Should I give Disneyworld another chance

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by tapley

I just loved the fast passes as you could play it by ear once in the parks .

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I would say that the Genie+ system could be played by ear just as the old paper fastpass system could be. Both had similar rules, albeit with Genie+ you could book from 7am wherever you were rather than only once you were in the park with the old paper fastpasses.

The new Lightning Lane Multi-Passes are more similar to the Fastpass+ system, in that you book these days beforehand and can book 3 in advance (one from tier 1, two from tier 2). Availability can be fairly limited on the day, just as it was with FP+.

I would say the newer LLMP system is more aimed at those who like to plan in advance and less for those who like to wing it on the day. Genie+ (which was the system in place in 2023) was probably more aimed at those who liked to do things on the day.

The biggest difference, of course, is that these systems all cost extra compared to the old pre-2020 days. So it helps to budget for the additional cost. The more the overall holiday increases in price, the less value for money it becomes. You may have hit the threshold when a trip to DisneyWorld is no longer value for money for you.

[Cath24601]

We found LLs worked really well when bought in advance, not so well when left to the day before/day of. We didn’t buy for every day ahead of time as we didn’t want to have the whole fortnight mapped out, and we found HS and Epcot pretty queuey without LLs, but we just didn’t do some things.

I think it’s very possible to go with the flow, be spontaneous and have a lovely time if you go in content that you won’t necessarily get on all the rides and are happy enjoying the resorts/Disney Springs/eateries/shops/transportation/walking paths etc. If it’s all about the rides and shows for you, you don’t want to/can’t make use of LLs at all, but are also bothered by queues, then I’m not sure you’d enjoy it anymore next time than you did last time

[YorkshireT]

We were disappointed Xmas 22 and even more disappointed 23. The nickel and diming had become extreme and the lightning lane was a rip off, despite paying we had a very poor experience unable to get rides.
That was it for us and I see no reason to reverse that decision currently. No visits to parks 24, none 25 planned and none 26. That’s a lot of money not spent in WDW for us and a lot of money lost to Disney.
Of course, in the scheme of things for Disney it’s inconsequential, but if enough take our stance over the (my opinion) ruination of a once great product, they may actually suffer.
We will see how it pans out for them over the coming years.

[Claudette]

I don’t find myself with the same thoughts as you and I will happily be returning to WDW next year. I don’t like some of the changes but I am accepting and will deal with it.

If I returned from a holiday anywhere which I found disappointing, I can’t think why I would be going back the next year. Doing the same thing and expecting different results springs to mind.

I don’t see how anything is going to be different, other than you will be going at a time that will likely be a touch busier. Park reservations are gone, but it was just a few clicks and most of the times easily changeable on the day.

[kk20]

we arent doing disney on our next trip, mainly due to the changes and us not being prepared to pay for the LL etc.

instead we are doing universal with hotel perk premium, seaworld, busch and DC. we have 2 nights of hotel to book (the universal and villa is sorted) we are considering a DVC at AKL for an unwind but we wouldnt have park tickets.

[tapley]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

I would say that the Genie+ system could be played by ear just as the old paper fastpass system could be. Both had similar rules, albeit with Genie+ you could book from 7am wherever you were rather than only once you were in the park with the old paper fastpasses.

The new Lightning Lane Multi-Passes are more similar to the Fastpass+ system, in that you book these days beforehand and can book 3 in advance (one from tier 1, two from tier 2). Availability can be fairly limited on the day, just as it was with FP+.

I would say the newer LLMP system is more aimed at those who like to plan in advance and less for those who like to wing it on the day. Genie+ (which was the system in place in 2023) was probably more aimed at those who liked to do things on the day.

The biggest difference, of course, is that these systems all cost extra compared to the old pre-2020 days. So it helps to budget for the additional cost. The more the overall holiday increases in price, the less value for money it becomes. You may have hit the threshold when a trip to DisneyWorld is no longer value for money for you.

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nimbus, I think your final comment hits the spot as much as the trials and tribulations of lightening lane . The very high cost of a 14 day UK ticket should in my opinion be sufficient to cover the cost of the LL etc. however when you start adding those additional costs it is definitely not value for money, despite the fun factor. Stories abound about problems of getting LL etc if you want to be spontaneous and make the decision to visit a park on the day. I noted someone yesterday visited Epcot at 9 am and tried to an LL and given a time for 7.30pm . Pure Madness.

