Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Waters Back Side]

The most important variables...they have not.

Cost of LLs...(i figure surge but whats the baseline) surge is daily or in real time?

Can you hold more than one reservation if theres no available times anytime soon. (The part people assume will be like max)
Example (holding a 9pm slot for btmr because it was the next available but its 10am)

How much capacity is going to be set aside? Tieing into the question above the amount of available slots at x attraction is a huge variable. Is it same as pld fastpass? Half? Does it vary by day aka when its busier is more allocated or?

Will boarding groups be the new norm for every ride? Aka guardians and tron next? Meaning to ride a large amount of rides at WDW you need to win a lottery or pay ?

It is strange how so many are not looking for clarity on these questions. They are the most important aspects.

 

[peter11435]

The above poster covered most of it. But I see alot of people claiming you can grab a second genie + reservation after 90 min or after tap in... this is a guess they have not announced this at all. So if people try to change plans assuming something like this than Disney goes and says "nope sorry only 1 at a time no matter what" it will be a big shock. Also we have zero idea what kinda times will be available throughout the day. Is all day open.. or is it only the next available at a max of 3 hours from now.. we don't know.

I agree there are still many unanswered questions. I was mostly responding to your statement that they hadn’t announced anything. There’s a lot we don’t know but also a lot we do.

 

[GimpYancIent]

The most important variables...they have not.

Cost of LLs...(i figure surge but whats the baseline) surge is daily or in real time?

Can you hold more than one reservation if theres no available times anytime soon. (The part people assume will be like max)
Example (holding a 9pm slot for btmr because it was the next available but its 10am)

How much capacity is going to be set aside? Tieing into the question above the amount of available slots at x attraction is a huge variable. Is it same as pld fastpass? Half? Does it vary by day aka when its busier is more allocated or?

Will boarding groups be the new norm for every ride? Aka guardians and tron next? Meaning to ride a large amount of rides at WDW you need to win a lottery or pay ?

The way things are evolving and as more rules and limitations are revealed I can see the reasoning w selecting Genie as the poster child;

 

[Stevie Amsterdam]

This is certainly the most annoying thing I'm finding about this. I'm glad there will be a whole lot of experiences had (and posted to this board) regarding G+ before I go back to WDW. I'm really curious (and a little concerned) about how well or poorly G+ will allocate resources.

Me too. I've set aside money over the past decade because I am gifting my best friend a once in a lifetime trip to WDW for our 25 year friendship anniversary. We were supposed to go in 2020 (we've been friends since '95) and it would have all worked out with FP+, navigating through the parks, etc, but then: covid.

I now feel a bit thrown off, because I booked our trip for September 2022 before Genie+ was pubicly announced by Disney. I'm not going to cancel since I have been dreaming about this trip for the last 15 years, but I am glad that Genie+ will be in effect for a year prior to my arrival. I'm hoping that all the bumps on the road will be ironed out by then and that it will be clear how to make the best use of this system.

 

[dav23]

Yes there are some unanswered questions but I do think people need to stop assuming the worst possible scenario. It really isn’t in Disney’s best interest to ruin your park days despite all of the theories to the contrary.

Maxpass was very popular at DL even though we were paying for something that used fo be free. Why was it popular? Because it really did make the days easier and more convenient. Similarly, I would expect this system to provide an enhanced experience for the price.

You’re not going to make a reservation for a ride 10 hours away without the ability to make a new selection in the meantime. Just not going to happen. Being stuck on one reservation all day would be a complete waste of money and you’d never buy Genie+ again. Not what Disney wants. They want you hooked on it and to buy it every time you visit, just like DL guests were conditioned to do with MaxPass.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

You get to choose one at 7am. If the one you choose is for availability only later in the day (say 5pm for ex.) You can still get another 90 minutes later at 830. Same applies if your 2nd choice is much later in the day etc. That's *IF* they are going by the same rules as MaxPass. In this scenario you would have 2 at once and not one at a time. We do not know yet.

From all indications there is no limit on how many Genie + rides you can pick during the day if they are available, one at a time and you can fit them in. 2 is not the limit unlike the headliners (2 per park).

