Post last updated: August 15, 2024
This post is intended to contain all key information on how to utilize Lightning Lane. If you find any errors, have suggestions for additional information to include, or make note of any changes to processes and procedures, reply in the thread below and I will update this lead post. Once you’ve mastered the basics below, take a look at the pinned LLMP+ Strategy & Planning Thread in La Cava for a deeper dive.
My Disney Experience
Genie, Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Single Pass, dining reservations, and other functions are all performed within the My Disney Experience (MDE) smartphone application. If you’re not familiar with MDE, refer to this Touring Plans blog post.
Genie
Genie is a free plug-in to the MDE app that allows you to build an itinerary in advance and adjust your plans as you go. Genie offers suggestions for attractions or meals as your day progresses, which you can add to your itinerary or ignore. The “Genie+” moniker is no longer used to refer to Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Lightning Lane
Lightning Lane (LL) is a special entrance for those who have paid for / received the privilege (more on how below) that bypasses the standby queue and requires only a short wait to board the ride. Most Lightning Lane queues join the standby queue before any pre-shows; however, some elements of the queue may be bypassed.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP, formerly known as “Genie+”) costs a variable amount (generally in the range of $15-39) per person per day + 6.5% tax and allows each guest to make three advance reservations to use the Lightning Lane on select attractions, as well as additional selections on the day of use. LLMP is purchased for a particular park (i.e., Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Magic Kingdom). The pricing of MK is generally the highest, followed by HS, EP, and AK. Each purchase of LLMP comes with free downloads of attraction photos, as well as the use of augmented reality “lenses” available in MDE.
Attraction Groups / Tiers
Attractions in each park are divided into two “groups” (commonly referred to as “tiers”). Guests may pre-book up to three attractions – all three must be in the same park – including up to one attraction from Group 1 and the remaining attractions from Group 2. Group and Park restrictions are only applicable for pre-booking – i.e., there are no Group restrictions when booking on the day of use (removal of Group / Park restrictions is triggered upon redemption of any one of your pre-booked LLs).
Below is the list of eligible attractions for each park and their groups:
MK
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- 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
HS
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- 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!
EP
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- 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
AK
Note: There are no groups / tiers for Animal Kingdom. Guests may pre-book any three of the available attractions.
- 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
- Naʻvi River Journey
Rules:
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Timing of Purchase and Pre-booking Guests may purchase LLMP and make their initial three selections based on their resort status and ticket type as follows:
a) Disney resort guests:- Onsite resort guests may pre-book beginning at 7:00am 7 days before check-in day for their length of stay up to 14 days.
- Disney resort guests include cash and points guests of all Disney resorts and WDW DVC properties, as well as guests of the Dolphin, Swan, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green.
- Testing has confirmed that split stays are bridged in Disney’s system – in other words, if you have two on-site hotel stays for consecutive days, your “length of stay” includes both hotel reservations. If there is a gap between on-site reservations, your booking date will be determined independently for each stay.
b) Offsite resort guests:
- Guests with date-based tickets may pre-book beginning at 7:00am 3 days before the first day of their ticket for the total number of valid admission days of their ticket.
- Guests with an Annual Pass or other non-date based ticket may purchase and pre-book beginning at 7:00am 3 days before the day of use.
c) International guests:
- Citing complications with international law, Disney has implemented restrictions preventing guests from purchasing LLMP or booking LLs from outside the United States and Canada within MDE. However, international guests may have someone in the US or Canada purchase / book on their behalf, or use the method described in this article.
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Day-of Purchase If guests choose not to purchase LLMP at the earliest opportunity, they may purchase and book LLMP up to and including the day of their visit. However, availability of LL attractions will be limited. Disney may pause the sale of LLMP on high crowd days as they did with Genie+.
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Arrival Window When you make an LLMP selection, you will choose (subject to availability) a one-hour “arrival window” or return time during which you may report to the attraction on the day of your visit. Arrival windows for pre-booked selections may overlap by up to 20 minutes (e.g., a 10:00-11:00 arrival window is compatible with a 10:40-11:40 arrival window, but not 10:35-11:35). Overlap restrictions are removed prior to park opening on the day of use, so you can modify sequential LLs to have more overlap on the morning of your visit.
