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

[accm]

Currently you only get the price difference charged if you are making changes before you tap into your first. We will need to keep watching how it works over some time.

This all Disney has posted on the matter... and they have posted nothing about pricing adjustments between park selection if you change your park or date in advance...

• Change your selected park and/or date in advance (subject to availability)—up until the moment you redeem your first Lightning Lane selection of the day.

Dave

I can confirm that there is a price adjustment for a more expensive park/date, and no adjustment for a cheaper one. I can post screenshots if you'd like.

Once I'm at the park, I can try to change one of my tier 2 rides to see what my options are. Can I modify it to a tier 1 without loosing my other tier 1 (which is later in the day)? Can I modify to a completely different park?

 

[AttheParks]

Oh man, I feel ranty. We got so much out of genie+ we thought it was a *value*. This new system seems horrendous unless you’re okay with just doing these 3 rides you pre-pick and standby the rest with maybe a random LL available in the evening here or there. So far it does not seem to allow for that land by land immediate use.

People are posting how *easy* it was to book their three and how it was great but that’s only a small piece of the puzzle - to keep up with genie+ for many it’s about getting an 7th… 8th… 12th!!

The thing that was nice about Genie+ is everything was released in chronological order. It allowed for 99% of the “tier 2’s” to be open for immediate use. And you were able to gauge the higher ticket ride sell out times by how late they were getting in the app. You could plan accordingly for the day on the day when it made sense.

Thrill data released a chart for thunder mountain the other day that showed the day before with genie+ - a nice steady even line - vs this new system, with it selling out early in the day.

As of (before 9am) this morning pirates return was 7pm!!!

As a big genie+ user this is insane to me!!! I have never seen things like 7DMT sell out until later in the day - and now it can days in advance!!

Personally, I would much rather be up at 7 and have everything released in order than be on my phone constantly checking for refreshes and jumping to all ends of the park based on what I can get on now! Sure, you were on your phone with genie+ but it really was just to book your next ride, not hoping for something to come up for something like pirates. It was quick and simple! With Genie+ (minus the “tier 1’s) you could go land by land! And get on everything! The tier 1’s did sell out earlier, but there was at least still the option to get them day of, and we always *easily* got another tier 1 as a second or even third pick. This is so all over the place, and I don’t think it’s just because it’s new, I think it’s the way the system is designed.

Personally I feel deflated. Our first trip with genie+ we had this feeling of getting that disney magic back. I think it was getting on so many rides so smoothly. It was such a fun day! The year after - the same thing!! It was a joy!! We couldn’t believe how well genie+ worked!

I’m looking forward to our trip less and less. I wish I waited to buy non refundable things. Or waited to tell the kids we are going. Travel insurance won’t cover I hate the new lightening lane and don’t want to do this lol. MK was always the first park but now I’m thinking it should be later to get that 7 “+” window. Otherwise youre up against way more people and the availability will stink! Unfortunately we already booked a split stay and will be at the MK hotel first.

This is going to be hard for those genie+ users like myself who knew how to work the system and haven’t waited in a standby line for years now

I mean why couldn’t we all just have sucked it up a little and gotten up at 7, booked a ride, and gone back to sleep for a bit?!

THIS! I have watched many well-known blogger videos and all of them agree- the ease of use is there, but ride selection after first 3 stinks! I don't want my options to be Monsters, Inc or Pixar Movies - please!! They all say much more time is needed on the phone to constantly try to modify and wait for drops. As of now, from just watching the app, I am not a fan. I guess I'll find out starting Saturday.
I can't even imagine how bad this will be during holiday times. Disney really should know from their Genie+ data how many people a ride can handle in LL. They are definitely not releasing all they could. And they do need to add character M&G back in - I can understand if they do this day of.

 

[jennypenny]

I mean why couldn’t we all just have sucked it up a little and gotten up at 7, booked a ride, and gone back to sleep for a bit?!

Yeah, I was really wrong about G+. I didn't like getting up and setting an alarm for every two hours but we usually got what we wanted.

I've discovered I'm also really tired of learning new systems just to take our vacations. I don't mind incremental improvements, but Disney keeps changing things to the point where you're forced to learn the ins and outs every time or you won't get your money's worth. I think I'm just burned out. Vacations shouldn't be a part-time job. 20+ years of DVC and this might be the end of the road.

 

[Dave006]

I can confirm that there is a price adjustment for a more expensive park/date, and no adjustment for a cheaper one. I can post screenshots if you'd like.

No worries that would be the expected behavior only higher price differences result in a price adjustment. Credits would generate complexities with how to manage a credit back to the original purchase method: credit, debit, gift card or other payment method or even more complex holding a stored credit within the MDE environment.

