Why we think Lightning Lane is wrong

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You can walk up to Finnegan's and Mythos and get seated immediately? Really?

I don't know about Finnegan's but Mythos does take walk ups consistently. You typically only need to make a reservation (and really it's the main place at Universal that you'd need one to begin with) a few days ahead.

The walk-ups can get filled up. It did when we were there in 2022 on the initial day we on a lark decided to eat at Mythos like early afternoon (having not eaten there since 2011 as we didn't on our 2017 trip) but we just made a reservation for Mythos for the next day. That said with the Lost Continent area really not there retheming and thus readjustment of Mythos can occur.

I know Disney has wait lists now on the app and all but Universal isn't the rat race that Disney is on the dining aspect. Universal's food inside the park is mostly aimed at QS, with CityWalk being more where the food focus is at.

 

[Minnie1222]

I don't know about Finnegan's but Mythos does take walk ups consistently. You typically only need to make a reservation (and really it's the main place at Universal that you'd need one to begin with) a few days ahead.

The walk-ups can get filled up. It did when we were there in 2022 on the initial day we on a lark decided to eat at Mythos like early afternoon (having not eaten there since 2011 as we didn't on our 2017 trip) but we just made a reservation for Mythos for the next day. That said with the Lost Continent area really not there retheming and thus readjustment of Mythos can occur.

The person I questioned made it sound like she could just walk up to any restaurant inside a Universal park and get seated immediately. If she could then good for her.

 

[georgina]

The person I questioned made it sound like she could just walk up to any restaurant inside a Universal park and get seated immediately. If she could then good for her.

I usually make a reservation (or eat at the bar at Finnegan's) but the same hotels that give Express Pass also give priority walk-up seating to many places.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The person I questioned made it sound like she could just walk up to any restaurant inside a Universal park and get seated immediately. If she could then good for her.

Well you kinda can. Many are QS within the parks at least. Toothsome (probably the most popular) at CityWalk generally you can walk up as well although that one reservations are more recommended most especially if you're trying to eat after the parks have closed for the evening and tend to be booking a few weeks out but yeah you can walk up and get seated (lunch is easier to do this like I mentioned evening especially after the parks walk ins may fill up like Mythos).

But regardless really in terms of dining it's not even in the same league as Disney in terms of feeling like you have book in order to eat somewhere at Disney and you have to book early even for the TS places it's just not the same dog eat dog (no pun intended actually) world that it can be at Disney. Their point is pretty valid when you're looking at what they were saying. I very much get a break at Universal compared to Disney, it's calmer and no that's not because EP. The only time I toured with EP was in 2022 all other trips before that didn't have it. It really is a lot more laid back, which is what the poster was saying they appreciated (in a nutshell that's what I got from their post).

 

[Minnie1222]

Well you kinda can. Many are QS within the parks at least. Toothsome (probably the most popular) at CityWalk generally you can walk up as well although that one reservations are more recommended

I was talking about in-park Table Service only. If it's just a case of walk up and wait then you could also do this at Disney.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I was talking about in-park Table Service only. If it's just a case of walk up and wait then you could also do this at Disney.

You aren't able to do it the same at Disney because not every restaurant supports this option to just walk up to the podium and ask if you can eat there, even not every bar has this option. Disney did add the wait list feature on their app which mimics this in a way but you're needing to do the app for that and be checking. And that is a newer feature. Since the pandemic the ADR timeframe was reduced to 60 days but for quite a while it was 180 days. The PP point of their experiences between the two is still valid. You didn't need to book 6 months in advance for a place to eat at Universal and yes your chances of being able to just walk up to a place as a walk in was always higher there than at Disney.

I think you're trying to find something wrong with the PP's comment like taking their statement "It's so refreshing to just wander around and ride when you want and eat when you want, just like Disney used to be." and make it about a semantics thing by add in "wait" because no you still can't do that at Disney. It's a bad faith argument you're going with because we all know what they mean. Yeah sometimes you're able to get in immediately, they've got a server and table all ready for a party and sometimes you'll be waiting a bit while they get one available. Isn't that how it works everywhere even with reservations? People complain about that at Disney all the time. But their comment was eat when you want and that's a heck of a lot harder to do at Disney.

