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Credit: Walt Disney StudiosDisneyland might be known as the happiest place on earth, but all magic comes at a price. All Disney parks have seen a shift in prices in recent years, and it’s truly taking a toll on guests’ enjoyment.
Disney trips are almost always expensive, that’s nothing new. However, different add-ons and upgrades nickel-and-diming visitors to tears have truly sucked the magic out of an otherwise incredible trip.
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A recent post on r/Disneyland has guests up in arms over the Lightning Lane program, sharing how much it’s truly effecting visitors with and without access in a negative way. Unsurprisingly, hundreds of users agreed that the pay-to-ride pass system is causing more harm than Disney knows, and that something needs to be done.
Disneyland Lightning Lane is Killing the Magic
u/Iceman838 goes on a long “rant” in their post about the current Lightning Lane experience, but they also raise some valid points in terms of how things are run at the park. In the post, the user points out why the profit-over-people model is going to be bad for business.
“First, it gives Disneyland a financial incentive to make sure wait times stay long so that the only way to efficiently get on rides is to give them more money on top of the obscene prices that you already have to pay just to get in the park…”
“Second, and most infuriating to me, it’s the only upcharge I can think of that actually lets you pay to make the experience of non-paying guests worse so that yours can be better…
The user goes on to illustrate how the FastPass+ system didn’t have the same stimga or over-crowding problems, a subject that is still debated long after Bob Chapek took it away. The user writes,
“Fast Pass had neither of these issues. Yes, it let people cut in front of you, but it was available to everyone. When someone cut in front of you with a Fast Pass, it didn’t make you feel like an inferior guest, because you knew that you would get your chance to use your Fast Pass to jump a different line later. Everything was fair.”
FastPass+ was similar to the Lightning Lane option, but it didn’t have as much of a price tag attached to it, as the passes were complementary for those staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Even as an upcharge, it was still more organized than its replacement and the dreaded Genie+.
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Other Guests share their perspectives in the comments, and the original poster is by no means alone. u/LonePeasant shares the unfortunate truth that all visitors have a price.
“I’m with you, but the people have spoken with their wallets. Guests will pay for just about anything and Disney knows this. Even with these constant price hikes and micro transactions, people are still filling up the parks.”
And underneath, u/epotosi points out in their post how much guests have just accepted the upcharges as the norm.
“Guests are paying for Genie+ because they don’t feel like they can get the full experience without it. These guests don’t care about the non-Genie+ guests because it’s not their problem, they paid for the privilege… But because guests are paying for it, Disney has to prioritize the overpaying guests otherwise people will not continue to pay the $30/per day per person rate…”
Complacency is more to blame than the stereotypical corporate greed. Disney is willing to charge and guests (while disgruntled) are willing to pay. If it keeps making the parks money, Disney won’t change.
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Future guests can take comfort in knowing that something is being done about the park ticket price hikes, but a permanent solution might still be ages away. Hopefully, Disney will find its magic again once those involved listen to the audience.
Have you been priced out of Disneyland? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!