Disney Lightning Lane Secrets Revealed: Expert Strategies for Success

Get ready for our kid-tested and theme park mom-approved strategy for utilizing and mastering Disney Lightning Lane! In this article, I’ll be sharing my tips and tricks for making the most of Lightning Lane Single and Multi Pass.

Let’s dive in and make the most of our Disney experience together!

What is Lightning Lane?

Disney Lightning Lane is a system that allows guests to skip the standby line at Disney theme parks and enter a shorter queue for select attractions. The system includes two types of passes: Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass: 

• Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows guests to choose up to three experiences in advance and receive recommended arrival windows. Guests can make additional selections once they’re in the park, subject to availability. 
• Lightning Lane Single Pass allows guests to skip the line for up to two of the most popular rides at each park. Guests can purchase up to two Single Passes per day, and they don’t have to be for the same park. 

How Do I Use Lightning Lane?

There are two main ways to use Lightning Lanes: Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass. In this post, we’ll dive deeper into these services. Basically, you’ll be able to book a return time for a ride within a one-hour window.

During your return window, simply head over to the Lightning Lane at the ride you booked. Just tap your Magic Band, park ticket, or phone (if you’re using Magic Mobile) on the touchpoint. If it turns green, you’re good to go! You might need to tap again at a second touchpoint later in the line. If it turns blue, something went wrong – maybe you showed up too early or you’re at the wrong ride. Either way, Cast Members are always there to lend a helping hand if there is an issue.

The Lightning Lane usually has a shorter wait than the regular line, but it merges with the regular line a few minutes before you board the ride. So, expect a wait of about 5 to 10 minutes, even with Lightning Lanes.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass Advance Booking Windows

If you are a guest of a Disney resort or select partner resort, you can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and book your initial three Lightning Lanes for the first 14 days of your stay at 7AM Eastern time 7 days in advance of your check-in date. Subsequent days (15th, 16th, etc.) will presumably unlock in a rolling manner, one day at a time.

All other guests can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and book their initial three Lightning Lanes at 7AM Eastern time 3 days in advance of their visit date.

If you don’t get the times you want, I highly recommend you continue to try and modify. If you’re a Disney resort guest, I think checking daily is a good idea, and we’re tentatively hoping that additional availability opens 3 days in advance. But people’s plans will change up until day-of, so it’s always a good idea to keep trying to modify.

Theme Park Moms Lightning Lane Multi Pass Strategy

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass strategy is mostly specific to each park. Magic Kingdom has over 15 attractions with different levels of demand for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, while Hollywood Studios has high demand for almost all of its rides. On the other hand, Animal Kingdom has lower demand and doesn’t have tiered rides.

However, there are some general tips to keep in mind:

• Make sure to always plan to purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and make your selections as soon as possible. Based on the advance booking windows mentioned above, be prepared to make your selections right at 7AM Eastern Time. Booking in advance can be really competitive, so it’s best to take a type-a approach with this one.
• Disney Resort Guests should consider putting those hard-to-get attractions towards the end of their trip. One of the most popular rides at Disney World is Slinky Dog Dash, and it tends to fill up fast. So, if you’re staying at a Disney resort, it’s a good idea to plan to visit Hollywood Studios later in your trip when there will be fewer people booking Lightning Lanes at 7AM on their booking day.

For example, let’s say you’re staying at a Disney resort for 10 days starting on October 15. You could easily snag a reservation for October 24 (the last day of your stay) at 7AM on October 8 when Lightning Lane reservations open up. Not many people will be booking for October 24 on October 8, so you’ll have a better chance of getting a slot. But if you try to book for October 15 on October 8, your options will be more limited since all Disney resort guests will be booking at the same time.

• Resort guests should try booking their final days first. When planning your Disney World trip, keep in mind that the later you book your reservations, the better chance you have of getting the time slot you want. There’s no set rule for when to do this, it really depends on your specific situation.

For instance, if you’re hitting up Animal Kingdom first and Hollywood Studios fourth, make sure to book your Hollywood Studios reservations first. But if you’re starting at Magic Kingdom and then heading to Hollywood Studios the next day, try to snag those Magic Kingdom reservations quickly and then cross your fingers that you can grab the Hollywood Studios ones before they’re all gone.

This strategy might also influence which days you decide to visit each park, but other factors like how much time you have, where you want to eat, and more will also play a role. Just keep these tips in mind as you plan your magical Disney adventure!

• Book as early as possible. When you make your first three Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservations, the system will suggest an itinerary for you. It will try to get you the earliest slots available, up to five if you buy single passes.

But here’s the catch – if you book a Lightning Lane Single Pass, the system might put that first. You actually want a Multi Pass reservation as early as possible.

• Getting a Multi Pass reservation early lets you use it sooner. This means you can book more Tier 1 rides and rides at other parks. You can also change your existing bookings to Tier 1 rides and rides at other parks. At Animal Kingdom, this only matters if you’re hopping between parks. Animal Kingdom doesn’t have tiers.

