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Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Single Pass at Disney World | Guide & FAQs

This is a complete guide to the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass at Walt Disney World which debuted on July 24, 2024.

Disney World Lightning Lane

If you have been following the Disney Parks over the past few years, you know that Disney eliminated their free ride reservation service for a paid one (Genie+) but that change has been marked with frustration from guests and plenty of controversy.

However, Disney has just announced some huge news, that they are now eliminating the “Genie+” service and replacing it with a more simplified system called “Lightning Lane Multi Pass” while at the same time replacing the “Individual Lightning Lane” with “Lightning Lane Single Pass.”

In this Guide to Lightning Lanes at Disney World, we will cover everything you need to know about these new services.  We will explain what they are, how much they cost, attraction tiers, how to use the Lightning Lane and much more.

Before we get started we want to say, learning about the Lightning Lanes is not easy, especially after spending so much time trying to learn the previous system.  It’ll take us a while to get a good handle on exactly how everything works, and we will no doubt still learn new things each time we use it.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. There we bring you the latest changes to Lightning Lanes and other Disney vacation planning tips. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter!

Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Single Pass Replace Genie+

We had been hearing rumors about Disney making some big changes to the Lightning Lanes, but we didn’t think they would completely eliminate Genie+.  Instead, that is exactly what has happened.

Lightning Lane discover what's new

The bad news is both of these new ride reservation services are still paid and not free like FastPass+ used to be.  However, the good news is that Disney has addressed many of the complaints about the old system and the new Lightning Lane is much less painful for guests, especially if it’s their first time.

First of all, Disney launched Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass to Walt Disney World guests starting July 24, 2024.

Essentially, Disney realized that the old system was much too complicated and confusing, so the first step was to simplify the name.  Before you had Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections, that both used the Lightning Lane to queue guests.

Disney wisely dropped the “Genie+” name and is rolling with “Lightning Lane” for everything.  Guests now choose between the Multi Pass and Single Pass, each giving you access to make ride reservations for a different group of attractions.

The basic difference is the Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to make multiple reservations from a pool of attractions, while the Single Pass allows you to reserve one attraction at a time from a list of the very most popular attractions in each park.

Some of the new Lightning Lane changes include:

  • Guests can make Lightning Lane plans ahead of arrival, 7 days in advance for resort guests, and 3 days in advance for non-resort guests.
  • Guests can select return times for the attractions prior to purchasing.
  • Book Lightning Lane passes for multiple vacation days, all in a single day.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Simply put, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a paid service that lets guests book reservations for attractions and skip waiting in line.  It is Disney’s Genie+ replacement and was created as a way to simplify the process of booking rides to skip the standby queues.

The Lightning Lane is the old FastPass queues that run parallel to the standby queue for each attraction.  Using this is what will save you a ton of time instead of waiting.

How to use Lightning Lanes Disney World

How Does it Work?

Once purchased, the Multi Pass allows guests to choose from attractions included in the list of Multi Pass rides and make a ride reservation for them.  One or two of the most popular attractions in each park is not included in the list of Multi Pass attractions, and instead they are listed as Single Pass rides (more on that in a moment).

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to make up to 3 Lightning Lane selections for a given theme park, in advance of your visit.  Once you begin redeeming your Lightning Lane selections, more attractions can be booked throughout the day, just like before.

To make reservations you will go to the My Disney Experience app.

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass has 2 Tiers of attractions at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood StudiosAnimal Kingdom doesn’t have separate tiers and all attractions that are part of the Multi Pass are grouped together.

How Much Does it Cost at Disney World?

Disney World Lightning Lane

Disney has just released the first full prices for the Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Remember that it is a flat fee per person, per day.  Just like Genie+, the Multi Pass uses date-based variable pricing and park-specific pricing.

This works similarly to the way Disney World’s park ticket pricing does and it means that the price can change on a day-by-day basis depending on the date, which park you are visiting and how busy the parks are at that time.

Prices for the Lightning Lane Multi Pass are similar to those of Genie+.  To give you an idea, here are the most recent price ranges for Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Walt Disney World:

  • Magic Kingdom: $25-$29 per person, per day
  • Hollywood Studios: $22-$26 per person, per day
  • EPCOT: $18-$21 per person, per day
  • Animal Kingdom: $16-$18 per person, per day

Those prices will likely rise in future months, and especially during the holiday season when Disney is the busiest.