[Shooby doo]

I'd much rather they just added the additional cost to the ticket then we all could make a decision on whether it was worth it but unless you fork out for the premier pass then you could pay for multi-pass & still only get 3-5 rides plus the attractions that everyone can get, just like FP+. I no longer want or need to stand in a 2 hour ride queue, with the exception of Tron,we've done them all, but if the only way I can ride HM,Tiana's,BTMRR is by paying extra then I'd just not go- admittedly no great loss to Disney but then I can't be the only one.
We found '22 less enjoyable but it was busy & the constant "face to phone" for the next attraction didn't add to the ambience We'll have 4 days left for next year & then for '27 we'll need to have the Disney discussion.
SD

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by tapley

nimbus, I think your final comment hits the spot as much as the trials and tribulations of lightening lane . The very high cost of a 14 day UK ticket should in my opinion be sufficient to cover the cost of the LL etc. however when you start adding those additional costs it is definitely not value for money, despite the fun factor. Stories abound about problems of getting LL etc if you want to be spontaneous and make the decision to visit a park on the day. I noted someone yesterday visited Epcot at 9 am and tried to an LL and given a time for 7.30pm . Pure Madness.

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I wouldn't say it was "pure madness". Instead it looks like those LLs are very popular, many of them get booked up days in advance, and thus there is limited availability on the day. So what you are describing is simply something that, to others, is very attractive and popular.

I agree though that the new LL prebooking system means skipping the queues will be less spontaneous than the old Genie+ system where they were booked on the day. It was what a lot of people were asking for but won't be what everyone wants or likes. Personally, I didn't buy Genie+ on many days - just 2 days in a 2 week trip.

Otherwise, for some people the overall cost - which generally keeps on increasing year-on-year at a higher rate than inflation - will mean that the theme parks are no longer value for money for them. What enjoyment they may get from visiting is not worth the cost. So they choose to no longer visit. Others will still enjoy the parks and still think visiting them will be value for money. This is true of a lot of things, and is a very individual decision. See the difference between YorkshireT's view and Claudette's view in the earlier posts.

Only you can answer whether it's worth it to you. All I would say is that, because things generally haven't changed much, if you were disappointed last year then you'll probably be disappointed again if you go next year.

[Gill H]

When we went in 2022, Genie+ could be added to our tickets in advance for £200 for the whole 14 days. This worked pretty well for us, although probably less of a money maker for Disney!

This still happens at Disneyland, we had it for the whole five days and it worked really well there. You can’t use it until you are in the park.

I have to say I have never spent ‘all day on my phone’ in any park. Usually when we were sitting down with a drink we would decide what to do next, and that’s when we would check the waiting times and sort a LL if we wished. I spent more time using my phone to take photos than to use the app.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by Shooby doo

I'd much rather they just added the additional cost to the ticket then we all could make a decision on whether it was worth it

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Personally, I would not want them to add the cost of 14 days worth of LLs (Multi Pass or Single Pass or both) onto the cost of the UK 14-day Magic ticket. I only bought Genie+ on 2 days each time on my trips in 2023 and 2024.

At least this way people can choose how many days of LLs they want to buy or even whether they want to buy them at all. Some people enjoy the parks without buying any LLs. Others will buy LLs on every day they visit. And others, like myself, are somewhere inbetween and buy them on a few days but not all days.

Originally Posted by Shooby doo

unless you fork out for the premier pass then you could pay for multi-pass & still only get 3-5 rides plus the attractions that everyone can get, just like FP+.

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I don't see any issue with that? Typically I used Genie+ on 5 rides each day. Same as FP+.

Genie+, and now the LLMP, is not meant to be better than the old FP+. It's simply Disney charging for something that used to be free in order to make more money. Just like other theme parks chose to do several years ago.

Disney made it clear when buying Genie+ that, on average, people used it to skip the lines at 2 or 3 rides. I actually think this was lower than the actual average but Disney was managing expectations. But, anyway, people knew what they were getting when buying it and could choose whether or not the buy it based on this.

If you don't think paying, say, $25 for the Multi-Pass is worth it in order to skip the queues at 4 or 5 rides (roughly $5 or $6 per ride) then don't buy it. It's as simple as that. Same as anything else you buy. Note though that the price isn't any greater than what you would pay for something similar at other theme parks, and cheaper than some places.