• Modify after you’ve locked in your initial bookings. You don’t have to be obsessive about this, but if you can modify your times / ride selections to be earlier in the day or closer together, consider doing that. Maybe you initially couldn’t book overlapping Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster times, but with a bit of effort you’re able to.

• Balancing Better Rides vs. Earlier Times in initial bookings. When you make your initial three bookings, you might face a dilemma—do you book better rides that only have later return times, or do you book worse rides that will allow you to start using Lightning Lanes earlier in the day? There’s no perfect answer here, and while we have specific advice for each park, it’s helpful to understand the stakes of this issue.

• You have three Lightning Lane slots to work with. If you fill all three of those with late times on popular rides, then you won’t have to worry about fitting those rides into your day, but you’re basically only going to use three Lightning Lanes.

• If you choose to fill all three slots with less popular rides in the morning, you can breeze through three Lightning Lanes and still have three slots left for the rest of the day. However, you’ll need to put in some effort to figure out how to get on the popular rides you didn’t already book. This might involve getting there right when the park opens, waiting in long standby lines, or spending a lot of time refreshing your screen to snag a Lightning Lane.

• Another perk of booking an early time is that once you use your first Lightning Lane, you’re no longer limited by park or tier restrictions. This means you can book a new Lightning Lane at any park in any tier, and you can change your remaining two Lightning Lanes to be in any park and any tier.

Being free from tier restrictions can be a game-changer. For example, at Hollywood Studios, some Tier 1 rides have good Lightning Lane availability early in the day. If you tap into Star Tours at 9AM, you might be able to use that slot to book times for three Tier 1 rides later on in the day.

If you start your day by filling all three Lightning Lane slots with less popular rides, you can breeze through them quickly and still have three slots left for the rest of the day. However, you’ll need to put in some effort to figure out how to get on the popular rides you didn’t book in advance. This might mean getting to the park early, waiting in long standby lines, or spending a lot of time refreshing your app to snag a Lightning Lane reservation.

I once managed to hold three Tier 1 reservations at Magic Kingdom in one day. After tapping into Magic Carpets of Aladdin at 9:12AM, I was able to secure times for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise, in addition to my original booking at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

So, the key question is how many slots do you want to work with during the day? In any case, it’s a good idea to book at least one Lightning Lane within the first hour of the day. Choosing a 9AM Magic Carpets of Aladdin over a 3PM Haunted Mansion might mean you’ll need to figure out how to ride Haunted Mansion later, but using that extra slot to ride three attractions before 3PM could save you hours of waiting in line.

On the flip side, there are some rides that are totally worth booking no matter what time slot you end up with. Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios is hands down the top pick in this category. Unless you can hop on during Early Entry (which might be possible depending on your strategy for getting on Rise of the Resistance), we’re totally cool with any time slot for Slinky Dog Dash. Even if it means we only have two Lightning Lane slots left for the rest of the day at Hollywood Studios. Having a Lightning Lane slot is great, but it’s also nice not to have to worry about squeezing in a 90-minute wait into your day.

LL Multi Pass During Your Visit

Get ready for your first ride and start making changes right away! It’s important to tap into your first Lightning Lane as soon as possible because it will give you access to more Tier 1 reservations.

One thing to keep in mind is that Animal Kingdom doesn’t have Tiers, so feel free to ride anything with short waits before using your first Lightning Lane. If you’re hopping between parks, go ahead and tap in so you can make reservations at other parks.

Another thing to consider is that you might want to rope drop something on the west side of Magic Kingdom before using your first Lightning Lane. For example, if you have an early Jungle Cruise or Tiana’s reservation, try to rope drop Big Thunder Mountain Railroad before using those Lightning Lanes. It’s all about maximizing your time and having a great day at the parks!

Tap, Grab, Modify. Sure, we could just say “make sure to modify”, but “tap, grab, modify” has such a ring to it. So when it comes to your in-the-park strategy, you…

1. TAP into a Lightning Lane
2. Immediately GRAB your next Lightning Lane
3. Immediately start trying to MODIFY that Lightning Lane to a better (sooner, usually) time

Know which rides run out of return times first, second, and so on.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON, which are on Single Pass, not Multi Pass, ran out before park opening and didn’t see much availability during the day. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a popular Multi Pass pick, also ran out before park opening and then didn’t see much availability during the day.

Beyond those, we can spot the time where the rides had their last consistent bit of availability (sporadic availability might continue to pop up throughout the day):

• Haunted Mansion – 10:25AM
• Big Thunder Mountain – 11:05AM
• Jungle Cruise – 11:25AM
• Winnie the Pooh – 1:05PM
• Space Mountain – 2:20PM

You can see each of these had availability pop up at least one time after they ran out, but for the most part you needed to be booking these rides earlier in the day.

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass still has the old Genie+ “Tip Board” that shows the next available return time. It can be a little tricky because availability changes constantly. It’s important to have an idea of which rides are popular before you head to the park. Otherwise, you might see a 12:00PM return time for Jungle Cruise when you check the app at 11:45AM. Instead of thinking, “Wow, I’m lucky to grab that,” you might think, “Okay, this ride isn’t that popular, I can skip it for now.”

