***Official April 2025 Thread***

[HannaBelle]

I was able to get my LLMP, LLSP and LLPP this morning, easy peasy, no glitches.

Did you buy LLMP and LLSP for the same parks you bought the LLPP?

 

[LKing]

We got our LLMP and SP as well. We are on the west coast so had to wake up at 4 am to do it.

Since I'm not super familiar with the WDW app and I don't want to mess things up... After I've booked a LL attraction, if I select modify and a new time comes up, does it finalize when I tap on select or is there a second confirmation screen so I can back up if I change my mind?

 

[VGCgroupie]

We got our LLMP and SP as well. We are on the west coast so had to wake up at 4 am to do it.

Since I'm not super familiar with the WDW app and I don't want to mess things up... After I've booked a LL attraction, if I select modify and a new time comes up, does it finalize when I tap on select or is there a second confirmation screen so I can back up if I change my mind?

We will be up at 5am for ours. This WDW thing is SOOOO different than DL

 

[robotsneedlove2]

Updated operating hours were posted for the week of April 20 - April 26.

 

[pix13dust]

Did you buy LLMP and LLSP for the same parks you bought the LLPP?

Yes I did! We have 5 adults in our group. 4 got the LLPP and LLSP and 1 got the LLMP. the LLPP and LLMP was for HS. The LLSP was for Rise of the Resistance and Tron.

 

[LKing]

@Plainjane11, @theresemiller2000, @PrincessGidget, @Disturbia how were your vacations?

 

[PrincessGidget]

Awesome thank you.
Weather was perfect, warm, light breeze, no humidity
My first night I got upgraded to a 1BR at BWV. I was all alone that first night so it was very extravagant and I loved it!!!
Had a little plane trouble on the way home but SW was able to get us a new plane pretty quickly.

 

[Disturbia]

@Plainjane11, @theresemiller2000, @PrincessGidget, @Disturbia how were your vacations?

We were super exhausted the first few days on the cruise due to our late flight on 3/28. We ate at McCoys and it took a long time. Checked in at 9:30 am and we didn’t get to board our bus until 10:40 am. Things were smooth thereafter and we were on the ship at noon. Muster drill was in the Marvel restaurant but they didn’t have enough seats so we had standing room only (along with 2 other families in between 2 poles; hard with a child with disabilities). It was semi organized but people kept coming down the elevators with no where to exit (blocking elevators). Wheelchair guests had to hold the elevator open and let everyone pass (no room to move; maybe a CM should have been near to redirect). Post drill we were able to get to the elevators faster and make it to the sail away show (usually we skip due to not being able to make it in time. It was too hot on the pool deck so we just sat next to the bar and watched a bit. The adult area is cramped but had ample room. We skipped the show on day 2 (too exhausted). Spa is not great vs Fantasy. They didn’t have enough changing rooms, amenities (no flip flops available, shower was not clean, only one in size 5!) and the whole place was not kept well. The actual massage was great.

Hiccups: Second seating dinner meant we didn’t get to do the formal night Grand Hallway staircase photos (they closed before 10 pm; on the Fantasy they closed photos at 10:15). Had to rush back from CC (there were delays getting off the ship and we were told not to go down to the gangway until 10:45 am; so we had to cut down an already short day) to give kids a quick bath before heading to Moana (surprisingly lot of empty seats). Note: please be kind to kids with disabilities. Wish they had special seating so the guests infront of us didn’t get neck injuries from giving us the death stare. Didn’t realize they had special seating for kids with disabilities (chairs!) for the pirate show. Btw she was fascinated with the Haunted Mansion parlor (esp the changing Medusa and sailor). She did wear the MB+ (forgot to return btw; reminder didn’t come until after we had our luggage picked up) and loved the kids club+slide down feature and asked to go there everyday (had to force her on the Fantasy). All the running around DD through dense crowds meant steps were 20k routinely for me. The kids slide/splash area doesn’t have a gate and DD kept running to the bigger pools on the lower deck. Aqua mouse took over an hour for DH/DS because they allowed younger kids on that didn’t weigh enough (should have a scale maybe to make sure the weight is enough) and the tube flipped and got stuck. Same thing happened when I rode it on another day (had to team up with a stranger (the back seat person’s legs go under the front seat person’s arms). They couldn’t fix one side at all. One and done. Not enough water pressure in the room shower.

