Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Jeff4272]

We have stayed off property quite often and could get decent FPs but the top tier ones (like Mine Train, etc) were basically impossible (we usually have a larger group (9+ people) so that didn't help

But I could usually get sort of the next tier or sometimes one of the top tiers, just later in the day

For offsite guests G+ is definitely better or, at least, doesn't have that negative compared to onsite guests, it is a level playing field.

I don't think Disney values off site guests more than onsite, they have just determined the perks (DME, FP+ 60 days vs 30, etc) are not driving factors for people willing to pay to stay on site .... So far, post pandemic, the room availability (or lack thereof) would price them right - question is, how long does that last?

It’s over before the end of the year. Costs are through the roof. Flights, food, gas etc etc.

They are in for a rude awakening

 

[crazy4disney]

We have stayed off property quite often and could get decent FPs but the top tier ones (like Mine Train, etc) were basically impossible (we usually have a larger group (9+ people) so that didn't help

But I could usually get sort of the next tier or sometimes one of the top tiers, just later in the day

For offsite guests G+ is definitely better or, at least, doesn't have that negative compared to onsite guests, it is a level playing field.

I don't think Disney values off site guests more than onsite, they have just determined the perks (DME, FP+ 60 days vs 30, etc) are not driving factors for people willing to pay to stay on site .... So far, post pandemic, the room availability (or lack thereof) would price them right - question is, how long does that last?

So now they created a system that pretty much has ticked off everyone.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm still not getting something. The number of attractions now isn't much different (and in some cases may even be more) than we had with FP+, so why is it broken because of demand for Genie+ now but not broken with the demand for FP+?

Well, is the attraction availability really as good? If they have more down time, running fewer ride vehicles, only running one side of ToT, etc, is the totally capacity now really the same as before?

Other theory is that people who pay for something are putting more effort into using it than people who got something for free.

So if there really is less supply (less totally ride capacity) and more demand from those using the system, that is a negative effect



But even if this is true I think it just is an exaggeration of an issue that was present with FP+ anyway, not something new .... There are new issues with G+ too

 

[Patcheslee]

Has there been an uptick in DAS usage since line skipping was monetized? Obviously here’s my disclaimer where I explain that I am well aware that not everyone who uses a DAS is an abuser (yes, some people actually need it, and I don’t begrudge them using DAS). But there is…some percentage of the population that is unscrupulous enough to lie, or exaggerate, to get the DAS which would allow them to 1) save money and 2) skip the line. I would imagine that with every new iteration of line skipping Disney attempts that either makes it more difficult to get (capping) or more expensive, there will be more people willing to cheat the system.

There will also be a percentage of people who utilize the DAS who previously didn’t because FP+ worked well enough for their particular issues. It seemed an inconvenience/embarrassment to obtain DAS vs just book FP and be done with it.

 

[Hawg G]

I don’t care about it not being free. I don’t think FP+ was perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But when a company the size of Disney and with all the data in the world is so incompetent they design systems WORSE than the previous ones and cause guests more stress and frustration in those designs, I have to strongly question are they even thinking this through with the guest experience in mind.

Yes’, it’s worse to a power FP+ user like yourself, especially ones with APs. However, G+ isn’t a lot different to many, especially off site folks and those who maybe didn’t have a great phone back in the FP+ days.

Not to mention the parks are still offering MUCH less than the FP+ days, especially park hours.

I mean, I sure wish they still had FP ticket machines that took years old room keys and I’d have FPs for the entire park by noon. But I doubt those days are returning.

 

[pdude81]

so what you're saying is if they simply charged $15 more for tickets for everyone and kept the old system "free" (so to speak), things would work much better, they'd have less guest relation nightmares (and blue tents all throughout the parks), and they'd probably be making more money too and they didn't think of this?

They can't keep giving everybody 3 fastpasses as attendance grows. It's a structural issue with the system at hand. The could have charged $15 for use of FP+ per day and seen who paid for it and who didn't, but if everybody had the passes then the system is unsustainable. So if they charged for fastpass and then capped that program, I imagine there would be greater outrage.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Im not angry at all. Im stating facts as well. You are using a couple of examples which yes are options 100% & i do agree at around $100 pp its a fair upgrade but to quote your

That's all I was trying to find- an example, and I said the monorail hotels are overpriced. I believe my actual wording was, "Monorail resort pricing is out of whack this summer."

Early August Swan is actually $56 less than CBR per night, and even about $5 less than AoA. Go figure!

