Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[brettf22]

Re-reading parts of the thread "Version of MaxPass coming in WDW in May?" is ... fascinating. Especially @marni1971's posts.

Rumor - Version of MaxPass coming to WDW in May?

I was scrolling one of the DVC member newsfeeds this morning on Facebook and someone dropped on instagram how her and her family were able to do multiple FOP rides in one day due to something new that was coming out in May, but she couldn't go into detail just yet. Lots of comments were thinking...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Whatever the paid option is. I can’t keep up with the various names/abbreviations

The vast majority of E's are not the paid (per ride) option.

Soarin' and Frozen are in the base product. Splash and Thunder are in the base product. I predict (with no inside info) that Space Mountain will be in the base product once Tron opens. Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon are in the base product. Tower of Terror and Rock'n'RollerCoaster are in the base product. Expedition Everest and Na'vi River Journey are in the base product.

 

[codersteve]

People are still complaining about this yet they will still stump up to come

No, not everyone will. I think Disney is always losing some and that's worked into the numbers. Actually, that's kind of why you're paying more.

I can't say I'll never go back, but I'm really debating it's worth.

I also think a lot of people don't go often anymore but still like to keep up with what's going on and talking about it.

 

[lightningtap347]

The vast majority of E's are not the paid (per ride) option.

Soarin' and Frozen are in the base product. Splash and Thunder are in the base product. I predict (with no inside info) that Space Mountain will be in the base product once Tron opens. Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon are in the base product. Tower of Terror and Rock'n'RollerCoaster are in the base product. Expedition Everest and Na'vi River Journey are in the base product.

Is there a list I'm missing?

Where are you seeing this?

 

[ImperfectPixie]

No, not everyone will. I think Disney is always losing some and that's worked into the numbers. I can't say I'll never go back, but I'm really debating it's worth.

I also think a lot of people don't go often anymore but still like to keep up with what's going on and talking about it.

I have a friend who said he'll switch from going twice a year to once every 3-4 years...if that.

 

[Jeff4272]

This new system is a complete disaster and Disney lost me for good. Awful

 

[dovetail65]

I think what bothers me the most is how this is another benefit taken away from Disney Hotel guests. Losing magical express, seeing resort entertainment taken away, paid parking and now having basically no advantage/perk for Fastpass/Genie + is awful.

I hope consumers are smart and see there is literally no advantage to staying a Disney hotel and paying 2-3x as much as you should for a hotel off-site. I have two very young children but after seeing the hotel rates increase so much plus losing most benefits I plan on taking less trips and staying off site in the next few years. I would rather stay at the Ritz Carlton in Bonnet Creek for what amounts to the Disney Moderate prices.

Bonnet Creek is nice, the RItz and even the condos near there.

For me I stayed at Disney hotels because of location and theme I never once stayed at in for perks because from my perspective they never had a perk that overcame the cost. This is why Disney doesn't to give a ton of perks they don't need to. The perk is being at a Disney hotel and as long as they keep booking it's not going to change. So now we can make a 7 am Genie +, wow big deal the monorail for the Contemporary is a larger perk than that. Hotel guests should get a 30 day ahead Reservation for 2 or 3 choices, but have to get up at 7 am? For me all the perks they gave I felt the same about and I stayed anyhow.

People are still complaining about this yet they will still stump up to come

Has anybody on this thread gone and cancelled their trips after yesterday’s news?

I haven't cancelled but I have no reservation. My desire to go is gone though and at an all time low. People may not cancel but some like me may modify their plans or decide not to go at all.

Going in slow season is just the best answer here, but people don't change so I doubt all of a sudden slow season becomes busy. For us no more Disney hotels, hit Universal more and canceling my near 10k a year Disney in AP. To not give AP holder a free after 4 Genie or something seems a slap on my face of the last 5 years paying out of state season AP up front . We spent far more than most at Disney, for my family it stops other families can do as they want. We may go, not even sure anymore

 

[UNCgolf]

I'm in interested on what the push back will be like when say Rise has missing effects, and a family of four has just paid $80 for Lightning Lane access. They get off, and then express that they aren't happy to have paid $80 and have missing effects. Obviously Disney doesn't guarantee show quality, but that still doesn't stop then subsequent guest recovery that will be needed.

I don't think there's any way they can skip the preshows with this system. Most people would (and should) demand their money back if they're not getting the intended experience.

 

[matt9112]

Can we talk about this? The implication is that "oh yeah, day of, genie will get you your restaurant reservation". Over the past months, the amount of restaurants with standby and/or available reservations has been horribly slim. Unless they're changing something about DDP.
View attachment 580830

Good lord....god forbid i just want to eat. Lol

The vast majority of E's are not the paid (per ride) option.

Soarin' and Frozen are in the base product. Splash and Thunder are in the base product. I predict (with no inside info) that Space Mountain will be in the base product once Tron opens. Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon are in the base product. Tower of Terror and Rock'n'RollerCoaster are in the base product. Expedition Everest and Na'vi River Journey are in the base product.

Do we have a formal list somewhere?

 

[matt9112]

I don't think there's any way they can skip the preshows with this system. Most people would (and should) demand their money back if they're not getting the intended experience.

Most FP lines skip some stuff.

 

[natatomic]

I’m sure Disney is eager to get rid of riffraff guests like myself to make room for other guests with deeper pockets.

As a local, I would often bring my young children to Disney 1 to 2 times a week. I would get our three fast passes, we would do those three, and then maybe a show or an additional ride if the line wasn’t too long. It was a great way for the kids and I to get out of the house, get some fresh air, get some exercise, and have lots of fun as a family.

