Hello, Nick, and welcome to planDisney! I'm so happy to chat with you today about booking some of my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World.
Just a few weeks ago my husband and I purchased Individual Lightning Lanes for both
TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom Park and
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, so I appreciate this question.
First, let's talk about when you can book à la carte Lightning Lanes. If you are staying onsite at a
Disney Resort Hotel, you can book these beginning at 7:00 AM EST. Otherwise, you can
purchase your Individual Lighting Lane at park opening time. Now, when you open the
My Disney Experience Mobile App to make this purchase, you will see all of the available times for the day. If available, you are able to book this experience for later in the afternoon. On my last visit, when I purchased an Individual Lightning Lane at 7:00 AM, I selected a 5:15 PM time for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as we knew we weren't planning to visit EPCOT until later in the day. Once the options opened up on the app at 7:00 AM it was easy to scroll down until I found a time that fit in our daily plans.
Whether you're staying at a Disney Resort Hotel and planning to book at exactly 7:00 AM or booking when the park opens, I'll encourage you to explore the My Disney Experience Mobile App prior to your visit. From the home screen, click on the three horizontal bars at the bottom right-hand corner and then select the tile titled, "Tip Board." You can change the park displayed at the top of this page and you'll see all of the attractions for that park. You can also search for a specific attraction by using the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the home screen.
Nick, I hope this helps as you're planning for your upcoming visit. If you have any additional questions, please come on back to your new friends here at planDisney. We love to help guests create their very own Magic!
Lauren