Hello Taylor,
Welcome to planDisney! We're so glad you've brought your question our way.
One of the most exciting parts of planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation is planning your "must ride" list at each park. My family has our favorites, which we absolutely must experience on every trip, but new additions keep getting added to the rotation. I've found that purchasing
Lightning Lane Passes helps ensure we get to experience most things on our wishlist with minimal waits. This also frees us time for
entertainment like parades and live stage shows, and of course, snacking around the parks- our other "must do" daily activity.
Once in your
eligible purchase window ( 7 days before check-in for Disney Resorts Collection hotel guests, and 3 days before the ticket start date for off-site guests), you'll have the option to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Single Pass, or both for each day of your admission. Every attraction might not be available for purchase on a given day or at a given park, but you'll be able to review availability and pricing before finalizing your transaction.
Once an experience is sold out, unfortunately, an additional pool of return windows will not be released at a later time. It's always possible that a guest will
modify their selection to a different time or experience, but you'd need to keep checking within the
My Disney Experience Mobile App to see if something becomes available.
If you've discovered that a particular experience is not available for purchase on the date of your visit, this doesn't mean you won't be able to ride the attraction. Lightning Lane Single Pass experiences are all also available via a traditional standby queue, except for
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. If this is high on your wish list, as it is for my family, you can attempt to
join the Virtual Queue at 7 a.m. on the morning of your visit, or again at 1 p.m. from within EPCOT if you were unsuccessful on the morning attempt.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park is also currently utilizing a Virtual Queue, in addition to being an eligible Lightning Lane Multi Pass experience. If you want to ride that but find all return windows have been claimed, you can
choose another Group 1 attraction as one of your initial 3 experiences and attempt to join the Virtual Queue instead.
Taylor, I'm hopeful you'll get to experience everything on your wish list, but know that plenty of magic awaits in every corner of the parks. Some of my favorite days have been spent people-watching, snapping photos, and savoring delicious beverages with less emphasis on attractions. If we can offer any further guidance or recommendations for crafting your most magical day, please don't hesitate to come back and see us again.
Magic and memories,
Amy