Scathing report from Frommer's on Genie+/LL

[LKing]

The Pirates line looks particularly bad because it is all outdoors. The queue used to wind on both sides under the bridge. Now LL goes to the left under the bridge and standby goes to the right. The line for standby stretches over the bridge and back, out to Tiana's and back. The line blocks people from getting from Rivers of America/Frontierland to NOS, the restrooms near the train station, etc. I feel bad for the people with reservations to sit outdoors at Cafe Orleans. Now all they see is the line for Pirates.

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Well - two things.

1. When somebody comes out yelling against Disney that hard in a piece it's really hard to focus on any points they are actually trying to make in between the noise.

2. I know. Somebody is about to mention the Defunctland video any moment here.
Overall the standby lines would be shorter for everybody without fast lanes. But I'm not in the standby line. Call me when the standby lines all somehow would magically get shorter for me personally than the breeze on by lightning lines and we'll talk about not buying into it.

Yup. I can't speak for WDW, but we use it every trip at DLR and I'd disagree with 95% of their opinions. And pulling out a 40 year old video to show Epcot wasn't always crowded?

 

[smartlabelprint]

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[smartlabelprint]

My biggest complaint with how G+ works is that it puts DAS people in the LL. And the LL can often be 10-30 minutes, as mentioned. DAS is for people who struggle to wait in lines. So a 30 minute wait (on top of the wait their already had outside the queue) isn't acceptable at all.

Yes, it’s hard on my kids to even wait the 10-30 minutes in the LL. But I feel like even with this wait, we’re technically at an advantage to regular guests. ADA only says that they need to provide an experience equal to standby guests. While we are technically “waiting” out of the line, we are always doing something. It could be food, restroom, shopping or another ride, but we aren’t standing in a line that says 20 min but could be 90.

I can see why so many (locals?) “fake” DAS needs (not to start a debate but IBS?!-really?) since it’s basically free genie+. I think that while they needed to do away with unlimited Genie+ for passholders, it was just asking for people to abuse the system.

On the IBS note, I don’t see how DAS would help. If ya gotta go, ya gotta go. You could be in the LL and need to leave. So, if you’re in standby line and need to leave, I think they need a way to allow you back in your spot and not come back to the end of standby. It’s easy if you have someone with you, leave and join back up. But if you’re solo, I’m not sure what a good solution is.

100% agree with this. In the scenario I mentioned above about RSR on Sunday, I even said to my family member, "What a bunch of BS for DAS users to have to be stuck in that line. Misses the whole point of DAS!"

If the LL is essentially a walk on or close to it, then it's likely fine for most DAS users. But when it gets clogged up like that, there needs to be exceptions made.

A couple of trips a year, I go with someone who gets DAS and while we've been lucky with how it worked out with us thus far. I don't think any of us would be pleased if we got stuck in one of those clogged lines.

I agree100% with this. There have been many times we had to walk away from RSR. It seems like they should use the single rider path for DAS when coming back from a shutdown. They surely don’t open single rider, do they?

 

[smartlabelprint]

I just wonder what would happen if they got ride of Genie + & Lightening Lanes and just went back to the 80's and everyone got in & stood in line. My guess is that lines would not be as long as they are now.

How many more people are in standby than LL? Google says 1:4.

100 people waiting 20 minutes. 400 people at 90 minutes (my sis said that was the wait at wdw in Jan)

(2000+36000)/38000=76 minute wait each, says simple math.

I’ll pay $30 to save an hour!

The simple math is likely not considering enough variables.

 

[starlite_]

Yeah, we ended up with a long DAS return at Rise in WDW because it had been broken down earlier so I was nervous about the wait. I honestly don't even know what kind of solution they could have for this problem at this point.

I thought DAS returns didn't expire. So you could use it at 4pm even if your "return time" was 2pm. Was I wrong?

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yup. I can't speak for WDW, but we use it every trip at DLR and I'd disagree with 95% of their opinions. And pulling out a 40 year old video to show Epcot wasn't always crowded?

I feel like the article linked in the first post is WDW specific with the complaints (yes I know there is a screenshot of the LL line for RSR).

Genie+/ILL has completely wrecked HS. I haven't returned to that park since last year. It's a mess.

 

[Brian rhymes with dyin]

I feel like the article linked in the first post is WDW specific with the complaints (yes I know there is a screenshot of the LL line for RSR).

Genie+/ILL has completely wrecked HS. I haven't returned to that park since last year. It's a mess.

