As we continue to evaluate the new Disney Genie+ system at Disney World, one question we wanted to answer was: does Disney drop new Lightning Lane inventory throughout the day?
During the FastPass+ days, it wasn’t uncommon for new FastPass+ options to show up throughout the day when they previously showed as unavailable. It was actually so common that many of the hardcore Disney World fans knew when new FastPass+ availability was expected to drop within each of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Now, with Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane, is Disney doing the same thing that they did with FastPass+ and dropping new times throughout the day? Here’s what the data says (courtesy of thrill-data.com).
Overall, we don’t think that there is enough evidence to say that Disney World drops new Lightning Lane times throughout the day. That said, select attractions show interesting patterns over time that would suggest that Disney does drop new Lightning Lane availability throughout the day. Let’s take a look at which attractions seem to add new inventory throughout the day and what times you should look for.
Avatar – Flight of Passage (Individual Lightning Lane)
Avatar Flight of Passage is one of the most popular attractions at all of Walt Disney World, and definitely the top pick at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Looking at the Lightning Lane availability map, we can see that trends start to emerge for new inventory drops. It looks like Flight of Passage receives new Lighting Lane inventory at 9am, 11:30am, 2pm, and 5pm.
Frozen Ever After (Individual Lightning Lane)
Another attraction that seems to have clear-cut inventory drops is Frozen Ever After. It appears that new Lightning Lane inventory is introduced at 10am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, and 5:30pm.
Test Track (Disney Genie+)
We’ll stay at EPCOT and the top Disney Genie+ attraction – Test Track. The next few attractions might not be as clear-cut as the first two examples, but Test Track does show some trends in the hours after park open. It looks like new Test Track Lightning Lane inventory drops at 11:30am, 1:30pm, and possibly 3:30pm.
A couple of other attractions are less definite with their inventory drops, but here’s a look at charts for Toy Story Mania and Tower of Terror, respectfully.
In this case, it looks like Toy Story Mania and Tower of Terror might have drops at 12pm and 2:30pm.
Other attractions such as Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure don’t seem to have multiple drops, whereas less popular attractions keep availability throughout the day.
While the takeaway for the specific attractions listed above might be to check the app at certain times, it’s also worth noting that you should try to make it a habit of checking for better times throughout the day if you’re looking to optimize your day.
Unfortunately, there is no way to modify a Lightning Lane selection, so perhaps its best to hold onto what you have. If you cancel your current selection, you’ll be able to make a new selection, but its entirely possible that by the time you click through to secure a new time or attraction that your new selection might not be available.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
Disney Genie was never design for the park guest. It was designed by Disney management to control park guests. When taking a tour in the MK, we were told by the cast member that Disney manages parl attendance based on the 1/3 rule: 1/3 of park guests are on the Transportation System, 1/3 are atanding in lines, and 1/3 are eating, attending shows, shopping, or just walking around. This is why published wait times shown in Disney Genie are managed to control park guests.