The Resorts Gal Guide to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World

Lightning Lanes by Definition

Here is a basic overview of the three Lightning Lane passes available. Multi and Single Pass options are available to all guests, whereas Premier Pass is for guests of select resort hotels.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass: This is an extra cost service that can be purchased before your vacation. It allows you to select Lightning Lanes for multiple attractions based on tiers and availability for the days you purchase it.

Lightning Lane Single Pass: Previously, we referred to this option as individual or a la carte Lightning Lanes. These are the most sought-after attractions in the park that require a Single Pass purchase.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass: This option allows guests a one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane entrance (Multi and Single Pass) in the park they visit that day without selecting an advanced time. (See more on eligibility below.)

Lightning Lanes: Lightning Lanes are a separate entrance to the ride. They allow guests to skip the standby line and experience shorter wait times. Note that we said “skip the standby line,” not the actual line. You will likely still have to wait in the Lightning Lane. However, in most cases, the Lightning Lane will be significantly shorter than the standby line.

Okay, now that we have a basic comprehension of Lightning Lanes, let’s discuss how each pass works. We’ll start with an overview of Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

How Lightning Lane Multi Pass Works

Before we discuss how and when to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, I thought we’d start with an overview of the product. That way, you can decide whether or not you’ll want to purchase this offering and, if so, for how many days of your trip.

Realistically, if you’re visiting for a limited vacation (read: don’t visit Disney World often or a short trip), you’ll be able to get much more done with the service than without. So, it is of the utmost importance that you budget for the cost and figure out your group’s top priorities ahead of time.

When you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can pre-select up to three attractions at one theme park. You can select one attraction from the first tier and two more from the second tier. This is a nod to the former FastPass+ system, where attractions were grouped in tiers. We have a separate section below where we discuss tiers in detail.

Example: You select Big Thunder Mountain from the first tier for your Magic Kingdom day. Then, you select Mad Tea Party and the Tomorrowland Speedway for secondary tier choices. You now have three rides where you’ve secured a Lightning Lane ahead of schedule.

Lightning Lane allows guests to experience individual attractions (via the Lightning Lane) once daily.

Example: Say you want to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom a couple of times in one day. You can select it as a first-tier Multi Pass Lightning Lane experience. After you finish riding the attraction, you cannot select it again on the same day. However, you can continue to ride it as much as you like via the standby line.

Once you’ve arrived at the park and cashed in your first Lightning Lane, you can whip out your phone and select a new experience in the My Disney Experience app. If your ticket has park-hopping privileges, you can select experiences in any other park. This is where you’ll possibly want to strategize park-hopping based on available selections.

Example with Park Hopper: Let’s continue with our example of starting the day at Magic Kingdom with the following three experiences booked: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mad Tea Party, and the Tomorrowland Speedway. After scanning your Big Thunder Mountain Lightning Lane at 10:30 a.m. (your first scheduled Lightning Lane for the day), you open the My Disney Experience app to fill in the gap and select another attraction. Some big names pop up, including Muppet*Vision 3D and Slinky Dog Dash. Thankfully, someone in your party has their wits and presses select on Slinky Dog Dash for 3:00 p.m.

Example without Park Hopper: Using the scenario above without the Park Hopper ticket, you’ll do the same thing. However, without the park hopper, you can only access other attractions at Magic Kingdom. This time, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure catches your eye, and you select it for later in the day at 4:45 p.m.

This same scenario then begins to repeat itself. Next, you visit the Mad Tea Party at 11:30 a.m. Subsequently, you would select your next Lightning Lane. As the day goes on, the pool of Lightning Lane options gets smaller and smaller. Any ride you’ve experienced via Lightning Lane Multi Pass will no longer show as an option. Additionally, availability will drop as more guests use experiences in the park. Therefore, it’s crucial to be aware of the most important attractions for your group and secure them sooner rather than later.

There is so much information about this offering that it can be overwhelming. At this point, you should have an idea of how the service works, the benefits of using it, and the advantages of using it with a park-hopper ticket. Now, let’s discuss the Single Pass option, which is entirely different and has nothing to do with the attractions that make up Multi Pass.

How Lightning Lane Single Pass Works

A handful of rides across the four Walt Disney World theme parks offer a Lightning Lane Single Pass. These are the “elite” rides that the majority of guests want to ride. You will likely not encounter a short wait if you ride these attractions via the standby queue.

Example without Park Hopper: On your Magic Kingdom day, you purchased Multi Pass and selected Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mad Tea Party, and the Tomorrowland Speedway. You also have the option to purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tron Lightcycle / Run.