At those prices, if you have a large group it can get quite expensive quite quickly so make sure to see if it’s in your budget before purchasing.

  • Check the My Disney Experience app on the morning of your visit for current pricing.

Lightning Lane Single Pass

The Lightning Lane Single Pass is a pay-per ride service separate from the Multi Pass that allows you to skip the standby queue on a handful of the most popular attractions at Disney World.  It’s à la carte, so instead of paying a flat fee per day for a group of attractions with the Multi Pass, you pay on a per-ride basis.

This is essentially a straight replacement for Individual Lightning Lane and there aren’t many differences from the old service.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass Disney World

How Does it Work?

The principle behind the Single Pass selections is very similar to the Multi Pass in that you make a ride reservation and are given a return time with a 1-hour window.  When making your selection, you are given a choice of return times which you can choose to your liking.

When your return window is ready, just show up at the attraction entrance, scan your MagicBand or ticket at the tap point, and a cast member will let you into the Lightning Lane.

Let’s say you are at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and you want to skip the line for Rise of the Resistance.  In that case, you will pay a one-time fee for a Single Pass reservation.  You are given a return time at which time you will show up at the attraction to enter the ride.

The main difference from the Individual Lightning Lane is again with the Lightning Lane Single Pass you can make your purchases and plan in advance (up to 7 days ahead of your arrival for Disney resort guests).

How Much Does it Cost at Disney World?

TRON Lightcycle Run roller coaster launch

Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions cost on average between $10-$25 each at Walt Disney World depending on the ride and date you choose to go.

The more popular the ride is, the more it costs.  Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for example will always cost more than Seven Dwarfs Mine Train because there is more of a demand from guests.

Lightning Lane Single Pass also uses a date-based pricing structure, so the cost of each ride could increase during the busy season.

Here are the current average prices per person for Lightning Lane Single Pass rides in Walt Disney World:

Magic Kingdom

EPCOT

Hollywood Studios

Animal Kingdom

  • Avatar Flight of Passage: $16-$18

Keep in mind that these are only the most recent prices.  Disney can increase the prices during holidays and on the busiest days of the year.

Purchasing Lightning Lanes

Select the Dates Lightning Lanes Disney World

A big change with Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass is that you can purchase the services for your trip 7 days in advance of your arrival for resort guests and 3 days in advance for non-resort guests.

You can also purchase and book Lightning Lane passes for all days of your vacation all together (up to 14 days).  Once you are 7 days (or 3 days) from your arrival you can take care of all reservations at once instead of waking up early to do it each morning.

This is the biggest improvement in my opinion as it was terrible to have to wake up before 7:00 am each day just to make ride reservations.  Since you can do it all ahead of time, now you can sleep in as late as you want and not have the stress each day of trying to figure out which rides to book first etc.  It makes the theme park-going experience much easier now.

Before You Begin

Before you purchase a Lightning Lane pass, you’ll need to do 3 things:

  1. First, download the latest version of the My Disney Experience app.
  2. Connect everyone in your travel group on your Family & Friends list in the My Disney Experience app—so you’ll be able to purchase Lightning Lane passes and make plans for everyone that is eligible.
  3. Gather your group’s wish list for attractions and experiences. You can save your group’s top picks in the My Disney Experience app using the “My Day” feature.

Just remember, everyone in your party must have valid theme park admission. Park reservations may also be required, depending on the type of admission and the date of your visit. Please see theme park reservation requirements.

How to Purchase

Once you are ready to purchase the Lightning Lane passes, follow these easy steps:

  1. Open the My Disney Experience app, then tap the Lightning Lane Passes section on the home screen.
  2. Select a date and theme park.
  3. Select a Lightning Lane Single Pass, a Lightning Lane Multi Pass or both.
    1. If you select a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can choose up to 3 Lightning Lane Multi Pass experiences and arrival windows in advance.
    2. If you select a Lightning Lane Single Pass, you can choose an arrival window in advance.
  4. Follow all prompts to complete your purchase—and receive a confirmation.
  5. From the confirmation screen, you can tap “Plan Another Day” to purchase another pass—or tap “View My Day” for details about your Lightning Lane selections.

