Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Jrb1979]

There was absolutely NO reason in 2019/2020 before Covid that the majority of guests would not know how to use it other than pure laziness or the mentality that everything should be served on a silver platter for them. The system was not difficult. They were willing to help you when your window opened up 60 days prior and while in the park you literally opened an app and just had to choose a ride. If that was too difficult Genie+ is going to be like taking the Bar and CPA exam in one when you think you have 1 time slot and thenend up with another for starters.

For my family we knew how to use it and know how to use Genie+. We think both systems are garbage.

Question for you. What do you have against an Express Pass system.

 

[crazy4disney]

For my family we knew how to use it and know how to use Genie+. We think both systems are garbage.

Question for you. What do you have against an Express Pass system.

i think an express pass system prices out a majority of families that go down there personally & does nothing to solve the issue of longer lines and only creates yet another class warfare (can we say EMH at night for Deluxe). The plaid tours altho higher priced is Disney's version of express pass at this moment and the demand is there so do they dare try and give those people a "cheaper" way out? imo those people dont care and have disposable income beyond. an Express pass imo goes for what? 150-200 pp with limited sales? so a family of 4 is gonna cost 6-800 daily x a 7 day trip. An additional 4200-5600. Dont get me wrong it sells out or comes close to it but again to me solves not many problems we are seeing. Genie to me was garbage ... FP+ was borderline amazing

 

[Jrb1979]

i think an express pass system prices out a majority of families that go down there personally & does nothing to solve the issue of longer lines and only creates yet another class warfare (can we say EMH at night for Deluxe). The plaid tours altho higher priced is Disney's version of express pass at this moment and the demand is there so do they dare try and give those people a "cheaper" way out? imo those people dont care and have disposable income beyond. an Express pass imo goes for what? 150-200 pp with limited sales? so a family of 4 is gonna cost 6-800 daily x a 7 day trip. An additional 4200-5600. Dont get me wrong it sells out or comes close to it but again to me solves not many problems we are seeing. Genie to me was garbage ... FP+ was borderline amazing

FP+ was great for resort guests. You guys got your 3 rides a day. There is no skip the line system at any park that is made for the majority to use. They don't work that way, it's why they cost so much at every park.

 

[Jrb1979]

@disneyglimpses I've brought it up before. Disney as a brand is great and the top in the business. I don't think it's intentional but for some reason they always seem behind the times in regards to day to day park operations. Their Japanese parks are run a lot better then the parks they own. You would think they would follow their lead and bring it over to their US parks.

 

[HauntedPirate]

@disneyglimpses I've brought it up before. Disney as a brand is great and the top in the business. I don't think it's intentional but for some reason they always seem behind the times in regards to day to day park operations. Their Japanese parks are run a lot better then the parks they own. You would think they would follow their lead and bring it over to their US parks.

OLC owns and operates TDL and TDS.

 

[Jrb1979]

OLC owns and operates TDL and TDS.

I know. Its why I said they are run better then the parks they own in the US. As great as they are at media, marketing and making movies, they struggle with park operations.

 

[crazy4disney]

FP+ was great for resort guests. You guys got your 3 rides a day. There is no skip the line system at any park that is made for the majority to use. They don't work that way, it's why they cost so much at every park.

Since when did Disney strive to be like EVERY other park? Yes i agree 100% with that statement in regards to charging hence why all of the things they could have gotten away with was a $20 daily charge for FP and noone would have blinked

 

[HauntedPirate]

I know. Its why I said they are run better then the parks they own in the US. As great as they are at media, marketing and making movies, they struggle with park operations.

Ah, gotcha. I misinterpreted what you wrote.

OLC cares about its guests. Disney only cares about consumers. Two different words that say all you need to know.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Since when did Disney strive to be like EVERY other park? Yes i agree 100% with that statement in regards to charging hence why all of the things they could have gotten away with was a $20 daily charge for FP and noone would have blinked

When did they? Since Bob 1.0 took over and they lost all sense of what it means to run and invest in theme parks.

ETA: And it only got worse when Bob 2.0 was installed as the head of P&R.

 

[Jrb1979]

Since when did Disney strive to be like EVERY other park? Yes i agree 100% with that statement in regards to charging hence why all of the things they could have gotten away with was a $20 daily charge for FP and noone would have blinked

FP+ worked well for resort guests. If you stayed off property or just went for the day, your options of top tier rides was limited.

 

[crazy4disney]

When did they? Since Bob 1.0 took over and they lost all sense of what it means to run and invest in theme parks.

ETA: And it only got worse when Bob 2.0 was installed as the head of P&R.

My question was more rhetorical than anything tbh and trust me im the last person to defend this company yet in that same breathe part of the problem as i still go BUT i refuse to pay up for overpriced resorts hence why i stay value or rent DVC points but the place still brings fun and joy to my daughters eyes as myself and mom so its a catch 22...

