Hi, Carolyn, and welcome to planDisney! I'm so glad you found us so we can answer all of your trip planning questions. We love helping make sure your trip is as magical as can be by providing you with the best tips to make the most of your time at The Most Magical Place on Earth.
Lightning Lane Passes are Disney's newest way to gain expedited access to select attraction queues, replacing other previous versions of the service. You have three different options to choose from. Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to pre-book return time windows for up to three attractions in advance, and as you "tap in" for an attraction, you can then book another, subject to availability. Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for some of the most popular attractions during a specific return time window. Lightning Lane Premier Pass gives you the most flexibility if the splurge is within your budget. You can purchase this pass for the date and theme park of your choosing, giving you one-time access at your convenience to the Lightning Lane queues for all attractions in that park that offer Lightning Lane, including the ones that offer Single Pass.
Now that we've covered what they are, let's talk about
when you can purchase Lightning Lane Passes. If you're staying at a hotel within the
Disney Resorts Collection, you can purchase Lightning Lane Passes beginning 7 days prior to your check in date starting at 7 AM ET. Even better, you can purchase and begin pre-booking your selections for each day of your trip all at once, if applicable. All other Guests may purchase and begin pre-booking attractions 3 days in advance of each individual day.
I hope this has been helpful to you, Carolyn. Please visit us again with any other planning questions you can think of.
Let your dreams guide you!
Melanie