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Grace Period The official grace period for tapping into a reservation as communicated by CMs is 5 minutes before and 60 minutes beyond the end of the arrival window. Guests have tested an extended grace period arriving 119 minutes (and in at least one case, even longer) past the end of the arrival window and were admitted with green taps; however, use caution when relying on the extended grace period. That said, it’s worth trying to tap in if you are running late for reasons outside your control.
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Single Transaction Guests may purchase LLMP, pre-book LL selections, and purchase LLSP(s) (see below) for a single day, all in one transaction. This means that guests will be able to see which attraction / arrival windows they are receiving prior to purchasing. Each day is booked in a separate transaction. You may return to purchase additional passes for the same day after completing your initial transaction (i.e., if you only purchase LLMP at first, you could purchase one or two LLSPs in a separate transaction later, or vice versa).
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No Minimum You are not required to fill all three pre-booked slots. You may pre-book only one LL and add the other two later, or leave the spots open indefinitely if you choose to do so.
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Additional LL Reservations A guest may apply for another LL as soon as they have tapped in to any of their pre-booked LLs, or any LL booked on the day of their visit. In other words, guests may always hold up to three (non-expired) LLs. Any LLs booked or modified (including pre-booked LLs) after tapping into any LL for the first time each day will not be Group or Park restricted.
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Expired LL Reservations An expired LL may not be modified, but it may be used if within the grace period (and possibly beyond, subject to CM discretion). The expiration of an LL reservation frees up a slot to book a new LL reservation, but expiration alone does not remove restrictions on Groups / Parks (only physically tapping into any one of your LL reservations unlocks “same-day booking” privileges).
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Limitation on Stacking Guests may not book an additional LL until a previously booked LL is used (i.e., there is no “2-hour rule” as there was with Genie+). As such, it is not be possible to hold more than three non-expired LLs. However, guests may hold expired passes, as well as one or more “multiple experience pass” (received when an attraction is down during the arrival window), in addition to their three non-expired passes.
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Park Hopping You may not pre-book LLMP at two different parks – you must choose one park to pre-book up to three advance LL selections. This may be the park you are starting at or a park you are hopping to. If you are eligible to hop, you may make a LL selection at the other park(s), in any Group, for any available arrival window as soon as you tap into your first pre-booked LL. Tapping into your first LL also unlocks the ability to modify any of your pre-booked LLs to (or book any vacant pre-booked slots in) a different Group or Park. As such, you only need to use one of your pre-booked LLs at the park you purchased LLMP for.
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Attraction Repeats You may NOT receive a repeat LL reservation for any attraction within the same day. (There is no limitation on re-riding using the standby line.) If you cancel or modify a LL before using it, you may re-book that attraction.
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No Show If you do not tap in for your LL reservation during your arrival window (no show), you may not re-book the attraction unless you cancel the expired pass. See “Cancelling a Reservation” below.
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Modifying a Reservation You may modify a LL reservation obtained through LLMP any time after booking or pre-booking (including the days leading up to your trip) up to the end of the arrival window. You can also change the park of your pre-booked LLs by paying the difference in cost (no refunds for lower cost day park) – all LLs must be moved to the other park to do this. Some users have found that it is easier to cancel and rebook than to modify due to the nature of MDE’s interface.
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Cancelling a Reservation You may cancel (and re-book, if desired) a LL reservation any time after booking until it is used. Testing has shown that expired passes can be canceled long after the end of the arrival window and beyond the extended grace period. You may not obtain a refund for an unwanted LLMP purchase without speaking to Guest Services.
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Limits per Day Other than the above, there is no hard limit on the number of LL reservations you can get in a single day, other than the constraints of time and subject to availability.
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Attraction Closed If an attraction is temporarily closed during your window, guests will be issued a “Multiple Experience Pass” (MEP). An MEP is valid for the remainder of the day (sometimes valid for the following day if issued late at night) and can generally be used at other attractions listed at the bottom of the MEP (may need to click “More…”). Note: The “Golden Ticket” functionality does not appear to work with the new system.
