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

[PennyW]

Today was 7 day booking. I was a little overwhelmed at first, but glad I watched Molly's videos.

Day 1 (arrival day) - AK: Navi 1:10-2:10, FoP 2-3, Safari 3:10-4:10 and Everest 4:15-5:15
Day 2 - HS: Didn't have good luck booking this day. We'll do early entry this day and hit Tower and RnR. Booked Star Tours 9-10 (I booked the earliest I could get so I could tap in and try to get Remy later - will this be possible?), Aliens 11-12 (will hopefully swap this one), Rise 12:15-1:15, Slinky 5:05-6:05 (will I have any luck modifying this to earlier in the day?). We'll head to EPCOT and do Guardians 2:40-3:40.
Day 3 - MK: Have breakfast at Grand Floridian so getting a late start. Buzz 10:35-11:35 (any possibility of Slinky after tapping in here?), Tron 11:10-12:10, 7 Dwarfs 12:15-1:15, Peter Pan 1:10-2:10, Haunted Mansion 2:25-3:25.

Overall, was happy except for HS day. Hopefully wll be able to do some modifying when we are there. Looks like it will be low crowds 9/4-7.

 

[katiec786]

Apologies if this has already been covered - 207 pages is a lot to review

First time doing a split stay - we are at POFQ 9th-19th, then change to Bay Lake on the 19th for one night.
We are planning on a couple of LL days, and one of them will likely be on the 19th - this won't be impacted by us checking out of our hotel that morning will it?

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Question: not sure if anyone knows the answer but here goes: if I purchase a LLSP for rise and it goes down would I be able to use it for the after hours event? We don’t plan to get there until late and I’ve already booked my other lightning lanes up until time to watch Fantasmic. considering the fact that rise goes down a lot and it may be down at the time we want to use our SP we won’t have time before the after hours event starts. Or would we just get a refund? We had not considered getting one but knowing how much it is offline and not wanting to spend my whole after hours in line for it, I’m considering buying one

 

[boxer]

Really don't want to read 207+ pages, so just a basic question. After you tap into your first ride (say at AK), can you start booking another Park after that 1st ride? Or do you have to blow through all (3) initial selections before booking at another Park?

 

[Tom_E_D]

Really don't want to read 207+ pages, so just a basic question. After you tap into your first ride (say at AK), can you start booking another Park after that 1st ride? Or do you have to blow through all (3) initial selections before booking at another Park?

You can start booking LLMPs in any park once you tap into your first one, assuming you have a ticket that allows park hopping.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Apologies if this has already been covered - 207 pages is a lot to review

First time doing a split stay - we are at POFQ 9th-19th, then change to Bay Lake on the 19th for one night.
We are planning on a couple of LL days, and one of them will likely be on the 19th - this won't be impacted by us checking out of our hotel that morning will it?

Check-in and checkout dates are both considered part of your stay. You should have no problems booking the 19th on the day you can start booking, the 2nd. And that is without considering that you are just moving to another eligible resort. You should be able to book the 20th also, if you wanted to.

 

[wilkydelts]

Has it been established if After Hours ticktets gain you access to either/both MPLL or SPLL at that 7p window until the After Hours Event?

 

[AleaDaisy]

...Booked Star Tours 9-10 (I booked the earliest I could get so I could tap in and try to get Remy later - will this be possible?),...Slinky 5:05-6:05 (will I have any luck modifying this to earlier in the day?).
.....Buzz 10:35-11:35 (any possibility of Slinky after tapping in here?), Tron 11:10-

Based on the thrill data (https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/epcot/remysratatouilleadventure/), there's been Remy availability most days at 9am generally. So if you tap in at Star Tours asap at 9am, you should be good to grab a Remy for late afternoon or evening or almost certainly grab one after refreshing a bit.

Slinky is going to be tougher (https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/hollywood-studios/slinkydogdash/). It's essentially sold out by the morning of except for random drops/refills and those come in late. Of course, there ARE drops so no harm in trying to grab one!

