No More Disney Fast Pass, Now Paid Lightning Lane

[ssmjlm]

Breaking: FastPass is Replaced with New Lightning Lane Paid System

www.kennythepirate.com/2021/08/18/breaking-fastpass-is-replaced-with-new-lightning-lane-paid-system/?fbclid=IwAR2HQWshHZFBDsblR0vjFKpqOzPtQJMk_RtGu8xo5QDGQgwWJ-bURPyp9Q4

Disney has just announced Genie and the paid Lightning Lane system that will be coming to the theme parks. Get all the details here and weigh in with your thoughts. Are you willing to pay these prices?

Disney suspended FastPass before the parks reopened last July. It has been a long year without the FastPass, especially as crowds have steadily increased. Rumors have been swirling for months that a FastPass return is on the horizon, and that has come to be true.

Disneyland Paris just recently debuted Premier Access, which essentially grants front-of-the-line access for anywhere from $8 to $17 per person per ride.

Back in 2019, Disney announced that they would be creating a planning app for Guests to help them plan their time in the parks. It was supposed to be released late last year, but that did not happen with the pandemic.

Although the My Disney Experience tool is already available for guests to utilize, the Disney Genie app feature will enhance the planning experience in a simpler way for all guests.

It is essentially a similar version of Character Locator. While we clearly don’t know much about Genie, I appreciate the touring plans and tips that are available in Character Locator.

The Disney Genie will be helpful in the way that it will quickly evaluate millions of options to present a day with an optimal, yet also flexible, options. It’s also where you will be able to purchase your paid FastPass.

Disney has been pretty quiet in recent months regarding the roll out of Genie. But that all changed with today’s announcement. Here is what is in store for us at Disney World with Disney’s Genie.

Disney Genie is built right into My Disney Experience so no need to use another app.

FastPass is no longer FastPass. Instead the term “Lightning Lane” will be used.

Genie+ selections will be made on the same day of your visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, great for those who love the Park Hopper option.

You can still enter the standby line and use virtual queues when available.

For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day

Additionally, you can schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance. Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.
Credit: Disney

This is unlike our tried and true strategy of Tap-Grab-Modify. This will take a lot of getting used to especially for those who have mastered this TGM technique.

[ssmjlm]

Onsite Guests will have Lightning Lane Advantage over Offsite Guests

Disney just announced a paid Lightning Lane service, which is the new version of what FastPass was. Curious how this will work for onsite guests vs offsite guests and who has the advantage? Here’s how.

Disney just announced the debut of Disney Genie + and Lightning Lane. This paid service is essentially what FastPass used to be, with a few modifications.

There is a lot of information that we are currently trying to process because this is a totally NEW system. Basically, you will pay a set amount per person per day to experience most attractions, and then you can pay an additional fee to experience more of the top tier headliner attractions. Similar to FastPass, you can only have one selection at a time.

Changes to DAS are also set in motion with this announcement. More information about attractions and how to purchase will be available soon, and we will be sure to share with you when we see it!

With Magical Express ending, the Early Theme Park Entry benefit slimmed down, and other modifications, many have wondered if staying onsite is worth it anymore.

Disney has heard our frustration, and resort guests WILL have an advantage over those staying offsite.

Those who are staying onsite and have valid park reservations will be able to book their first Lightning Lane attraction starting at 7 am the day of. All other guests will have to wait until they enter the park.

Lightning Lane’s price is based per attraction.

However, Genie+ will not distinguish between onsite and offsite. All Guests who purchased Genie+ (the set price feature) can book their first attraction starting at 7 am.

www.kennythepirate.com/2021/08/18/onsite-guests-will-have-lightning-lane-advantage-over-offsite-guests/?fbclid=IwAR1ipTTP34aspwH-pcDH9xslqLTGQZ9Z8Z-qMuREx4S1i-Wn2xAwsQ4zPUM

[nmosrob]

Oh man. So if you can't reserve until day of, there's really no more planning your entire day head of time, is there? I guess with no fast passes to help you do that, it's somewhat the same. But if you can get a better time on one thing than another that you were planning, it might mess up your day. And who wants the stress of doing this at 7 am day of?? I don't know. I don't think I like this very much. I'm hoping to hear it in a better viewpoint from someone else.

[kittycatlove]

It sounds similar to the MaxPass Disneyland had been utilizing. Personally, I liked that way better than FP+. We were able to ride way more rides that way.

I guess we will have to see how it actually plays out. I have a trip in November (fingers crossed I don't have to cancel) so we will see I guess.

[gretchenindisguise]

Aug 19, 2021 9:38:35 GMT -5 kittycatlove said:

It sounds similar to the MaxPass Disneyland had been utilizing. Personally, I liked that way better than FP+. We were able to ride way more rides that way.

I guess we will have to see how it actually plays out. I have a trip in November (fingers crossed I don't have to cancel) so we will see I guess.

I was thinking it sounded like MaxPass too, but man an extra $20 a day per ticket is steep.

I did like the system, it worked really well for us.

[jewel]

I’m fairly happy with this plan, and hoping that they do an AP add-on option.

I was worried that they’d do the Paris pay per ride option. $20 per day is better than $7-$15 per ride.

[Wines Not Whines]

This sounds like Max Pass to me, too. I liked that system. I wasn’t a big fan of FP+. I don’t want to plan the minutiae of my day 60 days in advance. However, they should give on-site guests a little more of an advantage. They’ve really decimated most of the perks of staying on site.

[krystee]

Am I understanding right that you pay for one level, but it doesn’t have the biggest rides so you then pay extra for each premium ride? If so, yuck. I’ll grudgingly accept paying, but not two different payments (or more than two with multiple premium rides).

