Those on the fence about purchasing LLMP

[sam_gordon]

If you are still debating whether or not to purchase LL... this thread may or may not help. Just some data points and then my thoughts...

We just returned from WDW. We were basically "split" into four couples (and one senior who wasn't interested in many rides).

Group A had LLMP for MK & HS.
Group B & E had no LLMP
Groups C & D had LLMP for all four parks.

We were staying on property so had 7 day bookings of LL and could take advantage of ETPE, as well as EEH. EEH was used by two groups for one ride only. ETPE was used for EC, HS, and MK.

Everyone got on:
Remy
Guardians
Spaceship Earth
Soarin
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Toy Story Mania
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Haunted Mansion
it's a small world
Pirates of the Caribbean
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

4/5 Groups also did
Rise of the Resistance
Slinky Dog Dash
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Space Mountaint
Tron
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Expedition Everest
Flight of Passage
Na'vi River Journey

The second list was "missed" for either lack of interest or lack of time.

All groups were in the same parks on the same days.

So, you CAN hit the big name attractions (in addition to smaller ones and character M&G) WITHOUT using LL. Yes, you will stand in lines. We did benefit by utilize ETPE.

So, the big question is always "Is LL 'worth' it." Obviously it depends...
* What park(s)?
* How many people are you buying for?
* Can you take advantage of ETPE or EEH?
* What rides are important to you?

Personally, I don't like LL. I don't like the cost factor and I don't like the planning factor. Unfortunately, that's the only game that's available.

Would we purchase it again (DW and I were the group that just did HS & MK)? For just the two of us and just those parks... probably, but not definite.

Sorry this isn't a definitive "LL is DEFINITELY worth it!" or "LL is a waste" post. But hopefully it does support whichever way you're "leaning".

I will say, for the middle of June, crowds weren't terrible. E-ticket rides were probably averaging 60 minute waits through the day, with Tron & Guardians, and Tiana's hitting 75-80 at times.

 

[tom1944]

How about Millenium Falcon

 

[sam_gordon]

How about Millenium Falcon

DW & I were the only ones to do it. We did ETPE, and did Rise and Smugglers both within about 30 minutes. DS is also a Star Wars fan, had LL, don't know why he didn't do Smugglers.

I was only kind of impressed with Smugglers. DW & I were "engineers", but because of having to "watch" our panels, kept having to take our eyes off what was happening in front.

 

[CarolynFH]

I was only kind of impressed with Smugglers. DW & I were "engineers", but because of having to "watch" our panels, kept having to take our eyes off what was happening in front.

Next time you ride (if there is a next time), you can tell the CM that you won't be "working" and they'll put the Engineer functions on autopilot. I got motion sick the first time I rode as Engineer because of all the looking back and forth and later read here that you can abstain without messing up the experience for the other riders.

 

[slo]

Definitely pros and cons for buying LLMP and ILL. To me….it all depends on your patience level for waiting in lines and running to rides for rope drop. On a scale on 0-5 with 0 being no patience - I’m a 1. The same goes for running to rides for rope drop. So for us, we automatically budget the cost for both LLMP & ILL into our budget. My philosophy is, after spending the money to go there, I’m not spending time waiting in lines - no thank you (for us).

We do enjoy getting to the parks when it opens so we can get a Joffrey’s and peruse the gift shops. So when people ask me what my favorite thing to rope drop is, my answer is the shops. They’re pretty much empty and we can really look at everything without a jillion people pushing and shoving.

To each there own, you gotta decide what’s best for everyone and go with it

 

[sam_gordon]

Definitely pros and cons for buying LLMP and ILL. To me….it all depends on your patience level for waiting in lines and running to rides for rope drop. On a scale on 0-5 with 0 being no patience - I’m a 1. The same goes for running to rides for rope drop. So for us, we automatically budget the cost for both LLMP & ILL into our budget. My philosophy is, after spending the money to go there, I’m not spending time waiting in lines - no thank you (for us).

We do enjoy getting to the parks when it opens so we can get a Joffrey’s and peruse the gift shops. So when people ask me what my favorite thing to rope drop is, my answer is the shops. They’re pretty much empty and we can really look at everything without a jillion people pushing and shoving.

To each there own, you gotta decide what’s best for everyone and go with it

Absolutely! And I'm not faulting anyone for getting LL. We might get it in the future. But I don't feel it's a "requirement" in order to get rides done, even the E-ticket ones. Does it "help"? Yes. At ~$30pp, the cost isn't horrendous, but when you add that to the ~$120pp ticket, AND if you're buying for a family, I can see how some would pause at it.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I was just looking at Thrill Data for mid-June, and broadly speaking, waits were on the low side.

Earlier this year, we had LL for Epcot, but crowds were so low, and the selections so limited, that we abandoned it partway through the day, except for Remy. Not using it meant we could just go from ride to ride with only 5-10min waits. Much better than having to do rides in the order given to us by MDE.

That said, during busier days, having it has been very helpful, especially in MK.

At present, I would not go to HS without it.

AK is very doable without it.

