Table of

I created this guide because like you, I hate waiting in line. Especially 1) on vacation and 2) an expensive, busy vacation.

Less time spent in line = more time for the things that matter: being present, putting our arms around our sweaty kids, and *hopefully* sipping on a salty margarita.

You're on your way to a laid-back, thoughtful vacation. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

With love and Lightning Lanes,

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Dana

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Dictionary

THE LIGHTNING LANE

The Lightning Lane (or LL for short) is the faster line that lets you skip the regular standby line for most attractions in Walt Disney World. 

LIGHTNING LANE MULTI PASS

Multi Pass is replacing Genie+ and is the new optional service you can buy to skip long lines by using…you guessed it: the Lightning Lane.

When you buy this, you can pre-book 3 Lightning Lanes in one park ahead of time.

You'll choose the attraction AND the one-hour window, or "return time", to use the Lightning Lane.

LIGHTNING LANE SINGLE PASS

Single Pass are the few rides that aren’t included with the Multi Pass, but you can buy and pre-book them a la carte with a limit of 2 per day. “LLSP” for short. 

PRE-SELECTIONS

With either pass, now you’re able to pre-book your Lightning Lanes before you even get to the park.

Resort guests can book 7 days in advance, everyone else can book 3 days in advance. Woot woot!

If your child is under 3, they don't need to buy Multi Pass. They just go in the Lightning Lane with you :)

let's start with the basics

 A TYPICAL WAIT IN A Lightning Lane IS ONLY 5-10 minutes (!!)

THE LIGHTNING LANE

The Lightning Lane (or LL for short) is the faster line that lets you skip the regular standby line for most attractions in Walt Disney World. 

let's start with the basics

BUY & Pre-book

When you buy Multi Pass, you can pre-book 3 Lightning Lanes in one park.

Choose 1 ride from Tier 1, and 2 (or all 3) rides from Tier 2. More on this later!

There are 5 rides not included in Multi Pass, but you can still buy them a la carte as "Single Passes". You can buy up to 2 of these per day.

Like a dining reservation, you get to choose the return window you want (if it's available) and modify if you need.

PRICING

Pricing depends on the date, park (Multi Pass), and attraction (Single Pass). These have been the average prices per person since opening day:

Multi Pass
Magic Kingdom: $27
EPCOT: $19
Hollywood Studios: $27
Animal Kingdom: $17

Single Pass
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $11
TRON Lightcycle Run: $20
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: $17 
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: $22
Avatar Flight of Passage: $14

PARK HOPPING (optional)

If you have a Park Hopper ticket, you can book your next Lightning Lane in the park you're hopping to! This can be a Tier 1 or 2.

For example: you're at Hollywood Studios and scan into your Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Slinky Dog Dash at 9:30am and now you can book Frozen Ever After for 7:30pm in EPCOT (since you're hopping there later.)

Scan & BOOK MORE

You can book another Lightning Lane once you scan into your first Multi Pass ride. 

This next Lightning Lane can be in any tier or any park, as long as it's available!

For example: you're at Magic Kingdom and scan into your Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Winnie the Pooh (a Tier 2) and now you can book Tiana's Bayou Adventure (a Tier 1).

SCAN INTO A LIGHTNING LANE WITH A MAGIC BAND, MAGICMOBILE, oR TICKET

How It Works

JUST A HEADS up...

If you're purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass for everyone in your party, but a Single Pass for only a couple of people, you'll need to do TWO separate transactions; one for Multi Pass, one for Single Pass.

Being able to pre-book your LLs is great, and there's a bigger benefit for staying "on property."

The pre-booking windows open:

  • 7 days in advance for Disney resort guests plus Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green. See the full list here.

    This starts from your check-in date, not your first park day. You can book for your entire trip for up to 14 days. 

  • and 3 days in advance for non-resort guests.

    The 3 days starts from your first park day. If it's a date-based ticket, you can book for the entire length of your ticket.


When to Book

These both open at 7am EST.