[Scout'sHonor]

This makes me even sadder that I didn't choose Feb 2020 instead of Apr 2020 for our Disneyland trip. Then we'd have gotten in before this change (and pandemic...)

[meganew]

I’m super bummed about this. It’s going to feel like I’m paying to get in the park, then paying to ride the rides. And I really like planning everything out in advance, it’s part of what makes a Disney vacation so relaxing- I did all the pre and planning beforehand and then I just get to show up and enjoy. Now I’m going to be setting alarms at 7am every day to jump on and snatch up times for rides? No thank you.

And selfishly I wish they’d make this free for on-site guests at least. Day of booking doesn’t seem like a perk. Womp womp.

[pumpkin]

Aug 19, 2021 12:07:35 GMT -5 krystee said:

Am I understanding right that you pay for one level, but it doesn’t have the biggest rides so you then pay extra for each premium ride? If so, yuck. I’ll grudgingly accept paying, but not two different payments (or more than two with multiple premium rides).

This is how it reads to me too. Guess I’ll have to wait to learn more.

[ssmjlm]

I wonder if they will move to a system like Universal where only certain hotels get you certain perks. So if you stay at a premier it's included, etc.

I do think there needs to be more for on-site guests.

[iheartthe90s]

Aug 19, 2021 12:07:35 GMT -5 krystee said:

Am I understanding right that you pay for one level, but it doesn’t have the biggest rides so you then pay extra for each premium ride? If so, yuck. I’ll grudgingly accept paying, but not two different payments (or more than two with multiple premium rides).

Yes, this is how it reads to me too, that Genie and Lightening Lane are two different tiers.

Genie = $15 per person per day for the basic tier rides. Then Lightning Lane is for the higher tier rides. Pricing will vary based on demand but people are saying to expect to pay $10-20 per ride based on how it works in Disneyland Paris.

I saw this blog post with a rumored list of how the rides will break down:

blogmickey.com/2021/08/rumor-attraction-list-for-paid-disney-genie-and-lightning-lane-services/

We're a family of five and we're planning to go in April, which is a peak time. So realistically, I think it'll cost us an extra $275 a day to do Disney now, assuming we do two premium rides a day. It's kind of galling for anyone who rode any of those rides recently for "free" (well, for the cost of the basic entry ticket).

[Wines Not Whines]

There are still regular standby lines for all of these rides, right? People don’t have to pay extra to ride them? They only have to pay extra to skip the lines?

[bronxgirl]

Aug 20, 2021 9:46:57 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

There are still regular standby lines for all of these rides, right? People don’t have to pay extra to ride them? They only have to pay extra to skip the lines?

Correct. It will be less convenient and you might not get to do as much, but you don't need to purchase either of these plans to access rides.  i wish it included photoPass like MaxPass did.  That made the price a little better.

[turkletsmom]

By paying extra for the premium rides-- is it $15-20 per ticket? So if there are 5 people in my family, I'm paying $100 to ride a 3 minute premium ride?

[SusanBAnthony]

Disney lovers should totally disregard my opinion because I am meh about Disney.

Disney has only a handful of good rides in each park. Most are out of date or for little kids. And now those good rides are either a 2 hour wait or 15$ extra.

Maybe if you could ride them over and over for the 15$ it would be worth it. I could see that. But for once?

We love universal and have done it with and without whatever they call their fast pass.

[TamiTaylor]

Aug 20, 2021 22:44:55 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

Aug 20, 2021 9:46:57 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

There are still regular standby lines for all of these rides, right? People don’t have to pay extra to ride them? They only have to pay extra to skip the lines?

Correct. It will be less convenient and you might not get to do as much, but you don't need to purchase either of these plans to access rides.  i wish it included photoPass like MaxPass did.  That made the price a little better.

It will at DLR but not WDW.

[TamiTaylor]

It will be like MaxPass was at DL. It can be purchased in advance or bought day of for specific parks. If purchased in advance it has to be for length of stay/tickets. The cost of the Lightening Lane has not been released yet. There will be at least 2 LL rides at each park. You will only be able to purchase 2 LL rides per day (as it stands right now.)

[kittycatlove]

Aug 21, 2021 22:16:43 GMT -5 TamiTaylor said:

It will be like MaxPass was at DL. It can be purchased in advance or bought day of for specific parks. If purchased in advance it has to be for length of stay/tickets. The cost of the Lightening Lane has not been released yet. There will be at least 2 LL rides at each park. You will only be able to purchase 2 LL rides per day (as it stands right now.)

This right here really sucks.  Previously at DLR MaxPass included all top tier rides, and when the slots filled it was filled for the day.  

But now, if you want to ride the top tiers you have to pay extra, or wait in 2 hour lines. They couldn't just include them all in one nice little package???  And photopass not included at WDW.  WTF Disney, WTF.  LOL.

I would have been fine with the original concept of MaxPass, but this seems really greedy.

[nicolewi]

I don't like the sound of this. I definitely would not want to be waking up before 7 am every day of vacation to do some stressful wrangling with rides. I liked having everything planned out in advance!

[ellipses84]

The system wasn’t in place when we went to DL last week, but it wasn’t really needed with limited capacity and short lines. In normal times we loved the max pass and found it worth it since it came with free photos, plus less running back and forth than paper fast passes. I imagine we’ll pay for the new system during busy times in the future. We don’t have much patience and will skip rides rather than wait in long lines, though, and we are close enough to go often / during less busy times. The up charging for every little thing annoys me!