When You Should Skip Lightning Lane Multi-Pass!
You shouldn’t always buy Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Walt Disney World. To the contrary, most people should skip paid FastPass at least some of the time, at a few of the parks. This lists when we’d recommend guests opt against buying line-skipping based on our testing, plus better alternatives.
Lightning Lanes come with a cost–not just a monetary one, but also with frustrations, back-tracking, making ride reservations in advance of your trip, and the learning curve that comes with mastering the system. Skipping Lightning Lanes will obviously save you money, but sometimes it’ll also save stress, headaches and hassles. That’s right–not skipping lines can improve the overall quality of your trip sometimes!
Given all of this and more, there are scenarios where you should and should not purchase the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass service. The goal of this guide is thus to help you determine when it does and doesn’t make sense to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Walt Disney World, so you don’t waste time and money, or subject yourself to unnecessary stress and pressure when it really isn’t necessary or advantageous.
Way too many guests default to viewing line-skipping as a “nonnegotiable” for their trip, thinking back to the FastPass or even Genie+ days. But things have changed a ton in the last 5+ years, and even in the last year. Lightning Lanes are not nearly as “essential” as line-skipping has been in the past, which is a topic we’ve also discussed at length recently in Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Still “Worth It” at Disney World?”
Anyway, here are the specific scenarios when you should consider skipping Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Walt Disney World. As always, there’s no one-size-fits-all advice, so you still may want to purchase line-skipping in some of these circumstances…
On a Tight Budget
Current per-person prices range from $17 to $45 before tax each day, with busier weeks (e.g.Thanksgiving) when and where it’s needed most being priciest. Most of the time, when Lightning Lane Multi-Pass is under $30, you don’t need it anyway!
If you’re on a budget or more price-sensitive, this adds up–amounting to $750 to over $1,000 in added costs for an average family during a week-long trip. Walt Disney World is barely within financial reach of some families as-is, with an extra $1,000 or so making the trip a total non-starter. There is no banana stand from which to extract funds, sadly.
Others may have the ability to splurge, but only at the expense of something else. That’s essentially us. We’re frugal, but not cheap. We’re willing to spend extra for memorable experiences or add-ons that will enhance the quality of our vacations. To that point, our list of the Best Value Splurges at Walt Disney World is filled with everything from character dining we love to Club Level hacks.
The most important thing you can do to have a great Walt Disney World vacation is reject the notion that you “need” to purchase any add-on (including Lightning Lane Multi-Pass) in order to have a good day. It’s a recipe for stress, pressure, tension, and adult meltdowns.
You’ll leave happier, more satisfied, and with a fuller wallet if being there at the Most Magical Place on Earth with your family or friends is enough to put a smile on your face and fill your heart. It should be–the moments you’ll remember most decades from now aren’t how many lines you skipped.
Staying Off-Site
One of the big strengths of Genie+ (or weaknesses, depending upon your perspective) was that it leveled the playing field for on-site and off-site guests. That’s no longer the case.
Off-site guests are left with table scraps when it comes to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, as their booking window is considerably shorter. It’s not just 3 days vs. 7 days–the latter is actually up to 21 days depending upon the duration of the on-site stay. This means no Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Slinky Dog Dash, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and potentially a lot more from our list of the Top 10 Best & Most Difficult Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World.
This isn’t to say off-site guests should always skip LLMP. They’re just disadvantaged in several ways, meaning they need to work harder and smarter to get as much done. Be aware of ride reservation refills and play the refresh game, arrive early and stay late, visit during the off-season or adjust your expectations about how much you’ll get done.
Arriving Late
The Lightning Lane Multi-Pass system incentivizes planners to schedule selections earlier in the day in order to start making subsequent ride reservations. The stacking and late arrival approach is now suboptimal. On the day of your park visit, once you redeem a selection, you can make another Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection.
Consider this the “rolling 3 rule,” which is to say that you can always have 3 Lightning Lane selections (subject to availability). With the “rolling 3 rule” of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you can make your next ride reservation as soon as you’ve used one.
The “rolling 3 rule” also encourages guests to book their LLMPs (or at least one of them) with as early of a return time as possible, as it’s essentially a race against the clock to unlock the 4th (etc.) selections and start making subsequent selections. If you sleep in–or even would prefer afternoon return times from a strategic perspective–your chances of scoring worthwhile Lightning Lanes with the 4th and later picks decreases dramatically.
