Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Andrew M]

This was my experience with it last week:

First of all, having a large party sucks, I ended up paying $193 after taxes for a party of 9. I went to MK on Tuesday (10/19) afternoon and decided to try it out. It worked well and we were able to knock out Pirates, BTMR, HM, Jungle Cruise, Winnie The Pooh & Buzz in less than 3 hours. There were no issues getting the next pass and the availability was pretty good in terms of no waiting for a return time.

I did it again on Thursday, and this time it wasn't so good. Not sure if this was a result of my strategy, bad luck, or the system or some combination thereof. As of 7:02, Splash Mtn wasn't available until the 10:30-11:30 window. That was one of our must-do's that day and I didn't want to worry about the availability slipping later in the day (some rides dropped back a couple hours for a return time in a matter of 15 minutes). So we get that, by the time we get there at 10:45, it breaks down and they won't let us on. Now our next ride, Haunted Mansion, doesn't have availability until 12:30-1:30. We go to head over there and that breaks down. Next availability for Peter Pan now isn't until 3:40-4:40. So now we've wasted 6 hours with only 3 LL selections. We were given the multi-experience LL passes as compensation that helped, but my concern is more with the Top Tier rides availability. You run the risk of either waiting 3 hours for a ride to become available, or using other LL's first and possibly having the top tier ride run out of availability. I guess we also should have used the standby line on more attractions to fill the gaps in.

I also noticed some of the paid LL selections go very quickly. As of 8:09 on Friday 10/22, FoP didn't have a return time until 12:20.

I'm sure my strategy needs tweaking, but as an avid FP+ user, this system was much more stress-inducing. I get rides break down, but when you're paying $15 for a pass ontop of park admission, it gets a little more annoying. I'm hoping they tweak it to maybe have more of an advanced selection, and maybe 2 or 3 to start your day. I also personally hate the 7am selection time each day. I get some people wake up early, but when we're in Epcot til midnight the day before and I'm not getting back to my room until 1am, the last thing I want to do is wake up at 7am for both a virtual queue and LL selection.

 

[dovetail65]

Today in Magic Kingdom is a great example of why you shouldn't waste your money on Genie+ and IA$ (and it looks like people are not doing it)

Theres only 2 rides with an actual standby wait of 30 mins or more
1) Peter Pan is currently 40 (Note that it was down for some time today)
2) Seven Dwarfs currently 33

Every Genie+ return time is within 10 mins except Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan

IA$ for Seven D and Space return times are both within 5 mins if you want to spend the $....


People are not paying for this and good for them


You dont need to pay for it

Yeah that because today is a slow day anyhow.

October other than Halloween is near as good as February for line waits. We have gone 4 different years in October and pulled our kids out of school in October all 4 years they were in HS for that exact reason. For the most part in October we didn't even need FP back then. So Genie needs be compared in busier months.

Genie has it plus and minus, today ran into minus though it probably is not going to be an issue moving forward. There is "potential" for it not to be good for us in our upcoming Dec trip though, I will find out soon enough.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Today is a really bad day to make any statements about how Genie+ is doing. Tornado warnings might skew those numbers.

Cowards! There's been a tornado every time I've ridden MMRR and I made it out just fine.

 

[dovetail65]

Cowards! There's been a tornado every time I've ridden MMRR and I made it out just fine.

Add to the fact Oct is a great month to visit historically even on the best of weather days, well it probably walk on today if weather is that bad.

 

[Waters Back Side]

Today in Magic Kingdom is a great example of why you shouldn't waste your money on Genie+ and IA$ (and it looks like people are not doing it)

Theres only 2 rides with an actual standby wait of 30 mins or more
1) Peter Pan is currently 40 (Note that it was down for some time today)
2) Seven Dwarfs currently 33

Every Genie+ return time is within 10 mins except Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan

IA$ for Seven D and Space return times are both within 5 mins if you want to spend the $....


People are not paying for this and good for them


You dont need to pay for it

And you do not think this is slightly misleading for those who will be in WDW on Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years? You are basing this on a slow day and declaring Genie + a waste of money? Talk to me when Small World is 65 minutes on Christmas week. And Jungle Cruise is 85 minutes and SDMT is 100 minute wait.

We mostly all agree Genie + is not as good as FP+ but to say it's useless based in a slow day is a pretty bold statement. Let's see how it is on the pending holidays.

 

[jpinkc]

It likely will not.

I know your probably right, I am dreading Nov just for this reason. I hope we the guests arent Rioting with pitchforks at Guest Services but I am taking mine with me just in case

 

[Waters Back Side]

It likely will not.

Likely? You cannot find a dining reservation 60 days out at 615 AM for Christmas week easily. I would say it's a forgone conclusion it will be no comparison between today and in a couple of months.

 

[JakeAZ]

Club 33?

Pass on anything that ties me into Disney Vacations. (DVC, AP, Club 33 etc).

I don't see us having any desire to return after our upcoming trip next month.

It's always been a one way street between Disney and its guests, but it's never been more obvious than right now.

 

[G00fyDad]

I know your probably right, I am dreading Nov just for this reason. I hope we the guests arent Rioting with pitchforks at Guest Services but I am taking mine with me just in case

I'll take my switchblade pitchfork. Concealed carry old school.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

It's about time there's a lengthy line to walk through the tree house!!

I still think my idea about running a Zip Line from the Treehouse to TSI is a winner.

 

[Ayla]

Add to the fact Oct is a great month to visit historically even on the best of weather days, well it probably walk on today if weather is that bad.

When was the last time you visited in October, pre-covid? Because October was one of the busiest months of the year.

