Attention, froggies! Hop off the press — as of July 24, 2024, Disney Genie+ service has returned to the lamp — and Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass is here! Individual Lightning Lane selections also fall under a new name, Disney Lightning Lane Single Pass. Both options introduce the ability to book skip-the-line passes in advance (different from Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections, which could only be booked on the day of). Additionally, on Oct. 30, 2024, Disney will begin piloting the Lightning Lane Premier Pass which will allow one-time entry to each Lightning Lane experience in a theme park. In this guide, we'll cover everything that's changing, as well as anything that's remaining the same. While the system is only undergoing a name change over at Disneyland, at Disney World, some bigger changes are hoppening — let's jump in!
Overview of Disney World Lightning Lane Passes
Combining elements of the most recent Disney Genie+ service and the older FastPass+ system, the new Disney World Lightning Lane pass system is an optional paid service that allows guests to skip the standby queue and join a shorter line for select attractions and experiences. Now, guests can plan their passes for their entire trip several days in advance instead of on the day of their visit. There are still two types of Lightning Lane passes available for all Walt Disney World guests — the Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly known as Disney Genie+ service) and the Disney Lightning Lane Single Pass (formerly known as individual Lightning Lane entry). You can purchase the Multi Pass, up to two Single Passes or a combination of both offerings, per day. All attractions and experiences continue to offer a free standby line or virtual queue. Additionally, the complimentary features of the Disney Genie service are available in the My Disney Experience app.
Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass
With a Disney World Multi Pass, you can choose up to three Multi Pass experiences and arrival windows in a theme park each day of your trip in advance. Then, once you're in the park and have used your first Multi Pass reservation, you can make an additional selection (subject to availability). You can hold up to three at a time (depending on tiers — more on that below!), making one new pass at a time throughout the day until park close. If you're park hopping, you can use a Multi Pass experience in a different park. The Multi Pass includes digital downloads of select attraction Disney PhotoPass photos and videos for the day.
Disney World Lightning Lane Single Pass
The most in-demand attractions in each park are not included in a park's Multi Pass, but you can purchase up to two Single Passes each day (subject to availability).
Lightning Lane passes, whether through a Multi Pass or a Single Pass, are limited to one entry per attraction, per day.
When to Purchase Disney World Lightning Lane Passes
Now that you can plan in advance with Disney World Lightning Lane passes, the biggest question is "When?" Well, it depends — on several factors! The general booking window is determined by your hotel stay:
- Guests of Disney Resort hotels and other select hotels can purchase and select their Lightning Lane passes up to seven days in advance for the entire length of their stay (up to 14 days).
- All other guests can purchase and select their passes up to three days in advance of their stay.
Guests can purchase and select Lightning Lane passes for days they have valid theme park admission starting at 7 a.m. Eastern Time on the first day of their booking window. Before you purchase a Lightning Lane pass, you must already have tickets and may need a theme park reservation (depending on the type of admission and the date of visit).
Eligible Resort Hotel Guests
The early-planning benefit is available to guests staying at:
- All Disney Resort Hotels
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green
All Other Guests
If you're not staying at one of the above hotels, you can purchase and select Disney Lightning Lane passes up to three days in advance. Additional details depend on your ticket type:
- Guests with date-based tickets can purchase three days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket. For instance, if you have a 4-Day Ticket (or more days), you can select Lightning Lane passes for each day of your entire stay.
- Guests with other ticket types and annual passholders can purchase three days before their visit and select passes for any day within that three-day purchase window.
International Guests
Once located inside the U.S., international guests may purchase advance Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass.
Large Groups
It's important to note that the maximum number of guests you can book a Multi Pass experience or Single Pass for is 20. If you have a larger group than 20, you'll need to have multiple people in charge to split everyone into smaller groups and book Lightning Lane experiences for each group. You may not get the exact same time windows, but you can book overlapping return time windows so you can still ride together.
How to Purchase Disney World Lightning Lane Passes and Cost
Just like the Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections, you can purchase the new Disney World Lightning Lane passes in the My Disney Experience app. The cost varies by date and theme park (Multi Pass) or date and attraction (Single Pass). Prices are displayed in the app before you purchase.
But wait — before you purchase, you'll need to make sure to do these three steps (we recommend doing this before 7 a.m. on the day you're eligible):
- Download the latest version of the My Disney Experience app
- Connect everyone in your travel party on your Family & Friends list (if you'd like to make plans for others in your group)
- Make note of your group's top priority attractions — you can save your favorites using the "My Day" feature
Something brand-new is that you can purchase a Multi Pass and Single Pass for each day at the same time, rather than making separate transactions. Here's what you need to do!
- Open the My Disney Experience app and navigate to the Lightning Lane Passes section on the home screen
- Select a date and a theme park
- Select a Lightning Lane Single Pass, a Multi Pass or both
- If a Multi Pass, choose up to three experiences and arrival windows
- If a Single Pass, choose an arrival window
- Note: arrival windows will be automatically given, but you can modify the times. Once you make your selections, you have five minutes to confirm the times.