Early Birds
With that said, if you aren’t sleeping in, you arguably don’t need Lightning Lane Multi Pass as much because you can knock out rides via standby lines while they’re still short first thing in the morning.
It’s ironic that LLMP essentially incentivizes guest behavior that is basically self-defeating. I’ve repeatedly found myself cringing at the return times I’ve chosen, but my desire to keep the ball moving on the “rolling 3 rule” more or less necessitated using the Lightning Lane even when standby wait times were reasonable. It’s a delicate dance, and there is a sweet spot to this–as you don’t want to burn your the best Lightning Lanes at times when they’re utterly pointless and won’t save you any time.
You’ve gotta hand it to Walt Disney World, as this is almost a bit devious. They’ve created a system that will increase guest satisfaction, thanks in part to the illusion of having saved time via line-skipping. But really, it was the guest’s own hustle that saved them the bulk of that time.
At EPCOT, Often
The reopening of Test Track has really changed the equation on this one. Not only is that reimagined ride very popular, but it added Lightning Lane inventory and resulted in Soarin’ getting bumped to Tier B. That makes Lightning Lane Multi-Pass more valuable and useful than it was one year ago. We still prefer arriving early and staying late, but see the value in LLMP.
The biggest problem with LLMP is the layout of EPCOT. If playing Theme Park Tycoon with the goal of maximizing walking distances, for who knows what reason, you’d drop EPCOT’s marquee attractions exactly where they are. This is not a huge deal when you’re taking a linear approach to the park, but it can become a serious issue with Lightning Lane return times, which can necessitate considerable criss-crossing and backtracking.
Depending upon your walking speed and actual wait times, you might actually waste more time with Lightning Lane Multi Pass than it’s worth at EPCOT. This is very much a ‘your mileage may vary’ thing–both literally and figuratively–so we are far less inclined to write off LLMP across the board at EPCOT. It might be “worth it” to you in certain circumstances.
Longer Trips
This one is probably fairly self evident. If you’re taking a longer trip, you have more time to experience every attraction without resorting to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Conversely, buying LLMP every day of a lengthier vacation will cost you more money than doing the same on a shorter trip.
I say this should be self-evident because this is precisely how Disney’s CFO described Lightning Lanes a couple of years ago, commenting that some people have more time and others have more money. She didn’t put it in as delicate of terms, but she was correct–and it was controversial among many Disney fans. The bottom line is that you can optimize for time or money, but it’s difficult to have it both ways.
At Animal Kingdom, If Arriving Early or Leaving Late
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Animal Kingdom. Nevertheless, it is possible to score Lightning Lanes for Na’vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and more–and save hours in line as a result. On busier days, even the stage show Lightning Lanes can have value.
However, this still only applies (most of the time) if your plan is to roll up to Animal Kingdom after 9 am and leave before 4 pm on moderately busy or worse days. If you’re arriving for Early Entry or in the mid-afternoon, you can knock out most of the park via standby lines. See Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Entry Ride Strategy and Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Strategy for a runthrough of those approaches.
If you’re instead showing up a little late and would like to leave early, Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Animal Kingdom can be advantageous. We’d still strongly recommend not doing only the peak hours of the day in the park. Not only is it when crowds are worst, but it’s also when the park is hottest and least comfortable. But this is how most people approach the park–and LLMP can work for them.
Tech-Free Trip
Thankfully, this complaint has been minimized now that you can book 3 ride reservations in advance. In that sense, it’s just like FastPass+ (but paid).
You could spend all day with your head buried in your phone playing the refresh game or trying to time Lightning Lane drops. Personally, my informal “rule” is only playing the refresh game while I’m in the Lightning Lane return line, trying to book my next selection. Simply opting out of the compulsion to check for “better” times and ride reservations will dramatically reduce your screen time, and your experience will still be good.
Nevertheless, I can empathize with the spirit of the complaint. That’s because Walt Disney World has leaned so heavily into technology and in-app features in the last several years, the totality of which do more or less necessitate screen time. If you want to reduce your screen time, it thus makes sense to not purchase the LLMP.
