Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[MickeyLuv'r]

I know I would love it and would be willing to pay for it. I don't think it's unreasonable for the company to want to charge for something that is an upcharge everywhere else. I liked when it was just part of the Disney experience for free but I can see their perspective.

I always felt WDW was already charging for it, just not the same way other parks do.

At WDW, the extra costs were already indirectly baked into the cost of the food, hotel, and park tickets. If you bought the whole package you got the whole inclusive package.

 

[nickys]

FP+ was never actually free, it was imbedded, but now you have the option to NOT pay for it.

I must have missed the price cut then.

 

[crazy4disney]

At $300 per person they could limit the supply to ensure a skip any ride all day product and still make as much as they are with Genie+ and ILL (upwards of $1 million per day). They'd only need to sell 3,000 or so to keep up those profits and standby queues would be basically normal.

but ill ask this... define "normal" standby? do we really believe lines are just gonna disappear? we had 1 comparison when parks opened after covid and lines were "shorter" but if anyone thinks that is what will happen again with parks at their new capacity levels are sadly mistaken imo.

 

[mmascari]

At $300 per person they could limit the supply to ensure a skip any ride all day product and still make as much as they are with Genie+ and ILL (upwards of $1 million per day). They'd only need to sell 3,000 or so to keep up those profits and standby queues would be basically normal.

Do you think that price would cause the sales to be around that volume, or do you think they would still need to cut it off as "sold out" to keep that level?

At $15 to get to $1,000,000 that's over 66,000 people buying it every day.

That's a long way from 66,000 to 3,000. It's probably not a straight line, and $15 to $300 is a long way too.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Do you think that price would cause the sales to be around that volume, or do you think they would still need to cut it off as "sold out" to keep that level?

At $15 to get to $1,000,000 that's over 66,000 people buying it every day.

That's a long way from 66,000 to 3,000. It's probably not a straight line, and $15 to $300 is a long way too.

It's a good question if they would sell 3,000. I don't know. I think so though.

 

[crazy4disney]

It's a good question if they would sell 3,000. I don't know. I think so though.

unlimited access to walk on any ride they want thruout the day? i say they sell out immediately. My last trip in November ive never seen more plaid's in my life and while online overhearing conversations multiple times they were telling the paying party they were looking to add to that workforce bc of the high demand for that service. now imagine in theory charging less for that same service unless you want to "show off" walking around w a plaid for hours. you tell me how quick this sells out

 

[mmascari]

Only problem is that takes away VIP tours........

Bingo. Which is why it doesn't interest them.

Doesn't the VIP tour include a cast member? Plus something beyond just line skipping?

Someone in corporate isn't doing the math right here. If they could sell G+ at the same price as a VIP tour and still bring in the same total as selling G+ to everyone for less, that should be a no brainer. Without the cast member, G+ should be way cheaper to provide than the VIP tour. It would be a good trade off. Bonus, they'll free up some cast members that are in short supply.

 

[nickys]

I don't have any inside information, but if I had to guess, they'll keep the Genie Plus name and tweak it around the edges to make it more like FP+, or somewhere in between current G+ and FP+.

G- ?

 

[pdude81]

Doesn't the VIP tour include a cast member? Plus something beyond just line skipping?

Someone in corporate isn't doing the math right here. If they could sell G+ at the same price as a VIP tour and still bring in the same total as selling G+ to everyone for less, that should be a no brainer. Without the cast member, G+ should be way cheaper to provide than the VIP tour. It would be a good trade off. Bonus, they'll free up some cast members that are in short supply.

They also sold Club 33 memberships to people promising something like 16 fastpasses per visit. Now they are going to give Chuck unlimited fastpasses for $300? I think status and exclusivity are also important things that they've already sold to certain guest groups.

