Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Disstevefan1]

How cool would it be if they ran a test, called it “throw back Thursday” and on select Thursday’s, NO LL, everything stand by, just to see how it would work with post pandemic crowds.

Disney would have to play it honestly and run with normal staff and not purposely have attractions go down, but it would be an interesting experiment.

I know to would never be done because they would lose all that LL money for nothing.

 

[RSoxNo1]

This is absolutely the worst version of this system.

They reduced the inventory of available Multi Pass Lightning Lanes relative to Fastpass+ and added a price point. More than ever before, I think this may be my breaking point. The system in Disneyland is substantially better than Disney World.

 

[Chi84]

As much as crowds were indeed lower, the COVID era standby only was so much smoother. Lines moved quickly as they were not constantly stopping for FP/Genie/Lightning etc. I understand exceptions for DAS, but I wish we could just have standby only.

Disney rides were generally designed to be extremely efficient and FP/Genie/whatever messes up a lot of the efficiency and makes the experience worse in the long run, IMO.

Who gets DAS in your system?

 

[KDM31091]

Who gets DAS in your system?

DAS is a seperate issue from paid LL or even free Fastpass+. The "skip the line" feature for non-DAS just clogs up the lines and slows down waits and efficiency.

Does DAS do the same thing, yes, to some extent but at least it's for a real reason and not just a money grab.

 

[bwr827]

Who gets DAS in your system?

There’s already a million-page thread for that topic.

 

[Chi84]

There’s already a million-page thread for that topic.

This thread isn’t about all-standby either but it pops up every once in awhile as the illusionary best system. I used all-standby. It favored a particular demographic of healthy teens and young adults.

If you read those million pages you’ll see that many who no longer qualify for DAS are planning to rely on the paid LLs.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Who gets DAS in your system?

All standby combined with today’s stricter DAS and todays return to line stuff.

It would be an interesting experiment.

But then again, it could never happen because money.

 

[Chi84]

All standby combined with today’s stricter DAS and todays return to line stuff.

It would be an interesting experiment.

But then again, it could never happen because money.

It would also eliminate my 10 person multigenerational family. Maybe they’ll make more money from the teens but I doubt it.

 

[bwr827]

This thread isn’t about all-standby either but it pops up every once in awhile as the illusionary best system. I used all-standby. It favored a particular demographic of healthy teens and young adults.

If you read those million pages you’ll see that many who no longer qualify for DAS are planning to rely on the paid LLs.

Fair. I just cringed at the idea of this thread becoming another debate about who should get DAS.

 

[Heelz2315]

So here's my question and I haven't seen the answer to this anywhere. We're headed back to stay on property on 11/23 till 11/30. From what I understand we can go in on 11/16 and buy LL multi pass for the entire time we're there that week.

Here's my question. Our first day in the parks will be 11/24. On 11/16 we can start making plans. Do we buy LL and make our plans daily or purchase 7 days out and make all the plans then? If's it's the latter, I can't imagine making plans for the next week and the attractions/times not being picked over the later in the week we go to pick, especially in the morning. (due to everyone's trips overlapping)

Am I missing something or will there be times in the mornings if we buy LL multi pass on 11/16 and pick for the next week? I can't imagine there would be. Or is this not how it works? Please PM me if need be.

 

[doctornick]

This is absolutely the worst version of this system.

They reduced the inventory of available Multi Pass Lightning Lanes relative to Fastpass+ and added a price point. More than ever before, I think this may be my breaking point. The system in Disneyland is substantially better than Disney World.

I still think it is a better system than G+ (other than reducing inventory by removing M&Gs).

I think everyone would be in agreement that LLMP would be better if they didn't separate the LLSP rides and make you pay additionally for them if you want them.

 

[nickys]

So here's my question and I haven't seen the answer to this anywhere. We're headed back to stay on property on 11/23 till 11/30. From what I understand we can go in on 11/16 and buy LL multi pass for the entire time we're there that week.

Here's my question. Our first day in the parks will be 11/24. On 11/16 we can start making plans. Do we buy LL and make our plans daily or purchase 7 days out and make all the plans then? If's it's the latter, I can't imagine making plans for the next week and the attractions/times not being picked over the later in the week we go to pick, especially in the morning. (due to everyone's trips overlapping)

Am I missing something or will there be times in the mornings if we buy LL multi pass on 11/16 and pick for the next week? I can't imagine there would be. Or is this not how it works? Please PM me if need be.