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Overlapping Reservations Reservations for pre-booked LLs may overlap by up to 20 minutes. Overlap restrictions are removed prior to park opening on the day of use (i.e., you can modify LLs to overlap by more than 20 minutes on the morning of your visit). Currently, it appears that LLSPs are not subject to this restriction and may fully overlap with LLMP reservations.
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Missed Reservation If you miss a LL / VQ return window due to a dining reservation, bring your receipt to show the Cast Member at the LL entrance and they will typically let you in. Admitting a guest outside of their LL reservation’s arrival window (including any grace period) for any other reason may not be possible and is at the Cast Member’s discretion. That said, a CM at Guest Services may be able to assist if there are extenuating circumstances.
Tips
- Unlocking “Same-Day” Privileges It is important for your entire party to tap into their first LL of the day as early as possible. This act unlocks the ability to book / modify pre-booked LLs without Park or Group restrictions. Expiration does not unlock same-day privileges.
- Split Party You do not have to purchase LLMP for all members of your party, but when purchasing LLMP for multiple party members at once, your attraction selections apply to all selected party members. These selections can be subsequently modified for each guest individually, if desired.
- Refresh Method MDE will often show you more availability if you continue to refresh the app while looking for availability for a specific attraction. There is no harm in booking what is available and modifying (or canceling / rebooking) to an earlier time / different attraction if one becomes available.
- Drop Times Disney adds additional LL availability at certain times throughout the touring day (“drops”), similar to Fastpass Plus and Genie+. LL inventory may also be added during the pre-booking period. See the Advanced LLMP thread in La Cava for details, including observed drop times.
- Order of Priority Based on how quickly LLs “sell out,” the order of priority for booking LL attractions at each park is generally as follows (based on Thrill Data availability charts):
ANIMAL KINGDOM (no Groups)
NRJ > KRR > KS > DINO > EE > everything else
EPCOT
Group 1: Remy > FEA >>> Soarin’
Group 2: MS > everything else
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Group 1: SDD > RNRC > MMRR > MFSR
Group 2: TSM > ToT > ASS > everything else
MAGIC KINGDOM
Group 1: TBA >> PPF > JC > BTMRR > SM
Group 2: WtP > HM > Buzz > TS > everything else
Lightning Lane Single Pass
LLSP is a standalone purchase available for the most popular attractions, which are not included with LLMP. LLSP can be purchased through MDE for a variable amount (plus tax) for the attractions listed below. Observed prices are included in parentheses – these are subject to change daily and are expected to increase with crowd levels. The minimum observed is $7 and $25 is currently the maximum, though this is subject to change with inflation or other adjustments.
MK
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ($10-12)
- Tron Lightcycle / Run ($20)
AK
- Avatar Flight of Passage ($13-16)
HS
- Rise of the Resistance ($20-25)
EP
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ($14-17)
Rules
- LLMP vs LLSP You DO NOT have to purchase LLMP to purchase LLSP selections, and vice versa (but you may use both services).
- Limits per Day Guests are limited to 2 LLSP purchases per day (across all parks).
- No Duplicates Guests may NOT select the same attraction for both of their LLSP selections.
- No Minimum Guests may purchase only one LLSP in a day (not required to purchase two). You do NOT need to purchase an LLSP for all members of your party – you can select which individuals you purchase for independently for each attraction.
- Timing of Purchase The timing of purchase and booking for LLSPs is the same as LLMP (see Rule 1 under the LLMP section above).
- Arrival Window Guests may select the one-hour arrival window of their LLSP for any time during the operating day, subject to availability (similar to ADRs).
- Park Hopping If you are eligible to hop, you may purchase an LLSP at any park for any available return window, subject to the daily limit (2 LLSP purchases across all parks).
- Modifications You may modify an LLSP to a different park, attraction, arrival window, or even date(!). Guests must pay the difference in price if the new selection costs more (no automatic refunds if the price is lower).
- Reassignment You can not reassign the LLSP to a different individual; however, another individual can tap in with that guest’s admission, provided they have tapped into the park where the attraction is located.