7 Days in Advance for Disney Resort Guests

Art of Animation Nemo Play area near the pool

Early planning (7 days in advance of your arrival) is available to registered guests staying at the following locations:

  • Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
  • Shades of Green Resort

For all guests not staying in a Walt Disney World Resort, you can purchase and make ride reservations for Lightning Lane experiences 3 days in advance.  This may vary according to admission type:

  • Guests with date-based theme park tickets (which require the Guest to choose a start date at the time of purchase) can purchase 3 days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket.
  • Guests with other ticket types* can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
  • Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit.

How to Make Ride Reservations

Disney World Lightning Lane

Once you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass, the next step is to make your ride reservations.

The most important thing to remember is that you can make ride reservations immediately after you purchase the service.  That means as many as 7 days in advance of your arrival for Disney resort guests and 3 days in advance for non-Disney resort guests.

This makes planning out each day MUCH less stressful than before.  Now once you purchase your Lightning Lane, you can plan out each day and even choose the times you want to experience each attraction.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Lightning Lane Single Pass

  1. To make a Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservation, open the My Disney Experience app and click the menu button at the bottom of the page.
  2. Click on “Tip Board.”  Once on the Tip Board, you will see all available attractions listed.
  3. Find the attraction you want and you will see the available return times.  If you find one you like, click “Book Experience.”
  4. Select all those in your party who want a reservation for this attraction.
  5. Review the details of your reservation and if everything looks good, click the “Continue” button at the bottom.
  6. You can check your upcoming Lightning Lane reservations in the “My Day” tab in the My Disney Experience app.  Come to this screen if you forget when your return time is.

How Long Do I Have to Wait to Book My Next Lightning Lane Reservation?

Another huge improvement from the old Genie+ system is that with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you no longer have to wait 120 minutes to book your next attraction.  Your first 3 Lightning Lane reservations are made ahead of time before your arrival.

Once you get to the park that day and you go on your first attraction, you can then make your next reservation for the day.  Easy, no hassle of having to count minutes, set timers etc.  You can hold a maximum of 3 ride reservations at one time.  So as soon as you use one, you can immediately replace it with an available attraction.

The 120-minute rule was one of the most difficult concepts to understand for guests and we are so happy Disney changed this and made it much easier.

Lightning Lane Modifications

Disney World Lightning Lane

Another one of the biggest initial complaints about the previous system was that at first you couldn’t make changes to existing reservations, you had to cancel them and re-book.  That functionality was added, and it has continued with the new Lightning Lane system as well.

Via the My Disney Experience app, you can modify a Lightning Lane reservation including the return time, party size, changing the guests on the reservation or you can even change the reservation to a different attraction. 

All this can be done without canceling your current reservation so you don’t run the risk of losing it.

To get started, tap the Lightning Lane Passes section on the app’s home screen to find your plans. Then, you can:

  • Change your selected park and/or date in advance (subject to availability)—up until the moment you redeem your first Lightning Lane selection of the day.
  • Change each selected experience and/or arrival window in advance (subject to availability)—up until the start of the arrival window

Lightning Lane Attraction Tiers

The idea of attraction tiers goes back to the days of FastPass+ and allows more parity between guests when booking rides and ensures that not all of the best rides will get booked up first-thing in the morning.

crowds at Spaceship Earth attraction EPCOT

When purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 multi pass experiences and arrival windows.  Three of the parks have 2 different tiers (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios), and during this pre-arrival selection, guests are limited to one attraction from Tier 1 and 2 attractions from Tier 2, or they can make all 3 choices from Tier 2 if they so desire.

Lightning Lane Single Pass selections are completely separate and can be purchased separately from the Multi Pass.

Let’s take a look at all the Lightning Lane attractions and tiers for each of the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks:

Magic Kingdom

Disney Vacation Planning Guide high priority FastPass+

Multi Pass Experiences

When purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 of the following multi pass experiences as well as the return time.