 

[pixiedust2u]

Is there a VQ drop for party night? And if they do, do they fill up? We aren’t going until Christmas, but assume process with be same for the Christmas parties.

Trying to keep my expectations reasonable as to whether we will get to ride it this trip or not.

 

[CJK]

Is there a VQ drop for party night? And if they do, do they fill up? We aren’t going until Christmas, but assume process with be same for the Christmas parties.

Trying to keep my expectations reasonable as to whether we will get to ride it this trip or not.

No more VQ during the parties. Standby only.

 

[pixiedust2u]

I have to say, after many, many Disney trips and many many changes through the years, I’m most overwhelmed by this new system. It’s the first time I’m actually just kind of so mentally drained by all the little details that I keep starting to do my research then stopping because my brain gets overwhelmed. There are just so many different times and deadlines I need to keep in my head. I just want to throw my hands up.

 

[pixiedust2u]

Is there a VQ drop for party night? And if they do, do they fill up? We aren’t going until Christmas, but assume process with be same for the Christmas parties.

Trying to keep my expectations reasonable as to whether we will get to ride it this trip or not.

No more VQ during the parties. Standby only.

ugh yuck. Okay. I was hoping it would be like Tron last year where there was a 6pm drop. I guess I’ll have the expectation we won’t get on unless I want to take a chunk of party time.

 

[Tatebeck]

Has it been established if After Hours ticktets gain you access to either/both MPLL or SPLL at that 7p window until the After Hours Event?

It won't let you BUY MP or SP with just a special ticket for an event, but if you are able to book them because you have an annual pass or other dated tickets then from reports it sounds like it should work, but no guarantee

 

[beesly]

I just returned from a week-long trip where we didn't use LLMP until Day 6 of our trip, last Thursday (8/22), and we had an interesting experience that day with missing our LLMP windows and how that impacted our ability to book additional LLs. Our touring style for most of the trip consisted of late mornings with DD15 sleeping in, then going out midday and closing the parks. On Day 6, though, we had optimistically pre-booked three LLMPs in Epcot for the early morning. We planned to rope-drop Remy so we booked Frozen for 9am, LWTL at 10am, and SSE at 11am. Having gone to DHS AH the night before, though, we ended up going to bed around 2-3am and DD was impossible to get moving just a few hours later. We ended up not getting on the Skyliner to Epcot until about 11, so we decided to skip Remy and headed straight to Frozen even though our window had passed.

Before we got to the Norway pavilion (around 11:15am), I saw that we were eligible to book another LLMP in Epcot and I booked Soarin. The app then said I was eligible to make another LLMP in Epcot (I assume these were to make up for having two expired LLs at this point) but I didn't make the second one just yet because we were arriving at Frozen and tapping in. At 11:30am, a full hour and a half after the end of our LLMP window, we scanned into Frozen with no trouble at all - the touchpoint turned green right away with no CM action needed. After we scanned into Frozen, I went to book another LLMP and (as expected) I was able to book another park and booked RnRC for that evening. The interesting part was that I was still eligible to book a "make-up" LLMP and was now able to make that one in DHS as well - I refreshed a few times and grabbed MFSR. So, at this point, I was holding an expired LWTL, active SSE, active RnRC, and active MFSR.

We did the Gran Fiesta Tour on our way out of World Showcase and arrived at LWTL just before 12:30pm - again, about an hour and a half past the end of our window and again, tapped in with no issues (green right away). Then I booked Muppetvision for the evening - I suspect I was able to do this because SSE was expired at this point and it was a 'make-up' for that one, even though I'd since booked new ones. So then I was holding an expired SSE, active RnRC, active MFSR, and active Muppetvision.

