Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[osian]

I sent an email to customer services about the international thing, and the reply came back:

"While we appreciate your concern, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass features will be available to Guests from other countries, they will be able to begin their pre-arrival planning on the My Disney Experience Mobile App after they reach the United States"

Great. They expect international visitors to do their pre-arrival planning AFTER they have arrived. I'm going to order a TARDIS...

 

[Brian]

I sent an email to customer services about the international thing, and the reply came back:

"While we appreciate your concern, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass features will be available to Guests from other countries, they will be able to begin their pre-arrival planning on the My Disney Experience Mobile App after they reach the United States"

Great. They expect international visitors to do their pre-arrival planning AFTER they have arrived. I'm going to order a TARDIS...

Technically, they're not wrong. There are no direct flights from abroad landing on WDW property. It's still pre-arrival on the bus from MCO to their resort.

Joking aside, it's lame their canned response is just nitpicking about semantics instead of addressing the actual point. Even just saying what would amount to 'thanks for the feedback' would be better than that.

 

[Dranth]

I guess it depends on your vacation style.
To me Epic is a 4 day park on its own to really enjoy all it has to offer.

The park commandos who power through the rides and don't take time to enjoy the atmosphere wouldn't spend more than a week at WDW either.

I can see it for a lot of people. I could likely spend the entire day sitting in the monsters area but the rest doesn't do much for me.

Either way, I expect one of the reasons both Uni and Disney are down this year is because many are waiting for EU to open and then will hit both Disney and Uni.

 

[C33Mom]

Wouldn't that give onsite guests another advantage since they can enter 30 minutes before offsite guests?

Not onsite guests who don’t want to wake our kids before 8AM.

 

[GoofGoof]

I can see it for a lot of people. I could likely spend the entire day sitting in the monsters area but the rest doesn't do much for me.

Either way, I expect one of the reasons both Uni and Disney are down this year is because many are waiting for EU to open and then will hit both Disney and Uni.

A re-themed Tiana ride plus Shrek and Kung Fu Panda aren’t moving the needle? 2025 should be Epic for sure….make sure to book your lightning lanes in advance

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Look, I know some people really like Uni but even with Epic it is not a full week visit for most people. EU will help but USF needs a ton of work, IoA could use a little and most people skip water parks. Two days is about the max we can do before we are ready to leave.

Once EU opens we will go down for a day and hit that. We are debating on an extra day for IoA but that is it.

Our first casualty will either be our HS day or will be combining IOA and USF into a park hopper day, depending on whether Epic needs a second day we’ll probably end up with 3-4 days at Disney and 2-3 at Uni… 10 years ago that would have been 6 days at WDW.

MK is the one park that could benefit from losing some guests to Uni but unfortunately it’ll be the last park day most people will sacrifice.

 

[osian]

Technically, they're not wrong. There are no direct flights from abroad landing on WDW property. One can plan all their rides while on the bus from MCO to their resort.

Joking aside, it's lame their canned response is just nitpicking about semantics instead of addressing the actual point.

Indeed. But even on the bus on the first day of the resort stay, they've lost that 7-day head start that domestic visitors have had.

With all other FP systems that Disney has had, everyone was equal and had the same chance (given that there were on-site advantages).

 

[Brian]

Indeed. But even on the bus on the first day of the resort stay, they've lost that 7-day head start that domestic visitors have had.

For sure. It makes that benefit of staying at a Disney resort moot for international guests.

 

[Dranth]

Indeed. But even on the bus on the first day of the resort stay, they've lost that 7-day head start that domestic visitors have had.

With all other FP systems that Disney has had, everyone was equal and had the same chance (given that there were on-site advantages).

I'll trade your health care system for being able to prebook a week out.

 

[GhostHost1000]

This park will be better than anything Disney has.

Let’s not get too carried away now.

 

[easyrowrdw]

also curious on:
- what tier 1s if any will be left the day of and throughout the day
- what availability will be like throughout the day as people are able to book another as soon as they use 1

My thoughts… the pattern right now seems to be that the most popular rides have availability but it is often later in the day. The less popular rides have more immediate availability. I feel like that’s going to be the same now. The Tier 1 rides are the most popular so it seems to me it’ll be the same dilemma of better ride later vs lesser ride now. Although with character meetings being removed, lesser rides could go faster just due to having fewer options.

