Disney’s Lightning Lane system offers guests the option to skip the regular standby queue with two distinct options: the Lightning Lane Multipass and Single Passsystem. Here we will discuss how this system works, what rides are eligible, tips for planning, and more.
Lightning Lane allows guests to skip the regular standby queue for select attractions, using designated shorter lines.
So how do you access Lightning Lane and skip lines?
You can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass to select multiple rides, or Lightning Lane Single Pass to pay to skip the line on a single ride.
Multi Pass Lightning Lane is a system that replaces the older FastPass+ and Genie+ systems. This is a paid upgrade, and is not included with your Disney Resort stay.
You purchase Multi Pass through the My Disney Experience app to pain access to multiple rides throughout the day, similar to the old Genie+ system.
Single Pass is where you can purchase a Lightning Lane for a single "high demand" attraction. These rides are NOT included if you purchase Multi Pass. It is essetially an a la carte pay to play option for rides that often have the highest wait times.
The Single Pass Lightning Lane rides include:
Magic Kingdom
EPCOT
Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom
You can purchase the Multi Pass Lightning Lane system and Single Pass system through the My Disney Experience app 7 days before your first park day (3 days if you are not staying at a Disney World Resort). Pricing varies by date, park (for Multipass), and attraction (for Single Pass), with prices shown before you buy.
Before purchasing, be sure to:
With the new Disney World Lightning Lane passes, the key question is "When can I book?" It depends on your hotel:
Purchasing opens at 7 a.m. Eastern Time on the first day of your booking window. You'll need valid park tickets and, in some cases, a park reservation before buying your passes.
Not every ride is eligible for Lightning Lane reservations through Multi Pass. So it's important to know what rides you'll be able to select in advance.
You can select 3 rides per day in advance. Of those 3 rides, you can only pre-select 1 tier 1 ride per day. Once you are in the park and start scanning in to rides, you will then be able to select any ride, regardless of tier (more on this below).
Here are the rides that you can chose from and their tiers:
Magic Kingdom
EPCOT
Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom has no tier system. You can select any combination of rides for this park.
If you decide to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you'll want to have a plan in place before you pre-select your rides. Here is how to get the most out of this system.
Plan Your High Priority Rides: Familiarize yourself with the rides available for selection, and know what you want to select beforehand. Rides that tend to book up/sell out quickly are:
Your best option is to book your rides as soon as Lightning Lanes open up for your trip. Book harder to get rides first to make sure you get the times and rides you want.
Note that even if you have park hopper tickets, you can only pre-book for ONE park. So know where you'll be starting your day. Once you are in the park you can select for multiple parks.
Book a Tier 2 Ride For Your Planned Arrival Time: The way this system works, you can only book ONE tier 1 ride in advance per day. But, once you are in the park and start scanning in to rides, the tiers go out the window. You can select any available ride.
The problem is that on busier days, the tier 1 rides sell out very quickly. So if you don't scan in and select a new ride early in the day, there is a chance that high demand rides wont be available for Lightning Lane.
The work around is to select a tier 2 ride (even if it's a throw away that you scan in and don't actually ride) and set the time for as soon as you plan on arriving at the parks. Earlier is better if want to get as many rides as possible.
When you get to the park, scan in to that ride immediately. As soon as you scan in, open the app and pick one of the tier 1 rides you couldn't select in advance. This will hopefully ensure you get a Lightning Lane before any potential sell outs of the rides you want.
Book For Other Parks: If you are park hopping, keep an eye on rides at the park you plan on hopping over to. Once you start scanning in to Lightning Lanes at your first park, you can select Lightning Lanes for the second park you'll be heading to.
You should always have 3 Lightning Lanes available to you (either reserved or available to book). My suggestion if you are hopping is once you have done the highest priority rides at your first park, to use 2 Lightning Lanes to secure rides at your second park, and keep 1 Lightning Lane rotating through rides at your first park.
Rides Can Sell Out: It is important to note that rides can sell out while you are at the park. Purchasing Multi Pass does not guarantee that you will ride. So having a strategy is key.
Booking Your Group on Different Rides: When you are pre-selecting your rides, book everyone on the same ride. This is something the app requires (don't ask me why). You can then go in and edit your selection after your purchase.
Once you are in the park, you can book people in your group for different rides if you'd like. You can also use the "edit" function to add people in your group to your Lightning Lane.
Edit.. Do NOT Cancel: If you find that you have a ride booked and you need to change it, do NOT use the cancel feature. Instead, edit your selection. From there you can select a different ride or a different time. You can even select a ride from a different park. Doing this ensures you don't lose that third Lightning Lane (a glitch we have seen). It also lets you browse rides without committing to giving up your current Lightning Lane.
Prices for both options vary by date, season, and demand. Currently you can expect to pay a maximum of about $30 per person per day for Multi Pass. Single Pass typically ranges between $12 and $28 per person for any one ride.
Always check the My Disney Experience app for real-time pricing and availability, and note that both Multi Pass and Single Pass can sell out. So if you want to use this system, purchase in advance to ensure you can get it and that the rides you want will have availability.
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