Disneyland Lightning Lane Strategy: Which Lightning Lane to Pick First?

You've entered a Disneyland theme park and are filled with anticipation for your day. There are so many rides, and you want to skip the lines to ride as many as possible. You bought Lightning Lane Multi Pass tickets to maximize time and consulted our Disneyland park plans and crowd calendar. (Smart frog.) You read our ribbiting post on how to book a Lightning Lane. (Prepared frog.) So, you should be ready to go, but do you know which Lightning Lane to pick first at Disneyland and which ones to save for later? What is the correct strategy for picking a Lightning Lane, and in what order? Enter the informative frogs. We've spent many days working on our Disneyland Lightning Lane tips for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. We're experts in park hopping, too! We are here to help you pick a Lightning Lane.

Hop To

• Lightning Lane Tips
• 1-Park Disneyland Park
• 1-Park Disney California Adventure
• Park Hopping

FAQs

• Which Lightning Lanes should I pick first and which ones should I save for later? There are several different strategies for which Lightning Lane to choose when. The ones that disappear the quickest include Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain, Guardians of the Galaxy, Toy Story Midway Mania!, Soarin' and new rides or holiday versions of rides. Rides that consistently have availability in the afternoon or even evening include Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Autopia and "it's a small world," The Little Mermaid and Goofy's Sky School. Save those for later.
• When should I book my first Lightning Lane? Make a Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction selection as soon as you have entered a theme park each day. People who arrive before park opening get the best selection and can maximize their Lightning Lane value.
• Why should I modify instead of cancel when changing my plans? You can modify your Lightning Lane to an earlier or later available time or to a different ride in the same park. Modifying does not reset the 2-hour waiting period. Canceling a Lightning Lane and rebooking resets the clock.
• How can I save money on Lightning Lane at Disneyland? Lock in the lowest price for Lightning Lane Multi Pass when you purchase discount multi-day Lightning Lane tickets through Undercover Tourist.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Tips

Here's what to know before you go.

• You get the best value and selection if you buy a ticket with Lightning Lane Multi Pass and arrive before park opening.
• You can choose your first Lightning Lane as soon as you enter a park.
• The Monorail entrance counts as a park entrance.
• You can make a new Lightning Lane selection as soon as you redeem the one before it or 2 hours have passed since you booked, whichever comes first. Set an alarm to remind you of the next time you can book, or book immediately after scanning in for a ride.
• Even if you don't see a time you want right away, choose a ride that's located in the same park as the ride you want. Then use the "modify" feature to change it. Why? When you choose an attraction, it starts the clock on that 2-hour window. Modifying does not reset the clock. Canceling and rebooking does. Simply waiting to select the ride for the time you want delays starting the clock on your day. So book something and then ponder over your options when modifying.
• In the first hour or two of park opening, take advantage of short lines for attractions that do not offer a Lightning Lane.
• At park opening, it's OK to choose a ride such as Indiana Jones or Guardians of the Galaxy that might not be available on Lightning Lane for 45 minutes to an hour away because you can use that time to go on a lot of other rides with short waits while you wait for your ride window to arrive.
• If you have a ride window that is a few hours away, regularly tap "modify" (and refresh a few times) to see if an earlier time pops up. If it does, grab it quickly and make sure that you got the time you want before confirming.
• Read up on Multiple Experiences Passes (in case you encounter ride breakdowns) and using Lightning Lanes with a group (if you have a large group) before you go.
• If you have a bigger budget and want to skip the lines in the order you like without having to schedule them, Lightning Lane Premier Pass might be for you.
• If a line has a really short wait, skip the Lightning Lane and prioritize a different Lightning Lane selection.

