Plan Ahead with Lightning Lane Entry at Walt Disney World Starting July 24

[TinkB278]

I kinda wish you were just limited to 3 selections. Period. Seems most of the conversations, with this new LLMP, Genie+ or FP+ are not about the initial selections, but rather, about the additional, 4th, 5th...selections. How to constantly refresh to modify. How to get the earliest return times to get to the 4th selection sooner. How to stack. The best strategy, hack, insider info, loophole, gaming the system. Having read this thread, and many, many, many other threads over many, many years of being a DIS fan, most of the discussion, disappointment and frustration surrounds the subsequent selections.
I think if we were able to choose to pay extra for 3 advanced selections, and that's it, there would be much, much less discussion and debate over the system, less time spent looking at the phone and less stress.

You don’t have to use more than three ride reservations though… if being on the phone is a concern just make your three and be done with it for the day.

 

[fatmanatee]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tr...y-continues-to-bleed-customer-dry/ar-BB1qyPY4

They definitely upped their prices. We paid $27 MK / $20 Tron /$12 7DMT on July 18th . EP $19 / GotG $15 July 19th. DHS $22 / RoTR $22 July 20. & ILL$ FoP $14 July 21.

Must be a busier week this week. In order to save money in the future, might be best to attend certain parks with lower attendance those days. Given the excess fees, almost might be better to go for after hours or parties now. Although we weren't able to book the same ride to ride again in G+. We were able to ride some rides twice same day by going EE/RD and then getting LL for later on that day.

With the old FP+ system the only way we were able to ride rides twice was going to the same park 2 different days and going to MNSSHP. Refresh didn't work and popular rides were taken.

Seeing a lot of the bolded prices for this Friday (some are unavailable, not sure if it's because they sold out already?) and MK was $29 for a couple of days earlier this month. We'll see as more data comes out but I'm not expecting a noticeable price increase until the holidays ramp up.

 

[FuzzyPeach]

Maybe my brain is oversimplifying this....we used to be able to do this, months in advance (if staying onsite) for FREE. And it worked great and we never had problems booking more rides the day of after we used each FP+. Now the same thing can be done, 7 days in advance, for a cost. And people are already complaining, 4-5 hours into the very first day, and predicting terrible experiences for future trips where they will only have 3 rides to do? Did y'all never do Disney in the FP+ days?

I feel like maybe we need to resurrect some old FP+ threads on how it works? And how successful it was as a FREE service. You have to understand that only a fraction of the people who used it as a FREE service will now pay in advance for it?

Also, with FP+, the last time I used it anyways, I could get FP+ for the same ride multiple times a day (after it was used) if there was still availability.

Also seeing several comments aimed at people choosing to buy LLMP for every day of their trip being a bad decision. But no comments about buying LLSP for rides that you could possibly get a VQ for FREE the morning of?

With it being a paid service now, my gut says more people will take the time to properly learn it and will put more effort into utilizing it for 3 worthwhile selections as well as extras. I think we will see less casual use, and more people gunning for the big attractions and not spreading bookings to the attractions that should never need it, but we’re being booked for free in the FP+ days.

So I agree there should be less people using it, but I think we may find it’s a more educated and strategic group using it because it’s paid. We also can’t forget that unlike FP+, this system removes the biggest hitter(s) in the park and sticks them in a separate system.

 

[disney-inspired]

So many rides seem to be booked up is what people have been seeing. If the next ride you want isn't available, you need to keep refreshing over and over to see if it might pop up. It's what you had to do with the old FP system as well as G+.

A whole lot less than the people currently in the park oblivious to the changes that happened.

I'm also thinking that Disney is definitely holding some back for offsite guests - they would never tell us of course.

 

[Cabius]

I'm very interested to see how this goes as is everyone else I'm sure. I am also very glad we aren't there until the end of October so we have time to learn the system prior.

Even more interesting is the crowds lately have been lower than predicted at least according to Touring Plans.

