Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[Waters Back Side]

Why not make it 1 hour before official park open? 7am for a 10am EPCOT day is just a pain in the butt. I just did it for RAT and wasn't happy about it. (pre G+)

Epcot does not look like it will be a problem. I can wait until 9am. Test Track and Soarin have both had ample availability to the point you will be able to ride both since the 2nd of the 2 will be available for your 2nd LL choice. And Rwt and Frozen have yet to have no availability.

The only park I have seen anyone mention and that I've noticed is HS.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Read Tom and Sarah Brickers "test" of MK yesterday....1 did with, 1 did without.......might change your mind

Even if I thought they were the be all end all experts of WDW, 2 people looking at how a brand new system works, on the very first day it is implemented, and only for that one day, is too low a sample size to be worth anything as far as how system will work.

 

[Purduevian]

Epcot does not look like it will be a problem. I can wait until 9am. Test Track and Soarin have both had ample availability to the point you will be able to ride both since the 2nd of the 2 will be available for your 2nd LL choice. And Rwt and Frozen have yet to have no availability.

The only park I have seen anyone mention and that I've noticed is HS.

You are basing this on the first 3 of a new system that was honestly not marketed as much as I expected, launched in October, and still hasn't been active on a weekend.

Still doesn't make sense to me why 7am has to be a thing...

 

[Jeff4272]

Even if I thought they were the be all end all experts of WDW, 2 people looking at how a brand new system works, on the very first day it is implemented, and only for that one day, is too low a sample size to be worth anything as far as how system will work.

OK but you should read it, might change your mind

 

[G00fyDad]

Read Tom and Sarah Brickers "test" of MK yesterday....1 did with, 1 did without.......might change your mind

Probably won't since I am neither Tom nor Sarah.

 

[Indy_UK]

I feel that the people kicking up a fuss and not wanting to pay for it are doing so more for the fear in missing out on a system probably works a lot better than Fastpass+ did.

People have a choice at the end of the day

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

While I agree with the overall point that any time is going to be annoying for some people and there's no perfect time, I don't think it's a small minority that's not up at 7 AM. If most people at Disney were up at 7 AM every day then rope drop would be slammed and not beneficial.

It might be personal bias here, as we are are always rope drop people but I can't image that the group of people who are vacationing at WDW who are not AWAKE at 7am(or close to it) is very large. Not up, dressed, and out the door waiting at the parks for opening...maybe. But not awake in your hotel or soon to be awake? Not saying there aren't some people who are sleeping in, but I think generally the number of people who are vacationing at WDW and are sleeping in past say 9am (if your idea of sleeping in is 8am and your complaining about losing a single hour of sleep, I can't help you) on a park day has to be pretty small relative to overall park attendance.

 

[Jrb1979]

OK but you should read it, might change your mind

I did read it. The one who used Genie+ had a better day.

 

[pdude81]

I don't know why some people are so hung up over the 7am booking time.

There's no time that's going to be perfect for everyone. Would I prefer to book at 10pm the night before? Sure. Would there also be people asleep at that time, or doing evening hours who don't like the time? Yes.

I imagine most people are up at 7am while at WDW in order to get started and maximize their day. Why would Disney set a booking time differently in order to cater to a small minority who wants to sleep in?

I remember the good old days when they only made us get up at 7am two months before our vacation

 

[G00fyDad]

Okay, so I am not going to go through 390 pages of rumors and arguments to locate the one nugget of wisdom I seek. Can someone tell me if staying at a Good Neighbor hotel offers me the same benefit for this Genie$ debacle as someone staying at an on-site hotel? I have seen people saying both yes and no other places so I thought I would check here.

 

[ShookieJones]

It might be personal bias here, as we are are always rope drop people but I can't image that the group of people who are vacationing at WDW who are not AWAKE at 7am(or close to it) is very large. Not up, dressed, and out the door waiting at the parks for opening...maybe. But not awake in your hotel or soon to be awake? Not saying there aren't some people who are sleeping in, but I think generally the number of people who are vacationing at WDW and are sleeping in past say 9am (if your idea of sleeping in is 8am and your complaining about losing a single hour of sleep, I can't help you) on a park day has to be pretty small relative to overall park attendance.

I think you're wrong about that. Being that you're a rope drop family (like us), you've definitely been on 73 rides since park open then slowly seen the park start to fill up at around 10am with folks lining up at Starbucks then strolling around taking photos, Caffe Mocha Latte, Extra Skim Vanilla Cinnamon Venti in hand...You know crazy people!!??!

I would argue this group and folks who are DVC or locals who are stopping and smelling the roses (AKA in no rush) are the majority. Commando rope droppers, although there are quite a few, are most likely the minority.

 

[Patcheslee]

true, but the window seems to be dropping. Roughly went from 40 mins, to 25 mins, to 1 min. Guesses for tomorrow? Resort only?

I wonder if some people that booked, but didn't ride due to downtime were given options for another day if they chose vs refund or GC. Personally if I knew I had 2 days at HS, I'd be okay with GS prebooking it and me getting a bit more sleep.

 

[Casper Gutman]

It might be personal bias here, as we are are always rope drop people but I can't image that the group of people who are vacationing at WDW who are not AWAKE at 7am(or close to it) is very large. Not up, dressed, and out the door waiting at the parks for opening...maybe. But not awake in your hotel or soon to be awake? Not saying there aren't some people who are sleeping in, but I think generally the number of people who are vacationing at WDW and are sleeping in past say 9am (if your idea of sleeping in is 8am and your complaining about losing a single hour of sleep, I can't help you) on a park day has to be pretty small relative to overall park attendance.