 

[crazy4disney]

FP+ worked well for resort guests. If you stayed off property or just went for the day, your options of top tier rides was limited.

& why is that a bad thing? Shouldnt resort guests get some perks for staying on property? This being one of them....

 

[Jrb1979]

& why is that a bad thing? Shouldnt resort guests get some perks for staying on property? This being one of them....

The resorts are full right now with no perks. Shows me that people don't need them to stay on property.

 

[Jeff4272]

FP+ only worked for us because we knew how to use it G+ has leveled the playing field so that all who are willing to pay to play are equal.

Then why is guest satisfaction at its all time low and Genie+ have a 20% approval rating?

Genie+ blows

WDW is different than DL..........They are alienating alot of their resort guests and it will come back to bite them in the butt and that's coming sooner rather than later

People aren't stupid and guest satisfaction numbers show that...

They will be affected........that's why they are changing Genie+ already and its not even a year old

They tried to plug MaxPass square peg at DL into WDW round hole and brand it the same and run it the same way and those 2 parks couldn't be more different


What worries me the most is, they thought it would work

 

[Jeff4272]

The resorts are full right now with no perks. Shows me that people don't need them to stay on property.

They wont be for long...Once all the free money is gone, the 50th over, pent up demand travel is over and people realize they get WAY LESS for their $1 staying at a WDW hotel (no free Magic bands, no free ME, no free parking, no free advance booking FP+) then bookings will drop dramatically

I bet the happens before year end

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Ah, gotcha. I misinterpreted what you wrote.

OLC cares about its guests. Disney only cares about consumers. Two different words that say all you need to know.

I have to say I disagree with this. Disney cares about its guests but its demise is a product of its own success. Almost every single issue guests complain about can be attributed to Disney Parks being too popular.

This leaves Disney with 2 options: reduce demand by raising the price (at the risk of increased volatility) or limit supply and voluntarily leave money on the table.

These aren't easy problems and Disney has demonstrated serious restraint here, in my opinion. They aren't perfect and have made boneheaded decisions (mistakes), but they do still care about their product and their reputation; much of which is guest experience. Mistakes are mistakes. They aren't intentionally trying to upset guests.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I have to say I disagree with this. Disney cares about its guests but its demise is a product of its own success. Almost every single issue guests complain about can be attributed to Disney Parks being too popular.

This leaves Disney with 2 options: reduce demand by raising the price (at the risk of increased volatility) or limit supply and voluntarily leave money on the table.

These aren't easy problems and Disney has demonstrated serious restraint here, in my opinion. They aren't perfect and have made boneheaded decisions (mistakes), but they do still care about their product and their reputation; much of which is guest experience. Mistakes are mistakes. They aren't intentionally trying to upset guests.

I don't disagree with most of that, to be honest. I don't know if they truly care about the parks product overall anymore, it seems like they are trying to float by a lot on "the brand" and one of those boneheaded decisions you mentioned, namely by building headliners without a supporting cast.

But there are two and only two reasons Disney parks are in the predicament they are in:

 

[crazy4disney]

The resorts are full right now with no perks. Shows me that people don't need them to stay on property.

The resorts are full right now with no perks. Shows me that people don't need them to stay on property.

Did i ever deny that? Not once have i stated they need to draw crowds if anything ive said the opposite. All im saying is as a resort guest they could have kept FP charged for it and resort guest would have been fine...now you have a system that is AWFUL and they know it hence why they are looking to make changes as insiders have already alluded too.

 

[HauntedPirate]

And then we get into the real conundrum they face with pricing - How do they limit demand? By doubling prices across the board (at a minimum). But then they alienate a significant portion of their audience and create a PR nightmare. Or they can continue on the death-by-a-thousand-cuts/declining-by-degrees approach and run the risk of alienating consumers over the long haul and deplete the goodwill and nostalgia they are milking daily.

Ah, who cares, though? The next recession will wash away things pretty well. At least I and many others hope it does.

 

[crazy4disney]

And then we get into the real conundrum they face with pricing - How do they limit demand? By doubling prices across the board (at a minimum). But then they alienate a significant portion of their audience and create a PR nightmare. Or they can continue on the death-by-a-thousand-cuts/declining-by-degrees approach and run the risk of alienating consumers over the long haul and deplete the goodwill and nostalgia they are milking daily.

Ah, who cares, though? The next recession will wash away things pretty well. At least I and many others hope it does.

I truly dk FP approval numbers but definitely certain it is way better than genie so why not just charge for the product that worked best for what your parks capacity can handle? again seems like the best option for them right now until they add some serious capacity to these 4 parks.