For example, the past week:

July 23 Predicted 7, observed 5
July 22 Predicted 6, observed 5
July 21 Predicted 5, observed 3
July 20 Predicted 5, observed 3
July 19 Predicted 6, observed 4
July 18 Predicted 6, observed 4
July 17 Predicted 6, observed 5
July 16 Predicted 6, observed 4

I know TP usually seems to predict a bit on the higher side, but if the observed crowds the past week are correct then it's showing a bit lesser crowds.

If rides are showing no availability and going fast, then I can't imagine with observed crowds at 7+

It's also possible that Disney is managing LL inventory differently, for various reasons.

If we knew for sure that Disney allocated 70% of estimated ride capacity to LLs, and that they made all of that capacity available at earliest booking, and that they did so consistently between FP+, G+, and LLMP, then we could get a good sense of demand. But in reality, Disney can pull levers that wildly impact availability, and we have no transparency into that process.

Maybe LL capacity is untouched, in which case Tier 1 rides selling out quickly would reflect an increase in demand. (Tier 2 sellout is more complicated. Between the ability to book multiple passes at once and the removal of character experiences, demand for Tier 2 attractions will be higher in LLMP than in G+. But guests can pre-book at most one Tier 1 attraction, just like they could book only one attraction total under G+. Even assuming every G+ buyer used their first pass on a 'Tier 1' ride, faster sellout times implies higher uptake, assuming equal distribution of capacity.)

But it's also possible that they are allocating less capacity to LLs, or at least holding back more capacity in reserve to drip out throughout the day. I've seen times pop up for Big Thunder and Space Mountain off and on. That could just be people adjusting plans, or it could be sporadic drops.

Looking at sellout times on thrill-data, today is selling out shockingly earlier than recent Genie+ averages. Haunted Mansion went from an average 8:16PM sellout to 7:58AM! (I'm not sure if that's Eastern Time or if the website is converting to my central time zone, but either way that's before park opening.) That implies a MASSIVE spike in usage, or else a big reduction in start-of-day capacity allocation. Given pretty average wait times at the park today, and already-high rates of Genie+ adoption, it's really difficult to imagine how that is possible unless (a) it's a blip as hordes of guests try out the new system, and/or (b) Disney is sharply reducing LL capacity in order to either allocate more to Standby, or to drip more throughout the day.

This could all be wishful thinking on my part, but it'll be interesting to see the data as it materializes over time.

 

[FuzzyPeach]

I kinda wish you were just limited to 3 selections. Period. Seems most of the conversations, with this new LLMP, Genie+ or FP+ are not about the initial selections, but rather, about the additional, 4th, 5th...selections. How to constantly refresh to modify. How to get the earliest return times to get to the 4th selection sooner. How to stack. The best strategy, hack, insider info, loophole, gaming the system. Having read this thread, and many, many, many other threads over many, many years of being a DIS fan, most of the discussion, disappointment and frustration surrounds the subsequent selections.
I think if we were able to choose to pay extra for 3 advanced selections, and that's it, there would be much, much less discussion and debate over the system, less time spent looking at the phone and less stress.

People are focused on this because for a lot of people the per day cost of this is too high to only get 1-3 in demand attractions using it.

 

[ST1TCH]

You can't get multiple rides any more using this system. (Or the old G+)

Have you ever ridden GotG? It is well worth a VQ and purchased ride, especially since there is no standby line. For me there has never been a need to buy G+ for AK or Epcot so I wouldn't do LLMP there.

I agree on the multiple rides - I was saying that because a prior post said it couldn't be done with FP+.

