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Are These Lightning Lane Rules Destroying the Disney World Experience?


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Is Lightning Lane RUINING your Disney World vacation?

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Dumbo Lightning Lane

Disney World’s skip-the-line system is certainly not the easiest version of the theme park offering, with a plethora of rules, special booking times, price variations, and specific return windows. But some parts of the system are more complicated than others. We’re breaking down the Lightning Lane rules that might be hurting your Disney World experience. 

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How Lightning Lanes Work

Lightning Lane is the term for the special queue at select attractions where you can typically enjoy a faster wait time. In order to use the Lightning Lanes around Disney World, you’ll need to purchase one of three options: Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Single Pass, or Lightning Lane Premier Pass.

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Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival

We’ve got a full guide on how Lightning Lanes work, but here’s the CliffsNotes. For Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you’ll pay up to $39 per person, per day to book return times for most rides/attractions in Disney World. You can make three selections before your visit, and then continue to book more Lightning Lane return times as you use them day-of.

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©Disney

For Lightning Lane Single Pass, you’ll pay a one-time fee per person to have Lightning Lane access to a single attraction. The list of Single Pass attractions are Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Rise of the Resistance, and Flight of Passage. These are NOT included in Multi Pass, so you’ll need to pay for their Lightning Lane access individually to get a return time…unless you want to get the third option.

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TRON entrance

The third Lightning Lane option is Premier Pass. This is the most expensive option, costing hundreds of dollars per person, with pricing varying depending on the park and the date. However, this is the simplest option to use — you just buy the pass for your chosen park and then use it to scan into any Lightning Lane at that park, any time of day. No reserving return times required.

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©Disney

These Lightning Lane offerings can save you a LOT of time in the parks, but they also come with some headache-inducing rules. Let’s break them down.

Click Here to Get All the Details on Lightning Lane Premier Pass!

Booking 7 Days in Advance for Hotel Guests

Those staying at a Disney World Resort can purchase and book their Lightning Lane options 7 days before their stay. Booking becomes available at 7AM ET, which can be a pain if you live in a different time zone. And if you’re considering waiting until later in the day to book, you might want to think again, because some of those popular Lightning Lanes fill up FAST.

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Lightning Lane Multi Pass pamphlet

Hotel guests can book for the entire length of their stay starting at 7 days, so that means that people getting to Disney World a few days ahead of you may have already claimed some of the Lightning Lane slots for Multi Pass or Single Pass that you desire (hotel stays can be up to 14 days). This means that you may need to use the same strategy you use for dining reservations — save the Lightning Lanes that are must-haves for the end of your trip.

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Lightning Lane

If you were hoping to book Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and go to Magic Kingdom for your first park day, but you find that the Lightning Lane is unavailable already, then you might end up needing to rearrange your park days at the last minute. Thankfully, we’ve often been able to find availability for popular rides on the morning of our park visit, but for those who like to have plans set in advance, that last-minute searching is stressful.

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©Disney

Disney World used to offer the ability to book FastPasses 60 days in advance for hotel guests, so some people think that the 7-day rule is too late. Others dislike it because they don’t want to have to plan their day a week in advance — they’d rather decide what they’re doing the morning of.

I’ve Tried Every Lightning Lane Hack in Disney World and These Are 2 That Work Every Time — Click Here!

Booking 3 Days in Advance for Non-Hotel Guests

If you’re not staying at a Disney World hotel, you’ll have to wait until 3 days before your visit to purchase and book your Lightning Lanes…and then you’ll have to do that daily for each day of your trip. So even if you’re already on vacation, you’ll be getting up at 7AM each time to make those selections.

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Lightning Lane

With the 3-day booking window, you’re at a bit of a disadvantage. You’ll probably have slim pickings when it comes to the more popular Lightning Lane availability for Single Pass and Multi Pass, and some offerings may even be sold out if you’re visiting during a particularly busy time. 

These Are the Secrets to the Best Lightning Lane Game Plan!

Some Rides Cost Extra

We understand that Disney World offers Lightning Lane Multi Pass for people who don’t mind doing the work of booking rides, and then offers Lightning Lane Premier Pass for those who prefer the easy all-access pass. However, the offering that can sometimes be frustrating to people is the Lightning Lane Single Pass.

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Cosmic Rewind

With Single Pass, you’re paying close to half the price you pay for Multi Pass (sometimes more), just to access the Lightning Lane for ONE ride. The Single Pass rides aren’t included in your Multi Pass purchase, and there’s not even a guarantee that you’ll get to use your Single Pass because sometimes those rides experience technical difficulties.

5 Ways to Avoid Paying for Lightning Lanes in Disney World — Click Here!

Booking With Tiers

And finally, we’ve got to talk about those pesky tiers for Lightning Lane Multi Pass. When you’re booking your Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections before your park viist, you’ll be able to choose 3 attractions for each park. But in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, there’s a stipulation for which attractions can be chosen.

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Remy’s

In those parks, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass options are divided into two tiers: Tier 1 and Tier 2. When you book ahead, you’ll only be able to select ONE attraction from Tier 1, while choosing your other two attractions from Tier 2. (If you so desire, you could also make all three selections from Tier 2.) Once you get into the park and use your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass for the day, the tiers will disappear and you’ll be able to book whichever selections are available.

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Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

This makes it a bit more challenging to ride EVERY popular ride in the parks, so you might have to craft a detailed game plan in order to tackle all the attractions on your list.

Everything Included in Your Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass Purchase — Click Here!

Disney World has changed its skip-the-line system many times now, and people have mixed feelings about each iteration. There will always be pros and cons. You just need to know the facts ahead of time so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not to use the current system. So if you want to know more, make sure to check out our Lightning Lane tips and hacks video below.

Stay tuned to DFB for ALL the updates and tips on Lightning Lanes in Disney World.

Click Here for Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lanes in Disney World!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.


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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

Do you use Lightning Lanes when you go to Disney World? Tell us in the comments!

The post Are These Lightning Lane Rules Destroying the Disney World Experience? first appeared on the disney food blog.

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