I have a hard time believing of we are paying for it that late arriving guests at the parks will lose out on the better Genie + rides but time will tell. I do not see how someone would be forced to lose out if they chopse their first ride and its next available is later in day. Or even of they waitnintil 9am to choose their first ride so that it is later in the day.

I had to reply to the "2 per park for the paid passes. They are only 2 per day to use at any park, Not 2 per park. That seems to be a common misconception. If you want one at the MK and one at AK, then that's your 2 paid for passes a day.
This whole thing is so confusing. Could Disney have made it any more confusing???

 

[dovetail65]

What make no sense is people believing Disney is getting rid of free Magic Bands because Disney got enough data from that.

It is 100%the opposite

Disney gets far far more Data when we simply carry our phones and they are turned on and if the Disney app is enabled Disney is even e better off, but they get data even if a person doesn't have the Disney app on their phones at all.

Let's say only 5% of people left their phones in their room because they didn't want tech on vacation, that is an instant 1million more people's data per year by having those people bring in their phones now. The data is not only useful to Disney, but to third parties too.

I am not commenting on whether this is good or bad, I am saying getting rid of Magic bands in no way reduces Disney gathering data. Having us going to phones actually gives the potential for Disney to gain far more data and is simply irrefutable. If or how Disney acts, gathers or uses this data is a different post. The small print seems to indicate they use the data and share it.

There are thousands of articles, this is a generic article from a few years ago that discusses

How companies are using cell phone data and Disney can do even more with us in the parks, apps enabled adnd wifi on even better for them. ​

How companies are using cell phone data

The exact same data that is used to predict traffic patterns can also be used to predict other kinds of information – information people might not be comfortable with revealing.

msutoday.msu.edu

Even outside of data gathering from us using going to phones provides Disney with the potential to get more guests to use the Disney app even more. Home Depot invested 11 billion to as they say “unlock a frictionless interconnected shopping experience to seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds.” This app and how they used people's data is directly related to record breaking profits. Getting us on the app is just another reason to get us on phones and away from stand alone Magic Bands.

Again, I am not discussing good or bad, right or wrong, just saying anyone that believes Disney gained enough data from the Magic bands are only right in one respect and that is that the Magic bands didn't give enough data. After getting the data they could from the Magic Bands and knowing phones could give far more useful data they are now pushing us more toward our phones than ever. Disney will be wanting and getting data from us any way they can, right now phones are best, in the future who knows. In today world most big business will need want or even need data and it will never be enough.

I will use the app, but I will also wear my Magic band because I just like those better. I do not want to pull out my phone at every ride entrance.

 

[runnsally]

In part, seems like Genie is designed to use new, in-demand rides to incentivize WDW resort stays. My guess is that for a ride like Tron, most if not all of the IAS availability will be gobbled up by on-site guests at 7am. So depending on the IAS ride, offsite folks are either at the mercy of the virtual queue or standby. And to take it a step further, standby is further degraded by the lack of a rope drop for offsite guests. And to take it another step further, the only other option is evening extra magic hours for deluxe on-site guests only.

 

[jpinkc]

Pretty big Disney youtube Channel is speaking out about Genie+ and other cuts. Glad to see one of the bigger influencers speaking out.

I dont know if Dylan qualifies as big Youtuber but I do enjoy his content!

 

[pdude81]

In part, seems like Genie is designed to use new, in-demand rides to incentivize WDW resort stays. My guess is that for a ride like Tron, most if not all of the IAS availability will be gobbled up by on-site guests at 7am. So depending on the IAS ride, offsite folks are either at the mercy of the virtual queue or standby. And to take it a step further, standby is further degraded by the lack of a rope drop for offsite guests. And to take it another step further, the only other option is evening extra magic hours for deluxe on-site guests only.

This isn't a major difference when compared to a tier 1 fp at 60+3 days for on site being your only reasonable shot. Not disagreeing, just clarifying that you wouldn't have gotten that before anyway.

 

[Joeamc]

In part, seems like Genie is designed to use new, in-demand rides to incentivize WDW resort stays. My guess is that for a ride like Tron, most if not all of the IAS availability will be gobbled up by on-site guests at 7am. So depending on the IAS ride, offsite folks are either at the mercy of the virtual queue or standby. And to take it a step further, standby is further degraded by the lack of a rope drop for offsite guests. And to take it another step further, the only other option is evening extra magic hours for deluxe on-site guests only.

