Hey there, hi there Gina!
Looks like you are planning a magical mid-summer vacation! The holiday weekend will definitely add some excitement and bring in a lot of guests. Looking forward to
Lightning Lane access will help give you some extra time in the parks to ride more attractions or just slow down and soak in more magic!
You may already know this, but there are two types of Lightning Lane access that you can get. The first is
Disney Genie+. This service allows you to make Lightning Lane reservations to over 40 attractions throughout Walt Disney World. You can add this upgrade to your entire trip, or you can just purchase it daily. The first time I used it, I just purchased it every morning before 7 AM. At 7 AM you can book your first Lightning Lane reservation. You'll be able to make another reservation for a new ride either 1) after you've checked into the Lightning Lane of your first reservation or 2) 120 minutes after the park opens for the day. You can continue making and using Lightning Lane reservations throughout your day, and it works if you are
planning to park hop as well.
Now there are also
Individual Lightning Lane purchases that can be made for some really popular attractions in each park that aren't part of the Genie+ selections, like
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. If you want to skip the lines on these rides, you can pay an individual fee and choose a convenient window of time to hop into the Lightning Lane. Individual Lightning Lane purchases can be made at 7 AM if you are a guest at a
Disney Resort Hotel, or at park opening on the day of your park reservation. You can only purchase 2 Individual Lightning Lanes per day, but you don't have to wait 2 hours to make those selections, and you can choose rides in different parks as long as you have a ticket with a Park Hopper Option.
It sounds kind of confusing, but once you start to use Genie+ and make Individual Lightning Lane purchases, you'll see the process is harder to me to describe than it actually is for you to use. You'll find you have phenomenal cosmic power in the itty bitty living space that is your phone!
If you haven't already added the
My Disney Experience app to your mobile device, go ahead and do that. Look at the Tip Boards for each park to get an idea for when Lightning Lanes are available and which ones get booked the fastest. That way you'll be prepared to use these tools to skip lines to ride your absolute favorite attractions.
Hope this helps. Have a magical day!
Diane