Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[MickeyLuv'r]

Universal may serve as a suitable replacement for those who only care about the "theme park" as a type of place.

Uh, speak for yourself. Some of us happen to enjoy Universal's IP. The HP lands are fabulous! I'm also going to give a shout out to the staff at Universal as well, because they've been super over at least the last 5 years. A theme park is more than just rides; it is the sum of the whole. The Universal shuttle boats are MUCH more frequent than WDW transportation. At Universal, most hotels are within fairly easy walking distance of the parks, but if you want a bus/boat it is a short wait. Even at park close it is a fairly short wait, generally much shorter than waiting on WDW's transportation.

Dining is a bit of a mixed bag in both, not all of it is great at either property, but Universal has some very good food offerings that are not quite as $$$ as WDW. And if you just want to eat something inexpensive? It is way easier to eat on the cheap at Universal.

Just to give some exact pricing examples (meal+ soft drink): Breadbox about $15, Cosmic Ray's: $18.50.

For TS: Try Cowfish for $27 (wide choice entrees $17+tax/tip). At WDW, about the cheapest TS meal is a sandwich at the Plaza: $32. (Cowfish is WAY better!) Want to add dessert? Cowfish = $6+tax/tip. Plaza? 7-10+ tax/tip. Plus, if you really want to eat on the cheap, Universal has Burger King ($12.50) and Panda Express ($11). I tend to think Cosmic Ray's burgers are Burger King quality myself, but they cost $4 more.

Tutto vs. Mama Della's:
Fettuccine Alfredo: $24 vs. $20
Spaghetti: $28 vs. $23
Dessert: $11-13 vs. $9-11

I'd say for most folks, eating is part of the theme park experience, but it rarely gets mentioned in these cost/value debate threads. So really, I have to say, in addition to ride and staff quality, Universal has improved their food quality, while WDW is somewhat stuck. No, I take that back, the current food offerings at WDW are borderline abysmal.

 

[Rickcat96]

This whole reservation system and controlling crowds is a new thing, so we really do need to wait and see what actually happens.

For Genie+, LL and extra charge to skip big attraction waits- They would certainly remove the reservation system

 

[Weather_Lady]

Just to give some exact pricing examples (meal+ soft drink): Breadbox about $15, Cosmic Ray's: $18.50.

For TS: Try Cowfish for $27 (wide choice entrees $17+tax/tip). At WDW, about the cheapest TS meal is a sandwich at the Plaza: $32. (Cowfish is WAY better!) Want to add dessert? Cowfish = $6+tax/tip. Plaza? 7-10+ tax/tip. Plus, if you really want to eat on the cheap, Universal has Burger King ($12.50) and Panda Express ($11). I tend to think Cosmic Ray's burgers are Burger King quality myself, but they cost $4 more.

Tutto vs. Mama Della's:
Fettuccine Alfredo: $24 vs. $20
Spaghetti: $28 vs. $23
Dessert: $11-13 vs. $9-11

I'd say for most folks, eating is part of the theme park experience, but it rarely gets mentioned in these cost/value debate threads. So really, I have to say, in addition to ride and staff quality, Universal has improved their food quality, while WDW is somewhat stuck. No, I take that back, the current food offerings at WDW are borderline abysmal.

Just chiming in to concur. In fact, having just spent 4 days at Universal and 4 days at WDW, I can testify that we spent about 20% MORE on food at WDW than at Universal, even though we ate at similar-caliber restaurants and ordered similar things. Indeed, when I say "similar-caliber," I mean the quality was generally the same, but Universal edged out Disney in every single metric other than theming almost every time -- staffing, service, quality of ingredients, size/diversity of menu, and of course, pricing. (And this is coming from a foodie family.) We even had a couple of apples-to-apples comparisons (e.g., $18 hamburger at The Kitchen vs. $22 hamburger at Sci-Fi, $20 noodle bowl at Confisco Grille vs. $25 noodle bowl at Skipper Canteen) for which Universal was the handy winner of the "whose dish was objectively better" challenge.

And while we're comparing the two and talking about Genie+, Disney may like to say that paying to skip the lines is "industry standard," but if Disney's really that concerned with slavishly following the herd, then I guess we can all look eagerly forward to the day when Disney will offer deluxe-level rooms at $300/night with unlimited line-skipping included for all occupants, as Universal does!