Tier 1 Attractions:

Tier 2 Attractions:

  • The Barnstormer
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Haunted Mansion
  • “it’s a small world”
  • Mad Tea Party
  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
  • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Tomorrowland Speedway
  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

Single Pass Attractions

A Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for the following attractions:

EPCOT

EPCOT Genie+ & Lightning Lane Guide

Multi Pass Experiences

When purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for EPCOT theme park, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 of the following multi pass experiences as well as the return time.

Tier 1 Attractions:

Tier 2 Attractions:

  • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Mission: SPACE
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Turtle Talk with Crush

Single Pass Attractions

A Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for the following attraction:

Hollywood Studios

How to plan a Disney Vacation

Multi Pass Experiences

When purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 of the following multi pass experiences as well as the return time.

Tier 1 Attractions:

Tier 2 Attractions:

  • Alien Swirling Saucers
  • Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
  • Disney Junior Play & Dance!
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
  • Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
  • Muppet*Vision 3D
  • Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • Toy Story Mania!

Single Pass Attractions

A Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for the following attraction:

Animal Kingdom

Dinosaur Lightning Lane Disney World

*All attractions at the Animal Kingdom are grouped together and there are not separate tiers

Multi Pass Experiences

When purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 of the following multi pass experiences as well as the return time.

  • DINOSAUR
  • Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
  • Feathered Friends in Flight!
  • Festival of the Lion King
  • Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
  • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Na’vi River Journey

Single Pass Attractions

A Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for the following attraction:

  • Avatar Flight of Passage

FAQs

Ok, that was a lot of info to cover, let’s now go over some of your most frequently asked questions…

Can I Book Lightning Lanes in Advance?

Yes, absolutely. Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel can purchase and make ride reservations up to 7 days in advance of their arrival for both Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass.

This means that now, you do not have to wake up early each morning to make ride reservations, it can all be done ahead of time.  This is KEY to remember and the biggest improvement from the old Genie+ system.

What If I’m Staying Off-Site?

If you are staying off-site, you can still purchase and make ride reservations for the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass ahead of time, but only 3 days in advance instead of 7 days if you are staying on-site.

Can I Choose My Lightning Lane Times?

Yes, you can.  Possible Lightning Lane return times are listed when you select the attraction and you can choose whichever available that you prefer.  This is a big change from Genie+ where no time slots could be chosen and they were automatically assigned to you.

TIP: Even after making a reservation, if you keep checking the Tip Board in My Disney Experience throughout the day, other times will come up and you can always switch to that time if you need to.  They come and go quickly so keep checking.

Do I Need to Book Lightning Lanes Every Morning or Can I Do It All at Once?

Again, the nice part about the new Lightning Lane system is that all your Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass reservations can be purchased and rides booked all before the start of your vacation.  

There is no need to wake up early the morning of, and make ride reservations.  It’s all done ahead of time for your entire trip (up to 14 days).

Can You Purchase Lightning Lanes at the Parks?

Lightning Lane at Spaceship Earth EPCOT Genie+

If you don’t book your Lightning Lane reservations before your vacation begins, you can still decide once you get to the parks to purchase it.  However, while this can be done, we don’t really recommend it.

The reason is that Lightning Lane availability and the availability of each individual attraction is based on demand.  

So there is a chance that if you wake up one morning and decide to buy the Lightning Lane, it may be sold out for the day.  Or you may be able to purchase it, but perhaps most of the Tier 1 and most popular attractions in that park will be sold out for the day.

That’s why we really recommend buying and making your ride reservations for Lightning Lane ahead of time when possible.

How Many Lightning Lanes Can I Have at One Time?

How many Lightning Lane reservations you can have at one time depends on whether you purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Guests can hold a maximum of 3 Lightning Lanes at one time.  As soon as your first reservation is redeemed you can book your next attraction.  This process continues throughout the day.

Lightning Lane Single Pass: These are limited to up to 2 per guest, per day.

Do Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass Work with MagicBand+?

Yes.  Both Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass work with the current MagicBand+ system and the old MagicBand 2.0.  The MagicBands hold your ride reservations and let you “tap in” to the ride queue once you arrive.

MagicBands are not required, however, and you can also use your park ticket, Key to the World card, or MagicMobile pass through your Smartphone.

Does Every Attraction at Disney World Have a Lightning Lane?