Seven Dwarfs' Mine Train (38")
TRON: Lightcycle / Run (48")

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (40”) closing for a year-long refurbishment on January 6, 2025
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan’s Flight
Space Mountain (44”)
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (40”)

MULTI PASS

SINGLE PASS

Magic Kingdom

The Barnstormer (35")
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Mad Tea Party
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Pirates of the Caribbean
Tomorrowland Speedway (32")
Under the Sea ~ The Little Mermaid

OPTIONAL: UP TO 2

BOOK 1 FROM THIS TIER

BOOK 2 (OR ALL 3)  FROM THIS TIER

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (42")

Frozen Ever After
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure 
Soarin’ (40")

Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Mission: Space (40")
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush

OPTIONAL: UP TO 2

BOOK 1 FROM THIS TIER

EPCOT

BOOK 2 (OR ALL 3)  FROM THIS TIER

SINGLE PASS

Hollywood Studios

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (40")

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway 
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (48")
Slinky Dog Dash (38")
Smugglers Run (38")

MULTI PASS

SINGLE PASS

Alien Swirling Saucers (32")
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Disney Junior Play & Dance!
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Muppet*Vision 3D
Star Tours (40") 
Tower of Terror (40")
Toy Story Mania!

OPTIONAL: UP TO 2

BOOK 1 FROM THIS TIER

BOOK 2 (OR ALL 3)  FROM THIS TIER

DINOSAUR (40") 
Expedition Everest (44")
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Festival of the Lion King
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Kali River Rapids (38")
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Naʻvi River Journey

no TIERS HERE! CHOOSE ANY 3

Animal Kingdom

MULTI PASS

Avatar: Flight of Passage (44")

SINGLE PASS

OPTIONAL: UP TO 2

MULTI PASS

when you buy multi pass, all of your ride photos are INCLUDED!

What's Included

Strategies & Best Picks

Find your dreamy Lightning Lanes

The "best" Lightning Lanes to pre-book are going to be a balance between:

  • how popular they are (as in, how rare day-of availability will be)
  • how much time they'll save you vs. the regular standby line
  • what your family wants to ride

For example, Slinky Dog Dash is one - if not the most - popular Lightning Lane to get because it saves you a lot of time and is hard to get. But what if your toddler isn't tall enough??

In that case, keep going down the recommended list until a Lightning Lane meets all 3 of these criteria for you

now for the good stuff

Magic Kingdom

EPCOT

Hollywood Studios

Animal Kingdom

Best Multi Pass Picks

1. TIANA'S BAYOU ADVENTURE (40")

2. PETER PAN'S FLIGHT

1. Haunted MAnsion

2. Pirates of the Caribbean

3. Many ADV Of Winnie the Pooh

3. Jungle CRUISE*

4. Buzz space ranger spin

5. Under the sea - little mermaid

*temporarily closing on August 26, 2024

1. REMY'S RATATOUILLE ADVENTURE

2. FROZEN EVER AFTER

1. MISSIOn: SPACE (40")

2. SPACESHIP EARTH

3. THE SEAS W/ NEMO & FRIENDS

3. SOARIN' (40")

4. LIVING WITH THE LAND

5. JOURNEY INTO IMAGINATION

1. SLINKY DOG DASH (38")

2. ROCK 'N' ROLLER COASTER (44")

1. TOWER OF TERROR (40")

2. TOY STORY MANIA!

3. ALIEN SWIRLING SAUCERS (32")

3. MICKEY & MINNIE'S RUNAWAY

4. STAR TOURS (40")

*ANY SHOW*

1. Na'vi RIVER JOURNEY

2. KILIMANJARO SAFARI

3. EXPEDITION EVEREST (44")

4. DINOSAUR (40")

5. KALI RIVER RAPIDS (38")

These Lightning Lanes -- both Tier 1 and Tier 2 -- are ranked based on popularity and how much time you'll save by skipping the standby line (I did the number-crunching for you)

Single Passes

Each of the Single Passes will always save you time. 

If I'm riding any of these (especially Avatar: Flight of Passage - it's my favorite!), I'm going to spend the extra money for a Single Pass.

You could avoid the extra cost by "rope dropping" these or getting in the standby line right before park close, with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy and TRON, which both use a virtual queue.

Take advantage of staying on property

If you're staying at a Disney resort, take advantage of getting the hard-to-get Lightning Lanes first by putting your dreamies towards the end of your trip

Since guests staying off-property can't book until 3 days before, you'll have a better chance of getting popular Lightning Lanes like Tiana's, Remy's, and Slinky Dog Dash. 