Of course, your family wants to experience both. However, the extra costs of purchasing Multi Pass for the day and two additional Single Passes for each person are beginning to add up. Plus, this is only one day of your vacation! So you decide to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in standby, then purchase a Single Pass Lightning Lane for Tron Lightcycle / Run. (Again, this is just one scenario.)

Regarding the rules, you can only purchase two Lightning Lane Single Pass daily. Since Magic Kingdom is the only park with two eligible Single Pass attractions, the Park Hopper option is appealing to thrill-seekers who don’t care to incur the extra expense.

Example with the Park Hopper: Using the same scenario, you’re at Magic Kingdom and have plans to ride Snow White Seven Dwarfs at rope drop. You’ve selected your three rides with Multi-Pass, purchased Tron Lightcycle / Run with Single Pass for 12:00 p.m., and purchased Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for 6:00 p.m. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

As you can see, you can get a lot done with park-hopping between two parks and purchasing Single Pass options. Now, let’s talk about Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which will only be available to select hotel guests.

How Lightning Lane Premier Pass Works

Lightning Lane Premier Pass is the newest of the three Lightning Lane options. While significantly more expensive, the Premier Pass offers two freedoms not bestowed to other Lightning Lane guests: time and the ability to tour the parks spontaneously while still being able to skip the lines. When the service launched, this offering was only available to deluxe and deluxe villa resort guests. UPDATE: However, since then, the service has expanded to include more hotel guests. (Preview the List of Premier Pass Eligible Hotels.)

The Premier Pass allows guests to experience attractions via Lightning Lane whenever they choose. It also allows guests to experience every attraction that offers a Lightning Lane (Multi Pass and Single Pass) in a park. It’s limited to one park per day.

Example: You’re staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and purchasing Lighting Lane Premier Passes for each member of your group. You purchase the passes for your Magic Kingdom day. You visit the park at your leisure and enter the Lightning Lane for any attraction at your leisure. Your group can continue to ride each attraction at Magic Kingdom that offers a Lightning Lane (once only) throughout the day without selecting a return time.

Now that you know how Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass work, let’s look at eligible attractions for each park. Then, we’ll discuss how and when you can make these purchases. (Remember that all Lightning Lanes are eligible with Premier Pass.)

Lightning Lanes and Tiers for Magic Kingdom

Lightning Lane Multi Pass experiences at Magic Kingdom are divided into two tiers. This park has two Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions. Below, we’ve listed the attractions for both Multi Pass groups and Single Pass options. Remember, on your initial selection, you can select one attraction from Tier 1 and two from Tier 2. (Disney doesn’t call these groups tier 1 and 2 on their website, but we feel it’s best to differentiate them in a way that makes them understandable.)

Tier 1 Lightning Lane Multi Pass:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Tier 2 Lightning Lane Multi Pass:

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

Magic Kingdom has two Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions. (Both also have a standby queue.)

Lightning Lane Single Pass Options:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• TRON Lightcycle / Run

Related: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Multi Pass Strategy

Lightning Lanes and Tiers for Epcot

At Epcot, Lightning Lane Multi Pass experiences are divided into two tiers. The park has one Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction. Below, we’ve listed the attractions for both Multi Pass groups and Single Pass options. Remember, on your initial selection, you can select one attraction from Tier 1 and two from Tier 2.

Tier 1 Lightning Lane Multi Pass:

• Frozen Ever After
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World

Tier 2 Lightning Lane Multi Pass:

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Spaceship Earth
• Turtle Talk with Crush

If you want to use Lightning Lane, you must purchase the following Single Pass option individually.

Lightning Lane Single Pass Options:

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Lightning Lanes and Tiers for Disney’s Hollywood Studios

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Lightning Lane Multi Pass experiences are divided into two tiers. The park has one Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction. Below, we’ve listed the attractions for both Multi Pass groups and Single Pass options. Like the previous parks, you can select one attraction from Tier 1 and two from Tier 2 for your initial selection.

Tier 1 Lightning Lane Multi Pass:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash

Tier 2 Lightning Lane Multi Pass:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• 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 – The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
• Toy Story Mania!

If you want to use Lightning Lane, purchase the following Single Pass option individually. Note that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has a regular standby queue you can join anytime during the park’s operating hours.

Lightning Lane Single Pass Options:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Note: Attractions are subject to availability.

When You Can Purchase Lightning Lane Passes

Now that you know how the Lightning Lane system works, let’s look at when you can purchase it. This will depend on how you’re visiting Walt Disney World.

Disney Resort Hotel and Other Select Hotel Guests: You can purchase passes up to seven days before your stay. Lightning Lane passes will be available for the days that you have valid theme park admission, beginning at 7:00 a.m. (Eastern).