Which Lightning Lane to Pick First in Disneyland Park

You have entered Disneyland Park. The two rides that distribute Lightning Lanes the fastest are always the same:

• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Space Mountain

The next priorities are:

• Haunted Mansion (higher priority when it's Haunted Mansion Holiday)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway  — This ride has a really immersive queue that you mostly skip when you use Lightning Lane. You might want to wait in the standby line at least once when the line is short. Also, on nights with fireworks, Toontown closes for a few hours in the evening.
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure (Lightning Lanes book faster on hot days)

The rides that usually have plenty of availability in the afternoon and early evening include:

• "it's a small world" (higher priority when it's the holiday version)
• Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Autopia
• Roger Rabbit's CarTOON Spin — On nights with fireworks, Toontown closes for a few hours in the evening.

Most of these are indoor rides that also provide AC and a break from the heat in the afternoon anyway.

Disneyland Park Lightning Lane Park Plan (1-Park)

Arrive before park opening for the best selection. You can make a selection even before the park opens. Keep in mind that every day plays out a little differently at Disneyland. Some rides are closed for refurbishment or temporarily closed throughout the day. Some selection windows are closer than others. A busy day and a quiet day will play out differently. Choose rides that make sense for your timing, interests and location in the park. If you can pick a ride near you, choose that over one across the park.

Here's how to prioritize your selections:

1. Indiana Jones — Two reasons for this: It sometimes has a delay in opening, so you might get a Multiple Experiences Pass. (Save that and immediately rebook Indiana Jones.) And this ride runs through distribution of Lightning Lanes quickly. They sporadically offer Single Rider for this ride midday, so that's another option. If you see this ride without an exterior line, wait in the standby line. It merges with the Lightning Lane when you enter the building. So if the outside line is short, your time savings with Lightning Lane is minimal.
2. Space Mountain — Alternatively, knock this one out by riding at park opening for a short wait or using the Single Rider line (for ages 7 and up)
3. Matterhorn Bobsleds — This ride also offers Single Rider and has a very short wait at park opening. Nobody comes here first. So it's another hard one to get that you can knock out with a short line.
4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
5. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — This ride also has Single Rider, but most of the time, you do not need it. And you might want to ride with your friends or family.
6. Optional: While in Galaxy's Edge, you might consider paying for a Lightning Lane Single Pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Most days, this is available upon short notice.
7. Tiana's Bayou Adventure (also has a Single Rider line)
8. Haunted Mansion
9. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway (The Lightning Lane skips the toadally cool queue, so this is one you might want to wait for, especially the first time you ride.)
10. Roger Rabbit's CarTOON Spin
11. "it's a small world"
12. Star Tours
13. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
14. Autopia

Right at rope drop, after picking your first Lightning Lane, take advantage of short wait times for rides without Lightning Lanes in Fantasyland as well as Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. Save your booked Lightning Lanes for mid- to late morning and the afternoon.

While waiting for your time to ride, ride other attractions with short wait times, enjoy park entertainment, meet characters and eat food.

Ride wait times drop during major parades and shows such as fireworks and Fantasmic! (Fantasmic! is a great time to ride Haunted Mansion or Pirates with little to no wait.)

As you'll see mentioned, you might be able to take advantage of a Single Rider line to skip some time and save a Lightning Lane for another ride. Or use it as a strategy to ride twice!

Which Lightning Lane to pick First at Disney California Adventure

There are fewer rides with a Lightning Lane in Disney California Adventure — and fewer rides in general. So that means Lightning Lanes do run out faster in this park than in Disneyland. The rides that do not have a Lightning Lane often appear as choices if you get a Multiple Experiences Pass due to a ride breakdown, so keep that in mind.

The two rides that distribute Lightning Lanes the fastest are:

• Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT! — During Halloween Time, you can choose this version in the morning (and ride by 2 p.m.). Then, starting at noon, you can choose it again for when the Lightning Lanes open for the scarier Halloween version, Monsters After Dark (which opens at 3 p.m.). If visiting at a busy time, arrive before park opening to select this one, or you might find that distribution is much later in the day.
• Toy Story Midway Mania!