Once I'm at the park, I can try to change one of my tier 2 rides to see what my options are. Can I modify it to a tier 1 without loosing my other tier 1 (which is later in the day)? Can I modify to a completely different park?

Right now you are only able to change your Tier 2 to another Tier 2 before you tap in to your first experience. Once you tap in to your first experience then Tiers go away and you are able to book any experience in the same park or another park with no Tier restrictions.

Dave

 

[gottalovepluto]

Something doesn’t make sense about the availability I’ve seen reported. It was estimated that DAS was using an enormous amount of LL capacity. They have drastically cut down on DAS usage, so theoretically Mulitpass should have a better availability of time slots than Genie+ did.

TLDR; Disney in currently in the process of discovering what their none-DAS LL capacity is.

All old DAS are now out of the system as of last weekend (DAS approved under old rules 5/19 for trip starting 30 days later 6/19 valid for 30 days from there if you were an AP so Sat- 7/19). Despite shorter LL waits this summer we didn’t receive reports about changing G+ availability. Everyone assumed Disney would shift that availability to G+. Disney didn’t. Given the timing of all of it it’s very apparent they were waiting for this new program to come out when of guests were under the new DAS rules- so hopefully they will now increase capacity to more appropriate levels. In the meantime people like myself are now buying LLMP since we don’t qualify under the DAS program.

So yeah, demand for LLMP is higher- and Disney is charging full summer prices while using everyone there now as capacity guinea pigs. It’s good to be King Mouse.

 

[Minnie1222]

Something doesn’t make sense about the availability I’ve seen reported. It was estimated that DAS was using an enormous amount of LL capacity. They have drastically cut down on DAS usage, so theoretically Mulitpass should have a better availability of time slots than Genie+ did. It doesn’t, though, in fact it’s much worse from reports.

I'm not DAS, but I've been using Genie+ for 99.99% since its inception until its demise. I've said all along that the majority of guests I've seen in the lightning queue could NOT have been DAS. Our last G+ days were 07/20/24 to 07/22/24, which I believe were after the DAS cut down. In theory, our lines should be significantly shorter but they were not. The length of the queue and the demographic of the LL guests I saw remained virtually the same.

 

[accm]

Right now you are only able to change your Tier 2 to another Tier 2 before you tap in to your first experience. Once you tap in to your first experience then Tiers go away and you are able to book any experience in the same park or another park with no Tier restrictions.

Dave

Have you seen someone modify one of their first 2 tier 2 selections after taping in to either a Tier 1 or a different park? I know that when you're booking your 4th selection, tiers and parks no longer matter, but what I'm wondering is if it system is smart enough to know you haven't used up 2 tier 2 attractions yet. I haven't seen anyone try that yet and post if they were successful or not.

 

[FrancisK7]

Did you just take the default that was offered or did you try the "Modify" link to see multiple available times?

Dave

Tried modify multiple times

App is buggy

Sometimes on tip board it shows earlier availability but if you go into modify window it’s a later time

 

[Dave006]

Have you seen someone modify one of their first 2 tier 2 selections after taping in to either a Tier 1 or a different park?

I have not seen any reports and I don't expect that Disney has that complex of a logic process this early in LLMP. Here is all Disney has posted on the topic:

• On the day of your park visit, once you redeem a Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection (or once the arrival window has passed), you can use the My Disney Experience app to check availability for another Lightning Lane Multi Pass experience—and add to your plans.

You can make one at a time until regular park closing (subject to availability). If your park admission includes Park Hopper benefits, you can even choose a Lightning Lane Multi Pass experience in a different theme park.

Dave

 

[Bound4DisneyWorld]

Oh man, I feel ranty. We got so much out of genie+ we thought it was a *value*. This new system seems horrendous unless you’re okay with just doing these 3 rides you pre-pick and standby the rest with maybe a random LL available in the evening here or there. So far it does not seem to allow for that land by land immediate use.

People are posting how *easy* it was to book their three and how it was great but that’s only a small piece of the puzzle - to keep up with genie+ for many it’s about getting an 7th… 8th… 12th!!

The thing that was nice about Genie+ is everything was released in chronological order. It allowed for 99% of the “tier 2’s” to be open for immediate use. And you were able to gauge the higher ticket ride sell out times by how late they were getting in the app. You could plan accordingly for the day on the day when it made sense.

Thrill data released a chart for thunder mountain the other day that showed the day before with genie+ - a nice steady even line - vs this new system, with it selling out early in the day.

