Disneyland has been experiencing a huge influx of guests eager to return after a long period of national quarantining and public closures. Add the busy holiday season and the usual inflated wait times for many Disney rides to the mix, and one has a recipe for disaster. This past week, many unfortunate Disneyland guests have been stuck in insanely long lines - even after paying extra for a chance to avoid the wait.
TikTok user @momtravels was dismayed to see an incredibly long line outside of a ride at Disneyland this past week. To make matters worse, that crazy queue was made up of guests who had paid $18 extra per person to ‘skip the line’ in the so-called Lightning Lane. Take a peek at the video below:
@momtravels ##DisneyPlusVoices ##disneyland ##disney ##fail ##ohno or if you have a disability and wait the standby time through DAS. Y’all are lumped together. ##fyp
♬ Oh No - Kreepa
Yes, that’s the Lightning Lane outside of Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure. The line, full of adults, children, strollers, and beer-drinkers, winds its way past the ride’s entrance and all the way down one of the main thoroughfares in the park. According to Renee of @momtravels, guests with disabilities were also placed in the Lightning Lane through the park’s Disability Access Service. The accessibility measures are meant to facilitate a guest’s experience in California Adventure, but customers with disabilities were still subject to the same wait as the able-bodied guests in the Lightning Lane.
Disney theme park guests are no strangers to long lines, but the company had previously implemented a ‘FastPass+’ system to give visitors the chance to jump to the front in exchange for a higher fee. Disneyland recently did away with the FastPass+ program and replaced it with several other options, such as the Lightning Lanes, Disney Genie, and Genie+. The Genie options allow guests to use multiple Lightning Lanes, while single-use Lightning Lane tickets can be purchased for certain popular rides for anywhere from $10-$20. Considering the amount of attractions the theme park boasts, those Lightning Lane passes can add up.
According to Inside the Magic, guests are not huge fans of the new system. Many visitors have bemoaned the Lightning Lanes and Disney Genie, claiming that they are paying more money for a worse experience. They’re not far off, at least when it comes to the cost. A one-day ticket to California Adventure is about $100, and that’s not including a park-hopper pass, meals, or parking. Disney Genie+ will add another $20 per ticket, per day. For the average family, a single day at California Adventure with Genie+ could easily cost upwards of $500 - a steep price to pay for an hour-plus wait per ride.
While the fans wait to gain access to Radiator Springs Racers, here’s hoping that Disneyland will find a solution to those insanely long lines.
