Disney Guests Furious as Lightning Lane Moves While Stand-by Line Stalls for Hours

Ever since Disney introduced the paid Lightning Lane passes to replace the Fast Pass System, Disney fans have had nothing but complaints. The old system worked just fine and was free, but Disney realized they could monetize yet another theme park experience, and some guests would be willing to pay to skip long lines.

The main argument that Disney World and Disneyland guests make is that they shouldn’t have to pay for a service that was once free. Despite their impassioned pleas, Disney has ignored them and continues making millions each day from a product in high demand.

If this week was any indication, Disney’s Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane Premiere pass aren’t going anywhere. During the holidays, Disney World continually sold out both the expensive passes despite their record-high prices. So, while fans argue about the price, Disney can simply say that there is clearly a market for these products.

Beyond just the price, fans believed that Lightning Lane passes make the stand-by lines longer. Disney cast members, although they would never admit to it, allow significantly more of the guests who pay to skip the line ahead of those who haven’t.

Guests believe that if Disney World and Disneyland removed their Lightning Lanes, the line would be shorter for all guests. Since Disney is notoriously tight-lipped about how many Lightning Lane passes it sells per day, we may never know if that theory is accurate.

However, one guest took to social media to show other Disney fans just how much Lightning Lanes affect the stand-by line. The video shows dozens of Lightning Lane guests being allowed into the attraction while the stand-by line does not move.

The video claims that 200 Lightning Lane guests were allowed into the Disneyland ride while no one from the stand-by line was allowed to enter the attraction. It also claimed that they had been waiting an hour and barely moved.

This might be the wildest Disney complaint of 2024 pic.twitter.com/xC3AmiSLjC

— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) December 29, 2024

Many of the comments bashed the ratio of Lightning Lane guests who were allowed in while so few stand-by guests were allowed into an attraction. However, most guests agreed that this isn’t going anywhere.

Guests will complain about the ratio of guests allowed in, but those who can afford it will skip the line. It is one of the sad facts of the new Disney model, and it’s here to stay.

Do you think the Lightning Lane system works for all guests?