Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[John park hopper]

Can we add full mousekeeping to this list? I wouldn't be surprised if it is kept modified forever because "that's what the guests want".

Throw in the resort parking fee. Guests are like the frog in the pot and the heat is turned up the frog doesn't know he/she is being boiled to death. Disney is doing the same thing taking things away and the guests come to accept it

 

[Casper Gutman]

It has been understood for several years now that free FP+ was going away. It had become a cumbersome burden and there was too much money on the table. Until a week ago, if someone laid out Disney's two options as:

1) A MaxPass-type system for almost every ride rides that will cost $15/person, with only a small handful of attractions costing extra.
2) Pay-per-ride for every attraction.
3) $200-300/day add on like Universal

I'd venture that most people would have easily picked #1. Now that it's here people are upset over Disney implementing, by far, the cheapest option they had on the table.

4) Acknowledge that admission prices are already absurdly high and return to a "wait-in-line" model while adding capacity to deal with the crowds.

Also, the Universal example is deeply misleading. Universal's pass system is free with many hotel stays, and their top hotel, Portofino, is often cheaper then Port Orleans. Plus, Universal has been steadily adding capacity and is currently adding a third park, meaning that crowds are very rarely oppressive and Passes are almost never necessary the way they are at WDW. If choice 3) was for WDW to adopt Uni's whole approach, from pass system to lower rates to adding capacity, that would have been the way to go.

PS: Also, if you want to be pretty much guaranteed walk-on lines at the Studios, you can go to HHN, 16 nights of which cost less then one night of Disney's scaled-down AH. And if you don't like to be scared, you can just not go through any of the 10 detailed houses and only ride the rides. In other words, the entire experience for which Disney is charging 160 (or 260 with a parade at the holidays) is an add-on perk to Uni's much more elaborate event - which costs 80 or so.

 

[G00fyDad]

Throw in the resort parking fee. Guests are like the frog in the pot and the heat is turned up the frog doesn't know he/she is being boiled to death. Disney is doing the same thing taking things away and the guests come to accept it

In my case it's more like a slapping contest and the other person gets one more slap in before I stop playing the game.

 

[Patcheslee]

Boredom has hit.
Assume all tier 1s will cost the same depending on single base ticket admission price. $4 being equal to $109 entry and $24 equal to $159 (New Years).
For every $1 above the lowest admission that will add .40 to the $4 IAS. Example, most common price in October is $133. So tier 1s would be $13.60/person.

 

[G00fyDad]

Boredom has hit.
Assume all tier 1s will cost the same depending on single base ticket admission price. $4 being equal to $109 entry and $24 equal to $159 (New Years).
For every $1 above the lowest admission that will add .40 to the $4 IAS. Example, most common price in October is $133. So tier 1s would be $13.60/person.

I was kind of figuring somewhere around $12 or $13 for early to mid November myself.

 

[matt9112]

It has been understood for several years now that free FP+ was going away. It had become a cumbersome burden and there was too much money on the table. Until a week ago, if someone laid out Disney's two options as:

1) A MaxPass-type system for almost every ride rides that will cost $15/person, with only a small handful of attractions costing extra.
2) Pay-per-ride for every attraction.
3) $200-300/day add on like Universal

I'd venture that most people would have easily picked #1. Now that it's here people are upset over Disney implementing, by far, the cheapest option they had on the table.

Your acting like there hand was forced here...like they just dont make profit margins like they used to! Darn it! What was the excuse for the many years universal had express and disney had fastpass? Disney was being nice? Your acting like there was some catalyst here....the pandemic gave them an easy opening.

Tbh i would rather zero system.....let us wait in line. But i would also rather a company that invested in the parks proportionally to attendance growth? Guess thats alot to ask.

 

[TiggerDad]

Your acting like there hand was forced here...like they just dont make profit margins like they used to! Darn it! What was the excuse for the many years universal had express and disney had fastpass? Disney was being nice? Your acting like there was some catalyst here....the pandemic gave them an easy opening.

Tbh i would rather zero system.....let us wait in line. But i would also rather a company that invested in the parks proportionally to attendance growth? Guess thats alot to ask.

