Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
Last I recall the initial MM+ was 2 billion, and I think they've spent nearly another 2 billion since on "improvements" to the system
Wow...more than I even thought. I knew $2 billion was the original investment, but knocked a billion off of that because a good chunk was infrastructure upgrades that were desperately needed regardless of MM+ and FP+. I didn't realize the more recent investment was just as big.
 

hopemax

Well-Known Member
Universal would like to disagree with you. I’m pretty sure the only thing they regret is giving Lowes a contract that guaranteed free express for their first 3 hotels.

And as mentioned, they need to go on a high capacity popular attraction spending spree.
Unfortunately the facts not in evidence, is what would happen at Universal if the demand for the line skip was as high as it is at WDW. I don’t think it is, because there isn’t a perceived need except for holidays. On holidays, people do notice the standby and EP queues start wobbling into something more like Disney’s because so many people have bought it over normal. So there will be a point where Universal’s system will break too.

Universal does cap it’s EP sales. When I was there in May, some guy was complaining he could only buy it for one of his two days (note this was for a $349.99 EP days). But if EP started selling out on many more days, or 60 days in advance because all these ex-WDW guests that would pay anything because they are that line adverse have booked trips, what would Universal do? Would they up the amount of EP sales and disrupt the EP to standby ratio? Increase the price points on their surge pricing? Universal might get just as flummoxed as Disney in a situation where demand >>> supply.

But given that Universal IS building a 3rd park, I would lean to believing that they know the real solution to an influx of crowds is ultimately more things to do. People brought up the other parks last night. Those parks advertise “15 coasters and 80+ rides! “ That already makes those parks different than Disney’s parks other than maybe Disneyland. They have lots of overall park capacity. It has a better ratio to their average daily attendance and peak days. They can answer the question asked in that video “then where do all the people go?” Which is a tough pill for Disney fans to swallow, if local parks now have a better operations philosophy than the supposed industry leader.
 

MagicHappens1971

Well-Known Member
Wow...more than I even thought. I knew $2 billion was the original investment, but knocked a billion off of that because a good chunk was infrastructure upgrades that were desperately needed regardless of MM+ and FP+. I didn't realize the more recent investment was just as big.
I could be wrong but I think since the initial rollout they’ve spent a combined nearly 2 billion on “upgrades, improvements,etc” like making the tapstiles flat after building all of them with the rounded face, and various other upgrades
 

Jeff4272

Well-Known Member
I mean... It's ROTR Thanksgiving week. With no ILL/VQ you would have been waking up at 6:00 to get to DHS at 7:00 to stand in line for four hours. At least now you know that you won't have to commit your time to it and plan something else.

There's no system that WOULDN'T suck for that attraction at this time of year.
Not true. I would have had 3 FP booked 2 months ago.
Genie blows
 

Jeff4272

Well-Known Member
Do you feel this is a function of G+ or more just it being a holiday week? It could be a mix but having experienced a nightmare July 4th once, we learned a long time ago to never go during a major holiday. Christmas is our favorite time of year at Disney, but we always go either during an off November or December week just for that reason. You couldn’t pay me to be in MK on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day to be honest.

Just curious on your thoughts, since you’re living it.
Only time I could take my kids b of school so my options are limited. I think it’s a combination of both.

I’m at bay lake tower and I’ll never stay in a Disney hotel again. No need. You get no benefit. We didn’t get on rise or flight of passage.

my advice would to save your money
 

mikejs78

Premium Member
Do you feel this is a function of G+ or more just it being a holiday week? It could be a mix but having experienced a nightmare July 4th once, we learned a long time ago to never go during a major holiday. Christmas is our favorite time of year at Disney, but we always go either during an off November or December week just for that reason. You couldn’t pay me to be in MK on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day to be honest.

Just curious on your thoughts, since you’re living it.
Even during holiday weeks you could get some same day FPs late in the evening with FP+.
 

Touchdown

Well-Known Member
Also, you all know that with the exception of one ride you can still ride even if you don’t get a LL right? Also Disney inflates ride times. Also rope drop and park close will find this ride lines much smaller.
 

