Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[JAB]

They were very quick to emphasize "at launch". I wouldn't be surprised if this changes once Genie+ has been broken in for a bit.

I wouldn't be surprised either. My guess is they plan on adjusting things until they get the balance of wait times vs. availability that they want (i.e. whatever ratio maximizes sales), and are starting out with the most conservative configuration. We likely won't know for a while, obviously, but I get the feeling that re-rides are certainly a possibility at some point in the future.

 

[HM Spectre]

My main issue with this apart from the blatant cash grab is that it introduces more stress into a vacation.

Most of the things you set up in advance previously (FP, ADRs, Magical Express, etc.) are extra stress ahead of your vacation but when you actually get there, make things go smoother.

The last thing I want to do on top of all the prep is having to wake up at 7am every day to set up my rides and then have to manage things even further in the park.

I‘m already not a fan of how much they have us micromanaging things and bury our faces in our phones during visits and this isn’t going to help with either.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

My main issue with this apart from the blatant cash grab is that it introduces more stress into a vacation.

Most of the things you set up in advance previously (FP, ADRs, Magical Express, etc.) are extra stress ahead of your vacation but when you actually get there, make things go smoother.

The last thing I want to do on top of all the prep is having to wake up at 7am every day to set up my rides and then have to manage things even further in the park.

I‘m already not a fan of how much they have us micromanaging things and bury our faces in our phones during visits and this isn’t going to help with either.

Did you feel the same way about paper Fastpass?

One would plan in advance which machine to hit first, and then would be frequently crisscrossing the park as soon as a new one was available.

There's pros and cons to all of the different permutations of FP, but for me I don't feel this will be dramatically different than what came before.

 

[HM Spectre]

Did you feel the same way about paper Fastpass?

One would plan in advance which machine to hit first, and then would be frequently crisscrossing the park as soon as a new one was available.

There's pros and cons to all of the different permutations of FP, but for me I don't feel this will be dramatically different than what came before.

Might just be me but I would greatly prefer heading somewhere in the park and then go about my day vs. feeling obligated to wake up at 7am on vacation to set something up. And I’d prefer paper vs yet another thing to do on my phone

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Might just be me but I would greatly prefer heading somewhere in the park and then go about my day vs. feeling obligated to wake up at 7am on vacation to set something up. And I’d prefer paper vs yet another thing to do on my phone

We don't know how many people will use the new system. The less people that do, the less one needs to get up at 7am.

Also, assuming you're not alone and lots of people won't do the 7am thing, there should be plenty of options available for late risers.

Personally, I have no problem getting up at 7am anyway. It's slightly later than my usual schedule, and since getting ready + transportation is a good 90 minutes anyway, that's a perfectly reasonable time to get up at WDW.

I'd probably prefer to sleep in a little later, but given that parks don't stay open super late, I'm somewhat obligated to follow that schedule.

 

[pdude81]

Might just be me but I would greatly prefer heading somewhere in the park and then go about my day vs. feeling obligated to wake up at 7am on vacation to set something up. And I’d prefer paper vs yet another thing to do on my phone

What time do you think you'd have to get up in order to get a SDD fastpass if that was obtained via paper these days?

 

[Casper Gutman]

So the last couple months and, particularly, the last week have been very interesting in the parks. In the MK lines were quite long - but the pathways and seating areas were open and not overcrowded. They were pleasant. Anyone familiar with the MK over the last decade would look at the crowds in the paths and then be shocked at how long the lines were. I spoke to a couple CMs, who confirmed my impression.

Why? Because there was no convoluted line-skipping system in place and guests who would normally loiter in paths were deep in labyrinthine switchbacks. And those long lines - they moved constantly. In other words, the park was working as it was built to work.

We are so used to line-skipping that we’ve lost sight of just how much the parks are not built to handle it and how badly it fouls up operations. To actually accommodate line-skipping, parks like MK would have to be rebuilt from the ground up, with much larger walkways, more seating areas, many heavily themed stores, lots of quick, minor attractions, and near constant entertainment. WDW has never even gestured in this direction.

