Archive Archives - Buster and the Banshee

FOUR IDEAS for a Fifth Gate at Walt Disney World

Archiveparks, walt disney world

As most people know, Walt Disney World is not just one theme park but FOUR separate theme parks (plus two water parks, 20+ hotel resorts, golf courses, a shopping/dining district, etc). First, you have the Magic Kingdom, the OG WDW theme park which opened in 1971. Next, you have EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) which opened 11 years later in 1982. Then, you have Hollywood Studios (originally Disney-MGM Studios) which opened a few short years later in 1989. Finally, you have Animal Kingdom which opened almost a decade later in 1998. As you can see, there was a lot…

THE GREAT DISNEY DEBATE: Is Cars Land Good For the Magic Kingdom

Archivegreat disney debate, rides, walt disney world

We are starting a new series here at Buster and the Banshee: The Great Disney Debate. In this recurring series, we will debate various topics of disagreement and, dare we say, controversy among Walt Disney World fans. As with all debates, there really isn't one true right answer. There are always shades of gray. So just because we have a certain opinion about something doesn't make it right or wrong. We are all individuals, with our own preferences and perspectives. If we all agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place to be. In that spirit, we invite…

Do Higher Lightning Lane Prices Mean Higher Crowds?

Archivelightning lane multi pass, lightning lane single pass, trip planning, walt disney world

When Disney introduced Genie+ and then Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass, one of the main features was "demand pricing". In other words, Disney would adjust the pricing based upon how in-demand those products are predicted to be on a given day. Recently in many WDW groups to which we belong, people have been asking whether they should pick their park days based upon LL pricing: "On Tuesday, a LLMP costs $29, but on Wednesday it only costs $27. Does that mean I should expect higher crowds on Tuesday?" Logically, it would make sense that Tuesday might be more…

Will There Be Phased Closures at Walt Disney World This Holiday Season?

Archivetrip planning, walt disney world

It's almost Christmas time (and Hanukkah time)! The halls are decked with boughs of holly. Stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Dreidels have been made out of clay. And Disney Cast Members are gearing up for the busiest time of the year at Walt Disney World! If you happen to be lucky enough to be traveling to Walt Disney World for the holidays, you might have "phased closures" on your mind. This is where Disney detects that crowd levels are getting too high, so they put into effect various measures to limit entry into the park. Some of…

Ranking the New Experiences Coming to Walt Disney World in 2025

Archiveparks, walt disney world

It's crazy to think that 2024 is coming to a close in a few short weeks! That means that it is almost time for New Year's resolutions, getting used to writing 2025 on checks (if you, like me, still use paper checks), and, of course, getting excited for all of the new and amazing attractions coming to Walt Disney World in 2025!! To help build that excitement, Disney recently provided fans with an update on what's new for 2025. While they didn't provide us with any exact opening dates, they did throw us a bone by giving us general date…

Is the New Lightning Lane Premier Pass Actually a Good Deal?

Archivelightning lane multi pass, lightning lane premier pass, lightning lane single pass, trip planning, walt disney world

Two of the biggest complaints regarding the existing Lightning Lane Multi Pass is that it is complicated to use and you aren't guaranteed to be able to reserve the rides and times that you want. In response to that, Disney introduced a new product to its skip-the-line arsenal: the Lightning Lane Premier Pass (LLPP). This new pass is meant to address both of these criticisms. Purchasing it gives you the ability to enter the Lightning Lane once for every ride at any time during the day. You don't have to worry about making advanced reservations. You don't have to worry…

How to (Legally) Extend Your Lightning Lane Booking Window When Staying Off Property

Archivelightning lane multi pass, lightning lane single pass, trip planning, walt disney world

With the introduction of the new Lightning Lane "skip the line" system in July, WDW guests are now able to pre-book their Lightning Lane reservations prior to their trip. This change took away some of the uncertainty for those who like to plan their park days in advance, but it did come with a new set of worries... particularly for those staying off property. [If you want to read more about the new Lightning Lane system, you can check out some of our previous articles here and here and here] Guests staying at Disney owned resorts, Swan/Dolphin, and Shades of…

New Things We Were Looking Forward to at WDW: A RECAP

Archivedining, parks, trip planning, walt disney world

One of the joys of Walt Disney World is that there is always something new (to us) that we get to experience on each trip. Prior to our August trip to WDW, we wrote an article detailing some of the new things we were looking forward to experiencing. Now that we have experienced them, we wanted to do a recap. Did they live up to the hype and anticipation? Read on to find out... Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party We were fortunate to be able to attend WDW's hard ticket Halloween event. Even though most people normally associate Halloween…

UPDATE: Potential WDW Lightning Lane Strategies

Archivelightning lane multi pass, trip planning, walt disney world

In a previous article, I discussed some potential strategies for maximizing use of the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP). Unfortunately, at the time, there was no real world data on LLMP. Therefore that article was very speculative. However, now that we have real world experience with Disney's new skip the line system, it makes sense to revisit this topic. Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Review Let's first review some of the key characteristics of Lightning Lane Multi Pass. LLMP lets you essentially skip the line of selected rides. More accurately, you can use the Lightning Lane to access the…

Buster and the Banshee WDW Barbecue Blowout Results

Archivedining, walt disney world

We are back! Specifically, we are back from spending the last two weeks at Walt Disney World!! If you follow us on Instagram (which I hope you do), then you've already gotten a small glimpse into what we have been up to. Since we've been to WDW many times, we try to come up with some fun activity to keep things new and fresh. Last year it was the Character Meet Challenge (where we met 31 characters across four parks in one day). This year, it was the WDW Barbecue Blowout!! The goal was to sample the meats at several…