Spontaneity is Significant
Long before Lightning Lanes were a twinkle in the eyes of their father, Bob Chapek, we wrote a ‘warning’ about Being Spontaneous at Walt Disney World. Part rant, part advice, part cautionary tale about taking the guidance on blogs like this one too seriously, it basically espoused our personal approach to doing Walt Disney World.
I’ll be honest with you: Genie+ worked better for us than Lightning Lane Multi Pass. I loved the way Walt Disney World scaled back on pre-planning post-pandemic, as I had zero desire whatsoever to plan where I’d eat 6 months in advance or what I’d ride 2 months ahead of time. To me, that’s craziness. The antithesis of what it means to vacation. But I also realize that not everyone is me, and Lightning Lane Multi Pass gives peace of mind to other WDW planners.
In any case, you are likely making ride reservations anywhere between 3 days and 21 days in advance with LLMP. If you like to take a more relaxed approach or go with the flow, this might be at odds with how you do Disney. So many of our plans are informed by the previous days’ successes or failures, weather, and our whims. Lightning Lane Multi Pass runs counter to much of that, and we’re unlikely to use it as often (for fun) as a result. YMMV.
Eligible for Early Entry
Too many Walt Disney World visitors underestimate Early Entry. Many don’t use it at all, dismissing it as “only” 30 minutes and thus not worth the time.
To be sure, Early Entry is not that great at Magic Kingdom–except on 8 am park opening days when it’s glorious. That’s one park where regular rope drop is just as good as Early Entry. However, at 3 of the 4 parks, Early Entry is amazing.
Between it and regular rope drop, you can often accomplish and save more time than an entire day with Lightning Lanes, and without spending any extra money. We just overhauled our step-by-step strategies for Early Entry and park opening, which you can find via our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World.
When Staying Late
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is not necessary if you stay late at Animal Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, at minimum. Both parks clear out significantly in the evening hours, especially in moderate or lower crowd levels.
This doesn’t work quite as well at EPCOT or Magic Kingdom, but wait times do drop in the evening hours at both. That’s especially the case in the front half of EPCOT ahead of Luminous, and as many guests start staking out spots for the Happily Ever After fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
By the last half-hour of the night, actual wait times are minimal. Posted wait times for headliners are usually massively–and purposefully–inflated to discourage guests from jumping in line at the last minute.
Eligible for Extended Evening Hours
This is like the best of both staying late and Early Entry, a longer-lasting on-site perk for an even more select audience. Extended Evening Hours last 2 hours (as opposed to 30 minutes) and provide a chance to pretty much run the table on the most popular attractions at EPCOT or Magic Kingdom (or Hollywood Studios/Animal Kingdom during Party Season).
Unless you want to repeat favorite attractions, it’s unnecessary to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass if you’re taking advantage of Extended Evening Hours. This is faster and easier, while also being more fun and efficient. See our Guide to Extended Evening Hours for strategy and other info.
Peak Pricing
Once the service breaks the $39 threshold for Magic Kingdom, that means heavy crowds. The (rather expensive) lesson a lot of guests learn from those days is that demand for Lightning Lanes is highest when prices are highest, which means less ride reservation inventory and also longer Lightning Lane return lines.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and even Animal Kingdom, there’s not enough ride reservation inventory to meet demand in high crowds. This means you won’t be able to score more than a few worthwhile Lightning Lanes. The very good news with Lightning Lane Multi Pass is that you can lock-in 3 selections in advance, or know that there aren’t good options and can buy or skip on that basis. This is unlike Genie, when you were basically buying blind and hoping for the best.
Our advice during peak season would be to buy (or not) based on your initial 3 pre-arrival Lightning Lanes and having zero expectations for 4th and subsequent selections. If you’re satisfied with the value offered by those first 3 picks, buy it. If not, don’t. But don’t assume you’ll score anything worthwhile same-day after redeeming those. Consider anything over and above that icing on the cake. Combining Lightning Lanes with other savvy strategy is a must during peak weeks.
Off-Season Pricing
The reverse of the above is also true, for precisely the same reason. Demand is highest when prices are highest, and demand is lowest when prices are lowest. That’s because, quite simply, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is not all that necessary on slow days.