You can plan for the beginning of your trip to be "lighter", less ride-heavy days. Think: pool time, character meets, Disney Springs, and rest days. 

THE EARLIER THE BETTER

Since you can book another Lightning Lane -- in any park from any tier -- once you scan into your first Multi Pass, the earlier you can scan in the better.

In a nutshell: there will be a more Lightning Lanes available at 9:30am versus 11:30am, 12:30pm, and so on.

When you're pre-booking, try to get that first return window as clooooose to park opening as you can. If you don't have any luck, you can always try and modify it later.

LOCATIOn, LOCATION, LOCATION

If you're not using Early Entry, book your first ride of the day that's closest to the entrance! That way, you can book a new Lightning Lane after you scan into that first ride.

This could be:
Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom
Spaceship Earth in EPCOT (or Remy's Ratatouille Adventure if coming through the International Gateway)
Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios
Na'vi River Journey in Animal Kingdom

longer time window

Even though a "return window" is one hour, you're able to scan into a Lightning Lane 5 minutes before and possibly up to 2 hours later. 

On our last trip, we scanned into Haunted Mansion a full 30 minutes after our return time had ended.

I've also heard from friends that they've been able to scan in to a Lightning Lane 2 hours later -- I'm not sure if this is something that will stay, but for now it looks legit! 


Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

EPCOT

Hollywood Studios

Click below to see example itineraries on a day using a combination of Multi Pass and Single Pass. In-between Lightning Lanes, hit rides with low standby waits, shows, and dining.

Examples

Park Hopping

Multi Pass:
9am Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
10:15am Haunted Mansion
11:15am Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Single Pass:
9:15am Seven Dwarf's Mine Train

8:30am Ride it's a small world during Early Entry
9am LL Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
*book Big Thunder Mountain for 10:15am*
9:15am Get breakfast at Friar's Nook while using Rider Switch for LLSP Seven Dwarf's Mine Train
10:15am LL Haunted Mansion
*book Pirates of the Caribbean for 11:15am*
10:40am LL Big Thunder Mountain
*book Jungle Cruise for 6pm*
11:15am LL Tiana's Bayou Adventure
*book Magic Carpets of Aladdin for 11:30am*
11:30 LL Pirates of the Caribbean
11:45am LL Magic Carpets of Aladdin
12pm Lunch at Jungle Navigation Co.

MAGIC KINGDOM

Multi Pass:
9am Journey Into Imagination with Figment
10:25am Living with the Land
11:30am Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

Single Pass:
9:15am Guardians of the Galaxy

8:30am Ride Nemo & Friends during Early Entry, visit aquarium
9am LL Journey Into Imagination
*book Frozen Ever After for ASAP & try modifying for as soon as possible, around 4pm*
9:20am Breakfast at Connections Eatery while using Rider Switch for LL Guardian's of the Galaxy
10:25am LL Living with the Land
*book Soarin' for 10:45am*
10:50am LL Soarin'
11:45am LL Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
Grab champagne in France
12:30pm Lunch at Via Napoli
4pm LL Frozen Ever After

EPCOT

Multi Pass:
9:15am Toy Story Mania
10:15am Slinky Dog Dash
10:45am Alien Swirling Saucers

Single Pass:
12pm Rise of the Resistance

8:30am Ride Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway during Early Entry
9:10am LL Toy Story Mania
*book Smuggler's Run for 11:25am*
Meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear
10:15am Breakfast at Woody's Lunchbox while using Rider Switch for Slinky Dog Dash
10:45am LL Alien Swirling Saucers
*book Frozen Sing-a-long for 11:05am*
11:05am LL Frozen Sing-a-long
Meet Olaf
12pm Lunch at Docking Bay 7 while using Rider Switch for LL Rise of the Resistance
12:50pm LL Smuggler's Run (scanning in late)

Hollywood Studios

Multi Pass:
9am Kilimanjaro Safari
10:40am Festival of the Lion King

12:15pm Na'vi River Journey

Single Pass:
12:30pm Avatar: Flight of Passage

9am LL Kilimanjaro Safari
*book Festival of the Lion King for 10:40am*
Breakfast from Kusafari
10:40am LL Festival of the Lion King
*book DINOSAUR for 11:45am*
Ride Expedition Everest via Single Rider
11:50am LL DINOSAUR
Watch It's Tough to be a Bug
12:15pm LL Na'vi River Journey
12:45pm Lunch at Satuli Canteen while using Rider Switch for LL Avatar: Flight of Passage

Animal Kingdom

Example Coming Soon

Park Hopping

Double check that you have the newest My Disney Experience app. If it needs to be updated, do this now! APPLE | ANDROID

UPDATE THE APP

Booking Day Checklist

GET LINKED

Make sure you have your resort reservation, tickets, Family & Friends, and credit card linked under your My Disney Experience.

