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

[Jellybean9]

Right? That's a lot of rigamarole to save, what? $5? I don't think it will be a huge factor. I wouldn't adjust my plans and sacrifice first dibs on MK picks for that miniscule savings.

You also might get an hour jumpstart on booking day of LL’s when AK opens at 8.

 

[Jellybean9]

Right? Just the time lost on travel alone negates an extra ride or two. AK is the most remote park with no transportation aside from busses. Going there just to ride one ride and then hop makes no sense to me.

I am going to AK regardless on my 4.5 day trip. If it was my only park of the day, I wouldn’t buy LLMP but since I can still use it at 2nd park it makes sense to buy it, use 1 preselect, and start booking tier 1’s at 2nd park.

 

[princesswahooey]

You also might get an hour jumpstart on booking day of LL’s when AK opens at 8.

That is a small advantage, although not too much more than just picking an early return time for your 1st LL at MK. And we still don't know how the modification works. It hasn't been confirmed that once you tap into your first ride that you will immediately be able to modify your Tier 2 rides to swap for Tier 1s.

 

[princesswahooey]

I am going to AK regardless on my 4.5 day trip. If it was my only park of the day, I wouldn’t buy LLMP but since I can still use it at 2nd park it makes sense to buy it, use 1 preselect, and start booking tier 1’s at 2nd park.

If you're already planning on going to both parks anyway, it totally makes sense. (I got you there.) I just don't see the advantage of changing plans SOLELY on the strategy of getting a cheaper LLMP. I just don't think it is going to change the way people already plan. We usually do AK as a half-day park since it closes so early (and I think a lot of people do the same). If we're going to MK after, we would already be buying G+ anyway, so I don't know that it will necessarily drive up sales of LLMP at AK any more than it currently is.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

APs have to have park reservations

So a park reservation will be the indicator that would allow booking the new LLs up to 3 days in advance? That would make sense, since it's the only thing showing I plan to be in the parks.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Because the resort reservation is what matters most, not the ticket type. A linked onsite stay always trumps AP status. It works this way for ADRs, park pass reservations, etc. It worked that way for FP+ prebooking too. Though park passes are a bit quirky in that it’s the one thing where you have an actual separate link to click on as an AP with a resort stay. Otherwise as long as you have a linked onsite resort reservation, the system treats you as a resort guest automatically.

I think people are really overthinking this.

I was asking about a non-resort stay with an AP. I understand the early booking options when staying onsite. Just curious how it works with a ticket that isn't dated while staying at a non-WDW resort. It sounds like a park reservation might be the key. Of course, I've been kinda hoping the park reservations go away over the upcoming months!!

 

[spewey]

I think maybe about $10pp but even for a family I agree, the savings isn’t worth the cost.

And of course you'd also have to have park hopper. If you didn't the extra cost for that would definitely make this a poor strategy.

 

[CarolynFH]

I was asking about a non-resort stay with an AP. I understand the early booking options when staying onsite. Just curious how it works with a ticket that isn't dated while staying at a non-WDW resort. It sounds like a park reservation might be the key. Of course, I've been kinda hoping the park reservations go away over the upcoming months!!

The park reservation is the key. I don’t think park reservations will go away for non-dated tickets because if they did, Disney would not have any way to forecast attendance and thus plan staffing levels, etc.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The park reservation is the key. I don’t think park reservations will go away for non-dated tickets because if they did, Disney would not have any way to forecast attendance and thus plan staffing levels, etc.

Can't argue with your assessment. But I hope they eventually forecast the same way they did for the decades prior to the pandemic!

It's also interesting, because if park reservations are the key to booking LLs 3 days in advance for non-resort guests..... they do have a number of GTG days on the calendar later this month and early August where no park reservations are required. That could complicate things that are already pretty complicated!

 

[Dave006]

So a park reservation will be the indicator that would allow booking the new LLs up to 3 days in advance? That would make sense, since it's the only thing showing I plan to be in the parks.

Not really the park reservation. It is that you have an AP ticket entitlement (Disney speak) that sets the 3 day flag.

Dave

 

[123SA]

Do we know the answer to this:
Can you pick a 4th LLMP at a new park, and then a 5th LLMP at your original park?

Prebook 3 at Epcot.
Use pick 1, a tier 1 at 9. Select new tier 1 at DHS.
Use pick 2 at 10 (hope can modify earlier). Select new tier 2 at DHS.
Use pick 3 at 11 (or earlier). Replace pick 3 with Epcot rides until I hop to DHS

 

[Dave006]

So pricing is still variable based upon the park? Are we sure they are going to allow you to use this for a hopper to book at a second park? IF so, starting at Animal Kingdom and then hopping to Magic Kingdom is about to get a whole lot more popular….

Yes. Many guests have complained that they paid for the park hopper option so this new system takes that fact that you already paid for the hopper feature so you are not penalized again.

Dave

 

[Dave006]

Prebook 3 at Epcot.
Use pick 1, a tier 1 at 9. Select new tier 1 at DHS.
Use pick 2 at 10 (hope can modify earlier). Select new tier 2 at DHS.
Use pick 3 at 11 (or earlier). Replace pick 3 with Epcot rides until I hop to DHS

Sure by why limit yourself to only a Tier 2 (Group B) at DHS. Once you tap into your first attraction you can pick Group A or Group B.