On crowd level 1/10 to 3/10 days, Lightning Lane Multi Pass won’t save you much time over savvy strategy or an efficient Walt Disney World itinerary. You can plan your trip around these days by consulting Walt Disney World Crowd Calendars…or look at the price of LLMP on the day of your visit, to see if it’s under $20 at Animal Kingdom or EPCOT. If so, that’s a strong sign (but not quite conclusive) that Walt Disney World is forecasting a slower day.
I’ve used Lightning Lane Multi Pass at lower price points. It didn’t enable me to accomplish anything I couldn’t have via standby and a modicum of strategy. It was a complete waste of money, which is precisely why it was cheaper in the first place. I would’ve rather paid slightly more for LLMP on a busier day when it actually would’ve saved me time. The sweet spot is 4/10 to 7/10 crowd level days–that’s when LLMP shines!
Ultimately, that’s our perspective on when to skip Lightning Lane MultiPass at Walt Disney World. Even with all of this said, it’s worth reiterating that these are not hard and fast rules, and you might want to ignore our recommendations and buy LLMP in borderline scenarios, or add your own ‘must-skip’ scenarios. There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all advice for Walt Disney World.
At its best, LLMP can free time for slowing down and savoring the parks. At its worst, Lightning Lanes feed into guests’ worst impulses to go go go, beholden to a strict schedule of doing rides “checklist style” and not stopping to smell the roses or appreciate the other ways that Walt Disney World is a premium theme park experience. As with all trip planning advice, even this is a ‘YMMV’ thing where LLMP will empower some guests to have a more relaxed day while burdening others with stress.
If you have questions about the basics of using–or not using–the paid FastPass service, see our Guide to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for all of the foundational need-to-know info of both LLMP and LLSP. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of skipping Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Walt Disney World? Are there days when you don’t feel the need to use line-skipping, or is it always a must-buy for your vacation days in the parks? Any other considerations we failed to take into account or missed/got wrong? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I don’t know what the issue was but I had terrible luck with Genie+ (and I was pretty good with FP+ so I don’t think it was entirely user error). We would get maybe two rides out of it, then literally everything but maybe the teacups would be full the rest of the day. We also dealt with things like an hour wait for Magic Carpets and Barnstormer, so maybe we were traveling at unusually crowded times or line management was a problem at those times.
This last visit, we mostly wanted to do kid friendly dark rides and a handful of “thrill” rides for the adults. For that particular ride profile, I found that many families probably could have gotten by without MPLL for those doing the kiddie rides only (not us, unfortunately, because kiddo needs a ton of sleep so early mornings aren’t a possibility). Winnie the Pooh was fine outside of peak hours, Little Mermaid, Teacups, Speedway, Small World, Barnstormer, the carousel, and Enchanted Tales all had short waits. We really only needed LLs for Peter Pan, Jingle Cruise and rides the adults wanted to see. Definitely the same thing at Epcot – at HS I think we only needed it for Runaway Railway although I’m not certain if the shows would have filled up or been available without LL. I was really surprised by how much better lines have gotten.
I look at lightning lanes like insurance. I’d be much happier buying it and not needing it than forgoing it and winding up in some unexpectedly long lines that ruin my park day.
What do you recommend purchasing LLMP during the week immediately following Christmas? If best case is getting 3 rides and no additional headliners is it still worthwhile if MK could potentially reach $40 something a person? I was considering taking advantage of EE for AK and Epcot and not getting LLMP; and buying it for HS and MK (in combination with EE). Is that a sound strategy? We’re a family of 4 with 2 preteens – none are strangers to DW crowds.
Great work as ever, TB. I mourn the loss of G+ because I was a “stacker”. It was a great process for us. Didn’t like G+ (price obvs) because it introduced the once only rule. So now all stand by lines are stacked all day. We learned to go with it by stacking and changing our approach we really liked. Early entry, come away late morning, return late PM with a tons of rides stacked up. Only ever been in the summer but it’s always super busy on the lines even if the park isn’t busy. New to DVC and returning late August we’ll see how it evolves.
Hi Tom,
Thoughts on buying LLMP between Nov 12th and Nov 19th?
We will be at the parks on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th and 19th
First time with our 5yo daughter.
Not fully positive what to expect with crowds on those dates and wondering if LLMP would save us that much time?
Planning on doing MK on party nights, AK on the Friday and the rest of the days we will start at Epcot or DHS (we have park hopper)
We won’t be back in the parks until 2026 at the best I’m thinking.