The price of LLMP is something of a tell for how comparatively useful it will be. The lower the price, the less crowded the parks will be. Though the highest prices don't always = highest crowds.

 

[pens4821]

We haven’t used it since March of 2024, but we personally only will get it if we are hopping to MK. Even before the preselects, if you were heading to MK in the evening you could get quite a bit of good rides out of it. It seems like all the good use availability at the other parks goes away by mid afternoon.

Our plan for January is to get it our last day. We will prebook HS, then hop to MK. We feel like we will get the best use out of it that way.

 

[kylenne]

Saying I am “line averse” is a severe understatement, I am neurospicy and cannot handle anything longer than a 20 min wait. MAYBE 25, but that’s pushing it. So LLs are non negotiable for me. I’m only ever going with 2 people tops, or 3 on this last trip we just came home from a couple of weeks ago. Personally I will always buy SP for Tron, Guardians, FoP, and Rise—these are must do attractions for me, and represent the best bang for buck to me as far as time savings. I don’t find LLMP is as necessary for me at all parks (really only MK and HS) BUT having said that, on busier days LLMP is worth it even at Epcot and AK. I was extremely glad to have purchased it at Epcot for the last full day of our trip, which was the last day of Flower & Garden. Wait times were bonkers all day—Nemo posting 45+ most of the today type bonkers—so we definitely got our money’s worth. Fourth of July has not seen crazy crowds for a few years now but I still plan to buy MP at all four parks (I get to prebook on Wednesday actually). Easy to justify being solo, and I look at it as insurance.

No, you don’t have to buy it at any of them as smart strategy goes a long way, but it can mean the difference in having a much more relaxed day. LLs at HS mean not having to run with the bulls to Rise or Slinky Dog, and having a much more leisurely morning where I can actually stop for breakfast. Ditto buying SP for Flight of Passage, which I think is the single best money spent for line skipping value. It’s the worst rope drop experience in all 4 parks, ever, and a horrible way to start the day. Just buying it and rope dropping Navi instead is so much better to me. But LLs are really best used in conjunction with rope dropping, EEH if you have access to it, and standby.

 

[loves to dive]

We are very much go with the flow type people so we don't buy and I've found I can ride everything I want to ride without it. Mind you, I said I want to ride. I don't want to ride every ride and I'm lucky I get to go 2 or 3 times a year for at least a 5 night trip each time. I don't really have a plan when I go and not really much of a strategy. I might rope drop if I'm already up, I might do early entry if I'm up, I might do late nights if I'm not dead tired. I always park hop, always have even when there were only two parks and my son was a toddler. Because I have an out of state AP, I do have to make park reservations, which is a pain but it is what it is. My only semi-strategy is to go to the park I have a reservation for in the morning, leave somewhere around lunch time and go back to my resort via Epcot usually. I tend to stay at Dolphin a lot and I tend to go during festivals so I walk through Epcot snacking at booths a long the way and walk back to Dolphin. I rest for 2 or 3 hours then go to a different park in the afternoon/evening. Usually, it's the park I have reservations for the next day, that way I can knock out a few rides that night and not be running around crazy the next day. Rinse and repeat. If a line is too long I decide on the spot if I want to wait in the line or move on. Being there for at least 5 nights and having hoppers means I can always pop back into that park later on during the trip and ride it if I really want. We didn't really use the free FP or FP+ that much either, we just don't like to be tied down to having to be somewhere at a specific time. Because of that, we only make ADRs the afternoon of the same day. We just hop on MDE and find what is available and at what time/park and go from there. We aren't restaurant loyal and love trying new ones so it works for us. We also don't need character meals (although my son now has a 4 year old princess loving little girl so that might change for him) and I don't do buffets because I'm don't eat large amounts at any one time. That means a lot of those "must haves" just aren't.

 

[hardcorestitch]

If you are still debating whether or not to purchase LL... this thread may or may not help. Just some data points and then my thoughts...

We just returned from WDW. We were basically "split" into four couples (and one senior who wasn't interested in many rides).

Group A had LLMP for MK & HS.
Group B & E had no LLMP
Groups C & D had LLMP for all four parks.

We were staying on property so had 7 day bookings of LL and could take advantage of ETPE, as well as EEH. EEH was used by two groups for one ride only. ETPE was used for EC, HS, and MK.

Everyone got on:
Remy
Guardians
Spaceship Earth
Soarin
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Toy Story Mania
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Haunted Mansion
it's a small world
Pirates of the Caribbean
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

4/5 Groups also did
Rise of the Resistance
Slinky Dog Dash
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Space Mountaint
Tron
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Expedition Everest
Flight of Passage
Na'vi River Journey

The second list was "missed" for either lack of interest or lack of time.

All groups were in the same parks on the same days.

So, you CAN hit the big name attractions (in addition to smaller ones and character M&G) WITHOUT using LL. Yes, you will stand in lines. We did benefit by utilize ETPE.

So, the big question is always "Is LL 'worth' it." Obviously it depends...
* What park(s)?
* How many people are you buying for?
* Can you take advantage of ETPE or EEH?
* What rides are important to you?