Further proof that DLR is for those in the know. WDW is where the all-american families want to go for their vacation and complain about the entire experience. Let them have it.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I thought DAS returns didn't expire. So you could use it at 4pm even if your "return time" was 2pm. Was I wrong?

Correct. But we can't get anymore DAS returns until that one is used or cancelled. It isn't like with G+ where after a certain amount of time, you can get another G+ return.

 

[Aladora]

My biggest complaint with how G+ works is that it puts DAS people in the LL. And the LL can often be 10-30 minutes, as mentioned. DAS is for people who struggle to wait in lines. So a 30 minute wait (on top of the wait their already had outside the queue) isn't acceptable at all.

Yeah, it can be really hard when the DAS wait is longer than anticipated but this was the way they have been done even when Disney had FP and then later MaxPass. You have always had to go through the FP/LL entrance, with the exception of the attractions that do not have one such as the ones in FL, where you go through the exit.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I thought DAS returns didn't expire. So you could use it at 4pm even if your "return time" was 2pm. Was I wrong?

Yes you can. But you can’t get another DAS selection until you use yours. They do give out multi experience pass for breakdowns.

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Further proof that DLR is for those in the know. WDW is where the all-american families want to go for their vacation and complain about the entire experience. Let them have it.

Middle Aged guy here and being west coast I’ve never been to WDW. Reports like these (and others) are doing nothing to heighten its appeal to us and have us want to skip a DLR trip and fly back east to experience WDW. We might be better off heading further west and doing Tokyo instead!

 

[mich311e]

The most recent FreshBaked video showed very long return lines for LL. He was at DCA last Saturday. The line for RSR Individual LL was out to Cross Street. I'd be so mad if I paid $25 and had to wait in a line like that. He did time the queue and it was about 29 minutes for those guests to go through the line and ride. Which doesn't seem that bad compared to the 90-120 minutes for standby. He also shows a very long return line for TSMM.

It made me a little nervous for our trip coming up in April, over a weekend. We always buy G+ since we are coming from out of town.

 

[ghtx]

The article says "...the Lightning Lane queues are often many times longer than the free Standby queues." I am pretty sure that is not true (if it ever happens then it is very rare). Am I wrong?

(By "longer" I assume they mean longer wait time and not just more people. The LL could have more people in it, but would still be faster if they are letting those people in much faster.)

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Those long lighting lane lines at RSR are usually after a shutdown. Last trip there the line stretched to the stack of tires outside Luigi’s and it took us only about 20 mins in the LL.

 

[NorCalFanatic]

The article says "...the Lightning Lane queues are often many times longer than the free Standby queues." I am pretty sure that is not true (if it ever happens then it is very rare). Am I wrong?

(By "longer" I assume they mean longer wait time and not just more people. The LL could have more people in it, but would still be faster if they are letting those people in much faster.)

We’ve only experienced that once! Roger Rabbit. Standby was walk on and there was a short line in the LL. I’m sure it happens but that’s the only time we’ve encountered it.

 

[SteveH]

I can’t say I disagree with the story at all. In the summer of 2019 we did Disneyland followed by Disney World in 2020 just before Covid, we haven’t been back and based on so many actions by Disney I don’t see us returning for a long time. Changes like Genie+/LL are big reasons why. Based on all the things I read this “solution to a problem” has just made a bigger problem but its made more money for Disney, yet the Disney addicts can’t seem to see what’s going on and they just keep forking over more and more money.

Let’s be totally honest the taglines of “The Happiest Place On Earth" and “The Most Magical Place On Earth” have both been replaced by the Disney with the new tagline, “It’s all about the money!”

 

[Minnie1222]

yet the Disney addicts can’t seem to see what’s going on and they just keep forking over more and more money.

Addicts? No.
Just happy people having fun while helping the economy.

 

[starlite_]

yet the Disney addicts can’t seem to see what’s going on and they just keep forking over more and more money.

Did you bite your tongue? Cause here you are as well, talking about Disney. Probably giving money to Disney in other ways even if not going to the parks. I'm sorry but that statement sounds so hypocritical and bitter.

 

[Nonsuch]

Disney's Lightning Lane scam
Frommer's opinion: "Standby got slow because of Lightning Lane—the "cure" causes the disease."

…When somebody comes out yelling against Disney that hard in a piece it's really hard to focus on any points they are actually trying to make in between the noise.

Agreed, poorly written
Blocked Frommers from my news feed