Next we went to Soarin. When I checked the app again this time after tapping in, it said I wouldn't be eligible to book another LLMP until we used RnRC (the first one that I booked that was technically after my original three). From here we had a normal experience where we'd use one LLMP and then get to book a new one. We were a little over an hour late for SSE and once again tapped in green with no issues. The app still told me we had to use RnRC before booking another LLMP. Muppetvision went down just at the start of our window so that turned into a MEP that was only good for shows in DHS - unfortunately, none of them were open by that time. We had dinner plans at Roundup Rodeo BBQ so we didn't bother going to a GET to try to get it changed to anything else - we just did the other LLs that we had booked/were able to book after that time.

So, for the Epcot pricing that day ($19/person), we did:
Frozen, LWTL, Soarin, SSE, RnRC, MFSR, and TSM. We also booked a LLMP for Star Tours that we ended up not using because we spent the time using our LLSP for Rise instead.

The system has its limitations but we had such a good experience with it that I ended up adding it last-minute for Friday, 8/23, at AK ($16/person). We did Kali (I was surprised by how much of this line you still wait in after the merge point - we ended up waiting 17 total minutes but IMO it was worth it compared to the posted wait of 65!) and Dinosaur, and made a LLMP for Navi River but then my DD wanted to try EE for the first time before park close. We ended up riding that twice as a walk-on. We hopped over to Epcot and intended to use more LLMPs there, but ended up rained out - so the value of the LLMP for us on this day was primarily for Kali.

On Saturday, 8/24 (our departure day), we pre-booked LLMPs and a LLSP at MK. We didn't make it into the park until about 9:30 but before leaving the parks at 4pm we did: Buzz (Standby), Tron (VQ), SM (LLMP), Pirates (LLMP), HM (LLMP), SDMT (LLSP), Tiana (LLMP), TSM (LLMP), MMRR (LLMP), and RnRC (LLMP). Tiana didn't open until 12:30pm that day and our LLMP was originally for 9-10am, so it had turned into a MEP. We were on our way to use it for JC when Tiana finally came up.

In the future we will probably tour the same way with a mixture of LLMP and non-LLMP days.

OK, this is OT - I thought it was OK, but a one and done for me - I have done MK AHs three times, and those are just awesome, there is a lot more space/rides to spread guests out, and it seemed like there were fewer snack/drink carts at DHS...or all clustered in Toy Story Land? Rise was down for at least half of ours, but I did ToT x2, RnRC, MMRR, SDD, TSMM, Millenium Falcon. I got in line for Rise, but it was pretty long after being down for so long, and I was exhausted so bailed. Lots of really awesome characters - Jiminy Cricket, for instance. Two tips, the ride times are total BS (SDD was like 15 min, max, if that) and grab water/drnks for your room when you leave via Toy Story Land. I would always recommend MK AHs and will do those every time I'm there that they are offered.

Still but I think we were at the same DHS AH and I had no idea Jiminy Cricket was there! Where was that M&G? We only saw Stitch in front of MMRR. I fully agree with you about the ridiculously inflated wait times. SDD was posted 40 minutes when we got in line and we waited 10. RnRC was posted 30 and we waited 5-15 minutes at different points during the event. The longest wait we had was TSM at 23 minutes - they were only running one track so that was a bit frustrating. We did TSMx2, MMRR, SDD, and RnRCx5 (and I felt like we were very inefficient as a party of 8 pulling in different directions, but still did a lot). We ended up stocking up on waters at a cart just outside of ToT/Fantasmic at the end of the night. The CMs were encouraging people to take whatever they wanted.

 

[Elizakapeka]

Can I book my LLMP and LLSP on an ipad or only on an iphone?

 

[Simba's Mom]

You can start booking LLMPs in any park once you tap into your first one, assuming you have a ticket that allows park hopping.

I'm confused about this. I'm only buying the LLMP on one day, the day I go to MK. But since I'll have an Annual Pass and I'm staying at an Epcot resort. I'll probably want to go in to Epcot late in the day. However, I only need to pay for one LLMP, MK. Later in the day, when I go into Epcot, can I still use LLMP there at no additional charge? Or will the system recognize that I didn't pay for LL usage at Epcot and not let me make LL reservations? That would seem OK. Or did I just find a bonus-that I can use LL at two different parks on the same day, but only have to pay for one?