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking.

You can go onto the app on the 16th and book for your whole stay. Up to 14 days. You can select all your days or just some. For each day you can pre-book the single LLs &/or the multi pass LLs.

The fact that your first day in the parks isn’t until the 24th doesn’t matter.

Does that answer your question?

 

[GoofGoof]

As much as crowds were indeed lower, the COVID era standby only was so much smoother. Lines moved quickly as they were not constantly stopping for FP/Genie/Lightning etc. I understand exceptions for DAS, but I wish we could just have standby only.

Disney rides were generally designed to be extremely efficient and FP/Genie/whatever messes up a lot of the efficiency and makes the experience worse in the long run, IMO.

In my younger days I would totally agree. Just standby worked fine for us. if you arrived early and stayed late you could knock out most of the longer wait rides and fill the time in the middle with lower wait or no wait rides and attractions. As I’ve gotten older I can’t (or I should really say don’t want to) stay at the parks all day from rope drop to close. Some form of skip the line helps to get in what I want in the time I choose to stay. Something like Express Pass is obviously the best option but that could never work at WDW.

 

[Doberge]

Strongly disliking this system. I have a trip from August 3 to 11 and I'm looking at MK August 10, almost two weeks out, and this is the best we can do:

By the time we can start using these in the early afternoon we'd be looking at scraps to fill in the rest of the day. Now we play a modifying game.

 

[lightningtap347]

Trip Report (I have some observations & tinfoil hat time):

I just got back from a GREAT morning with this new system. I think if you are flexible, this can be a great resource.

To test this, I purchased DAK 3 days ago with the following FP's:

Navi 9:40 - 10:40
Safari 10:25 - 11:25
Everest 11:25 - 12:25

My original plan was to go to DHS after (this did not occur).

Overall trip - 10AM - 2:30PM

Navi - Redeemed at 10AM (Selected RnR for 6:50PM - did not use)
Safari - Redeemed at 10:25 (Selected Tower for 5:30PM - did not use)
Everest - Redeemed at 11:25 (At this point there were NO selections available for DHS - selected Space Mountain for 2PM)

At this point, I switched to MK and got the following:

Switched Rnr for Pooh at 12:30PM
Switched Tower for Tiana at 12:15PM

Arrived at MK and did the following:

Train to Tiana
Tiana - Redeemed at 12:18PM (Selected Ariel for 12:35 - T-Pose Mama Odie, this ride sucks lmao)
Train to Fantasyland
Ariel - Redeemed at 12:42PM (Selected Buzz for 1PM)
Pooh - Redeemed at 1PM (Selected Speedway for 1:05PM - did not use)
Peoplemover
Buzz - Redeemed at 1:50PM (Selected Nothing)
Space - Redeemed at 2:06PM (Selected Nothing)

Observations:

1. That was a lot of selections in a small amount of time. Having five minute overlaps was insane for touring.
2. MK wasn't very busy, and I noticed multiple rides where we were the only people scanning in for our return time. This was extremely strange, as...
3. There were multiple rides with no availability for the duration of our time. They also had extremely low wait times the entire time - this is not the behavior I expected of the system.
   
   Pirates - No availability, 5 minute posted wait (entire duration of MK time)
   HM - No availability, 13-20 minute posted wait (entire duration of MK time)
   Jungle Cruise - No availability, 20 minute posted wait (entire duration of MK time)
   
   Additionally, multiple rides had return times hours out after multiple, yet complete walk on standby times and visual waits.

My tinfoil hat: I think they're withholding inventory based on foreseen purchases from the 7 and 3 day windows. In (the now fourth) line skip system implementation, I have never seen so many rides with no inventory post such short waits. They've either lowered inventory so low that they operationally can handle the lines, or they simply do not release the inventory of the previous system's capacities if they do not forecast a need to do so.

Regardless, we had a great day, and felt that there was good value there. Especially starting at DAK. DHS clearly needs ride capacity, as that was an operational black hole today.

 

[Chi84]

In my younger days I would totally agree. Just standby worked fine for us. if you arrived early and stayed late you could knock out most of the longer wait rides and fill the time in the middle with lower wait or no wait rides and attractions. As I’ve gotten older I can’t (or I should really say don’t want to) stay at the parks all day from rope drop to close. Some form of skip the line helps to get in what I want in the time I choose to stay. Something like Express Pass is obviously the best option but that could never work at WDW.