To make the most of your Lightning Lane strategy, combine it with a good rope drop and Early Entry plan. At Magic Kingdom, our rope drop strategy (after Early Entry) focuses on rides like Jungle Cruise, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (unless it has a virtual queue), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Haunted Mansion. Even without using Lightning Lanes, you can often get short waits for these rides to kick off your day.

Location, Location, Location!

When planning your day at the theme park, think about where things are located. Once you have a plan to make sure you can get on all the popular rides before they run out of return times, you’ll want to organize your visits to different rides to minimize the time you spend walking between them. This doesn’t mean you have to go on rides that are close to each other right after one another, but it’s a good idea to have a schedule that looks something like this (example from Hollywood Studios):

3:30 — Ride Tower of Terror with Lightning Lane

4:00 — Watch Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage

4:30 — Ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with Lightning Lane

Magic Kingdom is the park where geography matters the most because it has a lot of rides. For example, Barnstormer and Dumbo are the only rides in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland. However, that area is pretty close to Under the Sea and Mad Tea Party, and Tomorrowland isn’t far from those rides either. So, plan your day wisely to make the most of your time and have a blast at the park!

Theme Park Moms LL Single Pass Strategy

There’s not as much strategy involved with Lightning Lane Single Pass as there is with Multi Pass. With Single Pass, you just have to choose up to two rides and the times you want to ride them. Here are some tips to help you out:

Don’t give up, especially around 7AM. If you log on right at 7AM on your booking day and see that Lightning Lane Single Passes are already sold out, don’t worry. Some people who snag a time slot might not end up going through with the payment. Even after your initial booking day has come and gone, keep trying at 7AM on the following days.

Here are a few other tips to regarding Single Pass:

• Be aware of when Lightning Lane bookings are no longer available. Just like with Multi Pass, Single Pass Lightning Lanes can run out of return times. Typically, you’ll plan ahead and book your rides as soon as possible. However, there may be times when you want to wait and see how your morning unfolds. In those situations, it’s important to have an idea of when return times might run out, possibly even days in advance.
• For the best experience, aim to ride between 12PM and 4PM when the lines are longest. This way, you can make the most of your time in the park without missing out on anything else. It doesn’t really make sense to use a Lightning Lane Single Pass at the beginning or end of the day when the lines are shorter.
• Make sure you don’t miss your return time for your Lightning Lane pass. Disney is pretty strict about these times, so try not to schedule them during dining reservations or other conflicts. If you run into any issues, talk to a Guest Experience Cast Member under the blue umbrella to see if they can help.
• And don’t forget about rope drop, Early Entry, and single rider lines. These are great ways to save money and get on rides faster, even if you have a Lightning Lane pass. Just keep these tips in mind to make the most of your time at the park!

LL and Rider Switch

As a family with three kids (ages 11, 9, and 3), I often get asked about how Lightning Lanes work with rider switch. Here’s how it works…

If you have a guest who can’t ride a certain attraction due to a height restriction, rider switch allows your whole group to avoid waiting in line separately (since the person who doesn’t meet the height requirement can’t wait in line).

For instance, when we want to use rider switch at Flight of Passage. I will locate a Cast Member with an iPad near the ride entrance. They’ll scan my Magic Band, and I’ll take one of my children on the attraction with me at that time, while my husband and our other children go do something else, as we wait in the attraction queue.

Once my son and I are done riding the attraction, my husband will take our other son on the ride and can utilize rider switch to access the Lightning Lane, skipping the standby line. It’s a convenient way for families with little ones to make the most of their time at the park.

Keep in mind, if the group going on the ride first wants to use a Lightning Lane, everyone has to have a Lightning Lane booked.

Lightning Lane FAQ’S:

Are Lightning Lanes the same as virtual queues? Nope, not at all! Lightning Lanes and virtual queues are totally different things at Disney World. Let me break it down for you.

So, Lightning Lanes are basically like a fast pass that you can pay for to skip the regular line and get on the ride quicker. On the other hand, virtual queues are used on certain rides where everyone can join in for free at specific times throughout the day. You’ll then get a heads up when it’s your turn to ride.

Rides that use virtual queues ditch the old school standby lines that you’d normally wait in. Right now, only three rides at Disney World use virtual queues: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, and TRON Lightcycle / Run. Tiana’s is on Multi Pass, while the other two have Lightning Lane Single Pass. Oh, and just so you know, Rise of the Resistance doesn’t do the virtual queue thing anymore.

Is there free FastPass at Disney World? Unfortunately, no. There’s no more FastPass and none of its replacements are free. Your only choices now are the paid Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass options.

Does Every Ride have Lightning Lane? Not all rides offer Lightning Lanes, but most of them do. Some exceptions include Astro Orbiter, PeopleMover, and the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel at Magic Kingdom. Character greetings usually don’t have Lightning Lanes, although there have been a few exceptions in the past.

For more information regarding where to purchase Lightning Lane, visit Walt Disney World’s official website.

I sincerely hop that this article has provided you with a clearer insight into Lightning Lane and some useful tips for your upcoming vacation. Remember to follow Theme Park Moms on social media, so you never miss a tip or trick!