Ka-chow, Summar, and welcome to planDisney!
Your visit to Walt Disney World is just around the riverbend, and I'm sure you're all pumped up to dive into the magic! There's always so much to do the week before vacation, and that's even truer when you're headed to The Most Magical Place on Earth! If you're anything like me, your bags might already be packed. But there's still one more thing to do before you race off to the parks!
Summar, my family loves using
Lightning Lane to shorten our waits in Disney World. Lightning Lanes allow us to zip around the parks, just like Lightning McQueen! This means we can spend more time shopping, snacking, and lounging around at our
Disney Resorts Collection hotel. For us, Lightning Lanes transform our trips from the Piston Cup to a true vacation!
Now, I always think strategically about the way I book my Lightning Lanes. Typically, I like to book my first Lightning Lane early in the morning. This way, I maximize my time and have plenty of opportunities to book my favorite attractions! In my experience, this strategy works well
almost all the time. In general, it's a great way to make the most of a single-park visit, and it usually works well with
Park Hopper tickets, too.
For your day at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom, I suggest pre-booking your first three attractions at EPCOT first thing in the morning (my picks usually include
Frozen Ever After and
Soarin' Across America!). Since Magic Kingdom offers so many Lightning Lane attractions, you shouldn't have much trouble with availability later in the day. In my experience, the one exception is
Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which sometimes "sells out" faster. If this attraction is a priority, be sure to book it right after you tap into your first Lightning Lane of the day.
Now, let's plan your day at EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios! In my experience, certain attractions at Hollywood Studios can sell out in the blink of an eye. Specifically, I'm talking about
Slinky Dog Dash and
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets! For this reason, I
always pre-book my selections for this park. If you want to visit Hollywood Studios in the afternoon, I would skip Lightning Lanes at EPCOT that day and pre-select Hollywood Studios attractions instead. You might also consider restructuring your day, so you'd visit Hollywood Studios in the morning and hit EPCOT at night instead. This way, you can pre-select your favorite Hollywood Studios attractions
and use Lightning Lane at EPCOT throughout the night.
I really hope this helps, Summar. For a few more Lightning Lane tips, be sure to check out the video I've attached. My friends JoAnna and Sakinah do such a great job of explaining the ins and outs of the Lightning Lane system.
If you have any other questions as you gear up for your big adventure, feel free to
write me directly. I'm always happy to help!
Race you to the finish line,
Allison