Pirates of the Caribbean

Not every attraction at Walt Disney World has a Lightning Lane queue, but the most popular ones do.  

At this time, Walt Disney World guests have access to 55 attractions using Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass.  From this point on, all new attractions will also be built with a Lightning Lane allowing guests to use Lightning Lane selections.

If an attraction doesn’t have a Lightning Lane that means that not enough people ride it to warrant one, so you don’t have to worry about long lines there anyway.

Can I Buy Lightning Lane for Just One Day of My Vacation?

Yes, absolutely.  If you only want to buy the Lightning Lane Multi Pass for one day of your vacation, that is perfectly ok.  We recommend this over buying it as a length of stay add-on because you only really need it at one or two of the parks.

How Long is the Return Window for Lightning Lane Reservations?

The Lightning Lane return times work exactly how the old Genie+ system did.  Return times are given in one-hour windows with Lightning Lane so if your return time is at 2:30 pm, you really have from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

That gives you plenty of time to show up in case you are already at another attraction or eating in one of the restaurants.  Guests also have an extra 15-minute grace period in case they are running late.

Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane

Do Lightning Lane Attractions Sell Out Each Day?

Yes, they do.  Many of the most popular Lightning Lane selections sell out each day in Disney World.  There are only a certain number of reservations each day, and when they are gone, they are gone.  

It doesn’t happen to every single attraction, every day, but it does to most of the good ones.  Expect rides like Slinky Dog Dash, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Test Track to all run out of availability each day, sometimes early in the morning.  Make these a priority.

When an attraction has been sold out of Lightning Lane reservations you will see “Not Currently Offered” displayed on the screen.

For this reason, we highly recommend you read through our strategy and tips section in this article our individual Lightning Lane guides for each theme park to help you get the best ones.

How Many Lightning Lane Rides Can You Do Per Day?

The number of Lightning Lane attractions you can do in one day depends on many factors including how busy the park is that day, which rides you select, and in which order. 

Technically, it is possible to do an unlimited number of rides in a day.  For example, at Magic Kingdom, there are 18 attractions with Lightning Lanes so it’s possible to do all 18 in one day.

Also, you can use the Lightning Lane Multi Pass in more than one park on the same day, so you can also book experiences in a second or third park later in the day if you like.  

However, it’s highly unlikely you will be able to do dozens of Lighting Lane attractions in the same day just because of the time it takes to do all those rides, and the fact that Lightning Lane reservations are subject to availability, so by the end of the day, many of the attractions will no longer have reservations available.

Big Thunder Mountain Magic Kingdom

Can I Make Lightning Lane Reservations in Multiple Parks on the Same Day?

Yes, you may make Lightning Lane reservations for multiple parks on the same day, just not in advance.  When you purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you are required to choose one of the theme parks and to make ride reservations for up to 3 attractions for that park.

However, once you begin redeeming your Lightning Lane reservations that day, you can then begin to make your next reservations, which at that point can be made in any of the 4 WDW theme parks.  

So if you want to go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning, you can make your first 3 reservations for that park in advance, but once you ride your first attraction and your 4th reservation opens up, that one can be made for a 4th attraction in the Magic Kingdom, or in any of the other 3 parks.

This makes it great for guests who like to park-hop and do one in the morning and a different park in the afternoon/evening.

Can I Ride the Same Attraction Multiple Times in the Same Day?

You can, but not with the Lightning Lane.  Unfortunately, you can only experience attractions with the Lightning Lane once per day, so you can’t just keep booking the same ride over and over with it.

However, there is nothing stopping you from doing an attraction once with the Lightning Lane and then with the regular standby queue as many times as you like.

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway picnic scene

Must Everyone in My Party Buy Lightning Lanes?

No, they don’t.  As many members of your party can add Lightning Lane as they want.  If only 1 person wants to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass, that’s totally fine.  If everyone wants a Lightning Lane package, that’s fine too.

You decide how many in your group it’s worth buying for.  Obviously, if a few of the members of your group don’t do many rides, it’s probably not worth it for them.

And even if multiple members of your party purchase a Lightning Lane pass, some members of your travel party can enjoy different attractions than the others.