And don't forget that they still need to move the people around in predictable ways. If only moving 3000 people they've lost control.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

The thing people don't get is that when the time comes, it doesn't really change on you. When you click the first time it shows you some value like a stock ticker that seems in the ballpark of what's available. When it actually goes to check inventory it comes back with an offer of a pass time. That time may be wildly different and you can either take it or leave it. For FP+ you'd pick a window and it would give 0-3 offers that were held for you, but this one only holds one and you don't get to choose. Still it sucks, but don't take the **** sandwich if you don't want to eat it. Hit back, click that same bs time again, and see what it offers next time. After 4-5 tries you often do MUCH better.

That works in MK, yes.
It does not work so well for SDD.

And though I understand what you are saying, it still = a bait and switch. It is a very dirty way of doing business.

Most retail stores are NOT allowed to advertise that the price of grapes is $.99, and then say oops, we meant $2/pound. The only exception is when they make it very clear that 'supply is limited.' Or else they have to give you a raincheck upon request.

A big part of the shadiness is that you have already bought G+ by then. You buy G+ because you think inventory will be available - so long as you book your pass at 7am. If you look at G+ BEFORE you buy -then you can only see - what you are calling the stock ticker value.

If the time jumped 5 minutes, I'd call that a ballpark. When the time jumps 3+ hours that's not a ballpark. That is more like false advertising.

 

[mikejs78]

The thing people don't get is that when the time comes, it doesn't really change on you. When you click the first time it shows you some value like a stock ticker that seems in the ballpark of what's available. When it actually goes to check inventory it comes back with an offer of a pass time. That time may be wildly different and you can either take it or leave it. For FP+ you'd pick a window and it would give 0-3 offers that were held for you, but this one only holds one and you don't get to choose. Still it sucks, but don't take the **** sandwich if you don't want to eat it. Hit back, click that same bs time again, and see what it offers next time. After 4-5 tries you often do MUCH better.

That's not true. Many have reported that even on the offer screen when they hit confirm, the time jumps wildly 2-3 hours sometimes. Even for ILL.

 

[pdude81]

That's not true. Many have reported that even on the offer screen when they hit confirm, the time jumps wildly 2-3 hours sometimes. Even for ILL.

Now I've only done this for 11 or so days since G+ started, but when I watched carefully this never happened. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but the one or two times I thought it happened I had confirmed before I got to see the second time. Had to have my wife watch me try a few times because it can be tough to keep track when going back and forth quickly. Many people have also told me it's impossible to get certain passes after 7am and I was getting them with regularity. It just takes more work, some idea of drop frequency, and watching the times vanish while you wait for something else to show up. So in my experience and testing I feel like I was able to understand how the system is currently designed.

What I have seen if I wait more than ten or so seconds to accept is it tell me that the time I was choosing was no longer available, and then spit out another time that sucks and ask if I want that. Never did it force me to accept something without my acknowledgement.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Sorry not trying to be mean but you dont see the flaw in that argument?

Look at it from todays prices vs yesteryear


Now you have to pay $124 for what you used to pay $109 for (park entrance and line skipping)

in your logic, then you should have only have to pay $94 ($109 MINUS $15 value of the FP+) for your math to work

If your logic was right, they should have dropped park tickets to $94 when they switched to Genie+ and they obviously didnt

get it?

Why would they drop the price for line skipping? Prices only go up.

2020 $109 w/ FP+
2021 $124 w/ G+

I must have missed the price cut then.

You don't have to add G+ to your order. They could have just increased all of the prices by another $15. You have a choice.

Pay $109 or $124. Your choice.

 

[Thepuma]

now i know you said that we have to wait a few weeks and @ToTBellHop already answered as best as he could..... but is there a possibility a simple paid version of the old FP+ system come back because i think we can mostly all agree it is a way better tool? even if they changed it from 60 to say 30 days or even less to book if a "complaint" was having to book so far in advance? honestly tho with park reservations now needed does it matter because you already know where you are gonna be and it would spread out availability thruout the day. Or is the FP+ system we knew is a dead stick and not even an option?

To be honest...company directors and owners rarely admit mistakes, they prefer to save face and either stick to their original decision, no matter how bad it is or how it ruins their customers experience...or bring an even newer and better (aka worse) new tool.