As of (before 9am) this morning pirates return was 7pm!!!

As a big genie+ user this is insane to me!!! I have never seen things like 7DMT sell out until later in the day - and now it can days in advance!!

Personally, I would much rather be up at 7 and have everything released in order than be on my phone constantly checking for refreshes and jumping to all ends of the park based on what I can get on now! Sure, you were on your phone with genie+ but it really was just to book your next ride, not hoping for something to come up for something like pirates. It was quick and simple! With Genie+ (minus the “tier 1’s) you could go land by land! And get on everything! The tier 1’s did sell out earlier, but there was at least still the option to get them day of, and we always *easily* got another tier 1 as a second or even third pick. This is so all over the place, and I don’t think it’s just because it’s new, I think it’s the way the system is designed.

Personally I feel deflated. Our first trip with genie+ we had this feeling of getting that disney magic back. I think it was getting on so many rides so smoothly. It was such a fun day! The year after - the same thing!! It was a joy!! We couldn’t believe how well genie+ worked!

I’m looking forward to our trip less and less. I wish I waited to buy non refundable things. Or waited to tell the kids we are going. Travel insurance won’t cover I hate the new lightening lane and don’t want to do this lol. MK was always the first park but now I’m thinking it should be later to get that 7 “+” window. Otherwise youre up against way more people and the availability will stink! Unfortunately we already booked a split stay and will be at the MK hotel first.

This is going to be hard for those genie+ users like myself who knew how to work the system and haven’t waited in a standby line for years now

I mean why couldn’t we all just have sucked it up a little and gotten up at 7, booked a ride, and gone back to sleep for a bit?!

So many points I agree with.

• Genie+ was designed to get 2-3 Lightning Lane reservations per day (that’s what the copy on the Genie+ site said). Now, with this new system, they have that limit pretty much locked in. If you knew how to work the Genie+ system, you could get far more than that.
• Even as an onsite Guest, I HATE the classism that this system creates. PITA getting up at 7am? Maybe. But everyone was on a level playing field. Now, onsite Guests get some advantage but even with that, Guests with shorter stays and split stays will have less availability from which to choose. Disneyland is playing to locals, but even as a tourist, I LOVE their Genie+/Lightning Lane. You can’t book anything until you scan in at a park. Even if you don’t want to go in at rope drop, the availability lasts well into the afternoon for most rides.
• There’s a reason they’re not charging for a multiple park option anymore with this system. There’s no availability for the in-demand rides by the time you park hop. Choosing to not sell a multiple park option, to me, is evidence that the disadvantages of this system are by design and are not so much growing pains or an unintended flaw.
• I’m looking today and every last Single Pass experience is sold out for the day??? That’s crazy to me. I mean Disney is getting theirs, but nuts to people popping in for the day, right? Nuts to flexibility and spontaneity, right? For example: if the plan was Animal Kingdom in the morning, then we decide to park hop to Epcot after 1:00 (without having planned to do so), there’s no way to ride Guardians. The VQ will have already been booked up and all of the Single Passes will have been gone since even before park opening.
• It also sucks that I did enough Genie+ research to earn some sort of certification. Now, all of the information is irrelevant.

This really just feels like more Disney shrinkflation to me. They don’t charge more (yet), but they reduce the product.

 

[jeneric997]

I am updating for anyone who might have a CM and use the guest passes. We are staying on property, but because CM's guest passes can't be assigned to people it didn't recognize that the guest pass should be able to make LL 7 days out. This is not new, there have always been issues with using guest passes and Genie+. Today we were 3 days out and DD could book things for Monday. We were trying to get GOG and it was too late in the day for our plans. She can try VQ, we just wanted a set time. She will try tomorrow for Tuesday, thank goodness she is always up at 7am on workdays!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Why are the LLSP selling out so quickly when just a few days ago they would be available almost all day? On Tuesday my daughter bought a guardians pass in the afternoon for that evening.

Is Disney releasing for fewer? This one has me confused.

 

[Dave006]

Tried modify multiple times

App is buggy

Sometimes on tip board it shows earlier availability but if you go into modify window it’s a later time

Not clear the App is buggy vs everyone trying to get LLMP selections. Unless there is a Pass drop then you are all fighting for a very limited number of passes at the same time.

Dave

 

[danikoski]

So many points I agree with.

