Well, friends, here we are again: Disney has rolled out a new Lightning Lane Pass system to learn and master ahead of your next Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort vacation. Just when we thought we were getting the hang of Genie+, the entire system as we knew it was retired and replaced by a new skip-the-line service called Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
This guide will serve as your one-stop shop for all things Lightning Lane Passes. It is my goal that there is zero confusion before your next trip so you can make the most informed decision possible regarding whether you should buy it for your upcoming Disney World or Disneyland vacation.
NOTE: This is a living, breathing guide that will be updated and modified as we learn more about Disney’s new Lightning Lane passes! Check back often, especially ahead of your next Disney World vacation, for the most up-to-date information and tips.
What Are Disney’s NEW Lightning Lane Passes?
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass are the new services guests must purchase if they want to skip the standby line for most rides and attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. They have replaced Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane, respectively.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass are tools to help you navigate standby lines at Disney World and Disneyland. When purchased, you are able to book return times for most rides and attractions. Those return times are for a ride’s expedited queue known as a Lightning Lane.
What Are the Major Differences Between the Old and New Services?
The biggest change for Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass is the ability to purchase and book these services in advance. Guests staying at a Disney World-owned resort hotel may purchase Lightning Lane Passes seven (7) days prior to check-in day. All other guests may purchase Lightning Lane Passes three (3) days prior to their visit. Before, you could only purchase Genie+ on a day-to-day basis.
Let’s say you are staying at a Walt Disney World-owned resort hotel, like Disney’s Riviera Resort. Seven (7) days prior to arrival, you can purchase Lightning Lane Passes and book your return times for the entire length of your stay.
The functionality and interface of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass (as in, actually USING the services in real time) appear to be very similar to their predecessors. The ability to book, modify, and cancel return times is very similar to Genie+, and those familiar with Genie+ should be able to navigate Lightning Lane Multi Pass with ease.
Another big difference: character meet-and-greets are currently NOT included in the list of experiences available with the purchase of Lightning Lane Multi Pass. This is a departure from Genie+, where several character meet-and-greet experiences were included as something you could book a return time for. This may return in the future, but for now, it appears that only standby is available for character meet-and-greets.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These changes are only applicable to Disney World. At Disneyland, only day-of purchases are available. The only major difference with the new system at Disneyland is in the name. The functionality of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass are the same.
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How Do I Purchase and Use Lightning Lane Passes?
Like Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane, the Lightning Lane Passes are available via the My Disney Experience app. The POS is embedded within the app, and the ability to book future Lightning Lane reservations can be found within the app as well.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a one-time daily purchase, meaning once it is purchased for a particular park on a particular day, you will have full access to that park’s Lightning Lane reservation system for every ride that offers Lightning Lane. When booking Lightning Lane return times, you will be given a one-hour window to use a ride’s Lightning Lane one (1) time. Lighting Lane Single Pass is also a one-time purchase per ride. Lightning Lane Single Pass is purchased when you want to book a return time for a park’s most popular rides. More on that in a sec.
Currently, there is no “length of stay” option for Lightning Lane Passes, nor is there any kind of savings for buying Lightning Lane Passes across multiple days. You must buy Lightning Lane Passes (both Multi and Single) for each day individually.
When you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you are able to book up to your first three (3) Lightning Lane return time reservations for the day and park you purchased. Once you are at the theme park and your first Lightning Lane reservation is redeemed, you are then able to book additional Lightning Lane reservations one at a time.
When it’s time to redeem your Lighting Lane reservation, you approach the tapstile located at the entrance of the ride. Using your MagicBand, smart device, or physical ticket, you simply tap the tapstile during your one hour window to gain access to the expedited queue.
Like Genie+, you can only book a Lightning Lane return time for each ride once per day. If you want to ride a particular ride multiple times in one day, you can only do so via Lightning Lane one time, and subsequent times must be through the standby queue. The one exception to this would be if a ride also offers a Virtual Queue (like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure).
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Are There Any Changes to Disney World’s Virtual Queue System?
As of this writing, Disney World’s Virtual Queue system remains in tact and has not changed with the rollout of the new Lightning Lane Pass services. The following rides are available via Virtual Queue:
- At Magic Kingdom: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and TRON Lightcycle/Run (NOTE: TRON Lightcycle/Run will begin offering standby queue on September 9, 2024. At that time, it will no longer offer Virtual Queue).
- At EPCOT: Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind
The Virtual Queues for these attractions first becomes available daily at 7:00 A.M. and again at 1:00 P.M. Guests are able to enter a Virtual Queue via the My Disney Experience app. Virtual Queue is free and available to all guests with valid theme park admission for that day.
Which Rides Are Only Available Via Lightning Lane Single Pass?