 

[Dranth]

For sure. It makes that benefit of staying at a Disney resort moot for international guests.

For some yes but a lot do 14 days plus meaning they will still be on equal footing for the second week. Not what anyone wants to hear I know but unless there is a legal issue I tend to think Disney will eventually allow it by either updating the app or putting together some other work around.

 

[GhostHost1000]

My thoughts… the pattern right now seems to be that the most popular rides have availability but it is often later in the day. The less popular rides have more immediate availability. I feel like that’s going to be the same now. The Tier 1 rides are the most popular so it seems to me it’ll be the same dilemma of better ride later vs lesser ride now. Although with character meetings being removed, lesser rides could go faster just due to having fewer options.

They could just add in the ILL attractions to LL options to have more choices and then raise the price of it. That would also less complicate things (single pass vs multi pass which doesn’t include the single pass which is just dumb sounding)

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

They could just add in the ILL attractions to LL options to have more choices and then raise the price of it. That would also less complicate things (single pass vs multi pass which doesn’t include the single pass which is just dumb sounding)

I agree but then they couldn’t double dip, it would leave a lot of money on the table. Why make $25 per person when you can fleece them for $50 per person. (Ignoring the fact many will reduce other spending as a result of LL and ILL).

 

[Deadly Danson]

I sent an email to customer services about the international thing, and the reply came back:

"While we appreciate your concern, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass features will be available to Guests from other countries, they will be able to begin their pre-arrival planning on the My Disney Experience Mobile App after they reach the United States"

Great. They expect international visitors to do their pre-arrival planning AFTER they have arrived. I'm going to order a TARDIS...

What an abysmal reply. I'll email them shortly and tell them exactly what I think - I'm sure I'll get the same stock reply but it is totally unacceptable that international resort guests will have to pay exactly the same for Genie+ as USA guests but will have significantly less choice and in some cases no option to book certain rides. The more I think about it the more I find the behaviour of Disney on this absolutely dreadful. I'm determined to enjoy my holiday regardless but Jesus this has left a sour taste.

 

[easyrowrdw]

I’m pretty sure this was debunked by @lentesta. With the small exception of not every ride immediately opening at full capacity first thing in the morning.

I think that’s an example, not an exception. I remember Space and Thunder were bad about only running one side. I haven’t seen that recently but it sounds like others have.

 

[GigglesMcSnort]

I sent an email to customer services about the international thing, and the reply came back:

"While we appreciate your concern, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass features will be available to Guests from other countries, they will be able to begin their pre-arrival planning on the My Disney Experience Mobile App after they reach the United States"

Great. They expect international visitors to do their pre-arrival planning AFTER they have arrived. I'm going to order a TARDIS...

I believe this response is what one might call "disingenuous". If one is being polite.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

For some yes but a lot do 14 days plus meaning they will still be on equal footing for the second week. Not what anyone wants to hear I know but unless there is a legal issue I tend to think Disney will eventually allow it by either updating the app or putting together some other work around.

Some Canadians are closer to WDW than some Americans and I’d guess because of this, vacation habits more closely resemble out of state guests from the US than they do overseas guests. Just from my own observation (read - I don’t have data like Disney does) 14 day and up stays are the exception. I’d be surprised to learn that Canadian guests being in Orlando long enough to have a 7 day buffer and then a lengthy Disney portion was common at all.

Canadians might need to find snowbird buddies to book for us

 

[SamusAranX]

I think that’s an example, not an exception. I remember Space and Thunder were bad about only running one side. I haven’t seen that recently but it sounds like others have.

A lot of the times I went this past year it was only running one side

 

[easyrowrdw]

They could just add in the ILL attractions to LL options to have more choices and then raise the price of it. That would also less complicate things (single pass vs multi pass which doesn’t include the single pass which is just dumb sounding)

Yeah. That’d make things easier. I think it would lead to more G+ sales, at least at AK and Epcot. I think someone in another thread tried to do some math on what it would take to make up for lost ILL revenue. I can’t remember what it was but if you charge a bit more while also selling more, it seems like it would be possible.