 

[reddog21]

Yes, or, people are in vacation mode and fear of missing out so spending money unnecessarily then literally paying the price later.

Probably however I'm not exactly sure there's anyway to stop that.

 

[Minnie1222]

I think you're trying to find something wrong with the PP's comment like taking their statement "It's so refreshing to just wander around and ride when you want and eat when you want, just like Disney used to be." and make it about a semantics thing by add in "wait" because no you still can't do that at Disney. It's a bad faith argument you're going with because we all know what they mean. Yeah sometimes you're able to get in immediately, they've got a server and table all ready for a party and sometimes you'll be waiting a bit while they get one available. Isn't that how it works everywhere even with reservations? People complain about that at Disney all the time. But their comment was eat when you want and that's a heck of a lot harder to do at Disney.

Yes, I do think there is something wrong with the comment. Disney's ADR, walk ups, wait lists have improved significantly since 2023. You can walk up and wait at many restaurants without touching the app, but obviously someone would not know that if they haven't been back since 2022.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I can tell you about our experiences in that Disney without adrs, das, etc. We went to WDW in the 70's and everyone stood in line. No line cutting if you pay. The lines moved just fine. Everyone moved at the same pace, and even though we must have waited sometime, I don't remember it being much of an issue. We all were equal and the lines moved without problem. When we got hungry, we went to the restaurant of our choice. Sometimes you had to wait a little while, but so did others. I realize that Disney wasn't as crowded as it is now and maybe that affects what it is today.
I just know it was a simpler time when you walked around and got on a ride that you wanted to do, while waiting in line with everyone else, and then stopped to eat where you wanted without reservations. If a restaurant had reservations, I seem to remember Sci Fi Diner taking reservations, then you decided if you wanted to wait.
It's sad that this can't be that way anymore, and apparently this is the new reality. It's one that we have decided not to participate in, and go to other places now such as Universal. It's so refreshing to just wander around and ride when you want and eat when you want, just like Disney used to be.

While this may have been great in the 70's, I can think of very little now in life in general, that functions like it did in the 70's.

Times change and I choose to change with it and try to embrace the changes. I may not like all of the changes but, I can't change them so choose to make the best of current day Disney operations.

 

[MillauFr]

I can tell you about our experiences in that Disney without adrs, das, etc. We went to WDW in the 70's and everyone stood in line. No line cutting if you pay. The lines moved just fine. Everyone moved at the same pace, and even though we must have waited sometime, I don't remember it being much of an issue. We all were equal and the lines moved without problem. When we got hungry, we went to the restaurant of our choice. Sometimes you had to wait a little while, but so did others. I realize that Disney wasn't as crowded as it is now and maybe that affects what it is today.
I just know it was a simpler time when you walked around and got on a ride that you wanted to do, while waiting in line with everyone else, and then stopped to eat where you wanted without reservations. If a restaurant had reservations, I seem to remember Sci Fi Diner taking reservations, then you decided if you wanted to wait.
It's sad that this can't be that way anymore, and apparently this is the new reality. It's one that we have decided not to participate in, and go to other places now such as Universal. It's so refreshing to just wander around and ride when you want and eat when you want, just like Disney used to be.

Back then airlines tickets were expensive and only upper class people flew. That eliminated most of the crowds. I only went once when I was growing up because it was too expensive.

 

[Mirabell Rose]

Disney has always been about profit, as it rightly should.

Disagree. Putting out a quality product that makes people’s lives better and doing so with a reasonable profit is what companies rightly should be about

 

[Minnie1222]

Disagree. Putting out a quality product that makes people’s lives better and doing so with a reasonable profit is what companies rightly should be about

Who gets to decide what a reasonable profit is?

 

[Mirabell Rose]

Who gets to decide what a reasonable profit is?

It seems you miss the point of the post if your response is to appoint a commission to determine the meaning of the word reasonable.

 

[MillauFr]

Disagree. Putting out a quality product that makes people’s lives better and doing so with a reasonable profit is what companies rightly should be about

As a stock holder the higher the profit the more my stock increases in price.

 

[kathy884]

OP -- I understand your feelings.

