Welcome to planDisney, Genevieve! I'm so glad to be able to answer your question today about
Lightning Lane, my favorite way to save time in the Theme Parks.
Booking Lightning Lane return times up to seven days in advance is a benefit available to guests staying at eligible Resort Hotels, which include
Disney Resort Hotels, the Swan and Dolphin Hotels including the Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green. Guests staying at off-site resorts, including the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in the
Disney Springs area, are eligible to book Lightning Lanes up to 3 days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket. Since you're staying at an off-site resort and planning on using the first day of your ticket at
Magic Kingdom on February 27, you will be able to start making Lightning Lane selections at 7:00 AM Eastern Time on February 24.
Here's a quick tip for my favorite way to book Lightning Lane selections! When you enter the purchasing process in the
My Disney Experience app, you'll be asked to check off a list of the attractions you're interested in riding that day, and the system will then assign you the first three return times available from that list of attractions. I recommend that you take those times right away instead of trying to modify them at that time! The earlier you can use a Lightning Lane return time, the earlier you're able to start booking more. When I book Lightning Lanes, I always take the first three attractions at the earliest time instead of trying to modify for exactly the attractions I'm looking for, and I'm typically able to pick up a few more of the things I want to do by booking more Lightning Lanes on the day-of.
I hope this answers your question, Genevieve, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation!
Jessica