Dave

 

[Tom_E_D]

Can't argue with your assessment. But I hope they eventually forecast the same way they did for the decades prior to the pandemic!

It's also interesting, because if park reservations are the key to booking LLs 3 days in advance for non-resort guests..... they do have a number of GTG days on the calendar later this month and early August where no park reservations are required. That could complicate things that are already pretty complicated!

Here is what the Disneyworld website says:

"Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit. . . . *Annual Passholders and Guests with tickets that are not date-based may purchase Lightning Lane passes for any day within the 3-day purchase window."

It says nothing about park reservations and as you pointed out, not all days require park reservations. If you have an AP and want to buy an LLMP or LLSP for 3 days from now, it should let you buy one. What it apparently will not do is allow you to buy an LLMP or LLMP for 4 days from now. So, if you're making a 5-day trip, staying offsite, and want to buy your LLMPs and LLSPs on the earliest days you can, it looks like you will have to be up and using the MDE app on 5 straight days including the first two days you are going to the parks. So much for the idea that this system will keep you from having to get up at 7:00 while on vacation.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The park reservation is the key. I don’t think park reservations will go away for non-dated tickets because if they did, Disney would not have any way to forecast attendance and thus plan staffing levels, etc.

I'm not sure that's as much relevant any longer. It's not like Disney is new at this, after all they've been around for many decades. Park reservations were a pandemic-borne thing. There's a higher argument that a step backwards to pre-reserving attractions helps them out since it is more akin to FP+ which had been around for about 5 years prior to dated-based tickets.

I do think that there are two ways of thinking (IMO):

1) non-dated tickets are at this point in the year 2024 much less prevalent. We do have some but they were purchased back in 2016 and were not used on our 2022 trip but realistically when it actually went into effect this January for dated tickets it had been a little over 5 years since date-based tickets had been introduced and they probably had the data back in 2023 when they made the announcement that they were going to discontinue at the beginning of 2024 what type of ticket media had been used at the parks the most.

2) Seemingly they want more control on the APs and throwing in non-date based tickets may help soften that blow while not being as meaningful in numbers. They are easing up the control on the APs by allowing the "good to go" days as well as only requiring park reservations if before 2pm or for MK on Sat/Sun but still APs are more the unknowns and have always been the unknowns unless the AP was on-site and pre-reserved their FP+ selections longer in advance due to onsite stay.

There's some other ticket media like convention tickets IIRC that would also be required to have park reservations but I'm thinking Disney has the data on who is entering their parks and the non-dated based tickets are more like being used to soften the still there restrictions based on APs.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Here is what the Disneyworld website says:

"Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit. . . . *Annual Passholders and Guests with tickets that are not date-based may purchase Lightning Lane passes for any day within the 3-day purchase window."

Thanks. I should have probably started with the web site!

 

[tx911]

I wonder if we need a separate question and answer thread for LLMPs. I guess that's what this thread is intended for, but it's gotten kind of unwieldy.

My main questions I'm hoping for answers to on Wednesday:
1. If you have split stay booked, can you buy LLMP for your entire trip at 7 days out from the first split?
2. Can you redeem a 2nd tier ride as your initial reservation, and then book a second 1st tier?
3. How much is it?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Sure by why limit yourself to only a Tier 2 (Group B) at DHS. Once you tap into your first attraction you can pick Group A or Group B.

Dave

Yes, the Tier 1 restriction is only for the first round of 3 selections (one tier 1 and 2 'other'). The day of use, once the first selection is made, we can book all other selections regardless of tier or park (assuming you have a park hopper), if available.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I wonder if we need a separate question and answer thread for LLMPs. I guess that's what this thread is intended for, but it's gotten kind of unwieldy.

My main questions I'm hoping for answers to on Wednesday:
1. If you have split stay booked, can you buy LLMP for your entire trip at 7 days out from the first split?
2. Can you redeem a 2nd tier ride as your initial reservation, and then book a second 1st tier?
3. How much is it?

1 - it appears they are separate reservations and will be pre-booked separately, like ADRs. But I think that needs to be confirmed. Some are saying otherwise. 2- Yes, after each use, you can book any tier, any park, if available with park hopper. 3- We won't know until 7/24, and then we'll know the cost several weeks out.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Here is what the Disneyworld website says:

"Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit. . . . *Annual Passholders and Guests with tickets that are not date-based may purchase Lightning Lane passes for any day within the 3-day purchase window."

It says nothing about park reservations and as you pointed out, not all days require park reservations. If you have an AP and want to buy an LLMP or LLSP for 3 days from now, it should let you buy one…

It also says it requires valid admission and if you’re going on any day that isn’t good to go (most of them aren’t GTG so those are really an exception to the rule) as an AP holder you do not have valid admission for the whole day without a park reservation.
“Valid Admission Required
Before you purchase a Lightning Lane pass, you must have valid theme park admission; you may also need a theme park reservation, depending on the type of admission and the date of your visit.”

Great of Disney to make this so clear