Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[LovePop]

You mean walking a half mile to a resort bus in the heat, standing, waiting for the bus, riding the bus, then walking to their room, changing clothes, walking to their fairly boring pool to bake in the sun. THEN do it all in reverse?

How relaxing.

It's not like that. Most hotel rooms are not that far from the bus stop. The moderate hotels have several bus stops, and the deluxe hotels are often not so big, or they have indoor walkways with air conditioning. The only rooms that are a long walk are the farthest rooms at All Stars. Even without AC, you can design your walks so that you are in the shade most of the time. But most importantly, all Disney hotels are extremely beautiful, so the walk is a peaceful and calming treat to the senses after a busy morning at the park. Then you take a shower and swim for a while, totally cooling off, while the kids may enjoy the water slides or just appreciate the gorgeous surroundings. Swimming in Disney World is amazing. The fresh air is balmy, there are plenty of lifeguards, the people are super happy, the water is clean, it's just the best place in the world. After you are rested and cooled off, it's not as hot outside, and you can go back on the bus (which is not crowded), and get back to a park and enjoy the rest of the evening. The Disney World hotels are the best in the world. Even other Disneyland hotels cannot compare to them in size, beauty, and the overall immersion effect that you are living inside Disney World.

 

[Parker in NYC]

I'll give it until Christmas at most.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Walt Disney World!

 

[mightynine]

Forgive me if this has been asked 100 times, but is there any way to "test drive" any of the Genie / Genie+ stuff on the app before my trip? My son and I will be there in less than three weeks, but we only have enough tickets for the days we will be in the parks, and they are all currently used for park reservations, so I can't "pretend book" one for today or tomorrow, if that's the only way to do it.

Thanks to everyone who's been posting updates and responding to questions! This is all super-helpful, if a bit overwhelming since this thread is over 400 pages lol. The FAQ was also a nice summary of typical questions.

You can "see" pretty much everything Genie is right now, and if you change the date to one you have an activate reservation too, you'll see a banner for it at the top. The only difference would be that if you tried to book something, you would then be prompted to purchase Genie+ or an ILL, depending on attraction.

I gave it the once-over, but apparently I'm too far out for it to really plan out a day.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I gave up any hope that Disney will make things better after they changed Epcot into MK 2.0 with all the IP. Disney was at its best when it was a mixture of IP and original attractions. Now it's all about fitting IP where they can and selling merch. What really did it for me is the Webslingers ride. It's Midway Mayhem with Spiderman slapped on it. For some reason people rave about it.

(softly*) Yet you are still posting to this forum. I suspect even the most cynical among us still retain at least a shred of hope that WDW has the potential to improve.

Then again...from time to time....I open the COVID thread and see the same 5 forum members posting almost the same thing again and again that they have mostly been posting for days and months. The whole thread so long ago metastasized in pure tribal territory, that there doesn't appear to be much actual discussion. I appreciate this thread still (mostly) has actual discussion occurring.


* tone is hard to communicate in a typed forum.

 

[PSM]

You can "see" pretty much everything Genie is right now, and if you change the date to one you have an activate reservation too, you'll see a banner for it at the top. The only difference would be that if you tried to book something, you would then be prompted to purchase Genie+ or an ILL, depending on attraction.

I gave it the once-over, but apparently I'm too far out for it to really plan out a day.

Thank you for the info! When I first tried that the other day, it just gave me error messages. I thought it might be because my trip was too far out or something, but I guess it was just being finicky. All working now and very cool to see it “live” with available times and such.

 

[Parker in NYC]

(softly*) Yet you are still posting to this forum. I suspect even the most cynical among us still retain at least a shred of hope that WDW has the potential to improve.

Then again...from time to time....I open the COVID thread and see the same 5* forum members posting almost the same thing again and again that they have mostly been posting for days and months. The whole thread so long ago metastasized in pure tribal territory, that there doesn't appear to be much actual discussion. I appreciate this thread still (mostly) has actual discussion occurring.

*6, when I check in every few weeks

 

[LovePop]

You know, there was a company that used to focus on outstanding customer service and would have had this in place and tested before rolling something like G+ out. I think it was called “The Walt Disney Company”. Wonder what ever happened to them…

Forget that. That's not Disney anymore. It's like falling in love with a guy/gal, and then he changed. But you are still in love, so you accept and deal with it the best you can.

 

[mf1972]

And yet they are blowing money elsewhere, like spending one billion on Galaxy's Edge that ended up with only 2 rides. I was looking forward to at least 5 rides. What's the point of squeezing pennies if you are going to spend a billion on 2 rides?

i felt the same way when pandora opened with only 2 attractions. galaxy’s edge would have benefited with another ride.