 

[Casper Gutman]

Just chiming in to concur. In fact, having just spent 4 days at Universal and 4 days at WDW, I can testify that we spent about 20% MORE on food at WDW than at Universal, even though we ate at similar-caliber restaurants and ordered similar things. Indeed, when I say "similar-caliber," I mean the quality was generally the same, but Universal edged out Disney in every single metric other than theming almost every time -- staffing, service, quality of ingredients, size/diversity of menu, and of course, pricing. (And this is coming from a foodie family.)

And while we're comparing the two and talking about Genie+, Disney may like to say that paying to skip the lines is "industry standard," but if Disney's really that concerned with slavishly following the herd, then I guess I can look eagerly forward to the day when Disney will offer deluxe-level rooms at $300/night with unlimited line-skipping included for all occupants, as Universal does!

Deluxe level rooms with line-skipping for $215 if you’re an AP holder!

 

[pdude81]

Just chiming in to concur. In fact, having just spent 4 days at Universal and 4 days at WDW, I can testify that we spent about 20% MORE on food at WDW than at Universal, even though we ate at similar-caliber restaurants and ordered similar things. Indeed, when I say "similar-caliber," I mean the quality was generally the same, but Universal edged out Disney in every single metric almost every time -- staffing, service, quality of ingredients, size/diversity of menu, and of course, pricing. (And this is coming from a foodie family.)

And Disney may like to say that paying to skip the lines is "industry standard," but if Disney's really that concerned with slavishly following the herd, I look eagerly forward to the day when Disney will offer deluxe-level rooms at $300/night with unlimited line-skipping included for all occupants, as Universal does!

Agreed with you both on food, though the table service experience in Disney is usually a bit nicer. Not 30% nicer though. Ate at Mythos and 3 people, including a margarita and a tip was like $75 bucks. Basically Applebees pricing and quality, which is great when I just want some lunch and air conditioning.

 

[James Alucobond]

Uh, speak for yourself. Some of us happen to enjoy Universal's IP. The HP lands are fabulous! I'm also going to give a shout out to the staff at Universal as well, because they've been super over at least the last 5 years. A theme park is more than just rides; it is the sum of the whole. The Universal shuttle boats are MUCH more frequent than WDW transportation. At Universal, most hotels are within fairly easy walking distance of the parks, but if you want a bus/boat it is a short wait. Even at park close it is a fairly short wait, generally much shorter than waiting on WDW's transportation.

Dining is a bit of a mixed bag in both, not all of it is great at either property, but Universal has some very good food offerings that are not quite as $$$ as WDW. And if you just want to eat something inexpensive? It is way easier to eat on the cheap at Universal.

Just to give some exact pricing examples (meal+ soft drink): Breadbox about $15, Cosmic Ray's: $18.50.

For TS: Try Cowfish for $27 (wide choice entrees $17+tax/tip). At WDW, about the cheapest TS meal is a sandwich at the Plaza: $32. (Cowfish is WAY better!) Want to add dessert? Cowfish = $6+tax/tip. Plaza? 7-10+ tax/tip. Plus, if you really want to eat on the cheap, Universal has Burger King ($12.50) and Panda Express ($11). I tend to think Cosmic Ray's burgers are Burger King quality myself, but they cost $4 more.

Tutto vs. Mama Della's:
Fettuccine Alfredo: $24 vs. $20
Spaghetti: $28 vs. $23
Dessert: $11-13 vs. $9-11

I'd say for most folks, eating is part of the theme park experience, but it rarely gets mentioned in these cost/value debate threads. So really, I have to say, in addition to ride and staff quality, Universal has improved their food quality, while WDW is somewhat stuck. No, I take that back, the current food offerings at WDW are borderline abysmal.

Uh, I don’t think anything I said contradicts what you said, or at least I didn’t mean for it to if it came off that way. I’m saying that if you’re looking for a great theme park experience (including everything that comes with it), Universal is a perfectly suitable substitute. If you’re looking for Disney and its IP, it’s obviously not. No knocks against Universal intended.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Agreed with you both on food, though the table service experience in Disney is usually a bit nicer. Not 30% nicer though. Ate at Mythos and 3 people, including a margarita and a tip was like $75 bucks. Basically Applebees pricing and quality, which is great when I just want some lunch and air conditioning.

