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Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
They have long been in the habit of having the option of making last minute changes, but the level to which they now make last minute changes has increased. Epcot was almost always 9-9, AK was mostly 9-5 or 9-6pm, and HS was mostly in the 9-8 range (sometimes 9-7, sometimes 9-8:30).
The only park that really fluctuated was MK, and reg hours for MK were almost always 9-9 or later, except party nights.
I've been to many MK PM EMH that went past midnight.
Over spring break/Easter week, I was regularly in a park by 8am and out until midnight or later. I still have multiple paper FP with return time windows of 1am and 2am. (I rode P Pan at 2am, I just didn't need the FP at that hour.
)Disney4Lyfe
Well-Known Member
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
If you do EVERYTHING you are supposed to do, and the system locks up....you are also screwed.
That's my biggest peeve. I am not really bothered by the idea of booking this each morning, except that it doesn't give you any freedom at all. As you say, you are already locked into your park pass.
It would be vastly improved if they allowed you to modify passes, like they did with FP+. Also the giving you some random time that doesn't match what you initially booked is rotten to the core. That's something a Disney villain would pull!
It also completely bites that we are no longer guaranteed a min of 3 passes when we buy G+.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
I will say if you aren't getting at least 3 G+ passes, you really messed up.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
I think they meant in advance.
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
Wha?
Initially, FP+ did suck, but over time it got much better.
You were able to do both: pick in advance, and MODIFY as much as you wanted.
Granted, I agree Express Pass is much better. I REALLY wish WDW had something closer to Express Pass. Even if WDW had to impose a few limits to make it work. Like you get 3 passes...and like a 4-hour window to use them..or something like that. Just simple and easy like EP.
crazy4disney
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
What baffles me is why not just charge for the same version of FP+ that already existed and could have maybe tiered it... charge X to book in advance and Y for what is Genie +? Were they really worried about a PR nightmare after all this company has done & taken away already?
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
Another aspect of G+ is that it really favors full day park days. You can also make okay use - perhaps- with an afternoon/PM at MK (booked in the AM).
On your last/departure day, G+ for just the AM is useless, especially if MK isn't your park. You may not get any usable passes at all!
I think parkgoers are going to figure that out pretty quickly.
On your last/departure day, G+ for just the AM is useless, especially if MK isn't your park. You may not get any usable passes at all!
I think parkgoers are going to figure that out pretty quickly.
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
one of the MANY flaws of Genie(-)
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
afternoon at the pool? no chance with Genie (-)
3pm arrival and stay until close? not possible with Genie(-)
Sleep in past 6:45am (on vacation)? not possible with Genie (-) **who wants to sleep in on vacation anyway, so dumb**
Disney4Lyfe
Well-Known Member
mikejs78
Well-Known Member
Few things wrong with this:
- 30 minutes of bonus time was not a thing. It sometimes happened, but not with any regularity, especially at MK and Epcot in 2017. Occasionally you'd get it at Studios and AK (especially once FoP and Rise opened) but it was not a consistent thing. I don't know about 2015 (wasn't visiting back then) but I'm sure it didn't exist in 2017. So it's not really reasonable to count that because it can't be verified for any particular dates.
- You can't count EMH in 2017 but not count ETPE in 2022.
- You also shortchanged AK an hour in 2017
- Your hours are a bit off for the week as a whole.