BOOK 'em

Take a deep breath: it's Lightning Lane Day! Tip: watch this clock on a desktop so you're ready to tap PURCHASE at 7:00:00am EST.

Keep track of what you need to book your Lightning Lane day with a list of current Lightning Lanes (and their tiers) to choose from all in one place.


Lightning Lane Planner

DOWNLOAD

YOUR DREAMY
LIGHTNING LANES

Fill out your Lightning Lane planner, including some backups (and remember you can modify these later!)

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Clean up your dining

The app won't let a return time and dining reservation overlap, so cancel any dining you won't 100% be using.

Watch this live walk-thru on setting up "My Day" and pre-booking your Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

Tutorials

 You don't need to book your days in chronological order, you can skip around! 

For the most availability, book your Multi Pass days in this order:

  1. Magic Kingdom
  2. Hollywood Studios
  3. EPCOT
  4. Animal Kingdom

MAIN TAKEAWAYS FOR PRE-BOOKING

Each day you want to purchase Lightning Lanes for will be its own transaction; not all in one.

Looks best fullscreen!

Looks best fullscreen!

No gate-keeping! Here's how the experts look at "Lightning Lane data" on Thrill Data (link).

View all your pre-selections under Lightning Lane Passes from your Profile

Tap the Lightning Lane you want to modify

Tap "modify selection"

You'll be given the option to change to a new time or pick a new experience in the same park.

If you want something sooner, try toggling back and forth a few times before hitting "save new time."

You will confirm the change from your original selection before hitting continue.

Tip: once you scan into your first ride you can modify your other 2 Lightning Lanes to Tier 1 rides (if available).

How to Modify

  • Your entire party will initially be selected for Multi Pass rides. If certain people want to ride something else, book first then modify it later to a different attraction and time for the certain people.

  • The cart will save for 5 minutes in the app, so take a deep breath. Book as close to your dreamies as possible, you can always modify later!

  • If you're doing a split stay (meaning two different resort check in dates for one trip), you can book Lightning Lanes for the entire length of your trip, starting with the first check in date.


Extra Tips

Standby Skipper

Standby Skipper is an app that can book your day-of Lightning Lanes for you, reducing time spent on your phone refreshing and booking.

Use code SSFan5 for $5 off any plan!

LEARN MORE

Questions & Answers

CAN INT'L GUESTS Pre-book?

Bit of a bummer: if you're visiting from out of the country (except for Canada!) you won't be able to purchase Lightning Lane Passes until you arrive in the US. Sounds like this is related to international laws and may change. 

HOW DOES PARK HOPPING WORK with ll passes?

As long as you have a Park Hopper ticket, you can book a Lightning Lane in the park you're hopping to after you scan into your first pre-booked Multi Pass.

HOW DOES THIS WORK WITH RIDER SWITCH?

Everyone who wants to use the Lightning Lane in the first group would ALL need to have a Lightning Lane booked. Ie: you can't cheat the system and only book for 1 parent, and then switch.

WHAT ABOUT MY BABY? DO THEY NEED MUlti PASS?

The only ones that need to buy Multi Pass are people over 3. Since under 3 doesn't need a ticket = no Multi Pass. They will just use the LL with you!

What if my family wants to ride different things?

After pre-booking your Lightning Lanes, modify the experiences and return windows for specific people. But when you do your initial selection, it has to be all be for the same things.

WHAT IF WE USE THE LIGHTNING LANE AND WANT TO RIDE AGAIN?

You can only use a Lightning Lane once per day for each ride. Ex: You use a Lightning Lane for Toy Story Mania, so you can’t book it again. If you want to ride again, you would have to use the regular standby line.

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