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Credit: Shanghai DisneylandLightning Lane has become impossible to live without on a Disney World vacation, and Disney knows it, too. How does the fanbase know that Disney knows this? One just has to look at the dynamic pricing system Disney World has implemented for Lightning Lane passes, charging more on days when there are larger crowds and less when the crowds are smaller.
Earlier this month, after an extremely slow September, Disney increased Lightning Lane prices for October, fully expecting larger crowds with Halloween and long weekends in November in the near future. Despite the increases, Disney guests are still shelling out money to skip the lines and make the most of their Disney World vacation.
Having said that, there is a glaring issue with the Lightning Lane system that Disney could easily remedy. No, it’s not that Lightning Lane clearly makes the stand-by lines longer. Disney has no plans to fix that, as it would require them to stop using Lightning Lane and stop charging for that privilege.
The fix to the Lightning Lane system would be to stop charging guests extra for an Individual Lightning Lane at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. There are several problems with this, the least of which is that guests are paying $12-$16 to skip the line on a ride that’s only three minutes long. That’s nearly $5 a minute during some more expensive times.
Magic Kingdom is the only Disney World Park with two attractions that require Individual Lightning Lane passes: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tron: Lightcycle/Run. Tron makes sense as it is the park’s premier attraction, much like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Avatar Flight of Passage. While Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a fine roller coaster, it doesn’t have the draw of those other rides.
Seven Dwarfs is comparable to the new Test Track at EPCOT, which is included in the park’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Magic Kingdom could easily include Seven Dwarfs in its Tier 1 attractions: Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Eventually, the return of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad could join that list.
The advantages for the guests would be spending less money and a faster-moving line, as the individual Lightning Lane won’t jam up passes. The advantages for Disney…there’s the problem. The only advantage for Disney is making a better guest experience. They would lose money from the Lightning Lane passes.
Since it’s about money, Disney probably won’t do it. But it can’t hurt to push them a little.
Do you think Disney should stop charging extra to skip the line at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? Let us know in the comments.