LL unavailable question

[pooch]

A semi-OT question. We are staying off site so can attempt to book LLSP 3 days in advance. At what time of day will I be able to try?

 

[CarolynFH]

A semi-OT question. We are staying off site so can attempt to book LLSP 3 days in advance. At what time of day will I be able to try?

7 AM Eastern.

 

[Melissa622]

Yep, I was there for that EEH at MK, we went the week before and rode Mine Train twice both times with sub 20min waits, that night of the 28th it was over 45 mins the entire EEH so basically the same as all day.
We did a whole bunch of smaller rides which were all walk on so the kids were happy with that but the crowds were insane compared to the week before for EEH that's for sure.

I don't mind paying for the premier hotels at universal and getting the included EP we usually split our stay between Cabana Bay and a premier that way we can do Volcano Bay and our pool time/relax at CB then do the parks when we go to the Premier hotel - Epic I don't mind waiting in line when it's one day and a brand new park, I wouldn't pay for EP's there, I just can't afford it.


I just don't get why some people can't see other opinions, not everyone likes LL or thinks it's a good system. I don't mind planning but I shouldn't have to be picking rides a week in advance. I liked the DL system where you can just do it the morning of, seems more fair and like I said it won't bother me, I won't be coming back to WDW for 5+ years anyway, it wasn't the vacation I was picturing so am in no hurry to return.

I completely agree with you that the old system of everyone getting their lightning lanes on the morning of was both more fair and a better system overall, but you can't not use the system correctly and then complain that the system didn't work for you. Of course it didn't because you didn't use it in a way that would have made your trip more enjoyable. I was there a month ago and lightning lanes worked amazingly for us. We didn't wait in a single line the entire trip because I booked ahead of time for every park and researched how to use the system effectively throughout the day. You say you won't be back because the wait times were so long, but I promise you that truly is avoidable if you use lightning lanes correctly.

 

[pooch]

7 AM Eastern.

And a follow up please . If I were, for example, looking for a LLSP FOR Sunday, would it open 7am today or was it 7am yesterday?

 

[scrappinginontario]

This coming Sunday? For offsite guests it would have been 7AM Thursday

 

[wendlle]

I completely agree with you that the old system of everyone getting their lightning lanes on the morning of was both more fair and a better system overall, but you can't not use the system correctly and then complain that the system didn't work for you. Of course it didn't because you didn't use it in a way that would have made your trip more enjoyable. I was there a month ago and lightning lanes worked amazingly for us. We didn't wait in a single line the entire trip because I booked ahead of time for every park and researched how to use the system effectively throughout the day. You say you won't be back because the wait times were so long, but I promise you that truly is avoidable if you use lightning lanes correctly.

I don't want to use LL that is why I won't be back. I don't need to know how to use it correctly because I do know how to use it, I don't like it.
I already said I don't mind it at DL because you do it the morning of, My vacations are usually for a month, so the week before I'm at Universal or Seaworld or by the pool. I don't want nor have time to take out of my day a week before getting to WDW to sit down and do LL for the following week.
It might be OK if you're at home and have time on your hands - I don't and don't want to spend my valuable vacation time glued to my phone.

I'm also one of those people who don't record parades, fireworks shows etc. I prefer to see it with my eyes and be in the moment (although even that is getting harder when everyone holds their phone up so it's all anyone can see), so I don't want to spend my time on a screen device while on vacation.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I waited too long to purchase LL for Hollywood studios for a date next week

Slinky dog says “unavailable” for every single date
Does that mean I can’t get one at all that day? Or just can’t get one for preselection?

Not one at all at the moment. You're unfortunately gonna have to pray for a last minute cancellation for a Lightning Lane slot.

 

[Rory607]

I don't want to use LL that is why I won't be back. I don't need to know how to use it correctly because I do know how to use it, I don't like it.
I already said I don't mind it at DL because you do it the morning of, My vacations are usually for a month, so the week before I'm at Universal or Seaworld or by the pool. I don't want nor have time to take out of my day a week before getting to WDW to sit down and do LL for the following week.
It might be OK if you're at home and have time on your hands - I don't and don't want to spend my valuable vacation time glued to my phone.

I'm also one of those people who don't record parades, fireworks shows etc. I prefer to see it with my eyes and be in the moment (although even that is getting harder when everyone holds their phone up so it's all anyone can see), so I don't want to spend my time on a screen device while on vacation.

Respectfully, your situation is different than 99% of people using LL. So you really can’t blame the system. I plan the entirety of my family’s trips, whether to Disney or somewhere else. I’m not complaining, I enjoy it. But having to wake up each morning at Disney and book LL was annoying. It’s not that I have time on my hands at home, lol! But I’d rather get on before work (in the middle of getting kids ready and out the door) and book LL, so once we get there at least three things are planned for each day. It’s less work for me once at Disney. And I think my experience is similar to most people booking LL, unlike your experience.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Not one at all at the moment. You're unfortunately gonna have to pray for a last minute cancellation for a Lightning Lane slot.

