Did Genie/ Lightning Lane work?

[Aluminum Falcon]

Let me preface this by saying that this thought was brought to mind after Touring Plans sent a blast email out about an upcoming trip downgrading crowd levels for most parks on most days. They specifically mention that they do not believe foot traffic is down, but wait times are in a big way (at least enough to reforecast). They have also illustrated that they are going to be addressing the crowd calendars because the 1-10 scale they have been using is no longer a good gauge

My thought is that we finally have a good enough picture of Lightning Lane and how it has changed dynamics in the parks specifically tied to wait times. What say you?

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

I think people's priorities have changed.

Most people used to be all about rides/attractions.
Especially in recent years I've seen a huge shift to people prioritizing food and merch.

I think the lower wait times are more reflective of that shift rather than LLMP/LLSP/LLPP "working".

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I think people's priorities have changed.

Most people used to be all about rides/attractions.
Especially in recent years I've seen a huge shift to people prioritizing food and merch.

I think the lower wait times are more reflective of that shift rather than LLMP/LLSP/LLPP "working".

To me, that type of shift doesn't make a lot of sense. I would counter that by saying that it would be a wild move to pay that much of an entry price to essentially go to the "Disney Mall" for lack of a better term. I would also argue that you can get Disney food without going into the parks, the hotels have much better options than the parks.

 

[Minnie1222]

I can only add our personal experiences. The LLMP, PP, and especially SP have been working so well that we now have the extra time to enjoy shopping, dining, and lounging. Gone is the era where we had to add extra hours or even days to a trip to increase our chance of riding a new attraction. The cost is higher but the trips have been more relaxing. We're waiting in line less and lounging around more.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I think the fact that Disney has evolved from no FP, to original FP, to FP+, to Genie+, to LLMP/SP/PP indicates it's popular with at least most of the guests, and has been tweaked to benefit the guests - and to definitely benefit Disney! We preferred each version over the previous version, except for G+ to LLMP/SP/PP. There are aspects of the latest LL that we like - like choosing a few days in advance and picking an actual time window. But it's less helpful for us because we're not rope drop folks, so we probably don't get as many attractions out of it throughout the days we buy it. G+ actually was more useful to us. But we've adjusted with each change, including this one! We buy it/use it more than we don't.....

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I can only add our personal experiences. The LLMP, PP, and especially SP have been working so well that we now have the extra time to enjoy shopping, dining, and lounging. Gone is the era where we had to add extra hours or even days to a trip to increase our chance of riding a new attraction. The cost is higher but the trips have been more relaxing. We're waiting in line less and lounging around more.

Personally, i feel like it makes everything a lot more efficient. First and foremost, not everyone in the parks is using it (like with FP+). I think because of that the standby lines move in a much more uniform way (call it predictable patterns). not a crazy amount of FP+ users all coming at once and making essentially another standby line.

I don't know how much the planner helps within the app and would guess that it makes a minuet difference, but if it does helps curb crowds in different directions at all it is a win in my book

Essentially, I believe that scaling back on who can skip the lines has made a drastic impact on wait times overall.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

To me, that type of shift doesn't make a lot of sense. I would counter that by saying that it would be a wild move to pay that much of an entry price to essentially go to the "Disney Mall" for lack of a better term. I would also argue that you can get Disney food without going into the parks, the hotels have much better options than the parks.

It may not seem logical but I do believe its true.
There are many viral souvenirs and snacks that are in park exclusives and limited releases.
To me this all started shifting with Instagram's popularity. The Purple Wall and then Millennial Pink became all the rage and then it all spiraled.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I think the fact that Disney has evolved from no FP, to original FP, to FP+, to Genie+, to LLMP/SP/PP indicates it's popular with at least most of the guests, and has been tweaked to benefit the guests - and to definitely benefit Disney! We preferred each version over the previous version, except for G+ to LLMP/SP/PP. There are aspects of the latest LL that we like - like choosing a few days in advance and picking an actual time window. But it's less helpful for us because we're not rope drop folks, so we probably don't get as many attractions out of it throughout the days we buy it. G+ actually was more useful to us. But we've adjusted with each change, including this one! We buy it/use it more than we don't.....

Personally, I think it not having wide appeal with users is actually a good thing. The FP+ was too generous and caused issues because of that. Offering a more limited product with a price tag dramatically drops the amount of people using it and helps everyone because of it

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

It may not seem logical but I do believe its true.
There are many viral souvenirs and snacks that are in park exclusives and limited releases.
To me this all started shifting with Instagram's popularity. The Purple Wall and then Millennial Pink became all the rage and then it all spiraled.

I agree about product going viral, but you could always get your hands on it (looking at you ebay). maybe that is a driver for locals but i cannot see many planning specific trips just for the merch and food. Locals, and Hardos (self included) you may have a better case with, but for the casual family looking to check Disney off a list (which is the majority of guests esp at WDW), not so much