- Cancellations There are no cancellations or refunds allowed with LLSP purchases per the official terms of service. However, if you have a legitimate reason (illness, injury, chicken-out, etc.) and ask Guest Services politely, they will often issue a refund as an exception. If you purchase an LLSP for an individual who is unable to ride (e.g., doesn’t meet height requirement), Guest Services has typically granted a refund.
- Attraction Closed If the attraction is closed during your return window, you will generally receive an MEP (see description under LLMP above). It is generally not advantageous to use an MEP issued from an LLSP on any attraction other than the attraction it was purchased for; however, you may do so if you wish.
- Refunds If the LLSP attraction remains closed throughout the day, you may receive an automatic refund, or be able to obtain a refund or gift card with value equivalent to your purchase from Guest Services. Any other refund requests are subject to approval by Guest Services.
- Grace Period The official grace period for LLs is 5 minutes before and 60 minutes after the 1-hour arrival window (green light at taps); any time before or after the grace period is subject to CM approval. While there have been reports of extended grace periods, it is not recommended to intentionally make use of them for paid LLSPs. However, it’s worth trying to tap in if you are running late for reasons outside your control.
Tips
- High Demand LLSP Disney employs LLSP for the most popular rides in each park, so on high-crowd days, it’s not uncommon for them to sell out quickly. However, keep an eye out for additional reservation times that often pop up at random times throughout the day. While guests are able to purchase LLSPs in advance, it may be advantageous to wait until you are certain you want / need the LLSP.
- New Attractions Keep an eye on the news when a new attraction is opening. Disney will often shuffle which attractions are used for both Virtual Queue and LLSP when a new attraction debuts.
- Drops Times See note on drop times for LLMP above.
Virtual Queue
Virtual Queue (boarding groups) is currently used for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Tron: Lightcycle Run, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and is expected to be used for other new attractions during their debut. For more information on joining a virtual queue, see this thread.
Tips
- VQ + LLSP When both VQ and LLSP are available for a specific attraction, you CAN get both. (Note that with LLSP, you skip the ~30-minute wait that those using the Virtual Queue typically wait in, but miss some pre-ride elements.)
- VQ Wait Times The wait time for Virtual Queue is typically shortest in the ~30 minutes after the first boarding group is called, which is usually 15 minutes after Early Entry begins (i.e., 8:45am for a 9:00am general opening). The line builds to 30-50 minutes thereafter and remains longer until the last ~30 minutes of park operations. On days where there are Extended Evening Hours, the wait time for the Virtual Queue may remain long through regular operating hours and well into EEH.
Rider Swap (RS)
Rider Swap LLMP, LLSP, and Virtual Queue can be used with Rider Swap (which is also available for Standby riders - continue reading below). To skip the Standby line, all riders must have a LL reservation (or Boarding Group, if applicable). Non-riders (i.e., children under the height requirement) do not need a LL reservation.
After reporting to the LL, a CM will scan all LL reservations and assign a RS pass to Group 2 riders (1 adult waiting with non-riding child(ren) plus one repeat rider). Group 1 riders will enter the LL immediately. Group 2 will return to the LL after Group 1 rides. One rider is able to ride twice (once in the first group, once with the waiting adult). The RS pass does not need to be redeemed immediately, but each guest can only have one RS pass at a time (two adults and respective repeat riders in a party CAN have a RS pass for separate attractions but the RS holders may not overlap).
Using Rider Swap without a LL reservation / Boarding Group works the same way, except Group 1 must wait in the Standby line rather than using the LL. Group 2 returns to the LL entrance. No one needs a LL reservation if Group 1 intends to wait Standby. Instead, everyone reports to the ride entrance and a CM will assign a RS pass to the Group 2 riders, at which point Group 1 can enter the standby queue. In many cases, you can send runners up to the CM checkpoint to get MagicBands / admission scanned while the rest of the party waits in line to save time.
Disability Access Service (DAS)
DAS is compatible with LLMP, LLSP, and VQ. Guests may use all four systems together or separately. See this Touring Plans Blog post for further information.
Relevant links
Disney Parks blog post about the Lightning Lane changes, including a video demonstration:
Detailed Lightning Lane information page on the WDW website:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/lightning-lane-passes/
Touring Plans Blog post about the new Lightning Lane system:
Not sure if we want both pinned at the same time …