 

[G00fyDad]

When was the last time you visited in October, pre-covid? Because October was one of the busiest months of the year.

Yeah. October hasn't been slow since around 2005.

 

[GhostHost1000]

I know this is in here somewhere but question about stacking LLs.

if you book one at 7am and it’s not until say 10:30, you can still book another at 9am for another time that day correct and then keep booking another as soon as you can in for any of them?

I saw a video from another site today saying because they booked their first LL at 11:40am (at 7am) they can’t book another until then. I didn’t think that was the case?

 

[James J]

I know this is in here somewhere but question about stacking LLs.

if you book one at 7am and it’s not until say 10:30, you can still book another at 9am for another time that day correct and then keep booking another as soon as you can in for any of them?

I saw a video from another site today saying because they booked their first LL at 11:40am (at 7am) they can’t book another until then. I didn’t think that was the case?

The countdown doesn't start until the park you're going to opens. So say it's MK and it opens at 9am, the 2 hour countdown starts then rather that at 7am. However if your LL is at 10:30am, you'd then be able to book your next one when you touch in for it. If it was later, you'd be able to make the next selection at 11am.

 

[MrPromey]

Indeed.

The old MDE/FP system showed guests on their main screen the FP wait times. Which meant that all the attractions without a FP lane sometimes never got people's attention.

So, TTA, CoP, Tike, Country Bears, SFRobinson got continually ignored by some.

It's about time there's a lengthy line to walk through the tree house!!

When I was a kid, the tree house was part of the lengthy line.

That's how I remember it - waiting in line from the moment you pas the turnstile to the moment you were out the exit.

 

[Waters Back Side]

I know this is in here somewhere but question about stacking LLs.

if you book one at 7am and it’s not until say 10:30, you can still book another at 9am for another time that day correct and then keep booking another as soon as you can in for any of them?

I saw a video from another site today saying because they booked their first LL at 11:40am (at 7am) they can’t book another until then. I didn’t think that was the case?

No. If you book your FP at 7 AM at Epcot you cannot book your next one until 1 PM (park opens at 11), at MK you cannot book one until 11 AM (park opens at 9 AM) and HS at 11 AM as well (park opens at 9 AM). The clock starts when the park opens. You do not have to be in the park however to book the 2nd one. As long as its 120 minutes after the park opens. You can get a LL at 11, 1, 3, 5, 7 at MK for example after your 7 AM booking OR once you redeem the previous one you booked.

 

[GhostHost1000]

No. If you book your FP at 7 AM at Epcot you cannot book your next one until 1 PM (park opens at 11), at MK you cannot book one until 11 AM (park opens at 9 AM) and HS at 11 AM as well (park opens at 9 AM). The clock starts when the park opens. You do not have to be in the park however to book the 2nd one. As long as its 120 minutes after the park opens. You can get a LL at 11, 1, 3, 5, 7 at MK for example after your 7 AM booking OR once you redeem the previous one you booked.

Ah ok. My opinion the 2hr clock should start whenever you can book (7am) which would make this a little better to LL more in the morning hours.

 

[wdwmagic]

I know this is in here somewhere but question about stacking LLs.

if you book one at 7am and it’s not until say 10:30, you can still book another at 9am for another time that day correct and then keep booking another as soon as you can in for any of them?

I saw a video from another site today saying because they booked their first LL at 11:40am (at 7am) they can’t book another until then. I didn’t think that was the case?

This should help https://www.wdwmagic.com/other/disn...election-at-walt-disney-world-theme-parks.htm

 

[dovetail65]

When was the last time you visited in October, pre-covid? Because October was one of the busiest months of the year.

Nope

October 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Walk on lines for us ever year.

I literally have pictures of lines with the queues empty. We pulled the kids each of those year form high school and had great trip adn other than FOP(it just opened one of those years I think) the line waits were fantastic. Fop has a 4 hour line one time, I remember that it went al the way over the bridge to the lion king show and beyond, but everything else was great.

I dont care what any historical numbers might say, I was actually there.

Look at the calendar that first week where the kids in most school districts get a long weekend that varies 1st or 2nd Monday of the month for us from like Oct 5 to 11th is always the time we took off. As the month got closer to Halloween it got busier so we usually went the front end of October and headed home around 3rd week October, Great lines and great weather for us, four years in a row.

The nice thing about it is everything was open they seemed to have full staff unlike in Feb the lines are great too but a lot of stuff is down for maintenance and there was always notable lack of staff in my mind.

Al I can say is the days we were there were great, if it was hit or miss for us it was always a hit in October.

 

[Ayla]

Nope

October 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Walk on lines for us ever year.

I literally have pictures of lines with the queues empty. We pulled the kids each of those year form high school and had great trip adn other than FOP(it just opened one of those years I think) the line waits were fantastic. Fop has a 4 hour line one time, I remember that it went al the way over the bridge to the lion king show and beyond, but everything else was great.

I dont care what any historical numbers might say, I was actually there.

Look at the calendar that first week where the kids in most school districts get a long weekend that varies 1st or 2nd Monday of the month for us from like Oct 5 to 11th is always the time we took off. As the month got closer to Halloween it got busier so we usually went the front end of October and headed home around 3rd week October, Great lines and great weather for us, four years in a row.

The nice thing about it is everything was open they seemed to have full staff unlike in Feb the lines are great too but a lot of stuff is down for maintenance and there was always notable lack of staff in my mind.

Al I can say is the days we were there were great, if it was hit or miss for us it was always a hit in October.

Funny, I was there the same years and my experience was nothing like yours (and neither were any of the multitudes of people there discussing how crowded it was).