Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[DisneyDodo]

This is a bigger disaster than KiteTails.

That is baffling and completely unacceptable. You give Disney money to ride at a guaranteed time, yet you are not guaranteed to be able to ride at that time, or even at all? I give this “no refund” policy 3 days.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I would assume if a ride did not reopen at all, they would then issue a refund. It's probably "no refunds, unless we have no choice" type policy.

Let's not jump to conclusions until we know...

 

[disneygeek90]

I’m sure they will give you any anytime return FP for any park. Or maybe 2?

For when? What if that’s your last day visiting? Disney should cough up and return the transaction. Sheesh.

 

[tanc]

What's the verdict here? Saw that the app literally has place holder words still though. Have to say I am pretty disappointed that this is now a reality. It's sad to see the direction Disney is now taking compared to just a decade ago. Really kills my hype to go ever again.

 

[monothingie]

Surely they can’t refuse refund if the ride never reopens tonight. I hope.

 

[disneygeek90]

View attachment 594557

Lucky for you it looks like it reopened. Keep that $15 (times x amount of guests) Chapek!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Ok, which of these scenarios below is correct- the first is from the FAQ of Genie+, the 2nd is from today’s update on Genie+ opening? Both are here on wdw magic.

I am staying offsite next summer and have been loathing the later access for offsite guests- it would be great if everyone starts at 7.

from wdwmagic:

16. When can I purchase Individual Attractions for Lightning Lane access?

Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can purchase up to 2 individual attraction selections for Lighting Lane access at 7am on the day of visit. Non-resort hotel guests can make a purchase when the park opens.

Also from wdwmagic:
Before we get onto secondary selections, your first Disney Genie+ Lighting Lane selection can be made at 7am, regardless of whether you are staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotel or offsite.

This should help...

WDW Rumor Tracker, Version 3

This is a collection of rumors from trusted insiders (not wild speculation or assumptions). They don't come from me. The information had been originally posted to the various threads of the forum and are just repeated and collated here. There is a link as to where they came from. If you want to...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[flynnibus]

They're really going to open a can of worms with this. No refunds if a ride goes down? That means they absolutely won't be issuing refunds if you skip preshows or the ride is barely at show quality (e.g. if American Adventure was a paid attraction in the shoddy state it's currently in).

I'd complain repeatedly just on principle if they told me I couldn't get a refund. Emails, social media, whatever. And I'm not the type of person who usually complains to staff about anything; I'm more likely to just pay an extra charge on a bill than argue about it (as long as it's not something outrageous). This is different, though.

why is this even a thing? You really think disney is going to deny people any value for their purchase of $9?

 

[UNCgolf]

why is this even a thing? You really think disney is going to deny people any value for their purchase of $9?

Because it was reported just a few posts up that Disney was not going to give refunds? Getting a free LL selection or something like that isn't a comparable value.

I'm also talking about things like skipping the Rise preshows (which was also apparently done today). That would require a refund to me because you're not getting what you paid for. I have no intentions of paying for Rise anyways, but if I did pay $15 for it I'd expect the full experience.

 

[Chi84]

Because it was reported just a few posts up that Disney was not going to give refunds?

Getting a free LL selection or something like that isn't a comparable value.

I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions about exactly what that means, though. It could be that they won’t refund purchases based a on a guest changing his mind. If the ride goes down for a substantial part of the day, that may be different.

 

[UNCgolf]

I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions about exactly what that means, though. It could be that they won’t refund purchases based a on a guest changing his mind. If the ride goes down for a substantial part of the day, that may be different.

It was in reference to someone who was unable to ride at their given time because the ride was down, so it sounds like it's a blanket policy. If you had a time at 3, and the ride breaks down and they tell you you can come back and ride at 8, that may not be possible. What if you have a dinner reservation, or even are leaving that day and have to go the airport for a late flight?

Maybe that's what was supposed to go in the legal disclaimer section that was using placeholder lorem ipsum language earlier today.

 

[Jrb1979]

Not sure how I see this working long term.

my guess is Genie+ will be a flop as soon as people see how it works and figure out it’s major flaws. When it’s slow, there’s no need for it. When it’s busy, there won’t be enough rides you can get on to justify the cost. When you couple that with having to get up at 7am every day and cannot pick your return time, the cost is just not worth the effort.

IAS to me will be a short term success for the major high profile rides and during extremely busy times like thanksgiving and Christmas but as you can already tell, nobody will buy space Mountain, Everest, frozen, etc. during average park days.

I think you hope it flops and they bring back FP+. Don't keep your hopes up. I think its here to stay. Outside of no re-rides, I actually like the new system better. Mainly cause it works for how I do parks.

 

[disneygeek90]

It was in reference to someone who was unable to ride at their given time because the ride was down, so it sounds like it's a blanket policy.

Maybe that's what was supposed to go in the legal disclaimer section that was using placeholder lorem ipsum language earlier today.

If I choose a ILL for 4pm, ride is down 2 hours, and then I have a dinner reservation at Springs or another park at 7pm, I think a refund request is reasonable.

 

[UNCgolf]

If I choose a ILL for 4pm, ride is down 2 hours, and then I have a dinner reservation at Springs or another park at 7pm, I think a refund request is reasonable.

I edited while you were quoting to mention this scenario, but yes, exactly.

 

[UNCgolf]

I understand why they wouldn't want to give refunds because that's a gigantic headache, but I don't see how they're going to get around it. Even offering a different time on the same day may not be workable for some people and I'm not sure there's any comparable value they can give.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I understand why they wouldn't want to give refunds because that's a gigantic headache, but I don't see how they're going to get around it. Even offering a different time on the same day may not be workable for some people and I'm not sure there's any comparable value they can give.

"We're sorry that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is unavailable at this time.

Please enjoy this equally magical Lightning Lane pass for Alien Swirling Saucers!"

 

[Jrb1979]

I understand why they wouldn't want to give refunds because that's a gigantic headache, but I don't see how they're going to get around it. Even offering a different time on the same day may not be workable for some people and I'm not sure there's any comparable value they can give.

I'm thinking if the ride doesn't come back online they will give a free LL for the ride that's a paid LL in the same park.

 

[Virtual Toad]

 

[UNCgolf]

I'm thinking if the ride doesn't come back online they will give a free LL for the ride that's a paid LL in the same park.

That's possibly what they'll do, but it's definitely not comparable value. For one, Disney isn't even even claiming it's the same value because they're charging different prices -- but it's a different experience regardless . Someone being willing to pay to ride Rise doesn't mean they also are willing to pay for MMRR, or even that they care about riding MMRR at all.

It'd be a bit like someone ordering a flounder sandwich for $10 and you bring them a hamburger that only costs $7 because you're out of flounder, but they still have to pay the $10. To take it a step further (to highlight the fact that they're two completely different things), the person is a pescetarian and won't eat hamburger. So now they've paid for nothing.

This is all hypothetical, of course, but I'm struggling to see how Disney can avoid refunds in situations where a ride breaks down.

 

[flynnibus]

Because it was reported just a few posts up that Disney was not going to give refunds? Getting a free LL selection or something like that isn't a comparable value.

I'm also talking about things like skipping the Rise preshows (which was also apparently done today). That would require a refund to me because you're not getting what you paid for. I have no intentions of paying for Rise anyways, but if I did pay $15 for it I'd expect the full experience.

Again... I think we just need to look at Disney's track record over Guest Recovery. They aren't going to tell a customer to pound sand and walk away over a $9 LL sale. They will offer some other value if the normal alternative doesn't fit the customer and they goto complain.