The only caveat is that when purchasing the Lightning Lane Multi Passes for your party, the initial 3 attractions for your group must all be the same for each member of your party at that time.  

However, after completing the purchase, you can modify the ride reservations and times if some members of your party would like to experience other attractions.

Are Standby Queues Still An Option?

Yes, of course.  For most attractions the normal standby queue is available so buying the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass is completely optional.  

Only one or two attractions in Walt Disney World do not have a standby queue, but that is because they use the Virtual Queue instead, but that is a completely different story.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train standby queue 85 minutes wait time

What Restrictions are there for International Guests?

Unfortunately, if you are coming to Disney World from outside the United States, there are some limitations to keep in mind.  In fact, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass are only available for purchase inside the United States.

That means if you try to connect to your My Disney Experience account from an internet outside the U.S., you will not have the option to buy Lightning Lane, or make reservations.

I don’t know why Disney decided to do it this way, but it definitely puts international guests at a disadvantage, and if they wait until they arrive in the U.S. to make reservations, there is a good chance most of the best attractions will already be gone.

The only way around this we can think of is if you have a VPN that you can connect your device through.  This would trick the My Disney Experience into thinking you are connecting from the U.S. and it should allow you to make reservations.

Another option is if you have contacts inside the U.S. that you can ask to buy the Lightning Lane for you, but they would need your My Disney Experience login credentials in order to put the reservation in your name.  How you feel about that is up to you.

Lightning Lane entrance to Rise of the Resistance

That wraps up this mega-guide to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World.  We hope after reading all that it was helpful and that you will be as prepared as possible on your next trip.  Feel free to ask any unanswered questions below and we will add them to the article.

If you are thinking about going to Walt Disney World in the coming future, here are some other popular articles where you will find all the info and tips you need to plan your trip.

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about Lightning Lanes at Disney World…

  • Do you like these services?
  • What changes would you like to see implemented?

Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to the Disney Parks and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

Tyson

Tuesday 20th of August 2024

Hi Ziggy, thank you for the breakdown. Heading to Magic next week for the first time since implementing the new system. 2 questions:

1. For non-resort guests. What time 3 days out can you start booking? (12:01 am, 7am, ect.) What time should I set the alarm?

2. For digital queue premium rides (like TRON) is paying for a single lane now the only option? I used to wake up for the 7am digital queue for free. Thanks!

Eleanor R

Saturday 27th of July 2024

Hi Ziggy, thanks for this article, the new system seems to have some really good aspects to it (apart from the inability to book from the UK of course!). You mentioned there still being some virtual queues. Do you have more info on which rides (as of now) have a virtual queue? And are they only virtual queue or do they have a normal walk up line too?

Christine M

Sunday 30th of June 2024

OMG.. great to read about the changes to gene+ but what are they playing at not allowing international guest the chance to pre-book…. They need to sort that out !!! 😡😡😡😡

Ziggy Oskwarek

Friday 12th of July 2024

Hi Christine, I agree with you, it's crazy to leave out international guests. Since the article came out, they are also allowing guests from Canada to book ahead of time, but if you are coming from overseas, you are out of luck unfortunately

George Mells

Sunday 30th of June 2024

A question related to the Lightning Lane system. In 2019 we went to Universal Hollywood using the VIP Pass option, which was guided tour that included priority entrance to the rides and attractions. When the tour period ended after about 8 hours we were still able to use the park but as a general admission guest. Does Disney offer such a thing at any of the parks? Considering how the accumulated costs of the Lightning service will add up I think such an option might attract people.

Ziggy Oskwarek

Friday 12th of July 2024

We'll have to wait and see how Disney handles the VIP Tours now with Lightning Lanes, but yes, I would assume the experience will be similar to the one you describe

Geoff

Saturday 29th of June 2024

Hi. I am coming to Disney twice from the uk,and not being able to book lightning lanes till I’m there is rediculous……but once I’m there I can try and book lightning lanes passes for the rest of the Holliday.is that correct.?

Ziggy Oskwarek

Friday 12th of July 2024

Hi Geoff,

Yes, that is correct. You won't be able to book your rides from outside the U.S. or Canada, but when you are in the U.S. you will be able to do it for the rest of your holiday