Is Lightning Lane worth it off site?

[GatorChris]

I’ve got a conference in Orlando first of August, so I’m taking the family the week before to WDW. I know…HOT. Anyway, we’ll be doing a condo near the convention center for the conference and I was planning on staying the whole 12 days there.

But…I know LL will come in handy on the crazy busy summer days. But at 3 days out, will in the onsite guests have made the good choices disappear? Is LL even worth it 3 days out? Should I book a few days at a Disney resort just to have the 7 day option? Seems pricey but I want a good trip.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We visit the 3rd week of August and find we don’t need LLMP or LLSP. Yes, we used it one day and it was a nice treat to have but depending on when you are visiting in Aug you may not really need LLMP. My suggestion if you don’t mind missing the fireworks is to visit MK on a party day. That was a far better advantage than LLMP on a non- party day.

 

[kandb]

We visit the 3rd week of August and find we don’t need LLMP or LLSP. Yes, we used it one day and it was a nice treat to have but depending on when you are visiting in Aug you may not really need LLMP. My suggestion if you don’t mind missing the fireworks is to visit MK on a party day. That was a far better advantage than LLMP on a non- party day.

Agree! We have visited many times in August. The end of August is MUCH less crowded then the beginning of August. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[bettertheangel]

I just got back from a trip where we stayed offsite and we managed to ride everything we wanted to with LLMP. Granted, I don't know if it's busier when you're going than it was last week, but if you can commit to logging in at 7am Eastern three days out then I think you should be able to snag some good rides. They must drop new LLs each day because I was able to snag a Slinky Dog LL for four days out.

 

[GatorChris]

We visit the 3rd week of August and find we don’t need LLMP or LLSP. Yes, we used it one day and it was a nice treat to have but depending on when you are visiting in Aug you may not really need LLMP. My suggestion if you don’t mind missing the fireworks is to visit MK on a party day. That was a far better advantage than LLMP on a non- party day.

That was the plan. To do WDW in August during the second full week. But now it's the last week of July and the first few days of August. So...wondering how important it is. And if it would be worth it being 4 days late to the on-site crowd.

 

[HeiHei2018]

It depends on which rides are a priority and how much line time is worth to you. In MK, we are usually able to keep a rolling selection of three LL, each of which saves us about 30 minutes. You will not be getting a 9 am Tier 1 LL, but you would certainly get one or more Tier 1 and many of the Tier 2. In HS, we have been able to get MMRR, MFSR, annd Aliens same day. Those alone save us 2-3 hours in lines. The good news is that you can see the options before you buy. The bad news is you are making those decisions at 7 am only a few days before your trip.

 

[GatorChris]

The good news is that you can see the options before you buy. The bad news is you are making those decisions at 7 am only a few days before your trip.

7am wouldn't be bad if I wasn't in California.

I didn't know you could see the options of what's available before I buy. I'd love to find a video that walks me through it.

 

[LKing]

7am wouldn't be bad if I wasn't in California.

I didn't know you could see the options of what's available before I buy. I'd love to find a video that walks me through it.

I feel your pain. I've been waking up at 3 am PST to book ADR for my April trip. My experience has been that only one restaurant was available at 3 am PST but not at 7 am PST.

Have you looked at the price difference between a 7 day ticket and an 8, 9, or 10 day ticket? When you get to the larger number of days, the price for each additional day is significantly less (approx $17-$22/person per day). We're going to a conference and then visiting WDW after. After looking at ticket prices, we decided to buy a 10 day ticket so we could go to the parks in the evening after our meetings were over. Each additional day was cheaper than the cost of going to the movies! I know you said that your family will be there before the conference. Just throwing it out there in case you have time in the evenings on the days of your conference.

As far as videos, I found this one pretty helpful.

 

[alex33x]

We visit the 3rd week of August and find we don’t need LLMP or LLSP. Yes, we used it one day and it was a nice treat to have but depending on when you are visiting in Aug you may not really need LLMP. My suggestion if you don’t mind missing the fireworks is to visit MK on a party day. That was a far better advantage than LLMP on a non- party day.

We've only been one the last week of August, and I wish we could always go that week or the first two week of September. Due to our kids school schedule and my wife being a teacher, the best time for us to go is the first week of October. So, it's relatively crowded.