None of this really has to do with G+ though, except the PM hours are an option if one doesn't want to deal with G+/ILL.

In choosing a split stay, I accessed the extra hours without breaking the bank. I split my time at the new Flamingo Crossings hotels: brand new suite-style rooms, full kitchen, and breakfast included. I paid far less than I would have if I had stayed at a WDW value. It is merely an option some might wish to consider.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Not really. For those who are resort guests it would be great. You get your stress free spreadsheet planned days back. For you and a few others FP+ was great but for the rest of us not so much. Last time I visited MK, being a day guest, the rides left were ones with short waits or lots of meet and greets.

Where the disconnect is, those that stayed on property never felt the lack of availability that everyone feels now. What's happening now is what a lot of off site guests and day guests always felt. There has always been limited availability just resort guests never felt it.

Genie+ has a lot of issues but there is ways to make it work without going back to pre-booking.

it works now...it just doesn't work well... for anyone... and why did they not see this, I have no idea

there has to be some perk for staying onsite... otherwise people will stop doing it especially with the prices things are becoming

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

In theory then i can book a room at the cheapest deluxe for a night & stay after hours with my regular trip? Is this a “hack” we just discovered? Serious question. Book a room only at Swan or Dolphin or rent points for a night & stay in park? Or they will just say that your 10 day ticket is attached to your current hotel and you have to leave?

Yes.
It has long been the case w/Disney. Onsite perks continue until midnight of the day you check out. Like you can use the pool all day.
I'm not quite sure about your last question.

To go back to #2 though, in the old days, MK was sometimes open past midnight during PM EMH. Under those circumstances, the onsite EMH perk actually extended past midnight.

Universal also offers most onsite perks through the end of your checkout day. Like you can use leave your car in the parking lot the whole day. At HRH/Porto/RP the Express Pass perk also goes until the last park closes. 1 night at a Uni deluxe = 2 days of Express Pass. (2 nights = 3 days of EP).

For your last question. I'm a little unclear what you are asking, but split stays do in some cases have consequences. If you have a split stay you should be able to use a 10 day ticket okay. But the prebooking window for dining only covers each stay.

 

[GhostHost1000]

They can't keep giving everybody 3 fastpasses as attendance grows. It's a structural issue with the system at hand. The could have charged $15 for use of FP+ per day and seen who paid for it and who didn't, but if everybody had the passes then the system is unsustainable. So if they charged for fastpass and then capped that program, I imagine there would be greater outrage.

sure they can.... if they are capping park attendance and/or building new people eater attractions. having a charge for those 3 FPs will limit some use of it as well (more than before most likely)

disney should have just enhanced the previous system (which is what I thought genie+ was originally going to be based on the info years ago... helping plan your day) but instead they just scrapped the old system and designed something even worse... which is baffling to me... except for the fact that it's disney and more expected now than before

 

[mikejs78]

To go back to #2 though, in the old days, MK was sometimes open past midnight during PM EMH. Under those circumstances, the onsite EMH perk actually extended past midnight.

The current evening offering at MK often goes until 1:00 p.m. within 11:00 p.m. regular park close.

 

[GhostHost1000]

I usually stayed onsite for FP+, but even when I didn't I was able to get FP+s for almost all attractions I wanted.

exactly... because people had the ability to modify their FPs, availability would/could pop up for even some of the most popular tier 1 rides during that day. I grabbed FoP many times the day of when I didn't have it previously booked 60 days out

the old system was not perfect... but it was way better than this system they have now

 

[Jrb1979]

Well, is the attraction availability really as good? If they have more down time, running fewer ride vehicles, only running one side of ToT, etc, is the totally capacity now really the same as before?

Other theory is that people who pay for something are putting more effort into using it than people who got something for free.

So if there really is less supply (less totally ride capacity) and more demand from those using the system, that is a negative effect



But even if this is true I think it just is an exaggeration of an issue that was present with FP+ anyway, not something new .... There are new issues with G+ too

People are forgetting with Genie+ they also took 2 attractions per park out of inventory. That's a huge difference

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Not really. For those who are resort guests it would be great. You get your stress free spreadsheet planned days back. For you and a few others FP+ was great but for the rest of us not so much. Last time I visited MK, being a day guest, the rides left were ones with short waits or lots of meet and greets.

Where the disconnect is, those that stayed on property never felt the lack of availability that everyone feels now. What's happening now is what a lot of off site guests and day guests always felt. There has always been limited availability just resort guests never felt it.

Genie+ has a lot of issues but there is ways to make it work without going back to pre-booking.