Mythos isn’t what it once was, but it ain’t Applebee’s by a long shot.

 

[UNCgolf]

Uh, speak for yourself. Some of us happen to enjoy Universal's IP. The HP lands are fabulous! I'm also going to give a shout out to the staff at Universal as well, because they've been super over at least the last 5 years. A theme park is more than just rides; it is the sum of the whole. The Universal shuttle boats are MUCH more frequent than WDW transportation. At Universal, most hotels are within fairly easy walking distance of the parks, but if you want a bus/boat it is a short wait. Even at park close it is a fairly short wait, generally much shorter than waiting on WDW's transportation.

Dining is a bit of a mixed bag in both, not all of it is great at either property, but Universal has some very good food offerings that are not quite as $$$ as WDW. And if you just want to eat something inexpensive? It is way easier to eat on the cheap at Universal.

Just to give some exact pricing examples (meal+ soft drink): Breadbox about $15, Cosmic Ray's: $18.50.

For TS: Try Cowfish for $27 (wide choice entrees $17+tax/tip). At WDW, about the cheapest TS meal is a sandwich at the Plaza: $32. (Cowfish is WAY better!) Want to add dessert? Cowfish = $6+tax/tip. Plaza? 7-10+ tax/tip. Plus, if you really want to eat on the cheap, Universal has Burger King ($12.50) and Panda Express ($11). I tend to think Cosmic Ray's burgers are Burger King quality myself, but they cost $4 more.

Tutto vs. Mama Della's:
Fettuccine Alfredo: $24 vs. $20
Spaghetti: $28 vs. $23
Dessert: $11-13 vs. $9-11

I'd say for most folks, eating is part of the theme park experience, but it rarely gets mentioned in these cost/value debate threads. So really, I have to say, in addition to ride and staff quality, Universal has improved their food quality, while WDW is somewhat stuck. No, I take that back, the current food offerings at WDW are borderline abysmal.

I don't think it's fair to compare CityWalk restaurants (Cowfish) to in-park dining. The in-park dining at Universal is abysmal for the most part; there is more decent food available in the parks at Disney (even though it's not very good overall either). I had two of the worst meals I've ever eaten in the parks at Universal (also had one of the worst meals I've ever eaten at Tony's Town Square at Disney, so it's certainly not exclusive to Universal).

Disney Springs has many pretty good options that are cheaper than eating in the park and are a better comparison to CityWalk. With that said, there is an advantage at Universal in that CityWalk can be walked to from either park instead of requiring guests to wait for bus transportation (or drive themselves/Uber/Lyft).

 

[Rich Brownn]

I don't think it's fair to compare CityWalk restaurants (Cowfish) to in-park dining. The in-park dining at Universal is abysmal for the most part; there is more decent food available in the parks at Disney (even though it's not very good overall either). I had two of the worst meals I've ever eaten in the parks at Universal (also had one of the worst meals I've ever eaten at Tony's Town Square at Disney, so it's certainly not exclusive to Universal).

Disney Springs has many pretty good options that are cheaper than eating in the park and are a better comparison to CityWalk. With that said, there is an advantage at Universal in that CityWalk can be walked to from either park instead of requiring guests to wait for bus transportation (or drive themselves/Uber/Lyft).

In Park I've had great meals at Confisco's, Mythos, Lombard, Finnigans, Three Broomsticks. All are TS. Fast food - Fireeater's Grill has great Gyros.

 

[Casper Gutman]

In Park I've had great meals at Confisco's, Mythos, Lombard, Finnigans, Three Broomsticks. All are TS. Fast food - Fireeater's Grill has great Gyros.

I enjoy the bakeries near the entrance to each park.

 

[UNCgolf]

In Park I've had great meals at Confisco's, Mythos, Lombard, Finnigans, Three Broomsticks. All are TS. Fast food - Fireeater's Grill has great Gyros.

The Confisco Grill is where I had one of the worst meals of my life. Both the food and the service was atrocious. It took forever to even get someone to come take our order (despite the restaurant being mostly empty), the food was lukewarm when it came out and was terrible overall, and then we sat there for another 30+ minutes waiting for someone to let us actually pay for our food. It was an absolutely awful experience all around.