Yes I have ridden GotG once so far. Really looking forward to my future rides. I'm just saying that people are being chastised for paying in advance for LLMP for AK & Epcot, even though I can see the mindset that it's a good feeling to know it's already planned. But no one is batting an eye at paying the same price for a LLSP as an entire park's LLMP. Day of, if I don't get the VQ, then yes I'll consider the LLSP, but some of those are just too rich for my blood in advance.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

I believe you are confusing the ability to "Pre Book" up to 3 rides and the hypothetical ability to "Start Over" once inside the park. I do not believe that can happen, "one at a time" after using first would apply.

No, I understand it but I am trying to understand what is possible. I get the "pre book". It is not clear to me (without someone trying) whether it really is "one at a time" or whether you can modify to then get three rides at another park. If you can't modify then can you leave the two spots unbooked and just book them the day of (after scanning into the first ride).

My thought is "one at a time" applies to adding new selections. Since you can never hold more than three, you have to use one to add one.

However, you should be able to modify any existing selection up until the start of the arrival window.

So, hypothetically, park hoppers who use 1 selection (or even let it expire?) will trigger a spot to open up. This would technically trigger all parks for all tiers to open up for all 3 slots? At that point, someone could then modify all 3 selections to a new park??

 

[gottalovepluto]

… And people are already complaining, 4-5 hours into the very first day, and predicting terrible experiences for future trips…

You must be new around these parts

 

[DisneyFive]

Today is an abnormally high usage day. Typically, onsite and offsite guests will be able to book 7 and 3 days in advance, respectively. That spreads out the bookings. Many of the guest booking MPLL's today are those that WOULD HAVE booked in the past 7 days if they could have. They had to wait until today. So today you not only have "day of" people booking their MPLL's, but also those that wanted to up to a week ago but had to wait until today. You also have those that are now booking their future stays up to 3-7+ days out.

 

[FuzzyPeach]

Today is an abnormally high usage day. Typically, onsite and offsite guests will be able to book 7 and 3 days in advance, respectively. That spreads out the bookings. Many of the guest booking MPLL's today are those that WOULD HAVE booked in the past 7 days if they could have. They had to wait until today. So today you not only have "day of" people booking their MPLL's, but also those that wanted to up to a week ago but had to wait until today. You also have those that are now booking their future stays up to 3-7+ days out.

This shouldn’t impact how availability looked post park opening though, and that looked slim. It might be abnormally high in the sense that there are more people testing it out than normal, however it’s also not that high of a crowd day.

 

[tx911]

2pm and we have zero Tier 1 availability at MK, and many of the Tier 2s are also unavailable.

Also both LLSP are unavailable at MK.

I'm really hoping this is not going to be the how things are in the future.

 

[DisneyFive]

For those talking about only booking one MPLL in advance, I think you want to consider what future "day of" availability will be. I would rather have 3 rides booked ahead of time that I know are guaranteed. You could always modify them day of if you decide to. You can also decide to modify them after you've tapped into your first attraction and you aren't restricted to tier 1 anymore. Personally I'm still going to prebook 3 for each park day. It just secures more just in case.

 

[Dave006]

This is your Post that I responded:

So, if you enter a park and use your first ride (let's say it is a Tier 1 ride), can you then cancel your two Tier 2 rides, and book 3 rides at any park (Tier 1 or Tier 2, subject to availability)? Might be helpful if, for example, you start at EPCOT but plan to go to Magic Kingdom later.

So, for example, let's say you book an early Tier 1 and 2 other Tier 2s at EPCOT, then scan into the early Tier 1 ride, cancel the two remaining Tier 2's, and immediately book 3 rides (Tier 1 or Tier 2) over at Magic Kingdom. I presume you need to scan into the first EPCOT ride before doing any of this. Correct?

The risk is that many rides are gone at MK by the time you scan into the early Tier 1 EPCOT ride but can help stack some rides later in the day - especially if you don't care about the Tier 2 EPCOT rides.

You were booking 2 Tier 2 attractions for no reason there is no magic "Modification" slots to reuse.

I don't think the use case is that fabricated. I want to start the day at EPCOT and then go over to Magic Kingdom. I have two choices that I am considering:

I never claimed your use case or any other poster had a fabricated use case.

