Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[rkleinlein]

Disney is a victim of its own success. More people want to experience it, than the parks have the capacity to handle.

I agree but another way to look at is that Disney GUESTS are victims of Disney's success. I doubt executives at Disney feel victimized by the success of the theme parks. Why do then guests continue to put up with the crowds, cash-gouging, lackluster new attractions, and lazy theming? There are lots of reasons.

My theory that most of the people going to Disney now, especially those who go regularly like the hard-core fans on this website, love Disney more out of a sense of nostalgia than for the actual experience today. They remember what it was like to go when they were kids in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, when there was nothing like it, and they want their own kids to experience the "magic" that they did as kids. They are willing to pay almost anything--even $250 extra per day so their family of four can ride the most popular rides or $360 so their kids can watch a Halloween or Christmas parade, wait in lines no matter how long, and reserve spots on sidewalks to watch fireworks, all the while pretending that lame new attractions are as good as the classics. If we pay an arm and leg or wait 90 minutes it must be worth it, right? For so many, Disney can do no wrong because the pixie dust from yesterday is still in their system. The idea and memory of the good old days of the "Disney difference" is a spell that still has a hold on them. But today there is no Disney difference and Universal is out-Disneying Disney.

Today's kids will not feel the same nostalgia for Disney when they are adults that so many of us do. My kids, and all their friends that I've asked, prefer Universal. They're all done with Disney and were done even when they were very young. I understand that this is purely anecdotal and that some kids today will prefer Disney, but my point is that when we were kids, we all loved Disney World and we all begged our parents to bring us. That's just not the case with all kids today. Years from now, when today's kids decide where to bring their own kids for vacation, many will not choose Disney. The first (and second, and third) trip to Disney with the family will not be the obligatory rite of passage for them that it was for us.

But until then, Disney has no reason to change. And probably won't.

 

[flynnibus]

I think the difference is that many people (not all, and I don't mean to start a debate here) believe that Boo Bash is at least partly the result of shortages attributable to the pandemic and that the usual holiday parties will return at some time. Disney has never said otherwise, so people are more likely to just take the new event for what it is without comparing it to the old one

One's belief about the future of things shouldn't change their logical reasoning of what is already known and understood. The discussion of people's expectations of halloween offerings was not predicated on the future, but instead was based on the past and the offer being made. And besides, that line of 'hope' around it being temporary was squashed when Butler himself revealed the discussion that the AE event was being discussed as the permanent replacement. So, the obvious path where it was heading became paved and marked too.

The logic used to dismiss the concerns was an argument that the person wasn't able to separate the offers as they should because the two offerings were not labeled the same and not the same format. Well neither is Genie+ and FP.

 

[flynnibus]

I bet that this will change 5-6 times by the time of your trip. FP+ changed a bunch in it's first year...

Yeah people need to sit back and wait. Disney obviously wouldn't want to over promise first... so things are conservative and can expand later. Nevermind the future promotions that are sure to come with the program... Free Genie+ for booking onsite... More passes for XYZ... etc.

Disney will monitor the usage and adapt. The only shocker to me so far is the rumored prices... but even though price increases are hard to swallow, they are also one of the easiest to adapt and complicate. Just change your seasons each year and it becomes harder and harder to compare to the past, etc.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Just for perspective: Disney, which is supposedly very concerned about guest satisfaction, is putting this complex system in place BEFORE restarting parking lot trams, much in-park entertainment, and regular housekeeping service.

 

[flynnibus]

which is supposedly very concerned about guest satisfaction

We can stop right there

That ship has sailed... Disney's concern now is measuring what drives the metrics they are concerned about. This is not a customer first operation anymore. The 'guest' moniker is pretty insulting these days given it's intent and prior reverence.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We were discussing both, because there are discrepancies coming from Disney for both.

IAS has been consistent since the initial announcement. No double rides.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Just for perspective: Disney, which is supposedly very concerned about guest satisfaction, is putting this complex system in place BEFORE restarting parking lot trams, much in-park entertainment, and regular housekeeping service.

Last I checked, none of those things have anything to do with the other.

 

[flynnibus]

Last I checked, none of those things have anything to do with the other.

Yes, different departments, different spreadsheets... I know it's hard to quantify.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I think the difference is that many people (not all, and I don't mean to start a debate here) believe that Boo Bash is at least partly the result of shortages attributable to the pandemic and that the usual holiday parties will return at some time. Disney has never said otherwise, so people are more likely to just take the new event for what it is without comparing it to the old one. OTOH, Genie+ is being advertised by Disney as a permanent system.

Boo Bash allows them to run parties after the park's normal scheduled nighttime entertainment rather than closing at 6 with no fireworks. Rewind two years, and that's EXACTLY what people constantly complained about with MNSSHP and MVMCP. They should be jumping for joy about Boo Bash.