Personally, I don't like LL. I don't like the cost factor and I don't like the planning factor. Unfortunately, that's the only game that's available.

Would we purchase it again (DW and I were the group that just did HS & MK)? For just the two of us and just those parks... probably, but not definite.

Sorry this isn't a definitive "LL is DEFINITELY worth it!" or "LL is a waste" post. But hopefully it does support whichever way you're "leaning".

I will say, for the middle of June, crowds weren't terrible. E-ticket rides were probably averaging 60 minute waits through the day, with Tron & Guardians, and Tiana's hitting 75-80 at times.

(rope drops)

 

[georgina]

There are many ways to do WDW, it is always helpful hearing others' experiences.

I bought it for HS my last solo trip to get my favorite rides ToT, TSMM, and Slinky prebooked. I didn't want to stay there the whole day. Managed to ride MMRR, Rise, and ST also. Started at Epcot, hopped to HS for the afternoon, and hopped back to Epcot for the evening.

I opted to do after hours at MK instead of using a day ticket.

I did early entry at AK, there was a problem with the Safari in the morning and the lines were very long, so I never did get on it. LLMP might have helped there, but we are going to Africa this summer so I will see the real thing instead.

Next time you ride (if there is a next time), you can tell the CM that you won't be "working" and they'll put the Engineer functions on autopilot. I got motion sick the first time I rode as Engineer because of all the looking back and forth and later read here that you can abstain without messing up the experience for the other riders.

had no idea! Might be useful info for future trips. I have been skipping it as a solo because I am always in the back and not that interested in the ride anymore.

 

[pooch]

So what happens if you purchase an LLMP and there are no time slots available?

 

[Minnie1222]

So what happens if you purchase an LLMP and there are no time slots available?

You get to see the availability before making the purchase.

 

[kylenne]

So what happens if you purchase an LLMP and there are no time slots available?

What pp said but also it's highly unlikely, unless you're staying offsite and gunning for the most popular LLMP rides (eg. Remy, Tiana), or being silly and buying it day of.

 

[pooch]

What pp said but also it's highly unlikely, unless you're staying offsite and gunning for the most popular LLMP rides (eg. Remy, Tiana), or being silly and buying it day of.

We are staying off site, just my adult DD & me. She’s an AP & lives close by so this trip is all about me!! I’m looking at maybe for our DHS day in late September. LLMP for that day and maybe an LLSP for ROTR on the night we are hopping over for Fantasmic. Don’t care about Tron, GoG, and FOP only if the wait isn’t too long. But I’d really like to do several in DHS. So I can see availability for both LLMP & LLSP prior to purchase? And that’s 7am ish 3 days prior?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

One more thought for anyone on the fence about buying it, if you don't see great times offered at the 7 day mark, then consider holding off for a day or two. You may well get better options.

 

[kylenne]

We are staying off site, just my adult DD & me. She’s an AP & lives close by so this trip is all about me!! I’m looking at maybe for our DHS day in late September. LLMP for that day and maybe an LLSP for ROTR on the night we are hopping over for Fantasmic. Don’t care about Tron, GoG, and FOP only if the wait isn’t too long. But I’d really like to do several in DHS. So I can see availability for both LLMP & LLSP prior to purchase? And that’s 7am ish 3 days prior?

Yes, it opens 7am 3 days before your first park day if you're off site, and you'll be able to see availability before you actually purchase. I strongly suggest buying both. HS is extremely challenging if you don't have access to Early Entry because the park is basically all headliner attractions and waits build extremely fast in the mornings. They do tend to dip in the evenings, since most people leave due to the long waits.

Rise may not be available 3 days prior because it tends to sell out (LLSP in general sell out the fastest), but even so I would not give up. On the trip we just came back from, I was able to pull Rise same day just by checking and refreshing the app. When you hop over for Fantasmic, you can take advantage of that evening drop in wait times and sometimes ride with a 25-30 min wait regardless of what it's posted.

One more thought for anyone on the fence about buying it, if you don't see great times offered at the 7 day mark, then consider holding off for a day or two. You may well get better options.

I would strongly caution against this. It's far easier to modify into a better time once you've already booked something rather than gambling like that. The actual meta is to get whatever times you can when prebooking and even if you can't manage to get better times when you're at home, at 7am the day of when Disney drops additional inventory you can very often back LLs up significantly.

 

[pooch]

Sorry for additional question but I’ve never stayed off site before. You say 3 days before my first park day. Do you mean 3 days before my DHS day or 3 days before my date specific ticket begins? Ticket will start 9/21 & DHS day is tentatively 9/24. So 3 days before 9/21 or 9/24

 

[kylenne]

Sorry for additional question but I’ve never stayed off site before. You say 3 days before my first park day. Do you mean 3 days before my DHS day or 3 days before my date specific ticket begins? Ticket will start 9/21 & DHS day is tentatively 9/24. So 3 days before 9/21 or 9/24

It's 3 days before the start date of your ticket. They have no way of knowing when someone with a date-based ticket will be at a specific park. That's why for on site guests it goes by your check in day.