For years, Disney fans have argued that Lightning Lane/Fast Passes ruined the park experience for others. While some could pay, or in the case of Fast Pass, get them for free, to skip the line, others had to wait in extended standby lines that grew ever longer.
There was no statistical way to prove this theory until now. YouTuber FreshBaked! examined the lines and historical wait times for Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean before and after the removal of its Lightning Lane passes, and the results validate what some Disneyland and Disney World guests have felt all along.
On July 1, Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean stopped using the Lightning Lane system and returned the attraction to a standby-only model. According to FreshBaked’s video, the average wait time in the year leading up to this change was approximately 25 minutes.
Obviously, there are days when the park is crowded, and the wait time is much higher, and other days when it is much lower. It’s been less than a week since Disneyland made this change, but the results are astounding.
Without its Lightning Lane system, Pirates of the Caribbean had an average wait time of 15-17 minutes during the first four days of this change. This includes the Fourth of July, which is traditionally a busy time at the park.
So, what has accounted for this difference? One of the leading factors is that cast members no longer have to stop the standby line to allow for Lightning Lane guests into the queue.
The other difference is that the standby line used to only be one line; guests did not have a choice. Now, without a Lightning Lane entrance, guests at Pirates of the Caribbean choose left or right, thus better dispersing the crowds and keeping them moving.
Besides the obvious benefit of a shorter line, removing Lightning Lane from the attractions has a secondary benefit. Guests who purchase Lightning Lane passes wait for their timeframe to begin, and they usually spend that time getting food or shopping. Now, they are out of shops and restaurants and waiting in line, better dispersing crowds throughout New Orleans Square.
Of course, those are the advantages for Disneyland guests, but those come at a cost for Disney. Those guests aren’t purchasing food or souvenirs, and they’re not paying for the Lightning Lane passes.
This difference in time could be a statistical anomaly, and the line at Pirates of the Caribbean will go back to its average 30-minute wait time soon enough. However, if it doesn’t, this is concrete proof of what Disney fans believed all along.
However, that doesn’t mean anything is going to change. Disney makes millions every year off of its Lightning Lane passes, so while having them makes wait times longer for everyone else, Disney doesn’t seem to care that much.
What do you think of Disney’s Lightning Lane system? Let us know in the comments.
The post This Is the Best Proof That Lightning Lane Drastically Slows Disney’s Standby Queue appeared first on Inside the Magic.