- Follow the remaining prompts to complete the purchase and receive confirmation
- From the confirmation screen, tap "Plan Another Day" to purchase another pass for a different day or "View My Day" to view your selections
How Much Is Lightning Lane at Disney World?
Once again, the Disney Lightning Lane cost depends on variables such as date and theme park (Multi Pass) or date and attraction (Single Pass). However, we'll list the Opening Day pricing so you have an idea of what to expect:
Multi Pass*
- Magic Kingdom: $29 per guest
- EPCOT: $21 per guest
- Hollywood Studios: $26 per guest
- Animal Kingdom: $18 per guest
Single Pass*
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $12 per guest
- TRON Lightcycle / Run: $20 per guest
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: $17 per guest
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: $25 per guest
- Avatar Flight of Passage: $16 per guest
*prices subject to change
To view pricing beyond the current day's costs, click the Lightning Lane "Purchase" button on the app's home page or navigate to the "Lightning Lane Passes" page from the three-line hamburger menu, which will pull up the calendar availability. Once you select a date, you'll see the pricing by theme park. On Opening Day, we were able to select a date through mid-August (about three weeks' worth of availability at a time) to view pricing — however, the app will stop you from moving forward if you're not within your eligible booking window.
Disney World Lightning Lane Attraction and Experiences
Each theme park offers a selection of attractions and experiences offered through the Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass or separately as a Single Pass. The Multi Pass experiences are determined by tiers, except at Animal Kingdom (which has no tiers). You can choose up to one experience in Tier 1 and two experiences (or all three) in Tier 2.
It's important for us frogs to confirm that these tiers only apply to the three initial Multi Pass selections. Once you have scanned into your first Multi Pass experience (either Tier 1 or 2), you can make another Multi Pass selection regardless of tier level. Also, if you have park hopping abilities, you can choose any experience at a different park once you use your first Multi Pass selection of the day.
You can view a full list of the Multi Pass and Single Pass experiences at each park in our following guides and infographics.
Using Disney World Lightning Lane Passes
When it comes to using Disney Lightning Lane passes in the parks, not much has changed! You can scan your Key to the World card, MagicBand/MagicBand+ or MagicMobile device by tapping the Mickey-shaped touchpoints at each ride's Lightning Lane entrance. For many rides, prepare to tap again later in the queue. Once you've tapped into all of the touchpoints, you can make another Multi Pass selection — just think "you use one, you get one." The previous Genie+ system's 120-minute rule no longer exists.
Looking to book separately for members of your party, or even just want to change your arrival window? You can modify it! Once you find your plans in the Lightning Lane Passes section, you'll need to:
- 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 (however, we frogs tested this out — we were able to modify a Multi Pass selection during the arrival window but before scanning in)
Similar to the initial booking process, once you modify times, you'll have five minutes to confirm your selections.
Tips and Strategy
We frogs can say we are first-day experts, but there is still a lot to learn with the new system, especially when it comes to crafting our best tips and strategies — which parks benefit the most from having Lightning Lanes? Which rides are most popular and sell out quickly? We will certainly be keeping our eyes on how Lightning Lane ride availability evolves so we can answer these hoppin' questions.
Opening Day Experience
For now, we will share how our first-day experience went! The Frog Family broke up into two groups — we visited Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios based on how well each park benefitted from the former Genie+ system. With the new Lightning Lane Passes, Magic Kingdom still has the most experiences available, while Hollywood Studios has a great lineup of popular rides that can see longer standby wait times.
Each team spent Opening Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. maximizing Multi Pass and Single Pass, while throwing in some attractions using standby or virtual queues, at their respective parks. Here's what each team was able to accomplish, in chronological order:
Magic Kingdom
- TRON Lightcycle / Run (virtual queue)
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin (Multi Pass)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (Multi Pass)
- Tiana's Bayou Adventure (Multi Pass)
- Mickey's PhilharMagic (Multi Pass)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Single Pass)
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant (Multi Pass)
- Mad Tea Party (Multi Pass)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Multi Pass)
- Jungle Cruise (standby)
- Haunted Mansion (Multi Pass)
- Space Mountain (Multi Pass)
Hollywood Studios
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (standby at rope drop)
- Star Tours — The Adventures Continue (Multi Pass)
- Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (standby)
- Tower of Terror (Multi Pass)
- Alien Swirling Saucers (Multi Pass)
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Multi Pass)
- Rise of the Resistance (Single Pass)
- Meet Mickey & Minnie at Red Carpet Dreams (standby)
- Slinky Dog Dash (Multi Pass)
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (Multi Pass)
At Magic Kingdom, we experienced Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion running out of availability by the time we could make our first selection after using our first advance Multi Pass selection. In hindsight, we should've used one of our advance Multi Passes before going on TRON via the virtual queue so that we could make a new selection sooner. But with luck and consistent attempts to modify, more times popped up and we were able to eventually snag Multi Pass for both of those rides. Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Jungle Cruise are two other popular rides that can become unavailable quickly.