Food was better and flavorful (except the lobster bisque=canned tomato soup) than the Fantasy but we all gained so much weight. Thought the CMs handing food would be a negative/hinderance but it was actually pretty efficient and they were extremely attentive and people were courteous to each other. We didn’t get sick from the buffet so that’s a big positive. Buffet coffee was bad; decaf had more flavor. Hit cove cafe a few times.

Booked 2 Bounceback rooms despite the blackout dates (all holidays) on debarkation day. Thinking of booking a short cruise maybe on one of the older ships.

Went to WDW April 5 reached AOA at 10:15 am and room was ready in 3 mins after that! Ate lunch and headed to Blizzard beach from AOA. Wish they would bring back the gelato station. Had to switch buses at AK and waited 30 mins in 90 degrees (went through water fast). The line was already 2 buses long and was now 3 buses. We were burning up so we booked a Minnie van. It took 15 mins to come and then suddenly 4 buses came and took everyone before we got on the Minnie van (pack some patience). Blizzard beach was at capacity and this was around 12:30 pm; there was no parking so everyone was being turned back.

We spent about 2 hours in the kids area before it had to be shut down due to an accident (I alerted the lifeguard but her reaction was so slow and she didn’t even immediately request everyone to exit the splash area that had floating feces (I saw the child walking out leaking and leaving a long trail). I walked by maybe 10 mins later and there were still parents trying to get their kids out.

35 mins to get an ice cream (no shade); 25 min to get a dole whip from the other side of the park! Did end up using a locker as it was super crowded with little shade. We left around 4 pm. We all agree it was a one and done (and we go every year to WDW). Rather go to Wisconsin Dells. Went to CBR for fish tacos for dinner and the cake bake shop (bought 3 slices (pixie fetti ok, red velvet good and millionaire had buttery cookie and dark chocolate flavor-winner) and a 4 pack of macaroons - rose (winner) and lemon). Always check Skyliner times (fortunately it closed at 11 pm, although Epcot closed at 9 pm)

Sun was MK and we had booked Tron for the evening. It was crowded but we booked SDMT and ride some standby rides that had 15-20 min waits. Ate at Cosmic Rays and left around 12:30 pm. Dinner at 1900 Park Fare was excellent. Winnie the Pooh was down the two times DD tried to ride it. We (DD and I) ride IASW after getting a rider switch for Tron. DH left with the younger kids to hit the Big Blue pool (much better experience vs blizzard beach). Teen and I rode Tron and then Space Mtn (walk on during fireworks) and people mover (had issues so waited 15 mins during fireworks) and then got on Tron standby (posted was 90, fell to 60 when we got in line and actual was 25 mins)

Checkout day was just packing and Topolinos for a late breakfast/lunch. Mears back to the airport - our flight got delayed by 2 hrs! AA seems to always have delays.

Takeaway: would not do a long cruise+short WDW stat again (several WDW days+short cruise would be better).

 

[Tink_83]

Book LLMP, LLSP and one day of LLPP for a few members of our group (for HS for those who can go on all the rides there) - take away, booking for a group with mixed rides makes this more time consuming - that said I was able to organize everything in the end to what we wanted but it took a bit of time

 

[HannaBelle]

We are back from our trip and absolutely loved the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. We walked on every ride in less than 10 minutes. If it is affordable for you and your family, I highly recommend.

My only complaint is regarding the unnecessary holdups at the LL entrance. We experienced groups of people that did not know how to scan or weren’t ready with their tickets/phones/magic band, or they were literally standing in front of the scanners while waiting for the remainder of their party to arrive rather than waiting away from the entrance, or they did not realize there were 2 or more scanners to use or one person was scanning cards for every single party member while the remainder of the party members were bunched up blocking the whole entrance. That is people not being situationally aware.

Honesty, that is a very minor complaint and not really anything Disney can do about it.

As always, there were lots of overstimulated/exhausted children screaming and crying, people stopping right in the walkway, all of which is to be expected at Disney, but there were also lots of happy children and multi-generational families having fun. Unfortunately, this time we saw more entitled adults behaving badly than in the past. I felt so sorry for the cast members; I would not have handled the situation with as much grace and professionalism as the CM’s.

New to us on this trip:

Fantasmic!
The new Fantasmic! is really good, but I would have liked to see more character interaction with the excessive amount of water usage, and imagery. I absolutely loved all of the fire and fireworks and music. Maleficent dragon was awesome, but Jafar’s snake was a little underwhelming.