MK: 8-12 + 1 EMH = 17
Epcot: 9-9 + 2 EMH = 14
DHS: 9-9 = 12
AK: 9-9:30 = 12.5
Total: 52.5 regular park hours + 3 EMH = 55.5 hours open
2022:
MK: 9-11 + .5 ETPE = 14.5
Epcot: 8:30-9 + .5 ETPE = 13
DHS: 8-9 + .5 ETPE = 13.5
AK: 7:30-8:30 + .5 ETPE = 13.5
Total: 52.5 regular park hours (same) + 2 ETPE = 54.5 hours
So, 1 hour less on this particular day in 2022 vs 2017. Now, let's look at the whole of Easter week (Sunday to Saturday), since you did that:
2017:
MK: 8-11, 8-11, 8-12, 8-12, 8-11, 9-11, 9-11 + Morning EMH x 6 (no Saturday), Evening EMH (2 hrs) x 1 = 105 + 8 EMH = 113
Epcot: 9-9 x7 + Morning EMH x1, Evening EMH (2 hrs) x 1 = 84 + 3 EMH = 87
DHS: 9-9 x 7 + Morning EMH x 1 (no evening EMH) = 84 + 1 EMH = 85
AK: 9-9:30 x 7 + Morning EMH x 2 (no evening EMH) = 87.5 + 2 EMH = 89.5
Total Regular Park Hours: 360.5
Total EMH: 13
Total park open: 373.5
Now, 2022:
MK: 9-11 x 7 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) + Evening Extra Hours (x 1) = 98 + 3.5 ETPE + 2 Night = 103.5
Epcot: 8:30-9 x 7 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) + Evening Extra Hours (x1) = 87.5 + 3.5 ETPE + 2 Night = 93
DHS: 8-9 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) = 91 + 3.5 = 94.5
AK: 7:30 - 8:30 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) = 91 + 3.5 = 94.5
Total Regular Park Hours: 367.5
Total Extra hours: 18
Total park open: 385.5
So, for Easter week, yes, MK is less, than in 2017, but total park hours with and without extra hours is decently higher than in 2017.
Now let's look at a non-holiday week, the week after Easter week:
2017:
MK: 9-10, 9-11, 9-10, 9-10, 9-10, 9-11, 9-11 + Morning EMH x 1 + Evening EMH (2 hours) x 1 = 94 + 3 EMH = 97
Epcot: 9-9x 7 + Morning EMH x 1 + Evening EMH x 1 = 84 + 3 EMH = 87
DHS: 9-9 + Morning EMH x 1 = 84 + 1 = 85
AK: 9-9:30 + Morning EMH x 2 = 87.5 + 2 = 89.5
Total Regular Park Hours: 349.5
Total Extra hours: 9
Total park open: 358.5
Now, 2022:
MK: 9-11 x 6 + 1 day 9-10 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) + Evening Extra Hours (x 1) = 97 + 3.5 ETPE + 2 Night = 102.5
Epcot: 8:30-9 x 7 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) + Evening Extra Hours (x1) = 87.5 + 3.5 ETPE + 2 Night = 93
DHS: 8-9 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) = 91 + 3.5 = 94.5
AK: 7:30 - 8:30 + Morning ETPE x 7 (.5) = 91 + 3.5 = 94.5
Total Regular Park Hours: 366.5
Total Extra hours: 18
Total park open: 384.5
For a non-holiday week, that's a difference in 17 regular park hours and 9 extra hours for a total of 26 more hours in 2022 vs 2017.
Again your numbers are wrong, especially for EMH, so here we go:
Looking at 2015
MK: 8-1 AM + Morning EMH x 6 (Saturday did not have it) + 1 Evening EMH = 119 + 8 = 127
Epcot: 9-9 + 1 Morning EMH + 1 Evening EMH (2 hours) = 84 + 3 = 87
DHS: 8-9:30 + 1 Morning EMH + 1 Evening EMH (2 hours) = 94.5 + 3 = 97.5
AK: 8-7, 8-7, 8-8, 8-8, 8-8, 8-7, 8-7 + 2 Morning EMH = 80 + 2 = 82
Total Regular Park Hours: 377.5
Total Extra hours: 16
Total park open: 393.5
I'll concede that hours for a holiday week are lower than what they were in 2015 - but that's a far cry from your original assertion that hours have been cut recently. As we saw earlier, at least as recently as 2017, hours were lower than they were today both for holiday weeks, and, more dramatically, for non-holiday weeks. But let's look at 2015 from a non-holiday week, again focusing on the week after Easter week.
