Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

Thepuma

Well-Known Member
You're looking at this the wrong way. That is only one piece of it. Using the numbers in your example, 10,000 people may want to purchase Genie+ but only 5,000 people will be able to - as it will sell out after 5,000 sales (made up numbers, again). The less people using it, the better the inventory will be.
So a system that only half of people can obtain.. and even worse, alienate pretty much ALL new guests that visit the parks for the first time and most likely will only find out about G+ when they arrive....but by then it will be too late, all sold out.

Honestly... you couldn't make it up.
 

Demarke

Have I told you lately that I 👍 you?
I know how Disney can solve all of this

EXPAND THE PARKS (and then build a 5th gate to spread out crowds…and I’m not kidding)

We need people eater attractions and shows. Updating existing rides is ok but it’s not helping crowds spreading out
Exactly, I hate how their model seems to be "let's take away longer high capacity attractions and replace them with low capacity quick attractions but double attendance."

For example just looking at FutureWorld East at Epcot:
- Horizons (hourly capacity 2800; 14.5 minutes); replaced by Mission Space (1600/hour; 6 minutes)
- Universe of Energy (2432/hour; 45 minutes); replaced by GoG (similar theoretical capacity of about 2500/hour; 3 minutes)
- World of Motion (3240/hour; 14.5 minutes); replaced by Test Track (1200/hour; 5 minutes)
- Body Wars (estimating 1800/hour based on Star Tours numbers; 7 minutes); replaced by VACANT
- Cranium Command (guessing 600, based on 200 person theater and 17 minute show); replaced by VACANT
- Sum of all Thrills (200/hour); BULLDOZED

They've solved the problem of short wait times for lengthy attractions, by shutting down large areas for years and replacing them with long wait times for shorter attractions.

Don't get me wrong, I like many of the new attractions, they would have helped alleviate the rapidly increasing demand if they were ADDITIONS, but as replacements, they've only increased the problem.
 

Disney Glimpses

Well-Known Member
no everyone had FP+ and there was always still some availability the day of, plus it was easier to figure out even for the new guest, not to mention they had 60 days prior to their trip to try it instead of scramble at 7am the day of
Not really, no. For veterans like us sure - we knew how to refresh and stack single rider reservations to get what we wanted. We knew how it worked. We knew the grace periods. We knew the rules with rider swap, etc.

I know many people who arrived for the first time in a long time during the FP+ era and felt like they were completely out of luck on FP. They looked, saw basically nothing, and gave up. It's really no different here. And you definitely weren't riding Space, 7DMT, FOP, etc...
 

pdude81

Well-Known Member
no everyone had FP+ and there was always still some availability the day of, plus it was easier to figure out even for the new guest, not to mention they had 60 days prior to their trip to try it instead of scramble at 7am the day of
But people who'd never visited and showed up to the park day of would constantly ask why they couldn't use their 3 on whatever they wanted. Or swipe awkwardly and be told where to find the kiosks
 

Purduevian

Well-Known Member
DVC members are watching. Including me who has several contracts
I still think DVC is part of the overcrowding and downfall of Disney. Easy to make cost cutting measures when you've locked so many people into 50 years of vacations no matter how bad it gets.
I still am perplexed how inventory for a paid FP service is worse than when it was free - even as an AP arriving on a random day. I just don't get it.
1) ILL capacity is gone from FP+ capacity
2)Some parks actually have less capacity open right now. ROL, Nemo, Little Mermaid, ect.
3)The lack of tiers are making the "good" rides at EPCOT, DHS, and AK book up faster than in FP+ days

So a system that only half of people can obtain.. and even worse, alienate pretty much ALL new guests that visit the parks for the first time and most likely will only find out about G+ when they arrive....but by then it will be too late, all sold out.

Honestly... you couldn't make it up.
Express pass at USO and Fast lane at Cedar Fair Parks can also sell out.
 

Chip Chipperson

Well-Known Member
no everyone had FP+ and there was always still some availability the day of, plus it was easier to figure out even for the new guest, not to mention they had 60 days prior to their trip to try it instead of scramble at 7am the day of

And they sent a mailer listing the dates you could book your dining and FP+ selections and an e-mail reminder on the day you could start booking your FP+ selections (although my e-mail always arrived hours after the booking window actually opened for me, so I just set a reminder on my phone). If someone with a reservation didn't know about FP+ or didn't know when their booking window opened, it was because they didn't read their mail and/or e-mail.
 

Thepuma

Well-Known Member
Not really a problem. Limiting the inventory guarantees a consistent flow of still substantial revenue for a product with good customer satisfaction. There's always a balance and right now it's revenue heavy which isn't an option.
It will ALWAYS be an option while the money is rolling in no matter how poor the experience.

But, the way its going with bad experiences..and the upcoming worldwide recession, Disney need to keep people on board, otherwise the first thing people will give up, to keep paying their bills, will be Disney.
 

Vacationeer

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
It was told to me that its below anything anyone in current management has experienced at WDW - it is that bad.
Maybe they figured since $15 is very low cost relative to WDW trip budgets, people wouldn’t expect too much out of it. That totally ignores the mental hurdle going from free to paid. Realistically what does $15 get us in WDW? Doesn’t matter though. People want at least $15 more of a better experience over free FP+.
 
Disney has not been a relaxing vacation for a couple of decades. If someone wants relaxing then they should go to a beach.
I disagree. FP+ was great for people like me, and allowed me to relax knowing that I had near guarantees of riding headliners. What is happening now is guaranteeing that this isn't really a vacation because I have no certainty at all of what I will be able to do, and with paark reservations, no way to change it.
 

Disney Glimpses

Well-Known Member
Maybe they figured since $15 is very low cost relative to WDW trip budgets, people wouldn’t expect too much out of it. That totally ignores the mental hurdle going from free to paid. Realistically what does $15 get us in WDW? Doesn’t matter though. People want at least $15 more of a better experience over free FP+.
The opposite. They knew how well MaxPass work at Disneyland and figured it would work just as well at Walt Disney World. Different animal altogether. They knew expectations would be high - their own expectations were high.
 

G00fyDad

Well-Known Member
I disagree. FP+ was great for people like me, and allowed me to relax knowing that I had near guarantees of riding headliners. What is happening now is guaranteeing that this isn't really a vacation because I have no certainty at all of what I will be able to do, and with paark reservations, no way to change it.

I much preferred FP+ too but it still caused enough planning to be bothersome for many.
 

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