The next priorities are:

• Soarin' Around the World (as of July 2, 2026, Soarin' Across America will put this in higher demand)
• WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
• Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! (closing permanently in 2027) — This ride does offer Buddy Pass, which is kind of like Single Rider for two people (or three if one is a baby)

The rides that usually have more availability in the afternoon and early evening include:

• Incredicoaster (some days it moves faster than others depending on the crowd makeup)
• Goofy's Sky School
• Grizzly River Run — Except it moves faster on hot days (and it has Single Rider)
• The Little Mermaid — Ariel's Undersea Adventure

Disney California Adventure Lightning Lane Park Plan (1-Park)

Arrive before park opening for the best selection. You can make a Lightning Lane selection even before the park opens. The wait times are shortest in the morning and the last hour of park opening. Wait times are short during World of Color at night.

We like to start in Pixar Pier at rope drop because nobody else goes there first. Here is how we pick our rides:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (during Halloween Time, you can choose the Monsters After Dark version, starting at noon.) This is one to pick early as it definitely runs out the fastest and the line stays long all day.
2. Toy Story Midway Mania! — This one often delays opening by a few minutes, which means we might score a Multiple Experiences Pass to save for later. That's the only reason we would choose it over Guardians. It is a walk-on in the early morning once it opens, so if you want to ride it twice, come here after park opening and then choose this ride again with a Lightning Lane later. Ride a bunch of rides in Pixar Pier that do not have Lightning Lanes in the morning. The lines are short in the morning.
3. Optional: Purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass for Radiator Springs Racers or use the Single Rider line (for people over 7 years old) in the morning.
4. WEB SLINGERS — It has a Single Rider line.
5. Monsters, Inc. — Buddy Pass is an option.
6. Soarin' — This has an unmarked Single Rider line. Ask at the front.
7. Grizzly River Run — It has an unmarked Single Rider line. Ask at the front.
8. Incredicoaster — It has a Single Rider line.
9. The Little Mermaid
10. Goofy's Sky School — It has a Single Rider line.

Set your alarm for just before noon to join the virtual queue for World of Color.

How to Pick a Lightning Lane When Park Hopping

We've discussed our Lightning Lane tips for one park per day. But what if you are park hopping?

The quick answer is that we generally pick one Lightning Lane in our starting park (one that disappears quickly, such as Indy or Guardians). We go on as many rides as we can with short waits at park opening in that first hour or two of the day. Once we redeem our first Lightning Lane, we select a Lightning Lane for a ride in the other park. Maybe it's a ride that will be ready right after we plan to hop. We set our alarm and pick another in two hours. This allows us to "stack" our afternoon. That way, once we hop (as lines are getting longer), we have several Lightning Lanes ready to go.\

If we have acquired any Multiple Experiences Passes, we tend to save them for our second park because they really come in handy. In the afternoon, the Lightning Lane selection windows start stretching further away from when we book. And if the ride times are a little ways off, we book anyway and try to modify to find an earlier time. If you are persistent, you often get lucky. You can only modify for a ride in the same park, so keep that in mind.

Fun Fact: Rides without Lightning Lanes open up as choices for Disney California Adventure when you get a Multiple Experiences Pass. Tap View eligible experiences. You'll see all the ride options available to you.

If we have a wait before we have valid Lightning Lane redemption windows, we see shows, eat meals or snacks, meet characters and explore lands such as Toontown or Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

Where to Start When Park Hopping

When park hopping, we prefer to start in Disney California Adventure. We can accomplish a lot in the first few hours of park opening, but then the lines start to grow and Lightning Lanes become more scarce for this park midday.

Disneyland has a lot more Lightning Lane selections available in the afternoon and evening. Plus, it has more rides, which disperses the crowds and has lower wait times. So it's easier to hop in that direction and have a lot of options later in the day. Our Disneyland park hopping post has everything you need to know about park hopping at Disneyland.

Set yourself up for success by buying a park ticket already loaded with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can save on discount Disneyland Multi-Day tickets with Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Undercover Tourist. Every Undercover Tourist Disneyland ticket comes with $20 Dining Dollars promo codes, which can be applied to the purchase of Disney gift cards or restaurant gift cards.

Related: Strategies to Rope Drop Disneyland Park

Related: Strategies to Rope Drop Disney California Adventure

Keep hopping!