 

[Tom_E_D]

I'm confused about this. I'm only buying the LLMP on one day, the day I go to MK. But since I'll have an Annual Pass and I'm staying at an Epcot resort. I'll probably want to go in to Epcot late in the day. However, I only need to pay for one LLMP, MK. Later in the day, when I go into Epcot, can I still use LLMP there at no additional charge? Or will the system recognize that I didn't pay for LL usage at Epcot and not let me make LL reservations? That would seem OK. Or did I just find a bonus-that I can use LL at two different parks on the same day, but only have to pay for one?

You can use LLMP at two different parks in the same day, but only need to pay the price for the park where you first use it. That will normally be the park that you pre-book/purchase it for, although if you switch your LLMP reservations to a more expensive park after buying it and before you first use it, you will have to pay the difference in price. If you switch to a less expensive park, you don't get a refund.

If you switch your LLMP reservations before using one, you have to switch them all to the new park, not just select ones. You cannot have LLMP reservations in different parks until after you have used one.

 

[xdan0920]

I have to say, after many, many Disney trips and many many changes through the years, I’m most overwhelmed by this new system. It’s the first time I’m actually just kind of so mentally drained by all the little details that I keep starting to do my research then stopping because my brain gets overwhelmed. There are just so many different times and deadlines I need to keep in my head. I just want to throw my hands up.

Same. Can't tell you how many times I have started to plan and then just given up. We have been going to Disney Parks for 25 years and I usually find the planning to be part of the excitement of the trip. This upcoming October trip, the planning is the bane of my existence.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Before we got to the Norway pavilion (around 11:15am), I saw that we were eligible to book another LLMP in Epcot and I booked Soarin. The app then said I was eligible to make another LLMP in Epcot (I assume these were to make up for having two expired LLs at this point) but I didn't make the second one just yet because we were arriving at Frozen and tapping in. At 11:30am, a full hour and a half after the end of our LLMP window, we scanned into Frozen with no trouble at all - the touchpoint turned green right away with no CM action needed. After we scanned into Frozen, I went to book another LLMP and (as expected) I was able to book another park and booked RnRC for that evening. The interesting part was that I was still eligible to book a "make-up" LLMP and was now able to make that one in DHS as well - I refreshed a few times and grabbed MFSR. So, at this point, I was holding an expired LWTL, active SSE, active RnRC, and active MFSR.

At "this time," you also had a Soarin' LL, didn't you? Do you remember if it was active or expired? You didn't say what time it was for or when "this time" was. Is it possible that "this time" was after 12:00 and so your SSE was now expired? I'm asking because I didn't think it was possible to have four active LLMPs at one time. I had heard before that expired LLMPs do not count against your limit of three. But if your SSE and Soarin' LLMPs were both still active, that would give you four active ones.

 

[beesly]

At "this time," you also had a Soarin' LL, didn't you?

I did! Good catch.

Do you remember if it was active or expired? You didn't say what time it was for...

Good question! I really wish I had taken more screenshots as I went along that morning. IIRC, Soarin was for 11:30 or 11:40 and would have still been active (but within the window for use) when I made the LL for MFSR.

...or when "this time" was. Is it possible that "this time" was after 12:00 and so your SSE was now expired? I'm asking because I didn't think it was possible to have four active LLMPs at one time. I had heard before that expired LLMPs do not count against your limit of three. But if your SSE and Soarin' LLMPs were both still active, that would give you four active ones.

I hadn't thought about that, but it's very possible that SSE had expired by the time I made the LL for MFSR. I have a screenshot from 11:35am showing my booked RnRC LL, and then a screenshot from 12:25pm of the message saying I needed to use the RnRC LL before booking any others. No screenshot from when I actually booked MFSR.

So perhaps this wasn't such an interesting experience after all! I appreciate your clarification and questions though - I thought I'd done enough reading beforehand but didn't realize that an expired LLMP could both still be used and not count against the maximum three active LLs at a time.