I don’t like waiting in lines and young kids aren’t good at it.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Your acting like there hand was forced here...like they just dont make profit margins like they used to! Darn it! What was the excuse for the many years universal had express and disney had fastpass? Disney was being nice? Your acting like there was some catalyst here....the pandemic gave them an easy opening.

Tbh i would rather zero system.....let us wait in line. But i would also rather a company that invested in the parks proportionally to attendance growth? Guess thats alot to ask.

*Their

 

[GimpYancIent]

It has been understood for several years now that free FP+ was going away. It had become a cumbersome burden and there was too much money on the table. Until a week ago, if someone laid out Disney's two options as:

1) A MaxPass-type system for almost every ride rides that will cost $15/person, with only a small handful of attractions costing extra.
2) Pay-per-ride for every attraction.
3) $200-300/day add on like Universal

I'd venture that most people would have easily picked #1. Now that it's here people are upset over Disney implementing, by far, the cheapest option they had on the table.

Every time an adjustment is made i.e. charging resort parking fee to on property resort guests what I hear is "every body else is doing it". Well, Disney was the gold standard, the cut above that did not do what everyone else did but rather provided guests a unique special experience by not doing what everyone else did. Congratulations Disney is now like everyone else. It is sad in reading some posts that folks want to see how Genie works in actual practice then make a decision. Fixing something is more expensive and irritating than not implementing something, keeping what you have while working out a new concept that is actually acceptable + workable. Genie is a bad idea that, at this point, can still not be implemented. Yep ABORT. If some new ride pass system is needed get people that know what they are doing on it and let the mental midgets that dreamed up this Genie concept go. Disney has some work to do to get back to being the gold standard.

 

[Jrb1979]

Every time an adjustment is made i.e. charging resort parking fee to on property resort guests what I hear is "every body else is doing it". Well, Disney was the gold standard, the cut above that did not do what everyone else did but rather provided guests a unique special experience by not doing what everyone else did. Congratulations Disney is now like everyone else. It is sad in reading some posts that folks want to see how Genie works in actual practice then make a decision. Fixing something is more expensive and irritating than not implementing something, keeping what you have while working out a new concept that is actually acceptable + workable. Genie is a bad idea that, at this point, can still not be implemented. Yep ABORT. If some new ride pass system is needed get people that know what they are doing on it and let the mental midgets that dreamed up this Genie concept go. Disney has some work to do to get back to being the gold standard.

Breaking news They haven't been the gold standard for a long time.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Every time an adjustment is made i.e. charging resort parking fee to on property resort guests what I hear is "every body else is doing it". Well, Disney was the gold standard, the cut above that did not do what everyone else did but rather provided guests a unique special experience by not doing what everyone else did. Congratulations Disney is now like everyone else. It is sad in reading some posts that folks want to see how Genie works in actual practice then make a decision. Fixing something is more expensive and irritating than not implementing something, keeping what you have while working out a new concept that is actually acceptable + workable. Genie is a bad idea that, at this point, can still not be implemented. Yep ABORT. If some new ride pass system is needed get people that know what they are doing on it and let the mental midgets that dreamed up this Genie concept go. Disney has some work to do to get back to being the gold standard.

You need to take off your pixie dusted glasses. Disney is a business. The goal of a business is to make MONEY. You do realize Disney was the first to ever offer a fastpass system and they did it for free. Other parks copied them and started charging. bout time Disney started charging. Fastpass ruined stand by lines, by charging for it, it's going to weed out those who don't want to pay and make lines manageable again. Deal with it. Or don't. It's happening either way.

 

[erasure fan1]

Your acting like there was some catalyst here....the pandemic gave them an easy opening.

Tbh i would rather zero system.....let us wait in line. But i would also rather a company that invested in the parks proportionally to attendance growth? Guess thats alot to ask.

Exactly. The pandemic was an extremely easy way for them to make a ton of cuts and add a bunch up charges. Things they've wanted to do for a long time, now had a perfect excuse to implement. I would also opt for the get rid of any fastpass system and go back to all stand by. The main reason it's needed is because of how badly Disney has underbuilt the parks. It's just funny how Disney loves to create a problem, and then charge us for the solution.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Exactly. The pandemic was an extremely easy way for them to make a ton of cuts and add a bunch up charges. Things they've wanted to do for a long time, now had a perfect excuse to implement. I would also opt for the get rid of any fastpass system and go back to all stand by. The main reason it's needed is because of how badly Disney has underbuilt the parks. It's just funny how Disney loves to create a problem, and then charge us for the solution.