So it genuinely comes as a surprise to you that people on vacation like to sleep in? That that’s one of the main attractions of a vacation for many people? Or that, setting that aside, perhaps people don’t like to be rigidly scheduled on vacation and have their sleeptimes as well as eating habits and daily activities dictated by the company to which they’re paying thousands and thousands of dollars? The company that’s supposed to be serving them, not vice versa?

This seems to be a major point of confusion, actually: WDW is supposed to be serving the guests. The guest is not supposed to be serving Disney.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I think you would be surprised how many people would like to sleep in. Not sleep half the day away but until 830 or 9. The rope drop crowd is indicative of that.

If we get to the park by 11 we have 8 hours at AK, and more at the other 3. If Genie + works out well for those who like to get the park early and also arrive late then the $15 is worth it. But having to wake up early for the ILL bookings like Rise or to book your Genie + LL for SDD will be necessary from all indications to jump on right away or within the first 30 minutes (7 to 730am).

Any time I've been to WDW recently lots of people are up and about in the early hours. The food courts are busy. The buses are full.

I don't think any of us know the exact breakdown.

In any case, the early bird has always gotten the worm at WDW. Getting there early = more attractions, more Fastpasses, shorter waits, etc.

Also, if the majority do sleep in, then it's fine. There will still be plenty of Genie+ options available for all later.

There are some exceptions, Slinky Dog Dash has been mentioned. No surprise there. My last trip I was stuck with a late evening FP because it was day 1 of my trip and most of the FPs for it were gone. It caused me to feel like I was being held hostage in that park for the day to a degree.

When a park is as low capacity as the Studios are, Genie+ selections will be more limited.

 

[mgf]

I don't know why some people are so hung up over the 7am booking time.

There's no time that's going to be perfect for everyone. Would I prefer to book at 10pm the night before? Sure. Would there also be people asleep at that time, or doing evening hours who don't like the time? Yes.

I imagine most people are up at 7am while at WDW in order to get started and maximize their day. Why would Disney set a booking time differently in order to cater to a small minority who wants to sleep in?

Honestly, I would bet decent money that timing is driven more by availability of a batch/refresh on a server somewhere than guest experience.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I know I sure wished I lived in a world where when walking through the park I could tell myself "I know I'll never give Disney another dollar..."

huh?
Disney is garnishing your wages?

 

[ShookieJones]

So it genuinely comes as a surprise to you that people on vacation like to sleep in? That that’s one of the main attractions of a vacation for many people? Or that, setting that aside, perhaps people don’t like to be rigidly scheduled on vacation and have their sleeptimes as well as eating habits and daily activities dictated by the company to which they’re paying thousands and thousands of dollars? The company that’s supposed to be serving them, not vice versa?

This seems to be a major point of confusion, actually: WDW is supposed to be serving the guests. The guest is not supposed to be serving Disney.

I totally agree that people like to sleep in and I would say that WDW offers a wonderful experience for those who want to do just that. However, If we're saying that someone that gets up for rope drop and someone that gets up at 9am should have the same experience and opportunity, that's not really feasible is it?

I sleep late all the time when we're on vacation, but that's only when we go to the Cape and we have a house on the beach.
Even a beach vacation though, I can't expect to get up at 10am and expect to have the perfect spot near the water, when people rolled in a 7am and staked their claim.

 

[nickys]

Okay, so I am not going to go through 390 pages of rumors and arguments to locate the one nugget of wisdom I seek. Can someone tell me if staying at a Good Neighbor hotel offers me the same benefit for this Genie$ debacle as someone staying at an on-site hotel? I have seen people saying both yes and no other places so I thought I would check here.

The only benefit I can think of is the ability to book the ILL$ at 7am. Not sure what, if any, other benefits you are concerned about.

 

[OvertheHorizon]

I updated my Disney app on Tuesday morning with the new Genie+ information. I spent Tuesday in the Magic Kingdom and Wednesday in Epcot and managed not to succumb to spending more money on Genie+ for specific Lightning Lane attractions. I found lots of other issues with the app, including the fact that my Wednesday evening dinner reservation wasn't showing at the time I wanted to "check in." At other times, various other aspects of the app either disappeared or didn't work when I clicked on them.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Any time I've been to WDW recently lots of people are up and about in the early hours. The food courts are busy. The buses are full.

I don't think any of us know the exact breakdown.

In any case, the early bird has always gotten the worm at WDW. Getting there early = more attractions, more Fastpasses, shorter waits, etc.

Also, if the majority do sleep in, then it's fine. There will still be plenty of Genie+ options available for all later.

There are some exceptions, Slinky Dog Dash has been mentioned. No surprise there. My last trip I was stuck with a late evening FP because it was day 1 of my trip and most of the FPs for it were gone. It caused me to feel like I was being held hostage in that park for the day to a degree.

When a park is as low capacity as the Studios are, Genie+ selections will be more limited.

BINGO! Getting there early has always been an advantage. When my sister and I were teenagers, we slept in. We knew we would miss out on some stuff but we were teenagers and didn't care. Our Mom was always up early. Why are people complaining about getting up to make reservations at 7am? If you switch it to the night before, the people who go to bed early will miss out. There is no PERFECT time. 7am works just fine.