OP has already been to Disney and is stating they will not be returning to Disney.

I hope you find other vacation destinations @wendlle that you enjoy as much as you used to enjoy Disney.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I just don't get why some people can't see other opinions, not everyone likes LL or thinks it's a good system. I don't mind planning but I shouldn't have to be picking rides a week in advance. I liked the DL system where you can just do it the morning of, seems more fair and like I said it won't bother me, I won't be coming back to WDW for 5+ years anyway, it wasn't the vacation I was picturing so am in no hurry to return.

I appreciate you coming back to share. Often times we never really now how it shakes out for someone. WDW pre-planning simply isn't your style, some prefer DLR. And some prefer the guarantee of 3 rides pre-booked at WDW. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

As for why you think other's can't see your opinion, I think they can see your opinion but they can also see where you went wrong in your planning. To you, that doesn't matter because you don't want to plan your rides. But for some of us, we mention the errors because other's might not have a problem planning rides and this way they might be able to avoid what happened to you.

My takeaway from your experience is if you're going to dedicate $50k to a trip with a chunk of time at WDW- buy LL. This isn't the normal calculus for me in helping folks decide if it's worth it or not, but now I see there is a financial point where LL is more of an insurance policy for your trip. I'd never really thought of it that way before. (And buying it as soon as you are eligible is critical, but I think that goes for everyone buying LL.)

 

[Melissa622]

I don't want to use LL that is why I won't be back. I don't need to know how to use it correctly because I do know how to use it, I don't like it.
I already said I don't mind it at DL because you do it the morning of, My vacations are usually for a month, so the week before I'm at Universal or Seaworld or by the pool. I don't want nor have time to take out of my day a week before getting to WDW to sit down and do LL for the following week.
It might be OK if you're at home and have time on your hands - I don't and don't want to spend my valuable vacation time glued to my phone.

I'm also one of those people who don't record parades, fireworks shows etc. I prefer to see it with my eyes and be in the moment (although even that is getting harder when everyone holds their phone up so it's all anyone can see), so I don't want to spend my time on a screen device while on vacation.

Sorry, but you're being really overdramatic. You don't need to take time out of your day or have time on your hands to book lightning lanes. I booked them for a group of 18 for a week for my trip and it took me 10 minutes. You say you don't need to learn how to use it correctly because you already know but all of your comments show that you clearly don't. If you don't like it that's fine, but you're blaming Disney and acting like it's a system problem when it's actually a you problem.

 

[LSUfan4444]

The LL situation at WDW really put a sour note to our trip

Can't say I don't disagree. We will occasionally buy them but not in addition to the things we would normally do and more in place of. That $100 we spend on LLMP for a day would have been the $100 we may have spent at the pool bar. Now, I'll walk to the Speedway near the boardwalk to buy beers rather than buying them from the pool bar.

The time "during" the pandemic when there was no FP, no Genie +, no LLMP was a glorious glorious phase.

 

[Alicatt]

I wish we could book even earlier. A week out is too close to the trip for me. I miss being able to book FP+ 30 days out. That way, if I needed to make any changes to my overall plans. I could. I am grateful for the 7 days though. I hated having to book at DL at 7. I don't mind the price. It's better than a my local amusement parks. Cedar Point is like $125 per person.

 

[wendlle]

I wish we could book even earlier. A week out is too close to the trip for me. I miss being able to book FP+ 30 days out. That way, if I needed to make any changes to my overall plans. I could. I am grateful for the 7 days though. I hated having to book at DL at 7. I don't mind the price. It's better than a my local amusement parks. Cedar Point is like $125 per person.

funny thing is I liked FP+, I didn't mind doing it 30 days out because I was at home with nothing better to do, and yes taking 10-30 mins out of my day to do LL while on vacation is a waste of my time and no one can tell me otherwise call it "overdramatic" if you want but for me time is money.
With FP+ I wasn't paying for anything so couldn't care less if it took me time if it was free, I don't mind paying for things if they make it easier, but this didn't. It was an added frustration that I could do without.
Plenty of other Disney parks in the world I can visit that are closer and for a lot less money with less hassles, I don't need WDW to keep me happy.

 

[Rory607]

funny thing is I liked FP+, I didn't mind doing it 30 days out because I was at home with nothing better to do, and yes taking 10-30 mins out of my day to do LL while on vacation is a waste of my time and no one can tell me otherwise call it "overdramatic" if you want but for me time is money.
With FP+ I wasn't paying for anything so couldn't care less if it took me time if it was free, I don't mind paying for things if they make it easier, but this didn't. It was an added frustration that I could do without.
Plenty of other Disney parks in the world I can visit that are closer and for a lot less money with less hassles, I don't need WDW to keep me happy.

