Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Vacationeer]

Not everybody is paying $1000, $700 or even $400 a night staying deluxe onsite. Our next trip at BWV and BLT is under $300/nt and we’ll definitely enjoy walking less than 10 minutes back to our room after the night EMHs. Less than a year ago we stayed at Boardwalk for under $150 a night. It was an awesome trip. Being onsite saves us time and energy so we can make best use of our expensive park tickets. We enjoy park resorts for great access to some parks, ease of midday breaks, along with exploring fun stuff at surrounding resorts and our own. Going to and staying in WDW isn’t measured in our ability to pound the highest demand rides, it’s the variety of offerings we can choose all week long and the ease which we can do it. That makes it worth the money to us.

Sometimes we stay at a cheaper hotel the night we fly in for ~$125 including breakfast offsite. Our budget could be trimmed by staying there all week. We could apply the savings to get all the Genie add-ons and maybe even afford some after hours or party tickets. Not a bad option at all, but for us by the time we factor in everything, it doesn’t make up for all the stuff we’d miss about the flow and feeling of staying onsite. I don’t find value in dessert parties but understand why it works for others. It impossible for me to say they aren’t smart spending their money that way.

 

[nickys]

FoP? I don't think I ever saw it when trying 30 days+. Always picked Na'vi and rope dropped it.

There were drops of FP+ at specific times for certain rides. If you knew when those were there was a good chance of picking one up on the day.

I agree trying to book it at 30 days out wasn’t likely to be successful. Usually at 60+4 or day-of were the best bets.

 

[kalel8145]

Not everybody is paying $1000, $700 or even $400 a night staying deluxe onsite. Our next trip at BWV and BLT is under $300/nt and we’ll definitely enjoy walking less than 10 minutes back to our room after the night EMHs. Less than a year ago we stayed at Boardwalk for under $150 a night. It was an awesome trip. Being onsite saves us time and energy so we can make best use of our expensive park tickets. We enjoy park resorts for great access to some parks, ease of midday breaks, along with exploring fun stuff at surrounding resorts and our own. Going to and staying in WDW isn’t measured in our ability to pound the highest demand rides, it’s the variety of offerings we can choose all week long and the ease which we can do it. That makes it worth the money to us.

Sometimes we stay at a cheaper hotel the night we fly in for ~$125 including breakfast offsite. Our budget could be trimmed by staying there all week. We could apply the savings to get all the Genie add-ons and maybe even afford some after hours or party tickets. Not a bad option at all, but for us by the time we factor in everything, it doesn’t make up for all the stuff we’d miss about the flow and feeling of staying onsite. I don’t find value in dessert parties but understand why it works for others. It impossible for me to say they aren’t smart spending their money that way.

I think you stated very well how WDW offers many ways you can enjoy it. You can stroll and take your time, take in the sights, hit a few rides. You can power walk through the parks and try and ride everything. You can resort hop, eat at different restaurants. Spend time shopping. Golf, hit water parks. That's the appeal. There are many ways to save as well. We've done the stay off site. Eat off site. There are ways to make it more affordable. It was another poster that said something to the affect of there is nothing financially great about a Disney vacation. That could be said about almost any vacation. Rearly is a vacation an investment other than investing in your well being. If it's not helping your well being, then it's not worth it.

 

[mikejs78]

I think you stated very well how WDW offers many ways you can enjoy it. You can stroll and take your time, take in the sights, hit a few rides. You can power walk through the parks and try and ride everything. You can resort hop, eat at different restaurants. Spend time shopping. Golf, hit water parks. That's the appeal. There are many ways to save as well. We've done the stay off site. Eat off site. There are ways to make it more affordable. It was another poster that said something to the affect of there is nothing financially great about a Disney vacation. That could be said about almost any vacation. Rearly is a vacation an investment other than investing in your well being. If it's not helping your well being, then it's not worth it.

People choose to emphasize different things on their vacations. We have friends that do a "year of Disney" every few years - they get an Annual pass and go to Disney 4-5 times for short stays, stay offsite, do the parks rope drop to close, and save money in other areas. That works for them.

For us, we prefer to go once every year or two, spend the money to stay on Crescent Lake, rope drop and hit the parks hard in the morning and early afternoon, take a midday break every day, make sure we have some time for Stormalong Bay, Disney Springs, and just relaxing around the resort. That's what works for us. That's why we find staying onsite worth it, while our friends do not. Neither of us is right or wrong, it's just what works for our respective families.

 

[kalel8145]

I hear ya. We used to be the hit it hard people. Age slows that down. We are the stroll along people now. We try to stay to the side though so we aren't the people you get stuck behind.

 

[mikejs78]

I hear ya. We used to be the hit it hard people. Age slows that down. We are the stroll along people now. We try to stay to the side though so we aren't the people you get stuck behind.

DW and I used to do the mad dash from the park entrance to Space Mountain during EMH - each trip we'd try to beat our time to get to the queue. Was in the first car of the day numerous times.

Now (with kids) we still do rope drop, but usually it's casually walking to Pan or Pooh. Times change.

 

[Jeff4272]

I mean, Disney's not exactly having a problem booking their hotels. Try to find something in the next couple months.

I agree short term, but that's an industry/macro economic backdrop vs a Disney specific thing......


The pent up demand travel post pandemic will subside....People spent no money for almost 2 years because you couldnt leave your house........Jan 2023 things will change and when all this pent up demand goes away and people realize that Disney is scalping its customers with its higher than average price increases and remooval of all the free incentives they had to attract people to their properties......