It seems that the skip the line option in tourism is everywhere, not just Disney. But with so many using it at Disney and long lines, not having it can really make you feel like a second class citizen when you don't have that. And gosh the initial entry fee is pretty darn expensive too.

We have similar feeling on early entry, but I sure get it that those who are paying a premium to stay onsite should enjoy some perks. And Disney needs to offer some perks to get people to stay in those 40,000 onsite hotel rooms and condos.

I went to WDW regularly as a kid and took my son frequently meeting up with extended family when he was growing up too. And we've done the occasional grown up trip on our own or with the extended family over the years. We'd almost always stay offsite (just aren't willing to pay WDW room prices) and prefer the value of the nice offsite timeshares for week long stays, offsite hotels for shorter stays, or staying with family who live in Orlando for a smaller group and a short stay. And we'd always rope drop the parks on non extra magic morning days and be some of the very first people in the parks.

It was wild though how much my Disney loving son hated the change in 2019 last time I was there for a regular park day (And I get it) of having to wait in a different line to get into the park because we were offsite, while onsite visitors got to enter and get on popular rides. And we found after decades of doing rope drop and having short lines in the morning (something that was a tradition for us) wasn't available to us now. Now entering as early as we could as offsite visitors, there was not much of a rope drop advantage due to earlier entry of onsite visitors. It was a busy spring break time too and despite paying for LLs which helped some, it just didn't make up for not having the rope drop advantage. No rope drop and the crowds made the whole experience less appealing -- so we haven't been back to WDW for the past five year period. Previously we'd come every year. And I don't think I'll ever be back for a week long Orlando vacation.

But fast forward to 2025 -- I am coming back for one day at the MK next week and we are doing a day at SeaWorld too. Hopefully with February being a less busy time, our main interest being more low key thing, we'll have a great day. We were just in the mood to do the MK again (nostalgia). And I am paying for LLs single and multiple too for three of us for the one day (Splurging for a day at the MK, LLs, and a dinner break at Ohana). For me, I was going to be in Tampa visiting a cousin who is in assisted living there, so decided to extend that and do two Orlando theme park days too. I don't think I'll ever try to get a big extended family group (something we did for decades) back to Orlando again though -- It's just so expensive, more involved to plan/navigate, and I'm just not seeing the value and appeal for the extended family now. I am though looking forward to my one day at the MK.

 

[Mirabell Rose]

As a stock holder the higher the profit the more my stock increases in price.

First, that’s not always the case. Second, is all you want in life money? Companies are very much a part of our culture. I want that to be a culture that values people and happiness as much as profit. Walt Disney had that dream.

 

[Brian Noble]

Second, is all you want in life money?

No. And I do make many of my purchase decisions based on the behavior of the company. This past week has seen me change a few club memberships, for example--even though the change potentially costs me a few extra dollars per year.

But all I want from my investments is profit.

This is not complicated. If you think Disney is behaving unethically, or does not have (enough of) your interests at heart, stop giving them money. If enough people stop giving them money, they will get the message. If enough people keep giving them money, then they were, by definition, not wrong.

Also: don't be so sure you understand what Walt wanted. You might find Neal Gabler's excellent biography particularly eye-opening. For example, there is evidence that Walt knew that there would never be full-time residents in EPCOT, and knew that before the Florida Project film was screened. He was a brilliant, creative man, but he was not without his flaws.

 

[MillauFr]

First, that’s not always the case. Second, is all you want in life money? Companies are very much a part of our culture. I want that to be a culture that values people and happiness as much as profit. Walt Disney had that dream.

The more it goes up the easier it is to afford lightning lane.

 

[disneyseniors]

Back then airlines tickets were expensive and only upper class people flew. That eliminated most of the crowds. I only went once when I was growing up because it was too expensive.

That is so true. We always drove to our vacations, no flying for us.

 

[disneyseniors]

While this may have been great in the 70's, I can think of very little now in life in general, that functions like it did in the 70's.

Times change and I choose to change with it and try to embrace the changes. I may not like all of the changes but, I can't change them so choose to make the best of current day Disney operations.

I agree, as I said. That is why we chose to go to other parks such as Universal. I do miss WDW and am nostalgic for it the way it was when our kids were little, but those days are gone. I'm just glad we got to experience it from the 70's through 2020