My hunch is that there will not be standby lines for future headliners like tron. I think the only two options will be either virtual queue or pay to ride.

 

[runnsally]

My hunch is that there will not be standby lines for future headliners like tron. I think the only two options will be either virtual queue or pay to ride.

Or deluxe evening EMH

 

[runnsally]

This isn't a major difference when compared to a tier 1 fp at 60+3 days for on site being your only reasonable shot. Not disagreeing, just clarifying that you wouldn't have gotten that before anyway.

Plus no viable rope drop option for offsite.

 

[DisneyCane]

My hunch is that there will not be standby lines for future headliners like tron. I think the only two options will be either virtual queue or pay to ride.

Unless it is ridiculously low capacity like SDMT, I don't think this will be the case at MK. Other parks, yes but MK has enough attractions that except for a few months after opening maybe I don't thing VQ will be necessary.

 

[Kirby86]

Unless it is ridiculously low capacity like SDMT, I don't think this will be the case at MK. Other parks, yes but MK has enough attractions that except for a few months after opening maybe I don't thing VQ will be necessary.

Disney sort of views Standby lines as a dirty word now. I don't think they will dissappear but I think that they will "encourage" visitors to use Lighting Lanes.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Pretty big Disney youtube Channel is speaking out about Genie+ and other cuts. Glad to see one of the bigger influencers speaking out.

Pretty big?

His videos get between 1k - 4k views.

 

[aaronml]

Something of note here. The Individual Attraction Service and the DAS pre-selection are very likely to utilize the Fastpass+ infrastructure which will allow them to continue to depreciate that.

My understanding is that Lightning Lane, etc. is a completely new system, and not just new features built onto the original FP+ system. The original FP+ system has been repurposed for Park Pass.

 

[dovetail65]

I dont know if Dylan qualifies as big Youtuber but I do enjoy his content!

As I listened to the guys video for the first time ever I just do not care. What I do not care about is WDW at all, I care more about what some other are thinking and the only reason I even post here.

Right or wrong the FP thing still has me so less interested in going in my mind I think WDW?,Whatever. The passion is gone and I am a person that bought a home 6 min from Disney so my wife and I could "Disney" for a majority of our retirement. Now I feel like I don't even care about WDW as that home sits empty and we both work 70 to 90 hours a week to pay for two homes every month for another 641 days 36 hours and some odd minutes until our move date.

This is my live animated count down clock background on my computer

I was mad about FP for a few days(maybe weeks), now I just literally don't care. Disney did this, I did not all of a sudden lose interest out of thin air. I am not sure what this means, unique thoughts for humans are few and far between and it is said that at any given moment anything a person thinks about 10 thousand other humans have that same thought. My lack of passion is even during a time some great new lands and attraction are being introduced. If you told me a few years ago that Guardians of Galaxy, Tron, Pandora(one of my all time favs), Star Wars land, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and more would be open or soon to be opening at WDW and I wouldn't even give a care about it , well that would of been sacrilege.

Even with those new attractions somehow what Disney has done ripped the passion right from me, again I didn't do it. I am not being dramatic, I am just saying if I feel this way I wonder how many others do and if it will even dent what Disney does in the future. Somehow I don't think it will. Maybe the passion will come back, but right now who knows, next week I may be over this forum too and find I do not even have the interest in Disney to make the daily check of this site like I have since 2016, let alone post.

 

[LovePop]

that home sits empty and we both work 70 to 90 hours a week to pay for two homes every month

Oh no! You can't just sell the second home if you don't want it? (And buy another one later if you want). Why should you work long hours to pay for 2 homes? I believe the real estate market is really hot right now.

 

[dovetail65]

Oh no! You can't just sell the second home if you don't want it? (And buy another one later if you want). Why should you work long hours to pay for 2 homes? I believe the real estate market is really hot right now.

Well we can always sell. We could never sell and get another for that price in that location and truly we are on a mission. I am not allowing something out of my hands to change our plans. If the time comes and we don't like being down there due to Disney or anything else we could sell, but selling would be after we move down and try it out, not before.