Hi there, Mouseketeer, and welcome to planDisney!
Shorter wait times in attraction queues means more time eating yummy Disney snacks (like Frozen Mint Julep Lemonades and Mickey pretzels) and exploring everything the theme parks have to offer. I am more than happy to share the details about Lightning Lane options with you.
Lightning Lane Multi, Single, and Premier Passes are paid options that give you access to queues that have shorter waits compared to the standard standby queues. Book a return time (an hour-long time block) in the
My Disney Experience app that best fits your day’s plans. During your return time (Multi and Single), simply walk up to the queue that says “Lightning Lane” and scan your ticket or
MagicBand+ to begin your adventure. Multi Pass includes most attractions and new selections can be made in the app throughout your day as soon as you’ve used one. Single Pass is for individual access to those super popular attractions like
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (my favorite!). With Premier Pass, there are no return time windows at all. You get one-time access to all available Lightning Lane queues at a specific theme park all day.
If you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel while using a linked theme park ticket, you can purchase the Lightning Lane Passes up to 7 days before you check in. Once you’re eligible to purchase, you can plan for up to 14 days of your vacation. Love that perk! Now, if you’re staying off property, you can start buying passes at the 3-days-prior mark. As soon as you open the My Disney Experience app, you should see information about Lightning Lane. Select “Purchase” and buy the passes that you’d like to load your trip up with.
All theme park fans have their favorite places to use Lightning Lane Passes. I personally prefer using Multi Passes at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. I like the ride options available there because they fit my own family’s preferences. Also, Magic Kingdom has a large number of rides, so we tend to get a lot more done in one day. As for Single Passes, I love thrill rides, so this is what I purchase the most as a person who lives close to the parks. Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT),
TRON Lightcycle / Run (Magic Kingdom),
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios) and
Avatar Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom) are must-dos and they’re even better when you get to “skip the line.”
AN EXTRA GEM: Check out the video I’ve included with this answer. It features my friends
Sakinah and
JoAnna, who give you some expert tips on how to use a Lightning Lane Pass to its max potential. My favorite pro tip in the video is to ride low-wait attractions while you’re in between Lightning Lane bookings!
Your next big trip will be here before you know it! Have more Disney vacation planning questions?
Give us a holler at planDisney.
Magic always,
LeAndra