Hei Hei there, Kelcie!
Welcome back to planDisney! I'm glad to hEAR you'll be coming "home" again in only a few short months. You'll be at The Most Magical Place on Earth at the perfect time! Not only will the
50th Anniversary Celebration festivities still be going on, but you will be here during one of my favorite annual events at Walt Disney World Resort, the
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.
The first thing you need to do when traveling with another family is make sure you are all connected in your
My Disney Experience accounts. This assures that your brother and his family will be on your
Family & Friends list, and you and your family will be on his. In order to make plans together, including purchasing Individual
Lightning Lanes or
Disney Genie+ service, this step is crucial.
Individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased via the Tip Board in your
My Disney Experience App on the morning you plan to use them. Disney Resorts Collection hotel Guests can make their purchases starting at 7:00 a.m., while all other Guests must wait until the official
park opening time. You can purchase up to two Individual Lightning Lanes per person per day across any of the four theme parks. Keep in mind if you purchase Individual Lightning Lanes at two different theme parks within a single day, you must have
Theme Park Tickets with the Park Hopper Option added on.
When you go to your Tip Board to purchase the Individual Lightning Lane, you will select the individuals from your Family & Friends list that you wish to purchase it for. You can purchase it for just the members of your family or include your brother and his family as well. This is why you want to make sure you've linked your My Disney Experience accounts ahead of time. You'll continue walking through the prompts to complete your purchase. On the payment screen, you can use the credit card linked to your account to pay for all the individuals you selected during the process. In other words, yes, you will be able to purchase the Individual Lightning Lane for each other's family.
The payment screen only allows for one payment method per transaction though, so if you want to pay for only your individual family units with different credit cards, you will need to purchase the Individual Lightning Lanes separately from your own My Disney Experience accounts. Alternatively, each family could take a turn paying for everyone's Individual Lightning Lanes all at once, so you're guaranteed to have the same arrival window.
Kelcie, have you started dreaming of all the
delicious food you'll be chowing down on during your trip yet? You'll be able to make your dining reservations 60 days prior to your arrival, and your 60 day mark is coming up soon.
I hope your vacation is everything you've been dreaming of and more!
You are the magic,
Alyssa