Lightning Lane Premier Pass

[Ayla]

I wish I could be there when you ask her how her visit went! Make sure to ask her if she bought an interactive wand.

Yeah, it was a short conversation. She didn't want to hear that I had visited almost 40 times over the last 18 years ~ she knew what she was talking about.

 

[wdwmagic]

More Thanksgiving 2024 Sell-Out Dates for Disney World's Lightning Lane Premier Pass​

More Thanksgiving 2024 Sell-Out Dates for Disney World's Lightning Lane Premier Pass

More Thanksgiving 2024 Sell-Out Dates for Disney World's Lightning Lane Premier Pass

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Disney is super smart.

It’s a fine line between super smart and completely idiotic…

All these “premium” products are coming at the expense of the average guest, we’ve noticed a huge decline in our experience since they eliminated FP. Normal guests are now left with a lessor experience, paying substantially more for an equivalent experience (MP), paying ridiculously more for a superior experience (PP), going less than before (what we’ve chosen), or just not going at all anymore.

Lightning lane is pure profit but there’s a huge risk that new income is going to cost them more than it makes in the long run. I think they’re playing with fire and if they’re not careful they’re going to get burned in the long run.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It’s a fine line between super smart and completely idiotic…

All these “premium” products are coming at the expense of the average guest, we’ve noticed a huge decline in our experience since they eliminated FP. Normal guests are now left with a lessor experience, paying substantially more for an equivalent experience (MP), paying ridiculously more for a superior experience (PP), going less than before (what we’ve chosen), or just not going at all anymore.

Lightning lane is pure profit but there’s a huge risk that new income is going to cost them more than it makes in the long run. I think they’re playing with fire and if they’re not careful they’re going to get burned in the long run.

For me, I agree what they are doing is idiotic.

But what's idiotic to us is super smart for them to MAKE MONEY!

The current LLMP iteration is the worst as they took the worst parts about FastPass+ and are now charging for it.

To "help the guest" they offer LLSP and the best thing of all LLPP.

The are making money on top of money for NOTHING. This is super smart!

LLPP is SELLING OUT!

Are families being priced out? YES.

For my family, its not a matter of IF its a matter of WHEN.

 

[DisneyCane]

For me, I agree what they are doing is idiotic.

But what's idiotic to us is super smart for them to MAKE MONEY!

The current LLMP iteration is the worst as they took the worst parts about FastPass+ and are now charging for it.

To "help the guest" they offer LLSP and the best thing of all LLPP.

The are making money on top of money for NOTHING. This is super smart!

LLPP is SELLING OUT!

Are families being priced out? YES.

For my family, its not a matter of IF its a matter of WHEN.

As soon as it gets to the point where I can't experience one attraction per hour with 1/4 being headliners on an average day without paying for some kind of LL I'll stop renewing my Annual Passes and may never visit again. If I do visit it will be for a few days every few years and Disney will lose a ton of dining and merchandise revenue from my family.

 

[Disstevefan1]

As soon as it gets to the point where I can't experience one attraction per hour with 1/4 being headliners on an average day without paying for some kind of LL I'll stop renewing my Annual Passes and may never visit again. If I do visit it will be for a few days every few years and Disney will lose a ton of dining and merchandise revenue from my family.

I totally get you, but it seems they are not smart enough to realize how much money APers are actually spending EVERYTIME they visit, but that's looking over time and Disney only looks at things fiscal quarter to fiscal quarter.

Maybe their data says the family from Denver spends a lot in just a week stay (quick MONEY) and they only want those folks

 

[SplashJacket]

I disagree, CEOs and millionaires are the ViP tour market, I think this is directed more at the $250k crowd, guests that can’t afford/justify an extra $5k-10k a day but can afford/justify an extra $500-1500 a day.

The cheaper options like AK at $125 a person is even tempting to us and we’re way below $250k.

My guess is this is primarily being bought by upper middle class “normal” people… doctors, lawyers, realtors, contractors, white and blue collar management, etc. It’s still prohibitively expensive for the vast majority but this is priced more for the top 10% rather than the top 1%.

I disagree, a VIP tour is a vastly different experience.

You do a VIP tour when you have 1 day and want to do the headliners of all 4 parks. Or you’ve never been and really don’t know what to do.

A top 1% who’s gone to Disney every year since they were kids are not going to get a VIP tour for 5 days straight.

