Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[fngoofy]

True, but, with a paid system the guests expectations will be different.

I agree.
I imagine Genie will be all over your butt if you are approaching a reservation and are nowhere near the location you need to be.

I'd like if they had app based nags that reached out into the real world.

Like say you are on Haunted Mansion, they could have the Ghost Host speak to you in your Doom Buggy:

"Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please. We sprits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights... just like Dave is frightfully sensitive to low blood sugar. Looks like Dave might be our 1000th ghost if he doesn't head over to his dinner reservation right after this ride."

 

[fngoofy]

Exactly right. We used to be able to book FP+ 60 days out, so why not just offer that same window for Genie+?

Because the public has voiced their frustration with having to know what restaurants 6 months out and what rides 90 days out.
To non Disney folks that was just insane. As a WDW veteran I thought the FP that far out was insane as well.
This puts it much more in the moment. It matches up your mood that day with what you experience.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Exactly right. We used to be able to book FP+ 60 days out, so why not just offer that same window for Genie+?

They are basically going back to the old system which needed considerably less planning, the only thing is you now have to pay for it, which is obviously a bummer for many (despite being expected for... years).

So despite the extra cost, this is a far more preferable system over the FP+ era.

I have a feeling even if you don't wake up at 7am... you'll be fine to get many LL passes throughout your day at the parks.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Because everyone bitched. They bitched that they had to plan in advance, now they ***** that they need to plan last minute.

As they should. The goal is to not have to plan at all, as planning is a learned habit and introduces needless friction.

 

[DCLcruiser]

They are basically going back to the old system which needed considerably less planning, the only thing is you now have to pay for it, which is obviously a bummer for many (despite being expected for... years).

So despite the extra cost, this is a far more preferable system over the FP+ era.

I have a feeling even if you don't wake up at 7am... you'll be fine to get many LL passes throughout your day at the parks.

Of course, they are only offering one Tier 2 LL at 7 AM per person.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Because the public has voiced their frustration with having to know what restaurants 6 months out and what rides 90 days out.
To non Disney folks that was just insane. As a WDW veteran I thought the FP that far out was insane as well.
This puts it much more in the moment. It matches up your mood that day with what you experience.

I assume we still need to make dinner reservations 180 days in advance for popular restaurants. Genie will just try to push you to the emptier restaurants that day.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Because everyone bitched. They bitched that they had to plan in advance, now they ***** that they need to plan last minute.

How about not forcing people to plan at all? How about that? How about WDW realizing they are running a theme park, not the large hadron collider? People go, they wait in lines, they ride rides. If the number of people going overwhelms capacity, you build more rides. No amount of money or management brainstorming can change this fundamental pattern. You can't shepherd people onto a low-demand ride and have them come off as satisfied as if they had ridden Rise, but that's been Disney's goal for over a decade.

Its very worth noting the current difference in philosophy between Disney and Uni. Disney is dragging out construction of rides that were necessitated by years and years of neglect as a way to avoid having to build MORE rides. The pandemic is useful to them in doing this. Uni, meanwhile, has been opening a major ride each year, even during the pandemic AND as they are building a new theme park. In fact, because the pandemic delayed the opening of the new park, Universal is planning to move one of the attractions planned for that new park to the Studios and build it immediately, simultaneously inserting a replacement in the new park, all so they don't go too long without a new ride.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Of course, they are only offering one Tier 2 LL at 7 AM per person.

I am thinking many have forgotten how FastPass used to work, before the days of Magic Bands and FastPass+.

It was far simpler, but a hassle needing to make your way to a machine to insert your ticket, the digital experience MaxPass offered was a great improvement on that.

 

[VJ]

it will be interesting how they handle down time. My guess is they have an auto refund and leave it at that. Maybe add a “complementary” tier 2 early selection.

I’m hopeful that this will have a positive effect on maintenance funding. While I’m sure they know metrics currently, park ops having to explain the loss of lighting revenue may change some mindsets. At lease on whichever they deem tier one.

i can pretty much guarantee that all it'll have a positive effect on is fall guy chapek and poster boy d'amaro's wallets

if you think genie exists to improve the park or guest experience... you have a lot to learn about disney

 

[Casper Gutman]

I assume we still need to make dinner reservations 180 days in advance for popular restaurants. Genie will just try to push you to the emptier restaurants that day.

Yup. When we complain about capacity we are usually talking about rides, but it goes for restaurants as well. Disney desperately needs to build more restaurants and properly STAFF the ones they have already. The idea that you can't book any given theme park restaurant a week in advance, let alone two months, is absurd.

Man, WDW have proven they will tolerate a LOT during the last decade.

 

[AKL2003]

Bringing back a lot of the non-ride things that have been cut over the years would be helpful, too.

