean, now, DAS works on rides that normal folks PAY to ride. So DAS has actual real world value. Pretty substantial for a group of 8 using it for a ride that costs $15 per person. You could theoretically get $400+ in free ILLs EVERY DAY now.

All the ILL rides now also have a free way to ride. But as far as I know the DAS does not enable you to skip paying for an ILL if the only other option is a VQ.

So if you fail to get a VQ for Cosmic Rewind, I don’t think you can use a DAS to ride it unless everyone buys an ILL.

 

[Thepuma]

Again ill beat a dead horse i truly dont understand how people felt FP+ didnt work... now granted certain users got more out of it than others but you can say that about anything in life let alone a disney vacation.

FP+ worked, it worked amazingly - BUT, it took a bit common sense and a bit of planning and unfortunately people these days want everything on a plate and can't be bothered, then complain when their lack of effort or common sense means they lose out.

Id go as far as saying 90% of FP+ users were happy with the service...id also go as far as saying only 10% of users are happy with Genie+.

 

[Thepuma]

For my family it didn't work well and neither does Genie+. I hate return times and the amount of planning FP+ required was a turn off. I personally see no reason other then hurting VIP sales that an express pass type system wouldn't work. Make it once per ride and limit sales.

That just doesn't make sense though- it takes exactly the same amount of effort and time...its just you could plan in the comfort of your home with FP+ meaning the day of the park visit you already had a big chunk of you day organised.

With G+ it's exactly the same amount of time and effort, but all done in a mad rush on the day, while your getting up, or ordering an uber to the park or having breakfast.....its awful, and in no way a better system. Let's be honest, it's an infinitely worse product to use...and even worse you have to pay more for it!!

 

[Thepuma]

There were a lot of folks who mastered FP+.
There were a lot of folks who never got the hang of FP+, didn't like it for whatever reason.
There are a lot of folks who now dislike Genie +
There are folks who have success in Genie "stacking" Lighting Lanes.

There will never be a system that everyone will like, and we have no choice really, Disney will do what they will do. We just have to learn the "rules du jour"

And yes, there will be tweaks and changes, especially the prices

Again this makes no sense...how can people find FP+ too difficult and hard to get the hang of, yet are fine with a far far far more complex system with Genie..Genie+...Paid LL+...different times for resort and non resort etc etc etc.

FP+ was way way easier to use than G+

 

[Thepuma]

I understand that point of view. For my family we don't get the whole spreadsheet planning thing that many do for Disney.

I will give you an example of how my family vacations. Last time we went to Orlando we didn't do Disney, just SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. The only planning we did was our flights, hotel and car. That's pretty much how all our vacations go. We do enough planning in our day to day life that it's the last thing we want to do in vacation.

Spreadsheet planning?

It took about 2 minutes to book 3 FP+ 4 weeks before your day...end of, nothing more to do. I just don't get how people are saying it was so time consuming or took more planning...it nonsense.

 

[bhg469]

Im a local who has done multiple visits as a non-DAS user, and many with an out-of-state AP holder who IS a DAS user.

I can say from first hand experience that the two cannot be compared, and yes, the DAS is a massive benefit. Once they monetized FP (via genie+), that really pushed it over the edge. I can’t afford $60 per visit for my family every single day to MAYBE get 2-3 lightning lanes (yeah, sorry, I’m one of those cheap locals Disney can’t wait to be rid of). So I don’t buy it and we’ll pretty much never see the inside of a lightning lane again when it’s just us. But when my friend comes down with her DAS, we do 2-4x the number of rides with her pass, and we do it without spending extra money. More rides AND free? Yes, huge benefit.

I'm a local now too... Got our passes in September and you're spot on.