This makes the experience better for them if they don’t want a VIP tour.

Personally, I would maybe do a VIP tour once if it was free just to do it, but I would always take an unlimited skip-the-line.

I agree with you to an extent. I fall into that 1% category but I’ve only used a VIP guide once almost 20 years ago and only because I was with another family who wanted to get it. It’s nice but when I’m on vacation with my family I’m not a big fan of having a stranger with us no matter how nice they are. Which the VIP guides are amazing. But I would much rather be alone with my family. I have many friends who fall into this 1% category, who also frequently visit Disney parks and I would say only about 20% of them go the VIP route. This new premier lightening lane is much more their style including myself. Of course my experiences may be anecdotal but I don’t believe they are.

Exactly. Infinite skip the line (with no re-rides) is a vastly different experience to a VIP tour, and one that many people would likely prefer.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

For me, I agree what they are doing is idiotic.

But what's idiotic to us is super smart for them to MAKE MONEY!

The current LLMP iteration is the worst as they took the worst parts about FastPass+ and are now charging for it.

To "help the guest" they offer LLSP and the best thing of all LLPP.

The are making money on top of money for NOTHING. This is super smart!

LLPP is SELLING OUT!

Are families being priced out? YES.

For my family, its not a matter of IF its a matter of WHEN.

Short term gain, long term loss, that makes it good for Iger and current stockholders but bad for Disney, and I suspect a money loser for Disney over the long term also.

If they can sell it to 10% of their guests they gain $150-400 for each guest, but if it costs them 10% of their other guests they lose not only $175 per ticket, but hundreds in hotels, hundreds in food and drinks, hundreds in souvenirs, etc. I just don’t see how the math works out long term.

Igers bonus will likely be amazing though, long term declining attendance will be the next CEOs problem.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I disagree, a VIP tour is a vastly different experience.

You do a VIP tour when you have 1 day and want to do the headliners of all 4 parks. Or you’ve never been and really don’t know what to do.

A top 1% who’s gone to Disney every year since they were kids are not going to get a VIP tour for 5 days straight.

This makes the experience better for them if they don’t want a VIP tour.

Personally, I would maybe do a VIP tour once if it was free just to do it, but I would always take an unlimited skip-the-line.

Exactly. Infinite skip the line (with no re-rides) is a vastly different experience to a VIP tour, and one that many people would likely prefer.

I agree with this but also suspect millionaires who go yearly likely have club33 memberships that already come with virtually unlimited FPs, or are friends with other millionaires who have memberships… the few very wealthy Disney fans I know do anyway. Always fun to do Disney with them because it’s a whole different experience than the one us peasants receive.

Our DL club33 friends don’t have WDW memberships but they network and have made friends with WDW members, when they go to FL their friends take care of them, when their FL friends go to DL they reciprocate and take care of them. Works out well for everyone.

ETA… I only know 2 couples who are members so maybe what I’m taking as normal is an anomaly though.

 

[DCBaker]

Lightning Lane Premier Pass has now sold out at all parks tomorrow, November 26:

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

I disagree, CEOs and millionaires are the ViP tour market, I think this is directed more at the $250k crowd, guests that can’t afford/justify an extra $5k-10k a day but can afford/justify an extra $500-1500 a day.

The cheaper options like AK at $125 a person is even tempting to us and we’re way below $250k.

My guess is this is primarily being bought by upper middle class “normal” people… doctors, lawyers, realtors, contractors, white and blue collar management, etc. It’s still prohibitively expensive for the vast majority but this is priced more for the top 10% rather than the top 1%.

Yup I agree with this. I think it’s a stretch purchase for your average guest or an add on for a guest who can afford to do so but is not blindingly never needs to consider value of anything kind of rich (like has been implied over the course of this discussion). I liken it to the hard ticket events more than I do the VIP tours. It’s almost like an after hours party ticket, but with a premium that allows you to have a similar experience during regular hours.

It’s a fine line between super smart and completely idiotic…

All these “premium” products are coming at the expense of the average guest, we’ve noticed a huge decline in our experience since they eliminated FP. Normal guests are now left with a lessor experience, paying substantially more for an equivalent experience (MP), paying ridiculously more for a superior experience (PP), going less than before (what we’ve chosen), or just not going at all anymore.

Lightning lane is pure profit but there’s a huge risk that new income is going to cost them more than it makes in the long run. I think they’re playing with fire and if they’re not careful they’re going to get burned in the long run.