• Genie+ was designed to get 2-3 Lightning Lane reservations per day (that’s what the copy on the Genie+ site said). Now, with this new system, they have that limit pretty much locked in. If you knew how to work the Genie+ system, you could get far more than that.
• Even as an onsite Guest, I HATE the classism that this system creates. PITA getting up at 7am? Maybe. But everyone was on a level playing field. Now, onsite Guests get some advantage but even with that, Guests with shorter stays and split stays will have less availability from which to choose. Disneyland is playing to locals, but even as a tourist, I LOVE their Genie+/Lightning Lane. You can’t book anything until you scan in at a park. Even if you don’t want to go in at rope drop, the availability lasts well into the afternoon for most rides.
• There’s a reason they’re not charging for a multiple park option anymore with this system. There’s no availability for the in-demand rides by the time you park hop. Choosing to not sell a multiple park option, to me, is evidence that the disadvantages of this system are by design and are not so much growing pains or an unintended flaw.
• I’m looking today and every last Single Pass experience is sold out for the day??? That’s crazy to me. I mean Disney is getting theirs, but nuts to people popping in for the day, right? Nuts to flexibility and spontaneity, right? For example: if the plan was Animal Kingdom in the morning, then we decide to park hop to Epcot after 1:00 (without having planned to do so), there’s no way to ride Guardians. The VQ will have already been booked up and all of the Single Passes will have been gone since even before park opening.
• It also sucks that I did enough Genie+ research to earn some sort of certification. Now, all of the information is irrelevant.

This really just feels like more Disney shrinkflation to me. They don’t charge more (yet), but they reduce the product.

The regular multi pass it looks like they are dropping more day of and possibly later in the day. The thing that is concerning is the single pass. Those should be more available. Up until the change over, the ILL for several rides was available well into the morning, and some into the afternoon. The multi pass I think is working pretty much as intended, but the single pass seems to be wonky.

 

[Dave006]

Today we were 3 days out and DD could book things for Monday. We were trying to get GOG and it was too late in the day for our plans

Did your daughter try to modify the time for GoTG? Right now GoTG is sold out for Monday, July 29th.

ETA: fixed missing 2 in July 29th so that me and @Tom_E_D don't have to address this typo further down the thread...

Dave

 

[accm]

Not clear the App is buggy vs everyone trying to get LLMP selections. Unless there is a Pass drop then you are all fighting for a very limited number of passes at the same time.

Dave

App is definitely buggy. I'll select to modify my Buzz LL, and it'll show Pirates at the top. Or it continues telling me there are earlier times available, but whenever I try to modify, that time is no longer available. And definitely not just everyone fighting for a limited number of passes, since the time being shown hasn't changed since this morning, even though that time is definitely not available.

 

[danikoski]

Why are the LLSP selling out so quickly when just a few days ago they would be available almost all day? On Tuesday my daughter bought a guardians pass in the afternoon for that evening.

Is Disney releasing for fewer? This one has me confused.

I just posted basically the same thing. The multi pass seems to be working as intended and pretty much as I expected. The the SP not being available at all seems really weird.

 

[Dave006]

And definitely not just everyone fighting for a limited number of passes, since the time being shown hasn't changed since this morning, even though that time is definitely not available.

Well it appears that Disney is following this thread as they have fixed several bugs since it went live on Wednesday. Posting specific odd behavior in the app is much clearer then just the "app is buggy". Many bugs can be addressed without the need to push a new version of the MDE app.

The same issue with feedback reported in the App store. That feedback is routed to someone to evaluate and make a bug fix if they can determine exactly what the guest is trying to report.

Dave

 

[Tink9721]

We love to do early entry since my kids and I are all super early risers anyways. One thing I liked about Genie+ is it took away the need for early entry for those who wanted to sleep in. Now I’m not really seeing the benefit of LLMP unless you get there early and have 3 early times you can try and tap in to get new times before 10/11 am. I can see it pushing people to go for early entry again.

Sure, but people who like to sleep in, like me, don't want to get up at 7:00 every day of their vacation. Pre-booking is a much better option for night owls.

 

[seelyt2]

Were her tickets assigned/transferred to you in MDE? We're headed down in two weeks to visit our DD who's finishing her DCP and we plan to use her Chip and Dale tickets and wondering how this will go. Not sure if it's really worth it by reading everything here. Also wondering if we'll have the 7 day advantage by staying on site, but will have her tickets. So complicated

I am updating for anyone who might have a CM and use the guest passes. We are staying on property, but because CM's guest passes can't be assigned to people it didn't recognize that the guest pass should be able to make LL 7 days out. This is not new, there have always been issues with using guest passes and Genie+. Today we were 3 days out and DD could book things for Monday. We were trying to get GOG and it was too late in the day for our plans. She can try VQ, we just wanted a set time. She will try tomorrow for Tuesday, thank goodness she is always up at 7am on workdays!