It will happen.....it has happened to them in the past.......they are not invincible and the consumer will push back

 

[mikejs78]

I agree short term, but that's an industry/macro economic backdrop vs a Disney specific thing......


The pent up demand travel post pandemic will subside....People spent no money for almost 2 years because you couldnt leave your house........Jan 2023 things will change and when all this pent up demand goes away and people realize that Disney is scalping its customers with its higher than average price increases and remooval of all the free incentives they had to attract people to their properties......

It will happen.....it has happened to them in the past.......they are not invincible and the consumer will push back

And they will just do steeper discounts like they have in the past.

I do think demand will soften in 2023, but not because of hotel benefits - most guests don't even realize that they are gone.

It will be because of a recession.

 

[dmw]

And they will just do steeper discounts like they have in the past.

I do think demand will soften in 2023, but not because of hotel benefits - most guests don't even realize that they are gone.

It will be because of a recession.

Disney has another option besides discounts. Provide some real perks for on-site guests. Start with no park reservation needed if staying on-site. There is no revenue associated with that perk. Then add a few perks that do not cost extra, but do take away some revenue - free Genie+, free preferred parking at the parks, free parking at the resorts. Disney used to be a leader, now they are just so-so. We just got back from a trip to Dollywood, staying at the DreamMore and were very impressed with the perks and costs compared to Disney.

 

[G00fyDad]

All kinds of class.

That is why I have him on ignore. All he does is call people names and flip out on them if they do not talk about Genie+ with the same fear and loathing that he exhibits.

 

[pdude81]

Disney has another option besides discounts. Provide some real perks for on-site guests. Start with no park reservation needed if staying on-site. There is no revenue associated with that perk. Then add a few perks that do not cost extra, but do take away some revenue - free Genie+, free preferred parking at the parks, free parking at the resorts. Disney used to be a leader, now they are just so-so. We just got back from a trip to Dollywood, staying at the DreamMore and were very impressed with the perks and costs compared to Disney.

There may be no additional revenue if they dropped this for resort guests, but it still comes with a cost as they can't forecast staffing as clearly. Then they need to implement code to check two different systems at the tapstiles instead of just one. Normally when you need hotel entry checkpoints they have separate cast checking those with tablets at entry points inside the park.

They have already incentivized on site hotel stays by giving the extra magic minutes in the morning that are a big time saver to rope droppers, and being able to buy ILL before park open. For the biggest rides those are large advantages. From here I think they'd only need to play around with price in order to bring more people in. Or potentially they could also add EEMH for DHS if they needed to pump up deluxe occupancies.

 

[Jrb1979]

I hear ya. We used to be the hit it hard people. Age slows that down. We are the stroll along people now. We try to stay to the side though so we aren't the people you get stuck behind.

Then there is my family. I'm in my 40s and still hit the parks hard. If I wanted a relaxing vacation a theme park/amusement park is not it. If I'm paying that much money to visit, sites and sounds aren't on list of things to do.

 

[DCLcruiser]

I don't think WDW hotel sales are purely based on people dying to go on vacation after the worst parts of the pandemic. Staying on property has a cache and offers an elevated experience (real or perceived) vs a normal hotel. Yes, EMH was nice (although I would avoid those parks), Magic Express was great, but I thought parking was still included for resort guests?

 

[pdude81]

I don't think WDW hotel sales are purely based on people dying to go on vacation after the worst parts of the pandemic. Staying on property has a cache and offers an elevated experience (real or perceived) vs a normal hotel. Yes, EMH was nice (although I would avoid those parks), Magic Express was great, but I thought parking was still included for resort guests?

Theme park parking is included if you are paying to park at a Disney hotel (or DVC).

 

[kalel8145]

Then there is my family. I'm in my 40s and still hit the parks hard. If I wanted a relaxing vacation a theme park/amusement park is not it. If I'm paying that much money to visit, sites and sounds aren't on list of things to do.

You do you

 

[Anteater]

Theme park parking is included if you are paying to park at a Disney hotel (or DVC).

Well, Hotel guests pay daily for parking there. DVC pays for parking in their MFs. So, it makes sense they can use theme park spaces as well. It was better when resort guests didn't have to pay for parking. Yet another lost perk.

 

[Jeff4272]

Fact of the matter is, the entire experience is watered down.......They removed incentives that you used to get and that makes it less valuable, thats not an opinion, thats a fact......

everyone here would rather free parking, free magic bands, free magical express, booking FP in advance of everyone else and now you dont get it.............that makes it less valuable and A LOT less valuable for a lot of guests that would normally stay onsite

the only real benefit now is location and I just think a lot fewer people are willing to pay 2x-5x per night rates just for location

 

[mikejs78]

Fact of the matter is, the entire experience is watered down.......They removed incentives that you used to get and that makes it less valuable, thats not an opinion, thats a fact......

everyone here would rather free parking, free magic bands, free magical express, booking FP in advance of everyone else and now you dont get it.............that makes it less valuable and A LOT less valuable for a lot of guests that would normally stay onsite

the only real benefit now is location and I just think a lot fewer people are willing to pay 2x-5x per night rates just for location

I think you're wrong, but we'll see.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

I think you're wrong, but we'll see.

I think he is right re: benefits but wrong re: less people paying. And that to me is a problem. Once they learn they don't need to offer resort incentives, it's all over.

 

[Jeff4272]

I think you're wrong, but we'll see.

It will happen....they are not immune from it......