Or building, oh i don't know, a theater perhaps...lol

 

[pdude81]

40 pages in and I'm exhausted. Hard to keep up with how quickly this thread has been growing

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Yup. When we complain about capacity we are usually talking about rides, but it goes for restaurants as well. Disney desperately needs to build more restaurants and properly STAFF the ones they have already. The idea that you can't book any given theme park restaurant a week in advance, let alone two months, is absurd.

Man, WDW have proven they will tolerate a LOT during the last decade.

And more to do that ISN'T rides, dining or shopping.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

As they should. The goal is to not have to plan at all, as planning is a learned habit and introduces needless friction.

There is no "not plan at all." At a bare minimum, you have to plan "what to do next." How many times have you seen families arguing in front of Pecos Bills, not sure if they should try to get over to Tomorrowland because they overheard someone walking by say that Space Mountain only had a ten minute wait, but Mom thinks they should go see Country Bears because it's right next door, but Little Sister is upset because she didn't get to do Small World last trip, and Big Brother wants to wait for Splash Mountain no matter how long the wait is? Next thing you know it, 20 minutes has gone by paralyzed with indecision.

Real families have those debates because they're all trying to make the most of their time. Better to have the debate ahead of time (60 days or 60 minutes) rather than use up precious time inside the gates.

 

[pixarprincess]

Time, quality, and the desire for you to have an overall positive experience.
If your room at Days Inn has a problem they are not as motivated to fix it as All Star Movies is going to be.
Same as when I had a problem with my dining plan, the resort person I spoke with was happy to fix it. It didn't have anything to do with the resort, the restaurant that caused the problem was in EPCOT, but the person at Wilderness Lodge made it right.
It's those little things you get on site. Plus transportation, early entry, free parking at the parks if you drove, probably a couple of other items I'm missing as well.

Did you read the post I was responding to? This isn’t about on site in general. It’s about on site benefits for this new system. Of which there is basically nothing.

 

[hopemax]

Paper fast pass at wdw would sell out right after the park opened for the popular attractions. When you ran to soarin an hour after the park opened the fast passes were gone for he whole day

This is why I expect that rides where this happens will be elevated to Tier 1 / LL+ / $LL status, even if that means more than 2 per park.

These rides were uncommon though. TSMM before the 3rd track, Soarin before the 3rd screen, Radiator Springs at DCA which is part of LL+, Space Mountain at DL, also likely heading to LL+. Most things on Maxpass stayed open until late afternoon. The big question is if the dynamics between the WDW and DL crowd is different enough to force more things into early sellouts.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

View attachment 580913

We laugh but there is some on this board right now saying.. hmmmm that’s not that bad.. getting out first on a broken down ride makes it worth it.. I’ll pay it”.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This is why I expect that rides where this happens will be elevated to Tier 1 / LL+ / $LL status, even if that means more than 2 per park.

Thinking about the coming slate, I don't think there's much risk of that.

MK: Tron will be all-consuming on a scale similar to Rise of the Resistance. Mine Train will be a distant second and everything else will be far behind either of those.

Epcot: Ditto the above, but for Guardians and Rat.

Studios: Rise of the Resistance stands alone. I could see some back and forth between Slinky and Falcon for the #2 slot.

Animal Kingdom: Not much going on at the top of the card besides Flight of Passage. I'd think they're more likely to go to 1 paid than 3.

 

[UNCgolf]

Wow, I meant to respond to this earlier. I just don't enjoy it. I mean, it was nice the 1st time, but after how many years I have zero interest in it. I don't see the major appeal.

Spoiler

It's just plants and some fish farms.

Just different things for different people. That's how I feel about a ride like Slinky Dog that regularly gets a long line -- I could ride something almost identical at dozens of regional parks across the country. I would never wait more than 10-15 minutes to ride it.

 

[Casper Gutman]

There is no "not plan at all." At a bare minimum, you have to plan "what to do next." How many times have you seen families arguing in front of Pecos Bills, not sure if they should try to get over to Tomorrowland because they overheard someone walking by say that Space Mountain only had a ten minute wait, but Mom thinks they should go see Country Bears because it's right next door, but Little Sister is upset because she didn't get to do Small World last trip, and Big Brother wants to wait for Splash Mountain no matter how long the wait is? Next think you know it, 20 minutes has gone by paralyzed with indecision.

Real families have those debates because they're all trying to make the most of their time. Better to have the debate ahead of time (60 days or 60 minutes) rather than use up precious time inside the gates.

What? No! That discussion you're seeing is human interaction, which is one of the main things you want out of a visit. It's also improvisation, adaptability, and figuring out what you FEEL like doing.

Honestly, what you said is nuts. You seem to think the point of a theme park visit is to march from ride to ride on a preprogrammed path like mindless automata, your only goal to maximize the number of attractions you see. That vision of the guest experience, held by execs, is precisely why WDW has declined so sharply over the last decade.