We could squeeze the money, just wondering how worth it it would be.
I used génie in the past at both Disneyland and Disney world with great success (I don’t mind refreshing quite a bit)
Curious what your thoughts are on this 🙂
Thank you for all your awesome articles!
my turn for a story! We made the rookie move of staying on site (flew back home at 830 last night, so very fresh) but not buying LL, only to decide later we wanted it. Yes yes, I know, my fault, I didn’t play the game the way I should have. But I also hate typing that out, because WDW shouldn’t have to be a game. I was with a large group, including my 7 and 5 year old daughters, it was my 2nd trip with both of them, my 14th trip overall dating back to pre any kind of fastpass, to paper FP, FP+, Genie+, and now this, and for the first time I just feel taken advantage of. If you play the game, I’m sure it could work fine, but the cost, plus the inflexibility, plus the limited options if you DON’T book ahead of time (or even at the full 7 day window? Do off-site guests get much at 3 days?), plus the general ride unreliability lately (I waited in line 5 times across 3 days at Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway, and did not get to ride it once. Broke down every time, kicked out of line, twice got a free fastpass to use elsewhere, but otherwise had to leave during an extended downtime to catch a reservation, with no fastpass additions given for those times, and that ride is just the most egregious example). I’ve been to WDW 14 times in 30 years, I think it’s pretty clear that I love the place, I love the experience, I pretty regularly price out vacations immediately upon leaving and in the intervening months before deciding to finally book again, but I just don’t feel it right now. The boxes they’ve forced us into, and the continual addition of hoops through which to jump has put a dull spot on my love for it all. And that makes me sad
I loather the tiers. Horrible. And I loathe the lack of last minute planning. I injured my foot while we were there and would have definitely bought it if I could have done it the morning of.
We did use it one day and I was surprised we could get so many rides afterwards, but it was slow season. We are going back for the holidays, and I fear we’d only manage the initial 3 rides (which is really just one with the tiers), and it’s generally too pricey for that. It’s like gambling now.
Kind of obvious, but you should also skip Lightning Lane Multi-Pass if you don’t intend to go on many Lightning Lane rides. Don’t feel like you have to buy it for the whole group if you know there are only a couple rides that your whole group will go on together.
Tom along these lines I have seen some anecdotal comments about not being able to schedule rides for only part of the group throughout the day. We don’t all ride every LL ride. Is this user error or a glitch? Used to be able to deselect guests and pick them a different ride…maybe with the loss of stacking we lost this too?
Liz, I have not experienced this myself–but I’m also only testing for one.
After seeing things happen with Genie+ that I assumed were user error, I’m hesitant to hand-wave anything away as that. Glitches are also possible with this and other issues people have reported experiencing.
I’m with you on planning every ride in advance: its a pain. I realize a LOT of people complained about Genie+’s lack of advance planning, but having all of the good rides sell out in advance is worse in my opinion. Sometimes that just means riding the popular rides late in the day, and that’s fine by me as we’re used to criss-crossing the park. In my family you either walk like a demon or get a wheelchair if you can’t keep up :-).
We’ve also tried buying Genie+ on slow days and it wasn’t worth it: sure we didn’t pay as much per ticket, but we also didn’t save time in line.
Would you buy the pass for quick 2 day trip with park hopper in first few days of March? Short trip so of course trying to maximize time but we’re staying offsite sure if we get any good rides on the pass anyway. Crowd level is 5-6 I believe. How do you recommend structuring your time with park hopper?
Yes, I’d definitely get LLMP both days. I’d probably do a full day at MK and split a day between DHS and EPCOT.
Tom I agree with you that I would prefer to make LL choices the day of. There are too many variables to lock in 1 week out. Too often I change my plans on the fly based on what happened the day before or sometimes even that same day.
My preference would be for on-site guests to get 3 LL the day of booking at 7am. Offsite guests can book when parks open.
« At its best, LLMP can free time for slowing down and savoring the parks. »
As I am contemplating our first trip to WDW as a family, and second only in 15 years, I was hoping for just that with the potential use of LL multipass. Is that an illusion? Hard to tell.
With a target 7 full « onsite » trip, I was wondering to get LL multipass for half of the trip and give us some wiggle room to rest and basically be able to go back to our hotel for a break.