 

[CJR]

Why should Disney throw away free money? I still think it’ll go up higher than $15.

It will, $15 is the current ceiling, but there will be expansion eventually.

Disney can make lots of things more expensive and be more profitable. They do it gradually to make it seem like they're progressive to shareholders. Small increases every once in a while creates the illusion of growth on a spreadsheet.

 

[Jrb1979]

(softly*) Yet you are still posting to this forum. I suspect even the most cynical among us still retain at least a shred of hope that WDW has the potential to improve.

Then again...from time to time....I open the COVID thread and see the same 5 forum members posting almost the same thing again and again that they have mostly been posting for days and months. The whole thread so long ago metastasized in pure tribal territory, that there doesn't appear to be much actual discussion. I appreciate this thread still (mostly) has actual discussion occurring.


* tone is hard to communicate in a typed forum.

I do like some of what's been done. I like Genie+ as it works for how my family does the parks. The reason I have no hope is the Disney I liked is never coming back. That hope when away as soon as adding in IP everywhere was the goal. IMO Epcot should have stayed how it was but update it. World Showcase should have no IP in it. They should have tried to resurrect some of the original planned attractions.

 

[Jrb1979]

i felt the same way when pandora opened with only 2 attractions. galaxy’s edge would have benefited with another ride.

Another ride doesn't have as good an ROI as a lightsaber or a droid.

 

[Parker in NYC]

It will, $15 is the current ceiling, but there will be expansion eventually.

Disney can make lots of things more expensive and be more profitable. They do it gradually to make it seem like they're progressive to shareholders. Small increases every once in a while creates the illusion of growth on a spreadsheet.

Call me crazy, but can’t they just start classifying individual attraction prices based on the season? Similar to resort and pass prices? Like, you’re going the week of Halloween? That’ll be $20. The following week? $15. Week of Christmas, $25. Establish a calendar maybe?

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

IF they want more money, they should just go back to the olden days. Free admission to the park and purchase tickets for the rides. No pre-purchase, good for day of only and base the pricing on the expectation. Ride Space Mountain $25.00, Mission Space $10.00

In a small way, to me, this new concept is a bit like a return to the old one.

And many amusement parks still use that original model. Knoebel's comes to mind. Only at Knoebel's the ticket books start at $5, and rides costs $1.50 per rider for kiddie rides or $4 for their coasters/bigger rides. Though it is also important to add many of their rides are old classics: bumper cars, sailboats, paratrooper, wooden coasters, and kiddie cars.

Also, Knoebel's tickets STILL never expire!

 

[LovePop]

Exactly. I am just. so. tired. bone tired. exhausted. I have the money. I'm in the zone of income they may be targeting. But I'm just . so. done. So tired of having to make this **** a hobby.. why? I go to Dublin, or Spain, or Aruba, it isn't this much WORK. Why should I do all this work, for this much money. Anywhere else I go, more work= less money. If I had not signed up for the 5k in november, I might have been done after our august trip. It..is just not worth the emotional energy anymore to "work the system', let alone the financial output which I can do, easily...it's just too much f'ing work. and the other option is what? vip at 850 an hour? nothing there is worth 850 an hour, unless you only have 2 days to see your kids a year, maybe. Just because people have the money to spend, doesn't mean they are stupid enough to think you deserve what you are charging. sigh. lmao

What's in Dublin or Spain or Aruba? No Disney rides, that's for sure. Disney World is better. It's safer, with no creep trying to steal your wallet. It's cleaner and better kept.
If you are too tired of the games, just don't play. Stay away from RotR if it's too much work to remember getting up at 7 to fight the crowd for it. In fact, my policy is, never fight the crowd for anything to avoid exhaustion. Just cut out those things that require fighting, there are not that many of them. As long as you can afford it, Genie+ is working better than fastpass+, and LL works great except for RotR. It does require you to use your phone, but it's easy to learn and do, and doesn't require staring at the phone all day. There's no need for the VIP at all, as long as you ignore RotR.
I know that Disney has taken the "PAY UP" approach in recent years, but it is still the best place in the world for the old or the young, so it is best to accept it and live it with it, rather than throw the baby out with the bath water. What other choice do you have? So just pay and don't worry about it. In the end, it's just money.
With me, I've figured out all kinds of ways to cut costs during our Disney trips so that in the coming years, we will be paying Disney LESS than we did in the past. For one thing, no more desserts! I never liked buying desserts like Mickey Bars for the kids anyway, but I felt obligated in the past. Now I have a good strong excuse for the kids: we have to pay for Genie+. And no more toys, we have to pay for LL. A good way to teach kids the value of money.

 

[castlecake2.0]

How do you find their address?

