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Credit: DisneyGuests reportedly walked out of one Disney ride en masse yesterday after rising tensions over its Lightning Lane system.
Lightning Lanes have existed at Disney World and Disneyland for several years now, having stepped in to replace Disney’s free FastPass+ service (RIP) in 2021.
During this time, they’ve largely proven unpopular—not only because they’re a paid service that replaced something free but also because they’ve had a massively negative impact on ride wait times and crowding at both resorts.
With a huge number of guests purchasing the services, the wait times that accrue in the standby line to accommodate those who paid for Lightning Lane have become increasingly intolerable for parkgoers.
According to one guest, tensions grew so high around Lightning Lanes at Disneyland this week that some guests stormed out of the queue.
The guest shared their experience on Reddit, where they claimed that “last night [Monday] just before fireworks we saw Space Mountain had a 25 minute wait. We got there quickly and cruised through the line till the first indoor part. The like just came to a dead stop. Maybe 2-3 steps every 10 minutes. About an hour later we make it into the hallways and it is miserable.”
With the wait stretching on, they reported that “multiple people” exited the line “very visibly unhappy.” As they made their way further down the line, they saw that it was because “they let 5-10 standby on and stop it for at least 10 minutes to let every LL purchaser through and just halt the line when there is none.”
All in all, it took the guests “maybe 1.5 hours to get through the line when the standby wait at the ride and on the app both said 25 minutes.” They added that “it’s starting to feel really unfair. Ticket prices are not going down when it is becoming pay to ride in the park.”
Negative sentiment has only grown since Disney launched its Lightning Lane Premier Pass in October, which charges up to $400 per person per day for the luxury of entering the Lightning Lane line without making a reservation in advance.
Parkgoers have accused Disney of exploiting guests with its high prices while offering minimal extra value in return. Despite the backlash, it’s sold out for several days over Thanksgiving.
As of last week, availability for this pass increased at Disney World. Once exclusively available to guests at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney announced that the Lightning Lane Premier Pass is available to all Disney resort guests. “Beginning Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, Walt Disney World will expand the Lightning Lane Premier Pass pilot to all Disney Resort hotels,” it said in an announcement.
“Guests staying at Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa, Moderate, Value Resorts and other select hotels will be eligible to purchase up to seven days before the first day of their Resort stay – for their entire length of stay (up to 14 days).”
Meanwhile, Disneyland’s Lightning Lane Premier Pass is available to all guests regardless of where they stay. Until the end of 2024, the Premier Pass will cost $400 per person per day at the Anaheim resort. From January 1, 2025, onwards, the price will vary from $300 to $400, depending on the day.
Disneyland Resort is theoretically set to see a huge boost in capacity in coming years with the addition of multiple new attractions. Disney California Adventure Park is set to welcome its own Avatar land, as well as a Coco (2017) ride (a first for Disney) and two new rides for Avengers Campus: a new E-ticket attraction known as Avengers Infinity Defense, plus Stark Flight Lab.
Are you a fan of Disney’s Lightning Lane system?