1. Book all three experiences at Magic Kingdom and handle EPCOT on my own (via rope drop, stand by lines, etc.); or,

Just decide if you want to book 1 or 2 or 3 experiences in Epcot. Once you tap in the your first experience then you can book your 3 experiences in MK if you want to if there is availability for your MK choices.

2. Book one early Tier 1 ride at EPCOT and then use LLMP solely for Magic Kingdom. The problem is figuring out how to book the MK rides as quickly as possible (whether they ideally be Tier 1 but even potentially Tier 2). I can't book the two remaining spots for MK in advance. I need to wait until the EPCOT ride is scanned and, then, I am free to book MK. My concern/risk is that MK has scarce availability for the best rides by the time I scan in for the EPCOT ride. But I may prefer all of those choices to the Tier 2 EPCOT rides.

Correct you still need to tap in at an Epcot attraction to unlock the ability to book any MK experiences for later in the day. There is no real ability to use "stacking" using the old 2 hour rule from Genie+ in the new system.

My question on option #2 but was just making sure that all of that was feasible (or the best way to do it). It sounds like it doesn't matter whether I use the two slots for two Tier 2 EPCOT rides and then modify them or, alternatively, keep them open and then book 3 MK rides once I scan into the EPCOT ride.

Correct booking additional experiences that you don't plan to actually use in Epcot just causes churn in the app for no benefit to you. Starting your day in Epcot, using 1 experience and then hopping to MK would only save you a few dollars. What is your time worth? Why not just book your initial selections for the time you want to use them in MK?

What type of ticket would you be using for visit as it makes a difference?

Dave

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

If you don't tap in, the booking will expire at the end of the stated return-time window, and you can then book something else (includng a tier 1 if that's still available).

Andre

Does this give AK guests with first LL return a jump on everybody else since that park (usually) opens first?

 

[DisneyFive]

This shouldn’t impact how availability looked post park opening though, and that looked slim. It might be abnormally high in the sense that there are more people testing it out than normal, however it’s also not that high of a crowd day.

Agree that there are also a lot of "testers" in the parks today to provide feedback about the system to various media. That also taxes the system today.

There is a lot more shuffling and adjusting today due to the fact that no-one was able to prebook for the day. Looking forward, say a month from now on Aug 24th, many of the guests will have had their 3 attractions locked in days before, for specific times. There won't be as much chaos in the system as today especially. There's always folks adjusting "on the fly" but today is a special case for sure.

 

[RedmonFamily]

Does this give AK guests with first LL return a jump on everybody else since that park (usually) opens first?

Very true, if you were planning on park hopping this would be a good place to start.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Below is a question I found on planDisney (asked on July 18th):

If I have purchased the new Lightning Lane Multipass for the day and made all my pre-selections at one park, can I modify the second two reservations to another park after scanning into my first ride?​

You will be happy to know that once you've used a Lightning Lane Multi Pass or the arrival window has passed, you can pick another Lightning Lane Multi Pass experience in a different theme park if you have Park Hopper benefits. You can do this in advance, as long as it's available, right up until the start of the next arrival window, using your My Disney Experience app.

 

[HeiHei2018]

Do we have any in-park confirmation that letting a LLMP expire opens a slot that can be used for any tier and any park?
And do they expire right at the end time like G+?

 

[Dave006]

Does this give AK guests with first LL return a jump on everybody else since that park (usually) opens first?

What LLMP reservation do you think you need in AK at 7 AM or 8 AM or are you just trying to make additional Tier 1 / Tier 2 experiences without any Tier restrictions for MK or HS for example?

We don't really know as the MK is able to process more guests per minute per attraction with 3 days or more advanced purchased LLMP and even LLSP . Even with AK opening at 7 AM.

It really comes down to if or when Disney is dropping addition experience slots thorough out the day.

Dave