As recently as 2019 Disney parks around the globe had a Fastpass system where you reserve a time to skip the line on major attractions. When the parks reopened after the shut downs there was no Fastpass system and everything was standby only. Fast Forward to today and we have the Lightning Lane system.
Lightning Lane is a paid Fastpass system where you pay a certain price that fluctuates daily to then reserve a time to come back to a ride and skip the line. Disneyland and Disney World currently have three Lightning Lane options. There is Lightning Lane Multipass which is the same as Fastpass just paid, there is Lightning Lane Single Pass which is a charge for a single attraction and lastly there is Lightning Lane Premier Pass which is an expensive option that grants a one time Lightning Lane to all of the rides and you do not have to reserve a time slot.
This guide will give you the best options to maximize your Lightning Lane Mutlipass and Single Pass at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. The Premier Pass does not really need a guide since you can just go on whatever attraction you want when you want. The Premier pass starts around $300 at Walt Disney World and is $400 at Disneyland. At Disneyland the Premier pass covers both parks, but at Walt Disney World it only covers one park at a time.
How To Maximize Lightning Lane At Disneyland
Here are the best ways to maximize Lightning Lane at Disneyland. If you are doing a park hopper ticket then you should focus on doing the Lightning Lane attractions you want to do at each park before switching over to the next one. This will save a lot of walking between the two parks and thus will save you plenty of time, so let’s start with Disneyland.
Disneyland Park has tons of Lightning Lane attractions so you have plenty to choose. If you are arriving at the park first thing in the morning, usually everyone speeds straight to Space Mountain so that is the first attraction I would use your Lightning Lane. You can only get a Lightning Lane every 90 minutes or until your use your current one so while you wait for Space Mountain I would make an immediate left turn into Adventureland or Frontierland to ride those attractions instead.
If you play your cards right, you can knock out the entire left side of the park just in the morning alone. Once your Space Mountain Lightning Lane is used, I would get one for the Matterhorn or any attraction you didn’t get to do on the left side of the park in your morning rush.
From there, you should make your Lightning Lane selections by going in a clockwise motion around the park (right to left) while riding attractions in a counter clockwise motion (left to right).
The only ride with a Lightning Lane Single Pass is Rise of the Resistance and I do not think you need to spend another $20-$40 per person just on that attraction.
Now let’s move on to California Adventure!
How To Maximize Lightning Lane At Disney California Adventure
California Adventure has far fewer rides than Disneyland leading to higher wait times overall so Lightning Lane can be very valuable at this park. For California Adventure, I really do not have a particular order to go in for this park but if you had to start somewhere I would say start at Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout and then continue on from there.
I would then do the heavy hitters (Incredicoaster, Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run) and save the smaller attractions for last.
The Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction at this park is Radiator Springs Racers and I would 100% recommend paying the extra $20 per person for this attraction. This attraction is one of Disney’s best and is great for the entire family.
There you have it! That’s the best way to maximize Lightning Lane at the Disneyland Resort and if you want to book a trip to Disneyland for the 70th Anniversary you can book it right here! Now on to Walt Disney World!
Magic Kingdom
So one thing that is different at Walt Disney World is that you can reserve up to three Lightning Lane attractions in advance before your trip even starts. Once you get to the park you can reserve additional Lightning Lane’s once you redeem at least one of the three Lightning Lane’s you already reserved, so for each park I am going to recommend three rides to reserve your Lightning Lane.
For the Magic Kingdom I would get a Lightning Lane for Tron since it is the newest ride and a thrilling roller coaster attraction. Then I would get it for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train since that ride is always a very lengthy line. Lastly, I would get it for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure since it is the newest ride at the park!
Hollywood Studios
At Hollywood Studios I would certainly get one for Tower of Terror. That ride is iconic and is very fun for the entire family. Next up I would get one for Slinky Dog Dash as that can get a rather lengthy line and the queue is entirely outdoors and can be uncomfortable to wait in. Lastly, I would get one for Rockin Rollercoaster as that is an E ticket within the park and also garners high wait times.
Animal Kingdom
Over at Animal Kingdom I would reserve a Lightning Lane for the parks headliner attraction, Kilimanjaro Safari’s. This is a very long ride that takes you through many animal habitats and the vehicles come up and close to some of the animals! Next up, definitely reserve Expedition Everest. This is the park’s highly themed high speed roller coaster that takes you through Mt. Everest and you even come face to face with a Yeti! For your third option I would do Navi River Journey as this is a beautiful short boat ride that often gets very high wait times due to its low capacity.
Epcot
At Epcot, I would get my first Lightning Lane for Test Track! The ride officially reopens July 22nd and includes all new ride vehicles and scenes! Next, I would get one for Spaceship Earth as that is a very nice ride with air conditioning and it’s a long and great for the entire family. For your third option, I would get Soarin’ Around The World which is a hang gliding simulator that takes you to iconic places around the world.
There you have it! That is the BEST way to Maximize your Lightning Lane’s at Disney parks on each coast. If you want to book your Disneyland or Walt Disney World you can do it right here!
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