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Credit: DisneyBack in the day, Walt Disney World Resort used to have what was called the “off-season.” It was when the crowds were low, the wait times were short, and the weather was nice. It was the perfect time to visit. Sadly, Disney World doesn’t really have an off-season anymore. While there are times when the parks are less busy than peak season, they are still crowded.
It is fairly well known that the two weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s are two of the busiest weeks of the year. The crowds can get so high that the parks will actually have to turn people away. And with so many people visiting, that also means that things like the Lightning Lane Multi Pass sell out very quickly.
Related: The Crowds Have Descended on Disney World, Here’s How To Survive the Madness
Guests staying on property can purchase their Lightning Lane Multi Pass up to seven days in advance, while guests staying off property can book up to three days in advance. Purchases can be made every day beginning at 7 a.m. ET.
And for one guest, this is where the problem began.
Reddit user Apocalypsezz took to the platform to voice his frustration at the system. However, while he tried to accuse Disney of not caring about off-property guests, they were quickly called out for their own failings.
The OP (Original Poster) said that their family is staying off-property and has a reservation for the weekend after New Year’s. The poster woke up and tried to purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass three days in advance, but the tickets were all sold out.
Frustrated, they accused Disney of purposefully making things difficult for off-property guests and prioritizing guests staying at a Walt Disney World hotel.
Staying off property and went to book as soon as the 3 day booking window opened today at 7AM for me (was a bit late and woke at 7:45), only to notice every single parks multi pass this weekend was sold out before I even had the chance to purchase…
Meaning only people staying on property got the luxury of booking a multi pass. While I feel this may be an egregious oversight, where regular park goers cannot purchase their multi lane passes on disney’s own allotted 3 day window, I know its purposeful.
Its too late to reschedule the hotel for another less packed weekend, but I fear we may not be able to do much of anything at all this weekend. Incredible. Feeling pretty down right about now at all this money thrown out.
Multi Passes sold out for this weekend.
byu/Apocalypsezz inDisneyWorld
While the OP may have been mad at Disney, commenters pointed out that it was really their own fault that they weren’t able to purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass. As we said above, the Multi Pass goes on sale at 7 a.m. daily, but by OP’s own admission, they did not wake up and try to book until 7:45 a.m.
With the crowds being as heavy as they are during this time, commenters were shocked that OP thought Lightning Lane passes would be available nearly an hour after they went on sale.
Humble_Chip
you say you went to book as soon as the window opened but in the same sentence you say you did it 45 minutes after the window opened
sleepinand
Yeah, 45 minutes is an eternity in Disney reservations. Anything in demand is going to be gone 5 minutes after the window opens.
Related: Massive Safety Scare at Disney World: What Went Wrong?
If you are visiting Walt Disney World Resort during a busy time of year, it is important to remember that things like the Lightning Lane Multi Pass can sell out very quickly and virtual queues can fill up in a matter of seconds.
Like the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, virtual queues open at 7 a.m., and guests who get on late might find themselves unable to obtain a boarding group. Luckily, there are multiple virtual queues per day, but there are only so many Lightning Lane Multi Passes.
Do you think this guest was right to be upset with Disney? Or do they need to take responsibility for their own actions? Share your thoughts in the comments!