Hi there, Kelly!
Thanks for bringing another great question our way. I'm happy to assist!
Lightning Lane Passes are a great way to purchase and pre-plan return times for your favorite attractions. I visited earlier this month and loved being able to secure my preferred ride time for
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ahead of my arrival. This was definitely better than waking up at 7 a.m. on each morning of my visit!
As you know, guests of Disney Resorts Collection hotels can begin purchasing and making their selections 7 days before their check-in date. However, each party will need to make selections according to their own eligibility window. Though you are certainly welcome to plan overlapping attraction return times with your friends, you will not be able to include them in your plans until they are within their window. Hopefully, they are also staying on property and won't be too far behind you when it comes time to planning. If they are staying off-site they would need to
wait until 3 days before their visit to begin planning.
I recommend securing your return times first and then seeing if they can find return times close to your schedule. Guests have a 1- hour window to experience their attraction so I'm crossing my fingers you'll be able to set up overlapping times in advance of their arrival. If not, you should be able to modify your experiences, subject to availability, to try and align with their times. Once you both redeem one of your initial 3 selections you should have no problem scheduling additional experiences together through the rest of the day. Just be sure everyone is connected via the
Family & Friends list so you can easily create a party in the
My Disney Experience Mobile App when it's time to reserve additional selections.
I know this isn't the answer you hoped for today, but I'm hopeful it won't detract from the fun during your upcoming visit. If we can answer any additional questions between now and then, please don't hesitate to come back and let us know. In the meantime, be sure to check out all the fun and
delicious menu items being served up at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. You won't want to miss a morsel during your visit.
Wishing you a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!
Amy