HoustonHorn

Premium Member
Really? I thought it was that if you book your first LL at 7 (say for Btm) and your first available time is 1:00-2:00 pm, you can book another LL at 11am ( If park opening is at 9 o'clock). Now if your second LL that you book at 11am is for a return time of say, 11:15-12:15 and you use it at 11:30, genie will allow you to book another LL even before you use your Btm at 1:00pm. I'm assuming that's how this stacking works?
Yes, that's how it worked for me Sunday. But again, it doesn't tell you when you're eligible again, which can be ok, but causes issues if your party wants different things.
Only time I could take my kids b of school so my options are limited. I think it’s a combination of both.

I’m at bay lake tower and I’ll never stay in a Disney hotel again. No need. You get no benefit. We didn’t get on rise or flight of passage.

my advice would to save your money
TL;DR: Rope Drop Rules, Genie+ and ILL Drools

I will disagree here. G+ is a disaster, and ILL isn't much better. Concierge today said she hears that the RotR issue yesterday was a systemwide outage, and it wasn't actually sold out in 90 minutes. I tried twice to buy FoP today, and errored out both times.

But.

Early entry alleviated my ILL issues both days. Yesterday, Dad and I rope dropped RotR, and he's in a scooter, so we weren't moving fast. At the first preshow at exactly 9:00, and by 10 we had ridden RotR (full experience except the 2&3 cannons) and single rider lined MF:SR.

Today, Daughter and I rope dropped FoP and we're at the first preshow in 14 minutes, and we rode that and NRJ by 8:30.

I talked to many people who loathe this system. Being stressed for a couple hours 2 months before your trip, then enjoying your trip, was so much better than being on edge at 7am every damn day of "vacation".
 

Jeff4272

Well-Known Member
Yes, that's how it worked for me Sunday. But again, it doesn't tell you when you're eligible again, which can be ok, but causes issues if your party wants different things.

TL;DR: Rope Drop Rules, Genie+ and ILL Drools

I will disagree here. G+ is a disaster, and ILL isn't much better. Concierge today said she hears that the RotR issue yesterday was a systemwide outage, and it wasn't actually sold out in 90 minutes. I tried twice to buy FoP today, and errored out both times.

But.

Early entry alleviated my ILL issues both days. Yesterday, Dad and I rope dropped RotR, and he's in a scooter, so we weren't moving fast. At the first preshow at exactly 9:00, and by 10 we had ridden RotR (full experience except the 2&3 cannons) and single rider lined MF:SR.

Today, Daughter and I rope dropped FoP and we're at the first preshow in 14 minutes, and we rode that and NRJ by 8:30.

I talked to many people who loathe this system. Being stressed for a couple hours 2 months before your trip, then enjoying your trip, was so much better than being on edge at 7am every damn day of "vacation".
There’s so many bad aspects of genie and it’s hard to pick the worst one but i would say is waking up at 6:50am EVERY day is the worst. Either that or the cost. Or that it doesn’t hold your selected time. Or you have to cancel instead of replacing. Or that you have to be on your phone all day. Or that every good ride sold out at HS before I booked my second genie. Or that you can’t choose return times. Or that ILL sell out in less than 30 seconds. Or that you need 3 people on separate mde accounts to book. Or……..oh never mind, you get the point
 

mikejs78

Premium Member
No you wouldn't have. The mad scramble you experienced at 7am today would have still happened at 7am 60 days ago.

Except you only would have to do it once, and not when on vacation.

Yeah for PhilharMagic and Frozen Sing-Along.

First of all, that's more than has been available this week

Second, at MK, without refreshing, you'd have Small World, Mermaid, Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, Dumbo, Magic Carpets, and possibly Pooh and Buzz, late into the night. And with refreshing you could pick up more, usually pirates or mansion, sometimes BTM or Splash.

This weekend, by 6 PM there were literally no attractions available at MK for LL when I checked.
 

nickys

Premium Member
Really? I thought it was that if you book your first LL at 7 (say for Btm) and your first available time is 1:00-2:00 pm, you can book another LL at 11am ( If park opening is at 9 o'clock). Now if your second LL that you book at 11am is for a return time of say, 11:15-12:15 and you use it at 11:30, genie will allow you to book another LL even before you use your Btm at 1:00pm. I'm assuming that's how this stacking works?
That’s part of how it works. And that still does.

The extra step appears to have been closed, presumably because it was an unintended consequence of the criteria that allow you to book another LL.
 

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