Guardians of the Galaxy
Very fun, very comfortable roller coaster, but I would have loved to see more video screens with images instead of the dark areas of the coaster with the white lights, imitating stars. It felt very Space Mountain in some areas, but was not nearly as jerky. It was good, but not AMAZING! I love Chris Pratt and wanted more of the guardians on my GotG roller coaster.

TRON
Very fun, but honestly lacked over-the-top theming. In comparison to Rise of the Resistance, Minnie and Mickey‘s Runaway Railway, and Remy‘s I left wanting more color and imagery.

We have a longer trip planned for December and I am so excited!

 

[mom2lillie]

Got lightning lanes this morning (7 days out). I've watched videos and read all the things and one thing I didn't realize was that you basically can pick your times. It pops up with a time but you can modify to any time throughout the day (assuming there's availability). I thought you had to just take what they gave you. I love the option but that was a lot of thinking before I even had my coffee. Ha! Got everything we wanted and more! Super easy.

 

[LKing]

Got lightning lanes this morning (7 days out). I've watched videos and read all the things and one thing I didn't realize was that you basically can pick your times. It pops up with a time but you can modify to any time throughout the day (assuming there's availability). I thought you had to just take what they gave you. I love the option but that was a lot of thinking before I even had my coffee. Ha! Got everything we wanted and more! Super easy.

We just returned after spending10 days in the parks. Everyone's experience is different, but we found it very difficult to modify times once in the parks. In many instances, we would grab a LL for the afternoon/evening but ended up going on the attraction via standby earlier in the day. The shows in AK ran out of LL very early in the day. We did them all via standby and there was plenty of seating. I'm not sure why the number of LL spaces were so limited.

 

[LKing]

My only complaint is regarding the unnecessary holdups at the LL entrance. We experienced groups of people that did not know how to scan or weren’t ready with their tickets/phones/magic band, or they were literally standing in front of the scanners while waiting for the remainder of their party to arrive rather than waiting away from the entrance, or they did not realize there were 2 or more scanners to use or one person was scanning cards for every single party member while the remainder of the party members were bunched up blocking the whole entrance. That is people not being situationally aware.

Yes!!! Not only at LL but also at the park entrance as well. If someone had a difficult time scanning into the park, the CM watching called for help but didn't ask the party to stand to the side so others could enter. At the attractions, CM were not directing people to use all of the LL touch points available (ex. HM has four). They were helping people with problems and watching their tablets.

The few attractions that were still available for LLMP later in the day (ex. Buzz), had very long LL lines - both to tap in as well as to get on the ride.

 

[pix13dust]

We got back a few days ago. Only did a long weekend. We had 2 day park hoppers. I got the premier pass for one of the days. If it’s in your budget, do it. We got it for HS. We got so many rides and shows done in 5 hours. We ended up staying in the park 9 hours and added on a sit down dinner, lunch, Oga’s, shopping. We never felt rushed, hopped to MK to close out the night. It was also nice to sleep in that day.

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Can any of you that already had your April trip share the early entry procedures? Thanks!

 

[LKing]

Can any of you that already had your April trip share the early entry procedures? Thanks!

Sorry, we stayed off site. However, we arrived prior to park opening on most days. At EPCOT, they held regular entry near guest relations on the left of Spaceship Earth. EE were directed to the right side. At DHS, we entered the park and were stopped just before Tower of Terror. A CM asked if we were resort guests. We said we weren't so he directed us to the small lines that had started for RnR and ToT. Early Entry guests walked past us to the attraction. As soon as it was 9:00, they let us onto the rides. At MK, off site guests were held at the end of Main Street while EE guests were allowed into certain lands.

 

[jgl130]

Just got back. To add to @LKing’s post, if you’re staying onsite, they’ll scan one of your bands or tickets per party then let you through to the attraction or land.

I’d recommend getting there (tapping in) at least 30 minutes before early entry to allow time for security and walking to your first attention. If you’re rope dropping FoP I’d say 45 so you’re at the front of the pack heading to Pandora.

Sometimes they’ll start running the attractions earlier than early entry starts.

I will say when we rope dropped early entry for HS last Tuesday, Rise, Mickey and Slinky all were down and didn’t open until after regular rope drop. So be prepared for a back up plan. We were planning on Mickey, then pivoted to Tower of Terror and did it twice in a row, then headed to Toy Story Mania where our first LL was.