This resort benefit is for guests of the following resorts:

• Disney Resort Hotels
• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Shades of Green Resort

All Other Guests: You can purchase Lightning Lane passes and choose your experiences with an arrival window three days in advance. However, there are a few stipulations based on your ticket type.

• Guests with date-based theme park tickets (which require the Guest to choose a start date at the time of purchase) can purchase 3 days before the first day of their ticket for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket.
• Guests with other ticket types can purchase 3 days before their park visit. (One day at a time.)
• Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit. (One day at a time.)

Reference Disney

Other types apply to various tickets, including group sales, school tickets, etc. In this case (and with annual passholders), you’ll have to select experiences one day at a time.

*It’s important to mention that if you’re a resort guest, that status trumps your ticket type, and you can book seven days in advance for the duration of your resort stay.

International Guests:

Update: We have seen reports that some International Guests can purchase Lightning Lanes based on the timelines we’ve already discussed. Below is Disney’s initial guidance.

Upon arrival in the US, Guests of Disney Resort hotels and other select hotels can purchase passes up to 7 days in advance of their stay—and other Guests can purchase passes up to 3 days in advance of their park visit. Guests can purchase Lightning Lane passes for days they have valid theme park admission* starting at 7:00 AM Eastern Time on their first day of eligibility.

3 Days in Advance for All Other Guests
Not staying at a Disney Resort hotel or other select hotel? Upon arrival in the US, you can purchase Lightning Lane passes—and choose experiences and arrival windows—3 days in advance. See additional details below, which vary based on admission type:

• Upon arrival in the US, Guests with date-based theme park tickets (which require the Guest to choose a start date at the time of purchase) can purchase 3 days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket.
• Upon arrival in the US, Guests with other ticket types* can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
• Upon arrival in the US, Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit.

*Canadian guests will have pre-arrival access to Lightning Lane features in the My Disney Experience app.

How To Purchase Lightning Lanes

Here are the basic steps for purchasing Lightning Lane Passes.

Step One: Open the My Disney Experience app and tap Lightning Lane Passes on the home screen.

Step Two: Select a date and theme park.

Step Three: Select your Lightning Lane Single Passes, Lightning Lane Multi Pass, or both. When you select Multi Pass, you can select your three initial experiences and arrival windows. Additionally, you’ll want to select your arrival window for any Single Passes you purchase. (This means you’ll want a plan before you sit down to make selections.)

Step Four: You will be guided through prompts to complete your purchase.

Step Five: After confirmation, you can select “plan another day” based on the eligibility rules we’ve previously discussed.

When it comes time to purchase Lightning Lane passes, you can do so via the My Disney Experience app. The following guide shares detailed step-by-step instructions with screenshots for purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass.

How to Buy Lightning Lane Passes at Disney World (A Resorts Gal Guide)

You’ve booked your Walt Disney World vacation, read our comparison of all three Lightning Lanes products, and hopefully, set up our Lightning Lane spreadsheet to guide you when it comes time to purchase your selections. Now it’s time to walk…

Disney has also provided an infographic that shares a few screenshots of the process.

Modifying Lightning Lanes

Before we wrap things up, I want to touch on the ability to modify. You can use this feature if your plans change, and they likely will eventually.

• You can use the modification feature to change your selected park or date in advance up until you redeem your first Lightning Lane selection for the day. (Selections are subject to availability.)

Example: You have plans to visit Magic Kingdom and ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 10:00 a.m. It’s 9:00 a.m., and rain is forecasted for the next few hours. It would be easier to go to Epcot and do a few indoor things in the front of the park. So, you use the app’s modification feature to shift the park to Epcot and select new Lightning Lanes.

• You can also use the modification feature to change arrival windows in advance up to the start of the arrival window. (Selections are subject to availability.)

Example: Using the scenario above, you decide to stick with Magic Kingdom but not visit the park until later in the afternoon. You move your Big Thunder Mountain Railroad arrival window to later, along with any other attractions that need to change.

Key Takeaways

Here are a few key takeaways.

• Lightning Lane Multi Pass covers the majority of the attractions in each park.
• Lightning Lane Single Passes are attractions that require a single purchase to ride them via the Lightning Lane.
• You can hold 3 Lightning Lane Multi Pass experiences at one time. Each time you redeem one, you can select another based on availability.
• You can purchase two Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions per day. However, Magic Kingdom is the only park with two Single Pass rides. You’ll need a park hopper ticket to purchase Single Passes in separate parks.
• The costs of both passes are date-based and will fluctuate based on the time of year you’re visiting.
• This system allows guests to plan in advance, requiring less effort while on vacation.