I’m a SAHM and my husband is a performer at Disney, so we aren’t exactly rolling in dough. I certainly cannot justify spending $45 1 to 2 times a week just to ride some rides in the same fashion we used to do so for free. And the idea of waiting in three or four standby lines with young children by myself doesn’t exactly sound like the most fun way to spend our little outing. So overall, this kind of bums me out. I get it, Disney is a business, and they have the right to make these kind of changes, and I’m free to take my meager pennies elsewhere. And I if I were a visitor from out of state making a once in a lifetime trip, or even a once a year trip to Disney, I would be OK with it probably. After all, I’ve been known to purchase the fast pass options at parks like Dollywood and Six Flags. But I also try to only go to parks like Six Flags in Dollywood during their slow season when there is no need for a fastpass. The problem is you pretty much “need“ a fastpass at Disney all year long.

so while I’m going to take the wait and see approach as to how this is actually implemented and how it affects our park trips to Disney before completely bashing it, I have a feeling that our weekly day trips are going to suffer in quality, and it might just be the end of an era for my family. Oh well.

 

[disneygeek90]

Is there actual confirmation that they could shut down a standby line or is/was that just speculation at this point?

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Is there actual confirmation that they could shut down a standby line or is/was that just speculation at this point?

That was just speculation based on the Premiere Access system rolled out in Paris.

 

[codersteve]

I have a friend who said he'll switch from going twice a year to once every 3-4 years...if that.

Yea, that's generally what I think happens. People rarely declare they'll never go again. Then they raise prices because the hardcore will take up the slack, and you thin the crowds.

 

[Missing20K]

The vast majority of E's are not the paid (per ride) option.

Soarin' and Frozen are in the base product. Splash and Thunder are in the base product. I predict (with no inside info) that Space Mountain will be in the base product once Tron opens. Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon are in the base product. Tower of Terror and Rock'n'RollerCoaster are in the base product. Expedition Everest and Na'vi River Journey are in the base product.

I didn’t say they weren’t base product. Perhaps I should have used figure other than $15 for my pay per ride example.

Will there be a paid LL option for the rides you listed? Seems like their might be. So if the VQ is full and there are no further VQ times available, and standby is closed, the only option left (seemingly) is to pony up for the paid LL, no? So the increase could be $4-$24 even if one doesn’t pay for G+.

Point being, in relation to the thousands spent by most to even step foot in the parks, the ask amount to ride attractions that may be full the “normie” way, is pennies on the dollar.

ETA: So DIS thinks they can put people upside down and pick up the pennies that fall out of customers pockets.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Is there a list I'm missing?

Where are you seeing this?

It was confirmed by @lentesta and @wdwmagic. There will be two attractions per park that are available for a la carte purchase, at least initially.

- Space Mountain and Mine Train
- Test Track and Ratatouille
- Rise of the Resistance and Slinky
- Flight of Passage and Kilimanjaro Safaris

 

[Waters Back Side]

The vast majority of E's are not the paid (per ride) option.

Soarin' and Frozen are in the base product. Splash and Thunder are in the base product. I predict (with no inside info) that Space Mountain will be in the base product once Tron opens. Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon are in the base product. Tower of Terror and Rock'n'RollerCoaster are in the base product. Expedition Everest and Na'vi River Journey are in the base product.

I didnt see anything about Frozen being part of Genie +. Soarin is as is Navi and the others you mentioned.

 

[Communicora]

99% of the people who visit WDW are not on this site.

Yes! I don't think most people realize how complicated and onerous fastpass+ was to the new or infrequent visitor. I loved helping friends with their trips but many of them just couldn't believe how essential it was to plan and reserve rides in advance. It just sounded ridiculous to them. Then they'd get there and be miserable. This will be a better option for people who aren't immersed in theme park news and information.

 

[MattyBear]

*Sigh*, I knew paid passes were coming soon, but this new Genie+ just takes the wind out of my sails. I'm a Type-A person and I liked how you could reserve a time for certain rides with FastPass, then plan the rest of your day accordingly. I envision having to get up early and scramble to reserve multiple spots in different queues (aka: RotR and Ratatouille) and if that doesn't work, resorting to paying individually for each ride to skip the line. I'm on vacation and don't want the stress of having to last-minute plan from day to day

This is the part that bothers me the most. Really enjoyed showing up at Disney World and knowing all the planning has been done. Now we have to wake up every morning and make these selections.

 

[Waters Back Side]

I didn’t say they weren’t base product. Perhaps I should have used figure other than $15 for my pay per ride example.

Will there be a paid LL option for the rides you listed? Seems like their might be. So if the VQ is full and there are no further VQ times available, and standby is closed, the only option left (seemingly) is to pony up for the paid LL, no? So the increase could be $4-$24 even if one doesn’t pay for G+.

Point being, in relation to the thousands spent by most to even step foot in the parks, the ask amount to ride attractions that may be full the “normie” way, is pennies on the dollar.

So DIS thinks they can put people upside down and pick up the pennies that fall out of customers pockets.

Lightning lane rides are only the NON eligible Genie + rides. If you cant get a lightning pass with Genie + (which is the majority of rides) you pay for access to the lightning lane..these appear to only be Slinky, Test Track, Frozen, Remy, 7DMT and Space Mountian. Everything other then those rides you can do for 15 dollars total per person per day. You could ride MMSR and MMRR in the same day for 15 dollars IF you pick one at 7am and are able to score another Ligning pass for the other later in day.those two were previously tier 1 headliners.