The last few weeks have demonstrated what should have always been obvious - line-skipping systems make the park experience worse for everyone.

 

[Chi84]

line-skipping systems make the park experience worse for everyone.

Not for my family. I suspect there are others who also prefer line-skipping systems since they’re the norm at every major theme park.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

So the last couple months and, particularly, the last week have been very interesting in the parks. In the MK lines were quite long - but the pathways and seating areas were open and not overcrowded. They were pleasant. Anyone familiar with the MK over the last decade would look at the crowds in the paths and then be shocked at how long the lines were. I spoke to a couple CMs, who confirmed my impression.

Why? Because there was no convoluted line-skipping system in place and guests who would normally loiter in paths were deep in labyrinthine switchbacks. And those long lines - they moved constantly. In other words, the park was working as it was built to work.

We are so used to line-skipping that we’ve lost sight of just how much the parks are not built to handle it and how badly it fouls up operations. To actually accommodate line-skipping, parks like MK would have to be rebuilt from the ground up, with much larger walkways, more seating areas, many heavily themed stores, lots of quick, minor attractions, and near constant entertainment. WDW has never even gestured in this direction.

The last few weeks have demonstrated what should have always been obvious - line-skipping systems make the park experience worse for everyone.

It's even worse at Disneyland where the standby line for something like Indiana Jones suffers out in the sun while the expansive, and immersive, queue goes underutilized.

Maybe the paid Genie+ will bring a little balance back. Maybe not. If nothing else, can they not remove FP from rides like Haunted Mansion and Little Mermaid? Those should be people eaters with quickly moving lines. Putting FP on absolutely everything is overkill.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Not for my family. I suspect there are others who also prefer line-skipping systems since they’re the norm at every major theme park.

The whole point is that the parks are fundamentally not designed for line-skipping. The systems seem to be appealing - you get to cut in line! - but the overall experience is degraded, unless you’re a big fan of dramatic overcrowding, much longer waits, and significantly slower lines. The benefit is illusory for everyone but Disney.

Of course every park has them - they are revenue generators. WDWs system has been and will remain the most obtrusive, however.

 

[Casper Gutman]

It's even worse at Disneyland where the standby line for something like Indiana Jones suffers out in the sun while the expansive, and immersive, queue goes underutilized.

Maybe the paid Genie+ will bring a little balance back. Maybe not. If nothing else, can they not remove FP from rides like Haunted Mansion and Little Mermaid? Those should be people eaters with quickly moving lines. Putting FP on absolutely everything is overkill.

It needs to be on every ride to provide the illusion of value and to help Disney drive people to less popular rides. You may get to jump the line to Space Mountain, but you’ll be waiting in lines that shouldn’t even exist for people-eating dark rides.

 

[LittleBuford]

The benefit is illusory for everyone but Disney.

It’s real enough for me, @Chi84, and the countless other people who like line-skipping systems and consider our overall experience improved by them. We know our own minds and are entitled to our preferences, just as you are entitled to yours.

 

[Casper Gutman]

It’s real enough for me, @Chi84, and the countless other people who like line-skipping systems and consider our overall experience improved by them. We know our own minds and are entitled to our preferences, just as you are entitled to yours.

Everything on this board is opinion, and everyone is aware of that.

We'd all like, in a vacuum, to jump to the head of the line. In fact, we'd all like never to wait. If we were the only person jumping to the head of the line, it would be great. But do you like massively overcrowded parks, with sweaty, shoulder-to-shoulder, non-moving crowds blocking every walkway and filling every store? Do you like lines that inch along between constant stops? Do you like long waits on rides that would otherwise be walk-on? If you do, great! If not, the point is that, with the parks constructed as they are, these are in large part the result of line-skipping systems. It's very debatable under what circumstances such systems even increase the number of rides you can do in a given period.

 

[Jrb1979]

Everything on this board is opinion, and everyone is aware of that.

