Lightning Lane explained for UK visitors
Disney's paid queue skip is not in your ticket. How it works, what it costs, and when to buy it.
Lightning Lane is the paid queue-skipping system at Walt Disney World, and it confuses UK visitors because it replaced the free FastPass system they remember and it is not included in any UK ticket. Here is how it works and whether you need it.
The two products
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is bought per person per day for one park. It lets you book return-time windows for a list of attractions, three at a time to begin with, then one more each time you use one. The price varies by park and date and is typically $15 to $35 per person per day. Lightning Lane Single Pass is a separate purchase for the two or three headline rides in each park, such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Guardians of the Galaxy, at $10 to $25 per ride. Neither is a general skip-the-line pass; each one is a set of appointments.
Do UK tickets include it?
No. The Magic Tickets include Park Hopper, water parks and Memory Maker, but Lightning Lane is a per-day purchase inside the My Disney Experience app. You can buy it up to seven days ahead if you are staying at a Disney hotel, or three days ahead if not.
Is it worth it?
On a busy day, yes. Multi Pass can save two or three hours of queueing and let you ride the popular attractions twice. On a quiet day in September or late January it is often unnecessary because standby waits are short. Our rule: buy it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on any day you are there, buy it for EPCOT and Animal Kingdom only on peak dates.
How to use it well
- Book your first three selections as early as the app lets you, which is 7am on the day.
- Choose the rides with the longest standby waits, not the ones you like most.
- Stack return times in the afternoon so your morning is free for rope-drop standby queues.
- Rebook immediately after tapping in. The next slot is often within the hour.
The alternative
Disney After Hours events give three hours of near-zero waits on twenty-plus attractions for a fixed price. For a family that would otherwise buy Lightning Lane on several days, one After Hours night can be better value.