Meanwhile, at Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Mania was the hardest one to nab (we never did!). We did see additional times pop up occasionally, but every time we tried to grab one, it went quickly. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was the only Tier 1 ride that we couldn't ride (mainly due to the ride being down for a good chunk of the day), but we eventually snagged an 8 p.m. Multi Pass reservation that we didn't get to modify for an earlier time. We noticed by the afternoon, most of the popular rides were running out of times.
Snag An Early Time
When making your three advance Multi Pass selections, try to get an early time for at least one of your options. The name of the game for this new system is "use one, get one." To maximize use for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you want to try to avoid having all three options later in the day because you won't be able to make new selections until you've used one. If you're stuck with later times, this brings us to our next best tip ...
Modify, Modify, Modify!
Modifications were our best friend for both teams! If there aren't any ideal selections at any given time, our best advice is to snag something, and then be on the lookout so you can modify either the time or the attraction in case something pops up.
Over time, we'll be sure to update this guide and our FAQs, as we get even more familiar with the new system!
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
Beginning Oct. 30, 2024, guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts and other select hotels will have an all-new way to experience the magic. With the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you'll get one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane experience in a park for one day — including the most in-demand attractions. The best part: you won't need to choose a specific arrival time!
Eligibility and When and How to Purchase
Eligible guests will be able to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Pass up to seven days before the first day of their Resort stay — for their entire length of stay (up to 14 days) — starting at 7 a.m. Eastern Time. Before you purchase a Premier Pass, you must have valid theme park admission. Park reservations may also be required, depending on the type of admission and the date of your visit.
Before you purchase, review your Friends & Family list to make sure everyone in your party is connected, a registered guest at an eligible Resort hotel and has valid theme park admission. To purchase, open the My Disney Experience app, find "Lightning Lane Premier Pass" on the Home Screen and then tap "Purchase." Follow the prompts to complete your purchase — and receive a confirmation. Prices for Premier Passes vary by date and theme park and purchasing is subject to very limited availability. Prices will be displayed in the My Disney Experience app.
Here's the list of eligible hotels upon rollout:
Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney's Beach Club Resort
- Disney's BoardWalk Inn
- Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge
- Disney's Yacht Club Resort
Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
- The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort — A Disney Vacation Club Resort (eligibility applies to Disney Vacation Club Cabins only)
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas — Jambo House
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas — Kidani Village
- Disney's Beach Club Villas
- Disney's BoardWalk Villas
- Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney's Riviera Resort
- The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Other Eligible Hotels
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green Resort
Price Range
Prices for Lightning Lane Premier Pass vary by date and theme park. At launch, prices will range from $129 to $449 (per pass, plus tax), with the highest prices falling on a limited number of days over peak travel periods.
Viewing and/or Modifying Your Premier Pass
To view and/or modify your pass, open the My Disney Experience app and tap on the Lightning Lane Premier Pass section of the Home Screen. Here, you'll be able to view details about your Premier Pass — including your selected theme park, date and travel party and modify the date or theme park for your Premier Pass, subject to availability. Note that Premier Passes are nonrefundable and nontransferable.
Photo Perks
With the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you'll also be able to receive digital downloads of select attractions and videos from your day, captured with Disney PhotoPass Service and unlock Disney PhotoPass Lenses, which let you transform your photos with Disney-themed, augmented-reality effects.
Using Your Lightning Lane Premier Pass
To utilize the Premier Pass, go to a Lighting Lane entrance and tap in using a MagicBand, MagicBand+, Disney MagicMobile pass, Key to the World Card or ticket that's linked to your valid theme park admission. You'll be able to skip the standby line and join a shorter line for that attraction or experience instead! After you ride, continue to enjoy other Lightning Lane experiences in the park at your own leisure.
To view the Lightning Lane experiences you've redeemed during your park day, open the My Disney Experience app and tap "Today's Plans" in the app menu. This will take you to the "My Day" feature. Here, you'll be able view your Lightning Lane Premier Pass and tap to see your experiences for that day — including which ones remain and which ones you've already redeemed.
Premier Pass vs. Multi Pass and Single Pass
With the Premier Pass, you don't have to choose arrival windows for Lightning Lane attractions and experiences — so you can utilize Lightning Lane entrances for the experiences you want, when you want (subject to availability)! With the Multi Pass and Single Pass, you must choose an arrival window for each Lightning Lane experience.
Additionally, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass gives you one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane experience in one park for one day (which means you are not able to use it at more than one park). This includes Lighting Lane Multi Pass experiences and Lightning Lane Single Pass experiences in that park.
If you have any more questions about the new Disney World Lightning Lane pass service, you can hop over to our FAQs blog post.
Related: Disney Lightning Lane Frequently Asked Questions
Keep hopping!