Week after Easter week:
MK: 9-11, 9-12, 9-12, 9-11, 9-12, 9-12, 9-12 + Morning EMH x1 + Evening EMH x 1 = 103 + 3 = 106
Epcot: 9-9 x 7 + Morning EMH x 1 + Evening EMH x 1 = 84 + 3 = 87
DHS: 9-8, 9-9:30, 9-8, 9-8, 9-8, 9-9:30, 9-9:30 + Moring EMH x 1 + Evening EMH x 1 = 81.5 + 3 = 84.5
AK: 9-8, 9-6, 9-7, 9-6, 9-7, 9-6, 9-7 + Morning EMH x 2 = 59 (!) + 2 = 61
Total Regular Park Hours: 327.5
Total Extra hours: 11
Total park open: 338.5
Wow. That means in 2022, the week after Easter week (next week) will have 50 more regular park hours and and 7 more extra hours than in 2015, for a total of 46 more park hours next week than in the same week in 2015.
Look, I have a lot to criticize Disney about. I think Genie+ is garbage, their getting rid of Magical Express short sighted, and they need more in the non-MK parks. But I also will not criticize them when criticism is not due, and that's certainly the case when it comes to park hours.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
Basically if you buy G+ you should be getting a minimum of 3 decent attractions. Looking at DHS (the park that sells out of good passes the quickest) on Easter Saturday (very busy day).
Book 1 pass before park open: Chance to get anything, but SDD might have sold out if you weren't quick
At 10am (2 hours after park open) Only thing sold out for the day is SDD, TOT (sold out right at 10am), and MFSR(sold out at 10:10am). So still have options of TSMM, RnRC, MMRR.
At 12pm (2 hours later). SDD, TOT, MFSR, and now MMRR (sold out right at noon) are all gone. However, TSMM (sold out at ~1:20pm), RNRC (sold out at 12:25), Alien (Sold out at 2:35pm), Star Tours, all shows, meet and greets are all still available.
So no G+ does not guarantee 3 LLs, but if you don't get 3 decent rides in, its user error. BTW this is without any refreshing or being on the nose at the exact second you are able to book.
mikejs78
Well-Known Member
I used to be able to get three FPs in the morning though, so I could go back to sit by the pool in the afternoon, and then grab 1-2 (sometimes more) at night when park hopping.
ChrisM
Well-Known Member
This is, quite simply, factually incorrect.
For my AK and HS days I could have easily done an afternoon at the pool, as we left AK at 3pm (and actually spent 4pm - 6pm at Volcano Bay) and left HS from 2pm - 5pm (took the Skyliner to Epcot, walked around the Boardwalk).
Now, a few (possibly big!) caveats:
1) We roped dropped both days.
2) We had no explicit intention of carving out afternoon time; this is just how the days happened to flow and what we ended up wanting to do. Which means if you were specifically trying to hit a set time to head back for the pool it would be impossible to plan that ahead of time and could be really stressful trying to craft your itinerary on the fly to accommodate that plan.
A 3pm arrival seems more than doable by stacking LL's for later in the afternoon. With, of course, the huge caveat that you're going to devote some (possibly significant) time working the phone to stack them up as the morning goes by. Not ideal but certainly possible.
You technically could sleep past the 7am window but there's obviously a big opportunity cost baked into that.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
I wasn't arguing anything about that where you got the skip the line passes. Just the fact that if you are at least semi-knowledgeable about G+ you are basically guaranteed 3 good skip the line passes. They may not be the exact time or ride you were hoping for, but you will still get 3.
Disney4Lyfe
Well-Known Member
Are you completely ignoring return times?
James J
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
You really should change your name to Jeff645 instead, given how frequently you mention that you hate the thought of waking up at that time.
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
What time do you get up jimmy?