The following rides are only available via Lightning Lane Single Pass and require a purchase SEPARATE from Lightning Lane Multi Pass in order to book a return time (meaning, the following rides are NOT included in Multi Pass):
In Magic Kingdom:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle/Run
In EPCOT:
- Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
In Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
- Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
In Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
- Avatar Flight of Passage
Over at Disneyland Resort, Lightning Lane Single Pass is available for two attractions:
- At Disneyland Park: Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
- At Disney California Adventure: Radiator Springs Racers
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How Much Does the New Lightning Lane Pass Service Cost?
Like Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane, these new passes cost a fee to use. The prices at Walt Disney World fluctuate daily and are influenced by factors such as crowds, holidays, etc. They also vary based on which park you are visiting.
Below are the Day One per-person prices for Lightning Lane Passes at Walt Disney World (July 24, 2024):
MULTI PASS:
- Magic Kingdom: $29
- EPCOT: $21
- Hollywood Studios: $26
- Animal Kingdom: $18
SINGLE PASS:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $12
- TRON Lightcycle/Run: $20
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind: $17
- Rise of the Resistance: $25
- Avatar Flight of Passage: $16
At Disneyland Resort, Multi Pass is a static price at $30 per ticket per day.
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What If I’m Park Hopping? Is A Multi-Park Pass Still Available?
In the days of Genie+, a Multi-Park option was available for purchase for those guests with Park Hopping privileges. That is no longer the case with Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and is another significant difference you need to know about before your next vacation:
The good news is that, now, you only need to buy Lighting Lane Multi Pass for the first theme park you plan on visiting that day.
So if you’re staring your day in EPCOT and you plan on Hopping to Magic Kingdom, you would purchase Multi Pass one time for EPCOT (and then make your first three reservations for EPCOT attractions). Once you redeem your first Lightning Lane selection in EPCOT, you can begin making Lightning Lane reservations at other theme parks without the need to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass a second time.
It also looks like you can modify your next two Lightning Lane selections to rides at other parks once that first reservation is redeemed. So, in our example, say you have your first three EPCOT reservations picked but you are planning to hop to Magic Kingdom. Once your first EPCOT reservation is redeemed, you can modify the OTHER two EPCOT reservations to make them Magic Kingdom reservations, or any other park you wish to Hop to.
This could be a potential cost saver as long as you aren’t starting your day in Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom tends to cost the most every day, so if you start in another park and then Hop, you’ll wind up spending less than if you had a full day in Magic Kingdom, or you start in Magic Kingdom and Hop elsewhere.
Take the above prices as an example. Animal Kingdom cost the least on Lightning Lane Multi Pass’ launch day at $18. If you started your day at Animal Kingdom and paid $18 for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you would have saved $11 per person instead of paying the $29 price tag for Magic Kingdom’s Multi Pass.
Of course, you are then beholden to whatever is still “in stock” at Magic Kingdom after you redeem your first Lightning Lane reservation, so be sure to weigh those pros and cons if you want to look into this as a potential cost-saving strategy. Keep in mind there are TONS of other guests who have been able to book Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane return times for several days prior, so you may encounter less-than-optimal reservation inventory.
Should You Buy Lightning Lane Passes For Your Next Disney World Vacation?
So, you’ve read all that there is to read about Lightning Lane Passes and are wondering if it makes sense to buy it for your next vacation. That’s totally understandable: Disney World vacations are expensive, and these little added fees create an entirely new line item in your vacation budget that didn’t exist, say, five years ago.
As of July 2024 I’ll say this: it is too early to know if and how Lightning Lane passes add value to your vacation. Genie+, when used correctly, was justifiable in its cost for many families looking to add as many rides as possible to their vacation. It’s unfortunate that something that used to be free now costs money, but that’s the world we live in now!
The major difference in the ability to buy Lightning Lane passes and book return time reservations in advance is the game changer, and the key factor in determining whether to use the service or not. Like Genie+, you may decide to only purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass for some parks (for example, your Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios days, where there are more rides), and skip it altogether for other parks.
Because of the in-advance booking capabilities, you may want to only consider buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass for days farther out in your vacation rather than the first day or two. This is because (and pause to read this slowly because it’s sort of confusing to put into words): When YOUR seven day window opens up, those early days in your trip have already been open and available for others to book with trips sooner than yours.
That means there is likely more competition and less availability for those popular rides. Much like dining reservations, your best odds for getting exactly what you want will be to book further out towards the end of your trip. Those later dates will have fewer people able to book return times, at least at first. The closer you get to the trip, the more other guests will be able to book return times for your vacation dates.
Again, this is all very new, and we need some time to watch Lightning Lane Passes behave in real time to see the true value.
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