The other was QS in the Simpsons area, which offered by far the worst hamburger I've ever encountered (I didn't know it was possible to make a hamburger that bad). There is pretty good food at CityWalk, although Disney Springs is better overall -- but it's also larger with more options (and less convenient).

I have heard that the food in the HP areas is pretty good.

 

[Parker in NYC]

Like I said in another thread. No one knows what’s going to happen with the travel industry in light of the cyclical nature of our current flying virus extravaganza. But Disney knows that those who do not live in fear make up a fervent portion of their base. That’s why they’ve raised prices and are rolling out Genie+. And keeping reservations. None of it is for guest satisfaction. It’s to keep ops costs low and spending high.

And since International visitors are still on the outs with their two-week holidays, the mouse has to go about this as prudently as possible. So, they’ll cater to the base. And the base will come. And if not, they’ll keep raising prices for those who do. Shut resorts, resort wings, put projects on hold, let attractions close down. Anything.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

They are new manifestations of the corporate philosophy that has governed WDW for over a decade, evolutionary developments of previous systems. They are new only in the most literal sense. We can make very informed judgements about how they will be implemented.

It's one thing to be skeptical or cynical, but there seems to be a lot of conclusion drawing.

There's no reason to attach a reservation system to annual passes if they don't want to control crowds at all.

 

[flynnibus]

There's no reason to attach a reservation system to annual passes if they don't want to control crowds at all.

Sure there is... to control WHICH KIND OF CUSTOMER is taking up your capacity at any point in time. Reservations allows the parks to basically have dynamic blackouts for APs and caps on how many APs are in the park vs other kinds of customers.

 

[disneygeek90]

Sure there is... to control WHICH KIND OF CUSTOMER is taking up your capacity at any point in time. Reservations allows the parks to basically have dynamic blackouts for APs and caps on how many APs are in the park vs other kinds of customers.

Outside of maybe a handful of days a year... do we really expect them to cap any further? Now that the covid capacity is basically just normal capacity there hasn't been any issues booking any park day of. It's more of just an annoyance at this point.

With the exception of Oct 1, Thanksgiving Day, NYE etc I really don't expect there to be any additional issues booking reservations. That's what the tiered AP's with built in blockouts are for, anyway.

 

[Casper Gutman]

It's one thing to be skeptical or cynical, but there seems to be a lot of conclusion drawing.

There's no reason to attach a reservation system to annual passes if they don't want to control crowds at all.

Staffing.

And this is the endpoint we all knew was coming. We've heard about it for years. Everything that has happened has been a step in this direction. Not drawing conclusions is ignoring years of accumulated evidence. This is NOT a new development - its the manifestation of an old one.

And I've had dozens and dozens of good meals at Confisco's. I'm sorry you seem to have hit them on an off day.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Sure there is... to control WHICH KIND OF CUSTOMER is taking up your capacity at any point in time. Reservations allows the parks to basically have dynamic blackouts for APs and caps on how many APs are in the park vs other kinds of customers.

Which means limiting capacity.

Other than NYE or such, WDW almost never reaches full capacity, do they not? Again, there's no reason to put a reservation system on passes unless they want to enforce a certain capacity, which is less than the actual maximum capacity which is so rarely reached.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Staffing.

And this is the endpoint we all knew was coming. We've heard about it for years. Everything that has happened has been a step in this direction. Not drawing conclusions is ignoring years of accumulated evidence. This is NOT a new development - its the manifestation of an old one.

And I've had dozens and dozens of good meals at Confisco's. I'm sorry you seem to have hit them on an off day.

Staffing goes hand in hand with maintaining a good guest experience.

If Disney expects 30,000 guests on a weekday in January, they can staff accordingly and meet guest demand. The reservation system means they don't get 40,000 guests unexpectedly because pass holders decided to visit on a whim.

 

[peter11435]

Which means limiting capacity.

Other than NYE or such, WDW almost never reaches full capacity, do they not? Again, there's no reason to put a reservation system on passes unless they want to enforce a certain capacity, which is less than the actual maximum capacity which is so rarely reached.

Like the other poster mentioned you might be limiting the amount of a specific type of guest you allow in while not actually limiting the overall park capacity. But more importantly you’re getting a much more accurate estimate of how many guests will be attending and who those guests will be.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The big difference between Comcast and Disney is that Comcast doesn't have a history of going above and beyond...Disney does.

Show your work from the last 15 years.