We'd all like, in a vacuum, to jump to the head of the line. In fact, we'd all like never to wait. If we were the only person jumping to the head of the line, it would be great. But do you like massively overcrowded parks, with sweaty, shoulder-to-shoulder, non-moving crowds blocking every walkway and filling every store? Do you like lines that inch along between constant stops? Do you like long waits on rides that would otherwise be walk-on? If you do, great! If not, the point is that, with the parks constructed as they are, these are in large part the result of line-skipping systems. It's very debatable under what circumstances such systems even increase the number of rides you can do in a given period.

Look it will suck for those who don't buy Genie+ and have to wait in slow moving queues. I won't use standby much when Genie+ comes. I will do what I do at all parks I visit and buy the skip the line system. My time is money.

 

[MurphyJoe]

It's very debatable under what circumstances such systems even increase the number of rides you can do in a given period.

Depending on the number of people with a line skip, the ratio of line skippers vs stand-by riding, and the average hourly ride capacity of an attraction it is possible that having a line skip will increase the number of rides possible. However, those rides might come at the expense of everyone not using the ride skip program since there are only so many rides possible during a given timespan.

 

[mikejs78]

Might just be me but I would greatly prefer heading somewhere in the park and then go about my day vs. feeling obligated to wake up at 7am on vacation to set something up. And I’d prefer paper vs yet another thing to do on my phone

No way. Running across the park to maximize my FPs grabs is something I'd prefer to leave behind in my 20s. I'll take the phone any day over paper.

So the last couple months and, particularly, the last week have been very interesting in the parks. In the MK lines were quite long - but the pathways and seating areas were open and not overcrowded. They were pleasant. Anyone familiar with the MK over the last decade would look at the crowds in the paths and then be shocked at how long the lines were. I spoke to a couple CMs, who confirmed my impression.

Why? Because there was no convoluted line-skipping system in place and guests who would normally loiter in paths were deep in labyrinthine switchbacks. And those long lines - they moved constantly. In other words, the park was working as it was built to work.

We are so used to line-skipping that we’ve lost sight of just how much the parks are not built to handle it and how badly it fouls up operations. To actually accommodate line-skipping, parks like MK would have to be rebuilt from the ground up, with much larger walkways, more seating areas, many heavily themed stores, lots of quick, minor attractions, and near constant entertainment. WDW has never even gestured in this direction.

The last few weeks have demonstrated what should have always been obvious - line-skipping systems make the park experience worse for everyone.

I don't know what universe you've been living in, but the lines at MK have been at record low wait times (actual wait times, not posted).. This is pretty well documented. People aren't going to WDW right now, that's why things are short.

 

[wdisney9000]

It’s real enough for me, @Chi84, and the countless other people who like line-skipping systems and consider our overall experience improved by them. We know our own minds and are entitled to our preferences, just as you are entitled to yours.

I think some people are missing the larger point @Casper Gutman is making. The parks and attractions were designed to handle crowds in a specific fashion. A line skipping system was not part of that design and it disrupts the flow, regardless of how much a person prefers it.

Personal Is preference of line skipping is ultimately a detriment to the functionality of the design itself. It's akin to people constantly switching lanes in rush hour traffic. The continual merging in-and-out of lanes forces everybody behind them to hit their brakes thus causing slower traffic and the lane switching driver who thinks they're actually getting somewhere faster is just exacerbating the problem.

And ironically those type of drivers are the ones who complain about traffic the most.

 

[Jrb1979]

According to Kenny the Pirate that it's worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

 

[Trauma]

According to Kenny the Pirate that it's worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

So less of a benefit to resort guests than I originally thought.

I guess they think early entry is enough of a perk to get people to stay onsite.

 

[flynnibus]

According to Kenny the Pirate that it's worth noting that if your first Genie+ selection is within the first 120 minutes of park opening, you cannot book your next selection until after you have redeemed the first one. If you choose not to redeem your first selection, you will have to wait until it expires to book another."

Thats just a really complicated way of saying the min wait timer doesn’t start until park opening…, which was already covered