Lightning Lane Premier Pass

[MickeyLuv'r]

That’s true for us but I don’t speak for everyone.

There are several posters here who claim they don’t need them because of how they time the rides or how many hours they spend in the parks.

Others claim attendance is down to the point the wait times are manageable.

Still others claim waiting in line is simply a part of the theme park experience that they don’t mind so much.

If it helps, I do a hybrid.

Sometimes I buy it and sometimes I don't. I've posted about both.

We often overlook in these forums that there is a time-cost to using LL, or at least LLMP/ILL's and prior versions.

In the days of paper FP, I figured out that if the wait was less than 20minutes, we were better off simply getting in line. Getting a paper FP required: time to walk to the kiosk, waiting in line to get the paper FP, waiting on the return time, walking back to the attraction, and the logisitics of the rest of our day.

LLMP looks better on paper, but the reality is that in practice we often end up criss-crossing the parks more when using it than if we just go from one ride to the next.

In Epcot the time cost is more readily clear, because it takes times to walk from one end of Epcot to the other. Think about Remy in particular.

As I said in my pp, I'm recently back. On a slow day earlier in 2025, I was not able to change my return times by much at all (refresh). Most of the park had very short waits: Nemo, SE, Imagination, Mexico, LwtL, and Turtle Talk. The only LLMP rides with longer waits were Remy and FEA. Yet even still, MDE only spit out very limited return times. Not only was I given passes such that we would have had to criss-cross Epcot, but they were also badly spread out return times. I

An hour into our day, we stopped bothering to book/use our LL except the Remy pass. (Even though the park was empty, FEA was out of passes before the day even started, and Test Track wasn't open.) On a slow day earlier this year, we didn't bother getting LLMP for Epcot and didn't miss it.

On my very recent trip, the parks were busier. LLMP worked better, because refreshing sometimes worked to get better times. I think MDE has more drop times when it is busy. The system is a LOT like a slot machine! My initial pre-bookings were just okay, but on the actual park-day, I was actually able to do okay with additional bookings/refreshing.

Even still, with so many rides currently down, this is not the best time to visit. There are just not enough rides open. We didn't bother going to HS at all, and the HS standby waits/LLMP offerings I saw were just terrible. A number of resorts also have pool closures. WDW also has a terrible reliability problem. Just too many rides go down too often, and the system is too tightly scheduled. when a ride goes down, the whole thing falls apart.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Have you been hearing complaints about that happening?

Um, yes.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

We visit quite often and have never experienced the kinds of issues you mentioned at WDW.

Not everything is for everyone. Our WDW vacations aren’t stressful although the crowds can sometimes be annoying.

Sounds like Universal is much more of what you’re looking for.

You've never experienced rides being down? At WDW?


Do you not ever book Slinky? Generally, if you can't make your Slinky time window, it can't be rebooked. The same is true for many E-rides after say, 3pm. If you can't make your time window, there is no option to change it to a later time.

At least now with the current version of LLMP.

I still split my time somewhat between the two properties, but I've done many all-Uni visits and mostly skip HS, though I've been a few times in the last two years.

 

[Splash4eva]

While I can't say I'm eager to jump into this debate per say, I am recently back from the parks. I'm not sure it is correct to say there are no problems or complaints with parkgoers who buy LLMP or LLPP.

I saw plenty of people having problems that took the form of going to guest services in the parks.

There were certainly people who bought one of WDW skip-the-lines and then could not use what they bought because rides went down.

A number of rides were down over the course of the days I was at WDW. At Universal, if a ride goes down it is no big deal. We just come back later. At WDW, a ride going down often quickly snowballs into a much bigger mess.

One thing I find frustrating is that there is often no way to rebook LL's if you know you can't make your return time. CM's make some allowance to use the LL late, but I've also been given the 3rd degree. That should never happen.

I've had CM's ask in a very nasty tone, "WHY are you 3 hours late?"

I find that somewhat humiliating. This is MY VACATION. I really should not have to explain our health issue (vomiting/diarrhea/fem issues), or that we were stuck in another ride queue, that WDW's transportation was slow, a meal was very slow...and often the answer is all-of-the-above. I find it dumb that I should have to explain all (any) of that...because WDW MAKES IT impossible for us to reschedule our stupid fastpasses. This is the stupid system they created. It didn't used to be this way.

A more detailed example:
At park opening one morning, we got in line for Jungle Cruise. Posted wait was not bad when we got in line, but it was backed up towards PotC. By the time I was at the actual ride entrance posted wait was substantially higher. I was in the line for about 30minutes when the ride went down.

And this was at park opening, when the wait for many rides was still near zero (even at 9:30). Losing 30minutes in the JC queue was costly. NO return passes at the attraction! We asked at GS if we could get a return pass, and we were told they don't normally give them out to people who were waiting when rides go down. It wasn't the best way to start the day. A few hours later, SM also went down while I was I the queue, but we didn't dare leave the queue.

I've had a number of times where one ride going down at WDW = wrecked evening plans. Where getting stuck in the queue an extra 40minutes meant missing out: on a good chunk of the evening extra hours, Dinner plans, or having enough time to get to our hotel to change before dinner (very important in summer), etc.

Generally, the same issue doesn't crop up at Universal. While rides sometimes go down, there are no passes to reschedule. We can get back to our hotel in less than 15minutes, so the logistics are much simpler. Dining is also much more carefree. We don't have to even think about no-show fees, ADR's, and the logistics of getting from the parks to Citywalk is 5minutes.

After a good number of split visits, we find the Universal portion of our visits a lot less stressful.

Appreciate the input…

If im understanding your points correctly. The issue with a a ride going down why you were in the standby queue has nothing to do with LL correct? As a matter of fact if someone has a LL for a ride who goes down or is down during your time its basically the best thing that can happen as you are. Given a Multiple Experience LL which is valid for almost all rides depending on what attraction you had go down. Its also one of the “hacks” people would try and use towards end of nightor during days when a ride goes down to book during it. So if anything having LL purchased helps.

 

[Splash4eva]

You've never experienced rides being down? At WDW?


Do you not ever book Slinky? Generally, if you can't make your Slinky time window, it can't be rebooked. The same is true for many E-rides after say, 3pm. If you can't make your time window, there is no option to change it to a later time.

At least now with the current version of LLMP.

I still split my time somewhat between the two properties, but I've done many all-Uni visits and mostly skip HS, though I've been a few times in the last two years.

The time window by all reports is “unofficially” 3 hours as 2 hours past time is still valid & no offense if you miss that window thats on you not Disney. With that being said. Even without the extended window if you have a valid reason why you are late i have never experienced any issues where i was not allowed in a ride eve…. There may be rude CM which is bad on Disney and guest experience but being refused entry within a 3 hour window ive not heard.

 

[Chi84]

You've never experienced rides being down? At WDW?


Do you not ever book Slinky? Generally, if you can't make your Slinky time window, it can't be rebooked. The same is true for many E-rides after say, 3pm. If you can't make your time window, there is no option to change it to a later time.

At least now with the current version of LLMP.

I still split my time somewhat between the two properties, but I've done many all-Uni visits and mostly skip HS, though I've been a few times in the last two years.

We’ve been lucky with rides not being down. I’m sure there were but I don’t recall any issues.

Then again I don’t recall ever missing a time window for a ride. I’ve been visiting forever and I have a system that works great for us.