Guest.services@disneyworld.com

Josh.damaro@disney.con

Robert.chapek@disney.com

robert.iger@disney.com

 

[Jrb1979]

What's in Dublin or Spain or Aruba? No Disney rides, that's for sure. Disney World is better. It's safer, with no creep trying to steal your wallet. It's cleaner and better kept.
If you are too tired of the games, just don't play. Stay away from RotR if it's too much work to remember getting up at 7 to fight the crowd for it. In fact, my policy is, never fight the crowd for anything to avoid exhaustion. Just cut out those things that require fighting, there are not that many of them. As long as you can afford it, Genie+ is working better than fastpass+, and LL works great except for RotR. It does require you to use your phone, but it's easy to learn and do, and doesn't require staring at the phone all day. There's no need for the VIP at all, as long as you ignore RotR.
I know that Disney has taken the "PAY UP" approach in recent years, but it is still the best place in the world for the old or the young, so it is best to accept it and live it with it, rather than throw the baby out with the bath water. What other choice do you have? So just pay and don't worry about it. In the end, it's just money.
With me, I've figured out all kinds of ways to cut costs during our Disney trips so that in the coming years, we will be paying Disney LESS than we did in the past. For one thing, no more desserts! I never liked buying desserts like Mickey Bars for the kids anyway, but I felt obligated in the past. Now I have a good strong excuse for the kids: we have to pay for Genie+. And no more toys, we have to pay for LL. A good way to teach kids the value of money.

What other choice do you have? The US has a ton of other parks go to. Most of them are less complicated to visit.

 

[Horizons '83]

What's in Dublin or Spain or Aruba? No Disney rides, that's for sure. Disney World is better. It's safer, with no creep trying to steal your wallet. It's cleaner and better kept.
If you are too tired of the games, just don't play. Stay away from RotR if it's too much work to remember getting up at 7 to fight the crowd for it. In fact, my policy is, never fight the crowd for anything to avoid exhaustion. Just cut out those things that require fighting, there are not that many of them. As long as you can afford it, Genie+ is working better than fastpass+, and LL works great except for RotR. It does require you to use your phone, but it's easy to learn and do, and doesn't require staring at the phone all day. There's no need for the VIP at all, as long as you ignore RotR.
I know that Disney has taken the "PAY UP" approach in recent years, but it is still the best place in the world for the old or the young, so it is best to accept it and live it with it, rather than throw the baby out with the bath water. What other choice do you have? So just pay and don't worry about it. In the end, it's just money.
With me, I've figured out all kinds of ways to cut costs during our Disney trips so that in the coming years, we will be paying Disney LESS than we did in the past. For one thing, no more desserts! I never liked buying desserts like Mickey Bars for the kids anyway, but I felt obligated in the past. Now I have a good strong excuse for the kids: we have to pay for Genie+. And no more toys, we have to pay for LL. A good way to teach kids the value of money.

I sincerely hope this is sarcasm.

 

[pdude81]

People don't get paid to troll here, right? I'm starting to get confused due to the volume of tangential rants

 

[Archie123]

I sincerely hope this is sarcasm.

It is not. She/he is either a troll or a complete pixie duster. My guess is a mixture of both.

 

[Virtual Toad]

In a few short years, they’ve aggressively raised ticket and hotel prices, eliminated a ton of discounts, cut the level and quality of service, and created out of thin air three completely new revenue streams: resort parking fees, G+ and ILL.

And now that those streams are in place, they will relentlessly, systematically and continuously raise prices for those “services” again and again and again.

$15 per person for ROTR? That will be remembered as the “good old days” in the not-too-distant future.

Modern day Disney is in it to win it. Those in charge are laughing at those of us wringing our hands over all this. And they’re laughing at those who have decided to pay as well.

They’ve done the numbers — and they know exactly where they stand.

There will be no end to the price increases as long as there are enough people on the planet to take the place of those who decide not to return.

Think they’re ready to stop now? Look for their next step soon, based on guest feedback. Because this is what’s coming next:

Guests: “Why should I have to bother with a cell phone app scheduling return times all day with Genie+? Can’t you make it so I can just pay a la carte to get instant access to all the rides I want the minute I want them?”

Disney: “Based on guest feedback, we are happy to announce that we are expanding our wildly popular ILL program to offer even more magically-priced selections for dozens of additional rides, attractions and guest experiences throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. These changes will allow even more guests to experience our parks and experiences at the pace and price point of their choosing. Standby lines may still be available for those who decide not to participate in the ILL program, subject to timing and availability.”

There’s no way Disney’s going to be able to restrain themselves on this. It’ll be far too tempting to add ride after ride to ILL, and far too easy for them to get away with it because far too many people are ready and willing to go along with it.