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

[Disneydawg74]

I did a quick, so I am sure imperfect calculation and if we purchase LLMP and LLSP for each park day it will cost us $710 for the 4 of us (2 will be the only people who go on certain LLSP rides). If we cut it down to once at each park it will be $538. Tax is additional.

In itself that is not a deal breaker however we may cancel some reservations not to save the money but to give us more room and flexibility to fit in selections. It would effectively save us. Looking at cancelling dinner reservation at Flying Fish on an Epcot day and 50's Prime Time on an HS Day. We will either eat QS or go back to BWV for dinner those 2 days

Cancelling reservations is not the end of the world either because 1 adult and 1 child are picky eaters and paying for dinner for the 2 is basically burning money. I will be the only one that will miss trying either place and since I live equal distance between NYC and Philadelphia, I always have the opportunity to find great restaurants outside of WDW.

I would bet making certain changes to offset the LLMP/LLSP costs will be a common situation. Even for people who can afford to not make any cuts.

I know you said you did this quickly, but your numbers seem too high. Basically $177.50 per person. Given that LLMP is approximately $27 per person. Even if I add $22 per LLSP (max of 2 per person per day). I can only get $142 per person. What am I missing?

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

When Thrill-Data shows a LL sell-out time prior to 7am, does that mean that no one could select LL for that ride on that date? So no "day-of" availability? Yesterday at HWS, both TOT and TSM had sell-out times before 7am, as did Rat at Epcot and HM and Tiana's at MK. If so, then you would not have been able to pull any of those as your 4th LL choice without lucking up on a cancellation (knowing that some were never going to be available as 4th "day-of" pick like Rat and Tiana's but no TOT, TSM, or HM?) Wow, if that's the case, just wow. What has happened to availability?

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Question: when this launched, someone mentioned they could not use a gift card to pay for their entire multi pass purchase. They had to use a gift card and a credit (I don’t remember if it was someone here or someone on Reddit).

Does anyone know if this has been fixed? I budgeted with gift cards.

Thanks!

It was me!

I checked again today and yes, you can pay solely with a Gift Card

 

[Sandisw]

??? The main problem with G+ was that it forced you to wake up at 7am and NOT be able to sleep in. FP+ and this new system helps drastically in that regard. Having said that, those that get to the parks early will ALWAYS get more out of their day, regardless of system... paper FP, FP+, G+ or now LLMP.


We were there on the 24rh to try it out and was a huge fan. Did not like Genie plus so we didn’t buy.

This system allows clustering and holding three at a time…plus changing was easy to do.

I actually think it’s a great system and worked well for us to continue to buy it.


Disney will adjust. They need to. When guests are paying for this service they expect more. I just feel bad for those in this initial launch phase who are dealing with the "learning curve" and Disney's adjustments. This is just my crystal ball, but I fully expect most diehard G+ fans to be MPLL fans in the future. I can't wait to maximize this new system.

 

[kcup1212]

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?!

Great points! I would have preferred a hybrid option that works exactly like genie+ did, but with the ability to add it in advance and get your first selection on the books. This would alleviate having to wake up at 7am every morning, you would have 1 selection locked in and could carry on securing your next LL 2 hrs after park open, or after tapping in. I think that would have been the sweet spot of genie+ meets pre-planning.
The day of availability looks truly awful right now, so unless something changes I fear we will get our 3 picks, and maybe one random tier 2 late in the evening. Not great.

 

[tom1944]

I know you said you did this quickly, but your numbers seem too high. Basically $177.50 per person. Given that LLMP is approximately $27 per person. Even if I add $22 per LLSP (max of 2 per person per day). I can only get $142 per person. What am I missing?

There are 4 of us so MK was $25 x 4 = $100 $200 if we use both days

7D is $11 so $44
Tron is $20 for 2 = $40

Epcot is $18 or $72 for 4 if 2 days $144

GOG for 2 is $30

HS is $22 for 4 +$88

Rise is $22 for 2 =$44

AK is $16 for 4 =$64

Avatar is $14 for 4 + $56

 

[Bound4DisneyWorld]

It was me!

I checked again today and yes, you can pay solely with a Gift Card

Thank you so much for following up! Appreciate it!

 

[ironz]

There are 4 of us so MK was $25 x 4 = $100 $200 if we use both days

7D is $11 so $44
Tron is $20 for 2 = $40

Epcot is $18 or $72 for 4 if 2 days $144

GOG for 2 is $30

HS is $22 for 4 +$88

Rise is $22 for 2 =$44

AK is $16 for 4 =$64

Avatar is $14 for 4 + $56

If it were me, I'd probably not buy multipass for 2 separate park days at the same park-- focusing on the "popular" rides the day you purchase multipass, and the other day picking up the attractions you didn't do the first day. So that's one point of "savings."
Rope drop also helps with some parks more than others.
Good luck!
I got good at using Genie+, though I hated it at first. Not looking forward to getting used to a new system.