It's not a temporary downgrade due to COVID, it's an upgrade.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yes, different departments, different spreadsheets... I know it's hard to quantify.

When in seven hells does Genie+ have to do with housekeeping labor shortages in Central Florida?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

When I am not on vacation I have to plan my life daily, I go on vacation not to have to do that I go to WDW to escape reality and now I have to plan my day extensively there as well. Disney you ruined my whole reason to give you a lot of my money.

this exact post could probably be found 10 years ago on this board when MyMagic+ came out. Yet here we still are.

while you’re correct, and I agree…. Disney doesn’t care. Very clearly.

 

[nickys]

IAS has been consistent since the initial announcement. No double rides.

That wasn’t the question I’d asked but never mind ……

 

[Ayla]

*snipped* The 'guest' moniker is pretty insulting these days given it's intent and prior reverence.

That's why I no longer use guest. We are customers, nothing more.

 

[LittleBuford]

Disclaimer: we are the people - apparently the only ones - for whom FP+ worked like a charm.

As a fellow FP+ fan, I still don’t quite understand why more here aren’t happier about the new system, which addresses two of the most frequently made complaints about the previous setup: that it was free and therefore overused, and that it required preplanning weeks in advance.

 

[mikejs78]

I agree but another way to look at is that Disney GUESTS are victims of Disney's success. I doubt executives at Disney feel victimized by the success of the theme parks. Why do then guests continue to put up with the crowds, cash-gouging, lackluster new attractions, and lazy theming? There are lots of reasons.

My theory that most of the people going to Disney now, especially those who go regularly like the hard-core fans on this website, love Disney more out of a sense of nostalgia than for the actual experience today. They remember what it was like to go when they were kids in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, when there was nothing like it, and they want their own kids to experience the "magic" that they did as kids. They are willing to pay almost anything--even $250 extra per day so their family of four can ride the most popular rides or $360 so their kids can watch a Halloween or Christmas parade, wait in lines no matter how long, and reserve spots on sidewalks to watch fireworks, all the while pretending that lame new attractions are as good as the classics. If we pay an arm and leg or wait 90 minutes it must be worth it, right? For so many, Disney can do no wrong because the pixie dust from yesterday is still in their system. The idea and memory of the good old days of the "Disney difference" is a spell that still has a hold on them. But today there is no Disney difference and Universal is out-Disneying Disney.

Today's kids will not feel the same nostalgia for Disney when they are adults that so many of us do. My kids, and all their friends that I've asked, prefer Universal. They're all done with Disney and were done even when they were very young. I understand that this is purely anecdotal and that some kids today will prefer Disney, but my point is that when we were kids, we all loved Disney World and we all begged our parents to bring us. That's not just the case with all kids today. Years from now, when today's kids decide where to bring their own kids for vacation, many will not choose Disney. The first (and second, and third) trip to Disney with the family will not be the obligatory rite of passage for them that it was for us.

But until then, Disney has no reason to change. And probably won't.

Hard disagree. It certaiy was nostalgia that brought us back to Disney with kids, but our trips to Disney have been the most fun out of any of our vacations.

My kids have grown up on Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and the newer Disney animated films. Disney has as much nostalgia for them already as it did for me.

Now, the fun we had on our recent trips (2018 and 2019) may or may not continue. We will see. But to say no one has fun at Disney anymore is ridiculous.

 

[Jrb1979]

Hard disagree. It certaiy was nostalgia that brought us back to Disney with kids, but our trips to Disney have been the most fun out of any of our vacations.

My kids have grown up on Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and the newer Disney animated films. Disney has as much nostalgia for them already as it did for me.

Now, the fun we had on our recent trips (2018 and 2019) may or may not continue. We will see. But to say no one has fun at Disney anymore is ridiculous.

For me it's completely different. My nieces still watch Disney movies and enjoy them. They loved Disney parks when they were 5 and 6. Now that they are 11 and 12, would rather go to a park that has high thrills over as they call them " boring slow moving rides"

 

[matt9112]

As a fellow FP+ fan, I still don’t quite understand why more here aren’t happier about the new system, which addresses two of the most frequently made complaints about the previous setup: that it was free and therefore overused, and that it required preplanning weeks in advance.

Paper fast pass.....

 

[LittleBuford]

Paper fast pass.....

This isn’t far off. Indeed, it’s a modified version of Disneyland’s MaxPass, which people here used to rave about.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This isn’t far off. Indeed, it’s a modified version of Disneyland’s MaxPass, which people here used to rave about.

I think Disney would have done themselves a huge PR favor by sticking with Genie+. It's the IAS that are really giving everyone the nasty taste in their mouth.

 

[LittleBuford]

I think Disney would have done themselves a huge PR favor by sticking with Genie+. It's the IAS that are really giving everyone the nasty taste in their mouth.

I'm not so sure the reaction would have been all that different, to be honest, but you might be right.