and cut-back perks in the parks. For some fans, it was even a deal-breaker in deciding whether to visit Disney again. On the other side, people said they were happy to pay the additional costs, as long as they could have a more enjoyable park day.
I paid $20 per person for the service, which gives you access to Lightning Lanes, shorter lines than standby. In the old parlance, they were the FastPass return lanes. But after I bought it, I spent a solid 15 minutes trying to figure out where in the app I could book Lightning Lane selections.
That, to me, is the biggest downside of the system. I spent so much time on my phone that I barely talked to the person I was at the park with, and I barely stopped to look around and take in the atmosphere. The quantity and complexity of the things that needed to be managed on my phone was overwhelming.It’s not a substitute for rope drop, I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel until about noon and then headed to the park. This meant I couldn’t buy Genie Plus until about 1 p.m.
The other paid Individual Lightning Lane rides, Radiator Springs Racers and Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure had availability all day. I purchased spots for two of us for Radiator Springs at $12 each and got return times for less than an hour later.