 

[tom1944]

If it were me, I'd probably not buy multipass for 2 separate park days at the same park-- focusing on the "popular" rides the day you purchase multipass, and the other day picking up the attractions you didn't do the first day. So that's one point of "savings."
Rope drop also helps with some parks more than others.
Good luck!
I got good at using Genie+, though I hated it at first. Not looking forward to getting used to a new system.

I am leaning toward what you recommend but right now there seems to be some issues with getting more than 3 or 4 LLMP per day so I might just add a second day if I see that continues to be an issue.

Since it is our initial use of this system, I am willing to overpay until I get comfortable with the process.

I have been tracking the wait times and plan to select rides/shows that generally have a 30 minute or more wait.

 

[ironz]

I am leaning toward what you recommend but right now there seems to be some issues with getting more than 3 or 4 LLMP per day so I might just add a second day if I see that continues to be an issue.

Since it is our initial use of this system, I am willing to overpay until I get comfortable with the process.

In my view, that's where rope drop helps-- get a couple of headliners out of the way early, so it won't matter if you can't pull a LL. But my thoughts do not take into account riding the same ride more than once, which some like to do.

 

[Disneydawg74]

There are 4 of us so MK was $25 x 4 = $100 $200 if we use both days

7D is $11 so $44
Tron is $20 for 2 = $40

Epcot is $18 or $72 for 4 if 2 days $144

GOG for 2 is $30

HS is $22 for 4 +$88

Rise is $22 for 2 =$44

AK is $16 for 4 =$64

Avatar is $14 for 4 + $56

Thanks for the detail! Dumb me, didn’t realize this was for more than one day.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Heck no! Only a few who are already naturally up around that time and others who require no sleep in their lives will find that stupid early on vacation acceptable. It's one thing to wake up at 7am but 5:30am? Forget it.

However, power users can do that early morning modifying during the week prior to arrival, eliminating the need to get up early DURING their vacation.

I have no idea BUT I can tell you my thoughts for our upcoming trips. At least for rides that have VQs, I'm more likely to buy SPLLs ahead of time since the VQ is a crapshoot.
I used to be able to try for the VQ and then if we didn't get it (or if the timing didn't seem like it would work out etc), buy the ILL. Now I run a high risk of being locked out of a ride we really want do do.
It even applies to wait times, kind of. For most of the rides for at least a good part of the day, we could decide based on...wait times, how early we wanted to get up, etc....if the ILL was worth it on that day. Now it looks like it's buy it ahead of time or deal with whatever line for however your day goes...

Over the past few years, I've been 99% successful in getting a BG for the rides with VQs. My back-up plan was to purchase the LL if I didn't get a BG. I agree that the new system puts some additional pressure on us to purchase LLSP a week prior because if you don't get a spot in the VQ, the LLs may be already sold out before you even arrive, so you no longer have that back-up plan.

 

[jeneric997]

I did a quick, so I am sure imperfect calculation and if we purchase LLMP and LLSP for each park day it will cost us $710 for the 4 of us (2 will be the only people who go on certain LLSP rides). If we cut it down to once at each park it will be $538. Tax is additional.

In itself that is not a deal breaker however we may cancel some reservations not to save the money but to give us more room and flexibility to fit in selections. It would effectively save us. Looking at cancelling dinner reservation at Flying Fish on an Epcot day and 50's Prime Time on an HS Day. We will either eat QS or go back to BWV for dinner those 2 days

Cancelling reservations is not the end of the world either because 1 adult and 1 child are picky eaters and paying for dinner for the 2 is basically burning money. I will be the only one that will miss trying either place and since I live equal distance between NYC and Philadelphia, I always have the opportunity to find great restaurants outside of WDW.

I would bet making certain changes to offset the LLMP/LLSP costs will be a common situation. Even for people who can afford to not make any cuts.

I cancelled an ADR at Mama Melrose for Tuesday, because I didn't like how late some of our ride reservations were. Also because we are eating Italian the night before!!!! This new system will make it more likely that I will not make lunch ADR until the day of or just eat QS.

 

[disney-inspired]

Today was my 7-day window and was up at the way too early time of 4AM (CA).
It was all very smooth and had no hiccups.

Originally the app tried to give me later times for Epcot but using the modify time in the initial selecting helped me find better times.
Most of my selections are back to back, which I really like, it’s too hot to be wandering.

The only thing I’m not sure about is why I didn’t receive an order email confirmation for my MK LLMP. I got one for every other park. I do see them in the app though.

I appreciate that it takes your dining reservations into account as well.

I consider myself slightly disabled - aggressive rheumatoid arthritis - so I can’t walk a ton or stand very long without severe pain. I’ve been increasing my walking slowly but will still have my ecv. I’m hoping that I can walk a bit more in between breaks. I’ll be traveling solo so feel I can take my time without worrying about slowing anyone down.

I’ll be doing early entry for each park - I have most energy in the mornings so plan to ride my ECV over to some rides that would require a LLSP and wait in those lines first thing.

 

[saraheliz]

However, power users can do that early morning modifying during the week prior to arrival, eliminating the need to get up early DURING their vacation.