If they went all standby they would lose the older people who are taking the grandkids to character breakfasts in favor of the demographic pounding rides from open to close. I suspect they’re aware.

 

[Heelz2315]

How many morning/good selections will be there later in your stay if you’re picking them a week out?

I guess that’s my big question

 

[EricsBiscuit]

What’s going on rn with so many outdoor but indoor rides too being closed?

 

[GoofGoof]

Trip Report (I have some observations & tinfoil hat time):

I just got back from a GREAT morning with this new system. I think if you are flexible, this can be a great resource.

To test this, I purchased DAK 3 days ago with the following FP's:

Navi 9:40 - 10:40
Safari 10:25 - 11:25
Everest 11:25 - 12:25

My original plan was to go to DHS after (this did not occur).

Overall trip - 10AM - 2:30PM

Navi - Redeemed at 10AM (Selected RnR for 6:50PM - did not use)
Safari - Redeemed at 10:25 (Selected Tower for 5:30PM - did not use)
Everest - Redeemed at 11:25 (At this point there were NO selections available for DHS - selected Space Mountain for 2PM)

At this point, I switched to MK and got the following:

Switched Rnr for Pooh at 12:30PM
Switched Tower for Tiana at 12:15PM

Arrived at MK and did the following:

Train to Tiana
Tiana - Redeemed at 12:18PM (Selected Ariel for 12:35 - T-Pose Mama Odie, this ride sucks lmao)
Train to Fantasyland
Ariel - Redeemed at 12:42PM (Selected Buzz for 1PM)
Pooh - Redeemed at 1PM (Selected Speedway for 1:05PM - did not use)
Peoplemover
Buzz - Redeemed at 1:50PM (Selected Nothing)
Space - Redeemed at 2:06PM (Selected Nothing)

Observations:

1. That was a lot of selections in a small amount of time. Having five minute overlaps was insane for touring.
2. MK wasn't very busy, and I noticed multiple rides where we were the only people scanning in for our return time. This was extremely strange, as...
3. There were multiple rides with no availability for the duration of our time. They also had extremely low wait times the entire time - this is not the behavior I expected of the system.
   
   Pirates - No availability, 5 minute posted wait (entire duration of MK time)
   HM - No availability, 13-20 minute posted wait (entire duration of MK time)
   Jungle Cruise - No availability, 20 minute posted wait (entire duration of MK time)
   
   Additionally, multiple rides had return times hours out after multiple, yet complete walk on standby times and visual waits.

My tinfoil hat: I think they're withholding inventory based on foreseen purchases from the 7 and 3 day windows. In (the now fourth) line skip system implementation, I have never seen so many rides with no inventory post such short waits. They've either lowered inventory so low that they operationally can handle the lines, or they simply do not release the inventory of the previous system's capacities if they do not forecast a need to do so.

Regardless, we had a great day, and felt that there was good value there. Especially starting at DAK. DHS clearly needs ride capacity, as that was an operational black hole today.

Good stuff. Thanks for the update

I like the tinfoil hat theory it’s actually not that tinfoily. This system is so new they are almost certainly not running it at optimized capacity.

A few other things for us to consider. Touring Plans was listing DHS as an expected 6 crowd level and MK only 4 so that could explain some of the disparity in available rides. I also wonder if maybe the drop schedules are different for in day drops. You were booking DHS rides between 10 and 11:25AM so maybe another drop happened later in the day. Hopefully someone comes up with a secret decoder ring for when the drops happen and shares it with all of us .

 

[lightningtap347]

Good stuff. Thanks for the update

I like the tinfoil hat theory it’s actually not that tinfoily. This system is so new they are almost certainly not running it at optimized capacity.

A few other things for us to consider. Touring Plans was listing DHS as an expected 6 crowd level and MK only 4 so that could explain some of the disparity in available rides. I also wonder if maybe the drop schedules are different for in day drops. You were booking DHS rides between 10 and 11:25AM so maybe another drop happened later in the day. Hopefully someone comes up with a secret decoder ring for when the drops happen and shares it with all of us .

Looking at touring plans, they dropped Tiana FPs every hour at :48, I got really lucky as I didn't know that. I didn't see any other noticeable behavior from the other attractions.