Who are you talking about when you say, 'the rest of us."

Onsite =more than a few people. Disney hotels are not country clubs. Anyone can book a WDW hotel, there is no special membership required. I have stayed both on and offsite many times.

FastPass+ changed over time. Early FP+ was very limited for everyone.

Towards the end though, the bloggers- day guests - were not booking 3 FP. To get the most out of their day, they only pre-booked 1 FP for as early as possible. As soon as they used it, at like 9:05am, they would refresh to get pass #2. Since they did not have any booked passes, they were 100% free to book any attraction for like 9:10am. They were readily getting WAY more than 1 FP per hour, and getting great FP.

 

[crazy4disney]

Yes.
It has long been the case w/Disney. Onsite perks continue until midnight of the day you check out. Like you can use the pool all day.
I'm not quite sure about your last question.

To go back to #2 though, in the old days, MK was sometimes open past midnight during PM EMH. Under those circumstances, the onsite EMH perk actually extended past midnight.

Universal also offers most onsite perks through the end of your checkout day. Like you can use leave your car in the parking lot the whole day. At HRH/Porto/RP the Express Pass perk also goes until the last park closes. 1 night at a Uni deluxe = 2 days of Express Pass. (2 nights = 3 days of EP).

For your last question. I'm a little unclear what you are asking, but split stays do in some cases have consequences. If you have a split stay you should be able to use a 10 day ticket okay. But the prebooking window for dining only covers each stay.

Not a split stay. What im saying is im currently booked 8/26-9/5th at a Value resort. If i say booked the cheapest deluxe using your example of swan or dolphin room only. Can i stay book a room only there and then as part of my 10 day package be allowed to stay After hours bc technically im “staying” at a deluxe one night. So in theory paying $300 for 2 hours.

 

[mmascari]

So people aren't complaining about the 7AM wakeup every day of their vacation? Because to me that's just the worst.

I assume the extra half hour early access to every resort guest impacts this one. If you want to take advantage of that, you're up anyway then. Combined, the two are clearly trying to get people into the parks earlier, closer to open.

Planning our trip and picking the first G+ at 7:00 doesn't sound so bad when the goal is being at the park gate at 7:30 or 8:00 to get in and be at the first ride right when it opens 30 minutes early for guests. Probably be at a bus stop or in transit by then. At the very least, picking up breakfast.

In fact, my bigger complaint is that breakfast doesn't open until 7:00 and that conflicts with those goals. Breakfast should open 2 hours before park open. First 30 minutes since that's the extra time perk. Then 30 more since that looks like when you want to get to the park so you're in and ready for the early time. Next 30 more to allow for transit to the park. Finally, 30 minutes to allow time to actually eat breakfast first. Meaning today, AK opened at 8:00. That's 7:30 early entry, 7:00 arrive at the park gate to head in, 6:30 get on a bus, 6:00 is when breakfast should open. In that light, the 7:00 G+ start is practically relaxing. The MK 9:00 open just barely lines up with a 7:00 day start, the rest are all earlier.

It's also possible the early entry extra time is super obnoxious. But, that's the perk they're giving for their own reasons.

 

[Ayla]

Valid point but I was referring to the majority of Disney deluxe resorts especially ones on the monorail loop. One thing to your point which I would be curious about is renting dvc points and being allowed to go & that price point.

I rented dvc points in May. We were eligible for the extra nighttime hours.

 

[crazy4disney]

I rented dvc points in May. We were eligible for the extra nighttime hours.

Good to know for future. Thank you

 

[mmascari]

But if it was capped tomorrow, what about all the guests who wouldn't be able to buy it at all?

If you cap Genie+ you’re locking people out completely.

They need to make standby better too.

What we know is the only way to make G+ anywhere near where it's supposed to be is to drastically lower the number of people using it. The only ways to do that are to cap it at the max level or raise the price high enough that it caps itself.

Either way, the number of people using standby only will be larger.

Making G+ better for less people is great for those that get it. Either under the cap or can afford a much higher price. But, it's all premised on lots and lots more people not using G+.

 

[Ayla]

Not a split stay. What im saying is im currently booked 8/26-9/5th at a Value resort. If i say booked the cheapest deluxe using your example of swan or dolphin room only. Can i stay book a room only there and then as part of my 10 day package be allowed to stay After hours bc technically im “staying” at a deluxe one night. So in theory paying $300 for 2 hours.

If your one night deluxe stay is the night of the extra hours, then you are eligible. That one night doesn't make you eligible for the length of your stay.