Over the past few years, I've been 99% successful in getting a BG for the rides with VQs. My back-up plan was to purchase the LL if I didn't get a BG. I agree that the new system puts some additional pressure on us to purchase LLSP a week prior because if you don't get a spot in the VQ, the LLs may be already sold out before you even arrive, so you no longer have that back-up plan.

That's just it. We've always been successful although once the timing didn't line up with when we wanted to leave the park so we bought the ILL. But that seed of doubt...what if the cell service isn't as good at this resort? My family would be so upset if they didn't get to ride Tron or Guardians, they're two of our favorite rides! And I don't want to have to totally rearrange things if we get a VQ but for an inconvenient time.

 

[jelona]

Wanted to give some feedback on LLMP. Today is my last day at Disney world and my last park day was yesterday. We came in on 7/20 and the swap from genie + to LLMP happen in the middle of my stay.
I’ll start with genie +. I’ve used it before and done my research on the best approaches. I wasn’t really super strategic with it this time around because I didn’t need to be. We did MK on Sunday, HS on Monday and AK on Tuesday. All using genie +. Wait times and crowds were fairly low all week. I got every thing I wanted and there was constant availability throughout the day. I know the big complaint with genie + was it makes you zigzag through the park, but I didn’t find that the case. If we did SDMT I could instantly get a Winnie the pooh LL. There were plenty of opportunities at all of the parks to get LLs through the day. Even the heavy hitters. We would only wait in line for things that historically have low wait times like little mermaid & star tours.

7/24 was a rest day for me but I had park days on 7/25 & 7/26. I woke up that Wednesday expecting to have app crashes and bugs, but everything went smooth I was able to book what I wanted. The problem with LLMP wasn’t the prebooking… it was the actual in park experience. Having the ability to book after you scan into a LL is great in theory.. but only when you have ride availability! And we had hardly any!!!! I found that even though I had 2 or 3 LL available for use, I couldn’t use them because nothing was available. I did Epcot on that Thursday and could never get remy… I found the biggest complaints people had with genie+, i had with LLMP. i was constantly on my phone and refreshing to get remy. Once I saw a time slot open I jumped on it and hit select all for my party. When I hit continue it would never proceed to the next screen. I would keep hitting it and it would reload that same screen. Well i found out this meant “hey you’re too late! Someone snatched it” or it was just a fluke… I could never tell. I thought “okay maybe wait times will be low then…” but remy jumped up to 85 minutes multiple times that day. We finally waited 60 mins towards the end during the fireworks. Also people hated the fact of getting up at 7am on vacation, but if you want a virtual queue, you’re gonna be up at that time any ways. I’ve never had a problem getting virtual queues, but could not get them Thursday or Friday. The app kept crashing those mornings.

On my magic kingdom day I had more ride availability due to the parks having more rides… but I would scan into my 9:15 LL and the only availability for things like buzz light year or space mountain wasn’t till 8:30 that night. I felt like they didn’t refill ride availability as much as they did with genie +.

I feel like overall genie+ was the better deal. I found I rode more with it than I did with LLMP. Luckily crowds were still pretty low, so it wasn’t a total upset, but I could see in high crowd days how frustrating it would be. Hopefully Disney will adjust and do more ride drops through the day. I get that this week we were the learning curve for them.

 

[tom1944]

In my view, that's where rope drop helps-- get a couple of headliners out of the way early, so it won't matter if you can't pull a LL. But my thoughts do not take into account riding the same ride more than once, which some like to do.

I plan to do early entry most days.

 

[Canadisney Fly]

However, power users can do that early morning modifying during the week prior to arrival, eliminating the need to get up early DURING their vacation.


Over the past few years, I've been 99% successful in getting a BG for the rides with VQs. My back-up plan was to purchase the LL if I didn't get a BG. I agree that the new system puts some additional pressure on us to purchase LLSP a week prior because if you don't get a spot in the VQ, the LLs may be already sold out before you even arrive, so you no longer have that back-up plan.

I'm faced with the dilemma of trying for a VQ for Tiana for our August 20-30th trip, but I think I'll get a LLMP, choose Tiana, and then switch it if I get a VQ on the day of. I'll lose the Tier 1 early selection advantage though - but my concern is... what if they eliminate the VQ between now and then? I will then have lost the advantage of early booking for Tiana... tough decisions. Any historical data on how much lead time they will provide if they eliminate a VQ?

 

[Minnie1222]

Once people realise that they are paying $29 to get FotL access to Dumbo 2 minutes ahead of me they might come to their senses. Then again they probably wont.

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.

 

[DaniMoon]

Was encouraging to see when I just logged in at 12:20 that every ride that offers LL at MK was available except Tiana. Less than a week to go

I do have a question. I have been following but I probably missed this. We are doing AK two mornings of our 10 day trip. My first LL is at 8:10. We have park hoppers. Even tho the other parks are not open yet, will I be able to book our 4th LL at one of them. I have everything I want, but if I could snag a Frozen at Epcot, that would hit them all.