And I agree with this too. Ultimately they probably know better than I do, but I am curious to see if the decisions of the last decade or so but mostly the post Covid years are going to hurt in the long run. They are making it a lot more difficult to build the nostalgia in new guests, and a lot easier to prove people right who think Disney is too busy, expensive, and complicated.

Back in my day they ran commercials showcasing how surprisingly affordable a Disney trip could really be. I know we’ll never see an ad campaign like that one in the near future!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I wish they would release stats on who was purchasing this. Adults only? Families?

 

[Purduevian]

I wish they would release stats on who was purchasing this. Adults only? Families?

I wish we had any data on LLPP, unfortunately even in Len's team goes counting we really won't know. Assuming LLMP slots are static in all of this (which isn't known), there still will be in an increase of people going through the LL that are DAS, club 33, golden oak and guest recovery simply because there are more people in the parks.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I wish we had any data on LLPP, unfortunately even in Len's team goes counting we really won't know. Assuming LLMP slots are static in all of this (which isn't known), there still will be in an increase of people going through the LL that are DAS, club 33, golden oak and guest recovery simply because there are more people in the parks.

Just a guess, the LLPP folks do not significantly change the wait times in the LL queues.

When they made the massive change to DAS, THAT significantly changed the wait times in the LL queues.

I think many that used the DAS before the change are NOT purchasing any of LL products, they are simply not going on the attractions and/or not going to parks anymore.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

Just a guess, the LLPP folks do not significantly change the wait times in the LL queues.

When they made the massive change to DAS, THAT significantly changed the wait times in the LL queues.

I think many that used the DAS before the change are NOT purchasing any of LL products, they are simply not going on the attractions and/or not going to parks anymore.

Mostly agree, but I’d put the caveat of does not change the wait times, yet.

I personally think their quick shift from deluxe only to all resorts is pretty solid proof that this is infact a roll out (I know they said it from the start, but some didn’t agree it would expand) and there is a chance they plan to increase the number available and/or the eligible guests. I could see them offering a more expensive version to offsite guests.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Mostly agree, but I’d put the caveat of does not change the wait times, yet.

I personally think their quick shift from deluxe only to all resorts is pretty solid proof that this is infact a roll out (I know they said it from the start, but some didn’t agree it would expand) and there is a chance they plan to increase the number available and/or the eligible guests. I could see them offering a more expensive version to offsite guests.

I hear you, in my opinion, the insane price of LLPP is a limiting factor for many families.

 

[Jrb1979]

I hear you, in my opinion, the insane price of LLPP is a limiting factor for many families.

IMO that's the way it should be. You don't want a lot of guests buying it as it would overwhelm the LL queues and make the waits long.

I'm still holding out hope that with them extending this to all resorts that the LLMP becomes a thing of the past.

 

[lewisc]

I wish they would release stats on who was purchasing this. Adults only? Families?

Obviously a trade secret. I wish we could get some data regarding what % of capacity is being allocated to LL guests. Total including LLPP, LLMP, DAS etc.

 

[Disstevefan1]

IMO that's the way it should be. You don't want a lot of guests buying it as it would overwhelm the LL queues and make the waits long.

I'm still holding out hope that with them extending this to all resorts that the LLMP becomes a thing of the past.

Ya know, I was thinking.

LLMP and LLSP came along, some folks said, "I am not paying for something that was free"

Then LLPP came along, these same folks are now saying, "Wow, LLPP is insane, we can SAVE MONEY by purchasing LLMP or LLSP"

Could the creation of LLPP make folks who previously did not see any value in LLMP and LLSP, NOW purchase LLMP or LLSP?

The end result is more LLMP and LLSP folks in the LL queue?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

IMO that's the way it should be. You don't want a lot of guests buying it as it would overwhelm the LL queues and make the waits long.

I'm still holding out hope that with them extending this to all resorts that the LLMP becomes a thing of the past.

They definitely need to be careful to not oversell LLPP - and really not oversell access to LL via all methods.

It's one thing when FP+ was included and you sometimes had to wait 20-30 mins in the FP line ... But when you are charging as much as $450 extra per person, while it isn't a true walk on they really need to keep it to like 5-10 min wait max or something hose people will not be happy with the purchase (and obviously part of the reason behind the DAS changes as they know they needed to reduce # of people in the physical LL queue)