Then stop going.

 

[GimpYancIent]

You need to take off your pixie dusted glasses. Disney is a business. The goal of a business is to make MONEY. You do realize Disney was the first to ever offer a fastpass system and they did it for free. Other parks copied them and started charging. bout time Disney started charging. Fastpass ruined stand by lines, by charging for it, it's going to weed out those who don't want to pay and make lines manageable again. Deal with it. Or don't. It's happening either way.

Yea, Yea and there's need for another pool too.

 

[Jrb1979]

Exactly. The pandemic was an extremely easy way for them to make a ton of cuts and add a bunch up charges. Things they've wanted to do for a long time, now had a perfect excuse to implement. I would also opt for the get rid of any fastpass system and go back to all stand by. The main reason it's needed is because of how badly Disney has underbuilt the parks. It's just funny how Disney loves to create a problem, and then charge us for the solution.

I hear this argument all the time. It makes me think most people don't go to other amusement parks ever. Paid skip the line is every where. My answer is DEAL WITH IT.

 

[Baloo62]

I would also opt for the get rid of any fastpass system and go back to all stand by.

I would as well. In fact, when we went in March, that was pretty much the way it was. It was far less stressful and the waits were reasonable, even for Spring Break. I would much prefer everything return to stand-by only.

 

[Chi84]

I would also opt for the get rid of any fastpass system and go back to all stand by.

That will never happen because not enough people want it. The ones who do seem to want it very much, but there just aren’t enough of them to ever make it happen.

 

[Baloo62]

That will never happen because not enough people want it. The ones who do seem to want it very much, but there just aren’t enough of them to ever make it happen.

Give it time. Shylock Mouse has only begun to twist the thumb screws on the cost. Wouldn't be surprised if Guardians costs $30+ per person in peak season when it finally opens. Ditto for Tron.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Yea, Yea and there's need for another pool too.

Of course. One can never have too many pools. That's just silly.

 

[ParentsOf4]

You need to take off your pixie dusted glasses. Disney is a business. The goal of a business is to make MONEY.

Walt Disney once said, "When I started on Disneyland, my wife used to say, 'But why do you want to build an amusement park? They're so dirty.' I told her that was just the point — mine wouldn't be."

Walt Disney took out a mortgage on his house and reportedly went $100K into personal debt to help pay for Disneyland, at a time when median household income was under $5K.

You know what?

Disney was a business in 1955 when Disneyland opened to rave reviews and financial glory.

Wanting to honor his brother's vision, the 73 year-old Roy O. Disney postponed his retirement for 5 years in order to oversee the construction of Walt Disney World, which opened in October 1971. Roy died 2 months later.

Disney was a business in 1971 when operating margin was actually higher than what it's averaged under Bob Iger or Bob Chapek.

Struggling to find a direction for the company, Card Walker reportedly invested $1.5 billion in Epcot at a time when the entire company's annual revenue was $1.0 billion.

Disney was a business in 1982 when this bold investment grew company revenue by 60% in 2 years.

With Disney's film industry in tatters, Roy E. Disney fronted the effort to bring in Michael Eisner, who not only managed to turn Disney into a film juggernaut but also built Disney-MGM Studios, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Disney's Animal Kingdom, more than a dozen hotels, shopping districts, and a sports complex.

Disney was a business in the 1980s and 1990s when Eisner created The Walt Disney Company megacorporation and built the modern Walt Disney World.

In recent years, the Disney "business" has made price hike on top of price hike, quality cut after quality cut, and project delay after project delay, turning Walt Disney World into a shell of its former glory.

No one had to explain away bad corporate behavior for Disney's first 50 years in the theme park industry, yet for some reason the "Disney is a business" crowd thinks it's OK to trot out this tired cliché every time the Disney "business" does something to bring Walt Disney World down.