PHOTOS: Lightning Lane vs Stand-By Use at Magic Kingdom
We’ve been working our way through Walt Disney World Theme Parks to get an idea of how popular the Disney Genie’s new Lightning Lane service is vs. the traditional stand-by queues. If you’re new to the article series, we’ve been visiting the Parks and observing how many guests are entering the Lightning Lane vs. Stand-By, and reporting our observations.
When we visited Epcot and Animal Kingdom, we observed relatively light Lightning Lane use across the board. Of course Lightning Lane IS being purchased and used by guests at all 4 Parks, but what we saw today was a definite departure from what we witnessed earlier in our research. Let’s get into it!
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
I arrived at Magic Kingdom 2.5 hours after Park Opening and started my day in Tomorrowland. I immediately noticed the Space Ranger Spin’s extended queue was in use, meaning the entire interior of the stand-by queue was full.
I saw a few guests scanning into the Lightning Lanes here ($15 tier), and it’s becoming pretty apparent that Lightning Lane purchasers are being heavily prioritized over stand-by guests, which is likely why the stand-by queue here was slow going.
The Lightning Lane system can be fairly compared to the old FastPass+ system, which at any given moment at ANY given attraction had a constant flow of guests scanning in, from Park open to Park close. By comparison to the old system, the new Lightning Lane system is not nearly as favored by guests.
Space Mountain
Of course I had to check in on Magic Kingdom’s two individual Lightning Lane selections, and one of them just so happened to be steps from Space Ranger Spin. I stood outside the Space Mountain entrance for 10 minutes and saw only 5 parties scan into Lightning Lane in that time.
I headed inside to get a better look at the Lightning Lane use…and my initial observation was definitely correct. The stand-by line (left) was full of guests queuing, while hardly anyone passed us using the Lightning Lane to our right. With Space Mountain at only a 20-minute wait, the vast majority of guests opted for the stand-by line.
Lightning Lane switchbacks empty at Space Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain
The game changed at Big Thunder Mountain. Standing outside the queue entrance, the stand-by and Lightning Lane entrances were both seeing similar levels of guests entering. Plenty of guests were scanning their MagicBands to access the Lightning Lane here, and many were entering the stand-by queue as well.
There will always be more volume of guests choosing stand-by, but for the first time in my research, I’d say a good number of people were using Lightning Lane to bypass wildest queue in the wilderness!
Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train
Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train is Magic Kingdom’s second pay-per-attraction Lightning Lane option. Remember how not many folks were paying to use the LL’s at Space Mountain? That was certainly NOT the case at Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train!
With a 60-minute wait, it was clear that many guests valued their time in the Park over time spent in a 60-minute queue. The Lightning Lane had a constant- albeit short and always moving- line in the 10 minutes I observed the entrance to Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train. Lightning Lane is definitely a popular choice here.
Final Thoughts
The point of this article series is not to sell you on or deter you from purchasing Genie+, but to let you know what we’re experiencing on the ground now that the new service is up and running. Like I said earlier, I hadn’t seen LL’s getting very heavy use at Epcot or Animal Kingdom, but today at Magic Kingdom was different.
Based on my observations, a good number of guests invested in the $15 tier at Magic Kingdom today, and the pay-per-attraction options were solely dependent on how long the wait times were. Magic Kingdom has the most attractions of any Park. One thing is for sure: purchasing the $15 Genie+ tier at Magic Kingdom allows you to bypass the queues of so many attractions at Magic Kingdom (and more than any other Park), and it was clear today that many guests see clear value in that option.
Now it’s time to start planning YOUR next Walt Disney World vacation! For my no-fee help planning, strategizing, and booking your next Disney vacation, contact: msalerno@mickeytravels.com! I am an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (Platinum Level) and all of my services are ALWAYS free…see you in the parks!
