Hi Elaina and welcome to plan Disney! Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up! I’m about to share some pertinent information regarding Lightning Lane passes to help you get the most out of your upcoming vacation!
Elaina, you are correct that as a resort guest you can purchase the
Lightning Lane Premier Pass starting 7 days before the first day of your Resort stay. However, if your friends are not staying at a Disney Resort hotel or select hotels such as Walt Disney World
Swan,
Dolphin,
Swan Reserve hotels, or Shades of Green Resort, they will have to wait until
3 days in advance of their park visit to purchase the Premier Pass, subject to availability. But don’t fret, so long as the Premier Pass remains available to purchase when their window to purchase opens, your group won’t need to choose experiences or arrival windows!
If purchasing the Premier Pass is important to your friends, they may want to consider staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel! I suggest checking the
Special Offers page for any available offers that may work for your friends. Besides the benefit of purchasing the Premier Pass early, a Resort hotel stay means they’ll also be able to take advantage of the various transportation options to the theme parks and
Early Theme Park Entry to rope drop some of those must-do attractions (like my personal favorite
Avatar Flight of Passage). And for select Resort hotels (such as the one you’ll be staying at), they can get access to
Extended Evening Hours for certain theme parks on certain evenings. That means more time in the parks with potentially less time waiting in lines!
Elaina, I hope you find this information helpful and if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me and my fellow panelists here at
planDisney!
Your pal,
Sean