 

[Jeff4272]

Why would they drop the price for line skipping? Prices only go up.

2020 $109 w/ FP+
2021 $124 w/ G+


You don't have to add G+ to your order. They could have just increased all of the prices by another $15. You have a choice.

Pay $109 or $124. Your choice.

LOL

 

[Thepuma]

Now I've only done this for 11 or so days since G+ started, but when I watched carefully this never happened. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but the one or two times I thought it happened I had confirmed before I got to see the second time. Had to have my wife watch me try a few times because it can be tough to keep track when going back and forth quickly. Many people have also told me it's impossible to get certain passes after 7am and I was getting them with regularity. It just takes more work, some idea of drop frequency, and watching the times vanish while you wait for something else to show up. So in my experience and testing I feel like I was able to understand how the system is currently designed.

What I have seen if I wait more than ten or so seconds to accept is it tell me that the time I was choosing was no longer available, and then spit out another time that sucks and ask if I want that. Never did it force me to accept something without my acknowledgement.

On my 11 day trip recently we went to Disney 7 days and bought Genie+ every day....id say at least 50% of the time id go to book a G+ at a time shown on the tip board, only to have it add 1 or 2 hours when it got to the confirm page.

I have no idea how Disney could accomplish that with FP+ but can't with G+......In the same way swapping FP+ was easily possible now it can't be done....its bizarre how the FREE product was all bells and whistles and worked fine...yet, when they start charging for it, all of a sudden, it can't do x,y and z.....whoever is in charge of IT at Disney has lost his job by now surely.

 

[mattpeto]

On my 11 day trip recently we went to Disney 7 days and bought Genie+ every day....id say at least 50% of the time id go to book a G+ at a time shown on the tip board, only to have it add 1 or 2 hours when it got to the confirm page.

I have no idea how Disney could accomplish that with FP+ but can't with G+......In the same way swapping FP+ was easily possible now it can't be done....its bizarre how the FREE product was all bells and whistles and worked fine...yet, when they start charging for it, all of a sudden, it can't do x,y and z.....whoever is in charge of IT at Disney has lost his job by now.

My best guess from a technical perspective: I believe the timeslot was locked when it appeared for the visitor for FP+, like an ADR. The Genie+ times aren’t locked apparently.

 

[Thepuma]

That would be awful. Why is everyone so insistent on going back to FP+ days? IMO it's no better then what Genie+ other then those who choose to stay on site get preferred treatment.

In all honesty the only system that works is a Universal system. Limit availability

I have yet to hear a single positive reason where G+ is better than FP+...in every single respect its worse. Cost, useability, accuracy,availability....everything about G+ is worse.

Now ILL...yes, it costs but its a way of guaranteeing yourself a ride on something that otherwise you'd have to wait a long long time to ride
....But G+? I just don't get how anyone can say anything positive about it...over FP+

 

[Thepuma]

You must have had extremely good luck then. And I'm a huge fan and defender of FastPass+. Most attractions I would agree with you, but there were a handful that would occasionally get to be 20 or 30 minutes like Soarin, And if any park had a high number of attractions down in a given day, the anytime fast passes could end up driving The fastpass queue up.

Soarin only doesn't work (sometimes) because your FP+ or G+ only gets you priority to the pre- boarding area. And if you time it wrong, you can be waiting there for 20 minutes on its own.

 

[dmw]

Disney needs to put this Genie back in the bottle and move to dynamic priced ILL at all attractions that have been Genie/FP in the past. Guests can choose to purchase the ILL only when they walk up to the attraction. Pay the $$ and get in the ILL line to ride right then and there. The dynamic pricing would likely be based on the current standby wait time and also have a limit on how many people can be in the ILL line at any one time (not everyone will be able to skip the line, or there would just be another line. No need to get up at 7am, no need to reserve rides 60 days in advance, no planning needed. You walk up and decided to either wait in line, pay to skip the line right then, or skip the attraction altogether.