Hi Ann!
Thanks for bringing this question to planDisney!
The official grace period for your
Lightning Lane return time will allow you to scan in up to 5 minutes early and 15 minutes late.
From my experience, I have been able to successfully scan into a Lightning Lane later than that; however, I wouldn’t bank on it! I always figure it’s worth a shot if we’re really running behind, but I also know that it’s not guaranteed that I’ll be able to scan in past that official grace period.
Instead, if you notice that you won’t make it to your Lightning Lane in time, I recommend trying to modify it, pending availability. If there’s something that works out well with your plans, I’d just move the Lightning Lane to that time to be on the safe side. That way, you don’t risk missing
an attraction you had your heart set on.
It’s good to note that you can also modify your Lightning Lanes leading up to your trip, too! So, as you choose your Lightning Lane pre-selections once your booking window opens, remember that if you don’t snag a return time you were hoping for, you can check back here and there leading up to your trip.
Plus, I’ve found that, on your park day, you’ll be able to overlap Lightning Lane return times much more than you can when choosing your pre-selections. So, I always like to check for any new Lightning Lane availability in the morning before I head to the park for the day. I’ve gotten lucky modifying some return times to help the flow of my day before we even leave our
resort room!
I hope that helps…and I hope you have the BEST trip! Feel free to
come back and visit us with any other questions you have.
Jenn J.