Lightening lane experience

[LoLo5]

We will be first timers at WDW this summer. Need info from you pros.
Lightening lane pros and cons.
What are your experiences with wait times in a LL line.

 

[robinb]

I am a long time, repeat visitor with an annual pass. I won’t visit a Disney park without the Lightning Lane Multipass. We are leaving today and there were many times that we spent just a few minutes in line when the stand by line was over an hour. We also now get LL Single Passes too, but that’s because we don’t like to “rope drop” (aka be at the parks gates before they open). If you are staying onsite and don’t mind getting up early to rope drop the “big” rides (or riding them last thing at night) you don’t need the LLSP.

 

[LoLo5]

Thanks for that information and have a great trip

 

[Paulaparm]

We were there for 3 weeks last Jan/Feb (10 days in the parks). Initially, I booked LL for 1 day at each park and thought we would just wing it the other days with a few LLSP for some must do rides. I ended up booking LL for at least 4 other days and we were able to get a LOT done and were happy with our (my) decision. We are also not rope droppers, except for one day at MK when they were closing early for cast appreciation. And that day we rode soooo many things with no LL.
Of course, it depends on crowds when you go, your preferences, etc. I would also think that if you have young children, LLMP or LLSP would definitely be a help.
Cost certainly is an issue as they are not cheap!
If you haven’t already, I would check YouTube videos that will show you how to use the LL’s to get the most out of them. There are a lot out there, but check out Mammoth Club as Molly’s videos are pretty “user friendly”
Whatever you decide, have a fantastic time!

 

[miksicnarf]

LL will save you lots of time and I definitely recommend it especially for a first-timer. Just be sure to read up on how and when to buy and use it. The biggest con is the cost, and there's also having to be pretty attentive to the app throughout the day in order to make the most of it. Enjoy!

 

[scrappinginontario]

We will be first timers at WDW this summer. Need info from you pros.
Lightening lane pros and cons.
What are your experiences with wait times in a LL line.

When in the summer are you visiting? We visit the end of August when crowds are lower so don’t find we need LL.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Do you also have park hopper tickets? We've found the best combination of features available is Hoppers and Multipass. On a recent visit, our family of 8 was able to use 35 sets of multipasses over a 4 day visit. That comes out to just under $3 per person per attraction which was very reasonable. We don't do single passes, as those funds are better spent on Mickey Bars and Dole Whips.

On most of the days, we started booking passes in our 2nd park (or 3rd and 4th park on the final day) right after tapping in to our first prebooked attraction. This allowed us to start a good stack of passes for the afternoon when it got really hot and crowded.

A couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Multipasses are never really sold out. Other guests change plans all the time and good passes can pop up throughout the day. Also, there are scheduled release times for several attractions where additional passes are made available. These do go very quickly though.

2. Multipasses now have a 2-hour grace period after the end of the reservation window. This may be the single best update the Disney has recently added. This gives you up to three hours to tap in to an attraction and eliminates the need to rush around the parks from ride to ride. We used this feature several times each day and it made our visit much more enjoyable.

Enjoy your first visit.

 

[LoLo5]

When in the summer are you visiting? We visit the end of August when crowds are lower so don’t find we need LL.

We are going the end of May for our Granddaughter’s birthday

 

[wiggy500]

As far as wait time in a lightning lane line goes, I'd say it's about 5 minutes usually, maybe 10 sometimes. I have only had it be longer than that when the ride breaks down.