Help I used to be an expert...

[BRC6C]

Hoping for some help... in the past I knew it all and was the go to person to answer all questions Disney World. We went for a month at a time a couple different years and then we stopped. We were last in Walt Disney World in July of 2017

We are now, suddenly, planning a last minute trip and I'm overwhelmed! Group of 3 adults a week off-site likely followed by a few days on property. I have questions I know and ones I don't even know to ask so please point me in all the right directions!

1) What's a good way to get up to speed on ligning lane and virtual queues?

2) Park reservations?

3) We are considering one annual pass, are there still advantages? Disadvantages?

4) Magic band+? We have a drawer full of the old ones, I guess the batteries are likely long past their prime...

What else do I need to know? Such a weird feeling to have so many questions!

 

[Disturbia]

The good news is virtual queues are gone.

Park reservations are not required for date based tickets (APs still need park reservations).

Bad news onsite guests get to book lightening lane single passes (max 2 per day) and lightening lane multi passes 7 days in advance. Offsite guests have slim pickings and get to book only 3 days in advance, although crowds have been better lately (better chances).

https://www.thrill-data.com/lightning-lane/

APs will have blackout dates and they still require park reservations.

More rides are opening up soon like Test track and 2 rides at HS.

I believe the bands will work but photos can be finicky. They new MB+ require charging for interactive elements (think multi charging USB ports) but will still work for scanning in.

 

[robinb]

Hoping for some help... in the past I knew it all and was the go to person to answer all questions Disney World. We went for a month at a time a couple different years and then we stopped. We were last in Walt Disney World in July of 2017

We are now, suddenly, planning a last minute trip and I'm overwhelmed! Group of 3 adults a week off-site likely followed by a few days on property. I have questions I know and ones I don't even know to ask so please point me in all the right directions!

1) What's a good way to get up to speed on ligning lane and virtual queues?

I love the videos by Rob on the Ear Scouts channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@EarScouts

2) Park reservations?

You will need park reservations for the AP.

3) We are considering one annual pass, are there still advantages? Disadvantages?

There are discounts for merch, some restaurants, free park parking and sometimes resorts.

4) Magic band+? We have a drawer full of the old ones, I guess the batteries are likely long past their prime...

They probably are. Perhaps you can bring some anyway and see if they'll work. You can also use your phone or an apple watch.

 

[jeankeri]

When are you going? July advice is far different than September advice.

 

[BRC6C]

When are you going? July advice is far different than September advice.

June! I said last minute, right? Eek! What were we thinking?? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Disturbia]

I would second earscouts. His videos are to the point and concise. Make sure it’s the video that is most recent as WDW is continually changing things.

If it’s early June you might get same day availability. After that the holiday crowds are going to make getting top tier LLs difficult. I would spend this weekend (Memorial Day) periodically checking wait times to taper expectations and plan on long waits.

https://allears.net/disney-genie-lightning-lane-multi-pass/

 

[R&RsMom]

The good news is virtual queues are gone.

Park reservations are not required for date based tickets (APs still need park reservations).

Bad news onsite guests get to book lightening lane single passes (max 2 per day) and lightening lane multi passes 7 days in advance. Offsite guests have slim pickings and get to book only 3 days in advance, although crowds have been better lately (better chances).

https://www.thrill-data.com/lightning-lane/

APs will have blackout dates and they still require park reservations.

More rides are opening up soon like Test track and 2 rides at HS.

I believe the bands will work but photos can be finicky. They new MB+ require charging for interactive elements (think multi charging USB ports) but will still work for scanning in.

Just to clarify that not all APs have blackout dates. The Incredipass, which is the most expensive one, and the only one available to out-of-state, has no blackouts.

 

[toesmom]

old magic bands will still work, and lots of great videos about best way to book lightning lanes, ear scouts has great videos, hot in June, drink lots of water and sunscreen

 

[hes122]

Mammoth Club also has some excellent tutorials about navigating lightning lanes.

 

[hes122]

I wasn't paying attention if someone mentioned this upthread or not, but old magic bands might not work for picking up ride photos, but most of those rides have signs posted about how to use bluetooth technology on your phone to get them.

 

[loves to dive]

Most if not all of your questions have been answered.
Loads of videos out there on how to use LLs, just go to Utube and put in WDW Lightning Lanes and pick the most recent. Just as an aside about LLs, depending on how long you are going to be in the parks and what your goals are and your tolerance for standing in lines, they might not be necessary at all and certainly may not be necessary for some parks.

Park reservations are no longer necessary unless you have an AP and to make the AP situation even more complicated, there are some days you won't need them. They are called good to go days and they are random. You will know they apply if you go to make a reservation and that day is not available on the calendar. I'm assuming you would be out of state so need the highest tier of AP, which has no black out dates. If you make a park reservation, all you have to do is tap in then you can move on to another park. I have been known to tap into a park and walk right back out or just go into the park for a half hour. After you tap into that park, you can hop to your heart's content. WDW buses do no run for park to park until 10 am though.

Advantages or disadvantages to APs. See above re: park reservations. If only one person in your party has them then the only advantage is going to be free parking for the days you are off site, you are going to get free parking the days you are on site any way. You will get discounts in some shops and some restaurants, only those actually owned by Disney. For example: you are not going to get an AP discount in the mask shop at the back of the store in Italy, it's not owned by Disney. I think there is a list on the Disney website. If not, I'm sure you can google it. I would run the numbers, if you are only going to use it for a few days, it's probably not worth it with the few discounts you are going to get.

Old MBs will get you into the park and for the days you are staying on site, will get you into your room and you will be able to charge back to your room with them. You might not get some of the ride photos but that is all. When you get to your resort on site, just make sure you stop by the front desk and have them check them to make sure you can get into your room. I've found sometimes I can get into the park with them but they might not open my room door the first time. After they have synced them at the front desk it's no problem. I've never had a problem tapping into a park with them.