Hi Betty!
Welcome to planDisney! You asked this question at the perfect time because it sounds like your trip is very soon, and there have been some changes to the Lightning Lane system that allow you to purchase them prior to your trip! Let’s get into it.
First things first, all attractions at Disney World now offer standby queues. So, you don’t need to purchase anything in addition to your park ticket if you don’t want to!
With that being said, there are Lightning Lane services that you may be interested in purchasing. Having Lightning Lanes booked allows you to bypass the standby queues and get to the attractions quicker! You’ll have a few different options.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes several attractions at the parks. When you purchase this service, you will book 3 Lightning Lane pre-selections for your park day. On your park day, every time you scan into a Lightning Lane using this service, you’ll be able to book another Lightning Lane pending availability.
Next up, there’s
Lightning Lane Single Pass. There are only 1-2 attractions in each park that offer Lightning Lane Single Pass. And it’s good to note that these attractions are not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass. This is a similar service to what you remember from one of your past trips.
Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios is actually one of the attractions that offers Lightning Lane Single Pass.
Finally, there’s a new service called
Lightning Lane Premier Pass. While this is the most costly service, it comes with much more flexibility and really allows you to maximize your park day. If you purchase Lightning Lane Premier Pass for a theme park, you will be able to enter every available Lightning Lane in that park once without making any reservations. You just show up at the attraction and scan in! Easy as that!
To purchase and book your Lightning Lanes for your trip, you’ll hop on your
My Disney Experience app. If you’re a
Disney World resort or select good neighbor hotel guest, your Lightning Lane purchasing/booking window for your entire trip will open at 7 AM Eastern, 7 days prior to your check-in date. If you’re staying off property, that window will open at 7 AM Eastern, 3 days prior to the start date of your ticket for date-based tickets.
Make sure to mark your calendar with that date so you have the best chance at snagging the Lightning Lanes that you want, as it's all based on availability. But also know that you will be able to modify your Lightning Lanes and return times leading up to your trip and on your park day, as well, if you end up finding something that works better with your schedule.
If you have any other questions about Lightning Lanes (or anything else for that matter!), feel free to come back and visit us here at planDisney. We’re always happy to help!
Jenn J.