We are used to the Paris resort, which I suspect to be far less crowded that the US ones, and have our drill mastered – even then, I cannot ignore that a few LL would achieve more. Of course in Paris we do not feel any particular urge – not so for a once in 15 years trip.
You’ve got a banana stand with which to extract funds?!? I need one of those. All I have is a money tree to shake every now and then, and unfortunately it’s completely shook out right now.
Is that fireworks over Everest in one of the pictures? How can that be? Or is that a burst effect? The photography is fantastic as usual.
Those are fireworks over Expedition Everest, BUT it’s of a now-defunct show way off in the distance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That photo is no longer possible, sadly.
Tom, our extended family of 14 is going to Magic Kingdom the Monday of Thanksgiving week, no one has ever been to Disney before, but it was the only time everyone could make it happen! Would you say it is absolutely imperative to buy the multipass at magic kingdom for one day, OR since it will be SO crowded, stand by will actually be faster because so many lightning lanes will be sold? Or is that a gamble not worth taking?
If I were going Thanksgiving week, I would absolutely buy LLMP at Magic Kingdom. Possibly at DHS, too.
It’s really difficult to make definitive statements for peak weeks since we haven’t had any since LLMP launched, but I’m completely confident that I’d buy LLMP at MK. Just keep in mind that it’ll be a scenario for LLMP + other strategy.
Have fun!
We just got back and I definitely didn’t feel like the 2 days we bought it was worth it for our 8 day trip. We stayed off site and we could stack anything and I was on the app more frequently checking to see if people dropped things. You end up walking more because of sporadic times. We ended up with later timed lanes and you can only ride things once. The pass was better before. I would not get again u less if was a heavy crowd day.
Yep I agree with this. We just did 2 park days with park hopper (3rd day was supposed to be the Halloween party, but it was canceled). Our first day we started at MK and hopped over to Animal kingdom. We bought an ILL for Tron and and FoP. Our initial return times were horrible, even though we stayed onsight, But for MK a lot of times opened up. We were able to do everything we wanted at MK & AK with lightening lane, with only slight crisis crossing around the parks. The next day we did HS and Epcot and the passes were almost useless. We could only get late return times. We would have saved more time just standing in lines, but my husband and kids hate lines. We could not get any of the “good” rides at either park. It was a huge disappointment for how much money we spent. And this was at one of the slowest times of the year. So far this is one of their worst fast pass systems yet. I don’t understand why the inventory is so low compared to other systems. Maybe they are still trying to work out what the capacity really should be.
We were at WDW the last two weeks of August 2024, and we did not use LL Multi pass at all. I was a little worried about the wait times, but the cost was too much. In the end we did not need it at all, we never waited more than 30 minutes for most rides and 40 was the longest. Many were under 20 minutes. We did purchase the LL Single pass for two rides, Guardians of the Galaxy Rewind and The Flight of the Avatar only.
We are taking the whole family November 16 for a week. Hoping the crowds are not heavy. There are 9 of us so the cost of lighting lane will be too high to use. Just going to watch the wait times and plan from there. Hopefully we will still be able to experience everything we want!!
Howdy! Just back from a quick and dirty trip. I have some additional caveats for you :). My bestie and I flew in Tuesday, maxed out park hours Wednesday, and flew out Thursday (thankfully! Helene made that touch and go). Since we were only going to the parks for one day, I opted for LLMP despite staying at Bay Lake, using early entry and going on a day that would be a low crowd day at Epcot since our primary purpose was the food and wine festival. We hit MK first – lined up for 7 Dwarves by 7:45 and then proceeded to hit 8 more rides in two hours (incl Tton, SM, PP, Buzz and the Barnstormer) before heading over to Epcot for the rest of the day. The LLMP reaalllyyy helped us maximize our short time at MK and then to plan for later rides at Epcot. However even Remy was not a long wait in standby (40 minutes when we were at the ride) so prolly not as much needed at Epcot thanks to the weekday and on and off rain. So to sum up, if going for only one day and park hopping, I recommend buying the LLMP!
Thanks for sharing that!
For what it’s worth, there will be a counterpart to this post: When You Should Buy LLMP. Your scenario would be near the top of that list. I just started with this one because anytime a ‘controversial’ upcharge offering is recommended, there’s a certain subset of fans who call us shills, apologists, or whatever.