Ok, but what you’re saying doesn’t really make sense You don’t want to take time out of your vacation at SeaWorld or Universal to make LL reservations, but you’re fine taking time out of your Disney vacation in the morning to make them. It’s vacation time one way or the other?

If you don’t like LL and/or WDW, that is totally fine and valid. To each their own! But you have to realize that your situation of being on vacation for a month is just not what the majority of us are doing. It’s awesome for your family, but most of us are at home working a week before our Disney trip. Your posts just come off as entitled.

 

[wendlle]

Ok, but what you’re saying doesn’t really make sense You don’t want to take time out of your vacation at SeaWorld or Universal to make LL reservations, but you’re fine taking time out of your Disney vacation in the morning to make them. It’s vacation time one way or the other?

If you don’t like LL and/or WDW, that is totally fine and valid. To each their own! But you have to realize that your situation of being on vacation for a month is just not what the majority of us are doing. It’s awesome for your family, but most of us are at home working a week before our Disney trip. Your posts just come off as entitled.

yeah, I don't mind making them the day of because I'm at that park and it's on my mind, I know what I want to do and where I want to go. A week before I have no idea, I don't know what the weather is, I don't know what park I want to go to, my kids could be sick, I might sleep in etc etc.
I don't want to make them a week in advance.

If you like this system it is fine, but I don't. Not everyone does. I don't need my answers to be constantly questioned. I am allowed to not like the system.
I'm a disney fan, we all are, but I hate this system and I'm allowed to. I'm a realist, I don't have to like everything they do and I don't have to accept it. They won't miss me, they have millions of visitors, but the way in which I can protest my dislike is by not going back - which is what I intend to do. I won't be back at WDW for quite some time, and if I do visit Orlando I'll spend my time at Universal, I had a far better and cheaper time while I was there.

As for being on vacation for a month, I'm quite poor. I don't have a lot of money, here in Australia we get 2 months paid vacation for Long service leave, I've been at my job for 20 years so I get 2 months off. I have saved for 5 years for this trip. So yeah, If I come off entiltled so be it, I am entitled to my very hard paid for vacation time.

 

[elvispursley]

I'm a big fan of FastPass+ as well and liked making reservations 30-days out. I like being able to make LLs 7 days out as well (certainly is better for my travel style than G+ was). But what confuses me is OPs statement above lamenting the fact that at 1-week out they don't know what the weather is going to be like or what they'll want to do, yet it was fine doing that 30-days out????

 

[sam_gordon]

yeah, I don't mind making them the day of because I'm at that park and it's on my mind, I know what I want to do and where I want to go. A week before I have no idea, I don't know what the weather is, I don't know what park I want to go to, my kids could be sick, I might sleep in etc etc

But you're OK making them 30 days in advance? Sorry, the reasons you just gave for not doing them a week early would also apply a month out.

That being said, I'm also not crazy about LL. I wish they'd go back to original FP. That being said, its the rules in place, so if you don't like it, you're making the right decision, don't go to WDW.

 

[wendlle]

But you're OK making them 30 days in advance? Sorry, the reasons you just gave for not doing them a week early would also apply a month out.

That being said, I'm also not crazy about LL. I wish they'd go back to original FP. That being said, its the rules in place, so if you don't like it, you're making the right decision, don't go to WDW.

again, I'm ok making them 30 days in advance because I DIDN'T pay for them. I'm not sure how more clear I need to be about it.
I'm ok to do something inconvenient if I'm not paying for it. If I didn't end up using those FP then I didn't care - they were free.

If I have to pay then I need to get my money's worth.

 

[Rory607]

yeah, I don't mind making them the day of because I'm at that park and it's on my mind, I know what I want to do and where I want to go. A week before I have no idea, I don't know what the weather is, I don't know what park I want to go to, my kids could be sick, I might sleep in etc etc.
I don't want to make them a week in advance.

If you like this system it is fine, but I don't. Not everyone does. I don't need my answers to be constantly questioned. I am allowed to not like the system.
I'm a disney fan, we all are, but I hate this system and I'm allowed to. I'm a realist, I don't have to like everything they do and I don't have to accept it. They won't miss me, they have millions of visitors, but the way in which I can protest my dislike is by not going back - which is what I intend to do. I won't be back at WDW for quite some time, and if I do visit Orlando I'll spend my time at Universal, I had a far better and cheaper time while I was there.

As for being on vacation for a month, I'm quite poor. I don't have a lot of money, here in Australia we get 2 months paid vacation for Long service leave, I've been at my job for 20 years so I get 2 months off. I have saved for 5 years for this trip. So yeah, If I come off entiltled so be it, I am entitled to my very hard paid for vacation time.

I apologize, entitled wasn’t really the right word. Everyone absolutely deserves earned vacation time. It just seems like your complaint about LL is very specific to your situation, which is is different from the majority of WDW guests.