Things are CHANGING fast with Lightning Lanes.
Magic Kingdom
Disney shocked the theme park world on June 25th by announcing a massive overhaul to their Genie+ skip-the-line system, which will go into effect on July 24th. Not only will the program’s name change — with terminology changing from Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass respectively — but the entire structure of how and when attractions are booked is different.
According to Disney, the new Lightning Lane structure will “blend features from our current services and the previously offered FastPass+ service, giving guests the choice to plan ahead and removing the hassle of planning during their vacation.” The company says this was due to guest feedback, which indicated that many Disney visitors would “prefer to have the option to do more of their planning before their theme park day.”
On a base level, the new system works like this:
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
You will now be able to make 3 Lightning Lane selections in one Disney World theme park, in advance of your visit (yes, that does sound familiar) and choose available times as you make your selections. From there, as you use each selection on the day of your visit, you can use the My Disney Experience app to make an additional selection based on availability.
Lightning Lane Single Pass
Lightning Lane Single Pass will remain similar to Individual Lightning Lanes in concept. You’ll still be able to “secure a time to ride one of (Disney’s) most highly demanded attractions” for an additional charge. However, you’ll now be able to make said purchase and plan in advance.
Timing-wise, “Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel and other select hotels will be able to plan Lightning Lane passes up to 7 days in advance, for their entire stay (up to 14 days). All other guests can plan up to 3 days in advance.”
Kali River Rapids Lightning Lane sign in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
However, both we and many of you, our readers, have some questions about the new Lightning Lanes and how they’re going to work come July 24h. We did our best to find out answers to some of the most burning queries.
How Much Does it Cost?
Arguably the question asked whenever Disney introduces anything new regarding price. According to Disney, “Pricing for Lightning Lane passes varies by date and theme park or attraction, and purchase is subject to limited availability.”
What Time Do Purchases and Reservations Open Up 7 Days Ahead of Time and 3 Days Ahead of Time Respectively?
According to Disney, “Guests can purchase Lightning Lane passes for days they have valid theme park admission starting at 7:00 AM Eastern Time on their first day of eligibility.”
Do You Purchase Multi-Pass and Reserve a Lightning Lane at the Same Time?
Yes, you reserve your Lightning Lanes (both multi and single) at the time of purchase.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Do Lightning Lane Single Pass Reservations Open at the Same Time?
Yes, according to Disney the availability for both Multi-pass and Single Pass Lightning Lane opens at the same time.
Is There Still a 2-hour “Cooldown” Period?
No, there is no longer a 120-minute “cooldown” period. You can hold up to 3 Lightning Lanes at any given time.
Slinky Dog Dash
If You Book 3 Lightning Lanes Ahead of Time in the Evening, Do You Have to Wait Until You Use Your First One Before You Can Book the 4th?
Yes, it seems that you will be allowed to book your next Lightning Lane pass once your earliest Lightning Lane pass has been used (or its arrival window has passed) no matter how late in the day that said earliest arrival window is.
Will the System Warn You if You Have Overlapping Plans Such as Advance Dining Reservations?
According to Disney, the system with “recommend arrival windows that work with your plans” including dining reservations to avoid overlapping bookings.
©Disney
Is Park Hopping an Option?
According to Disney, “When you purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for a theme park, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 3 multi-pass experiences and arrival windows in the same theme park. Once you redeem a selection on the day of your park visit, you can use the My Disney Experience app to choose another multi-pass experience in any Walt Disney World theme park (subject to availability), as long as you have a valid ticket with the Park Hopper option or an Annual Pass. The ability to visit another park is subject to the park’s capacity limitations.”
Are There Any Differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland?
In the past, Disney’s various incarnations of FastPass and Genie+ have sometimes included differences in procedure between Disney’s east coast and west coast U.S. resorts. That’s still the case, as Disneyland will not be offering the same pre-purchase windows available at Walt Disney World. Instead, if you’re visiting the Disneyland Resort, you’ll be able to make your selections after entering your first park of the day. There are several other slight differences as well.
©Disney
Can Plans be Changed and Modified?
Yes, according to Disney Lightning Lane reservations can be changed and modified in the My Disney Experience App. However, these modifications are subject to availability, and there may be price differences involved if switching days and/or parks.
Are Lightning Lane Single Pass Eligible Rides also Available for Multi-Pass?
No, the Walt Disney World rides eligible for singles passes — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tron Lightcycle/Run, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Rise of the Resistance, and Avatar: Flight of Passage — are NOT available as Multi-Pass Lightning Lanes.
TRON Lightcycle / Run
Are Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Rides Separated into Tiers?
Yes. At the Magic Kingdom…
©Disney
…EPCOT…
©Disney
… and Hollywood Studios, multi-pass rides are separated into tiers. You can select one of the top tier and two (or all three if you choose) of the second tier for your initial three Lightning Lanes. Your fourth can be from either list once you’re eligible to pick it.
©Disney
Of note, Animal Kingdom does not feature any tiers.
©Disney
What If July 24th Is In the Middle of My Trip?
DFB reader Molly has a Disney World trip planned for July, and the 24th (when this new Lightning Lane system rolls out) is right in the middle of her trip. She asked a Cast Member whether she would be able to book her Lightning Lanes seven days in advance or if she couldn’t do it until the 24th (when the changes start).
The Cast Member responded that you can plan in advance beginning on the 24th, so Molly could not make her reservations in advance for this trip.
If you have a trip planned and July 24th falls right in the middle of it, you won’t be able to plan ahead until the 24th.
There is A LOT to take in about Disney’s new Lightning Lane system, and surely more will change in the lead-up to and aftermath of its July 24th introduction. Stay tuned to DFB for all the latest on these changes.
13 Unforgivable Disney World Changes
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What do you think of the new Lightning Lane systems? Are you happy to see elements of FastPass+ return, or will you miss Genie+? Let us know in the comments below.
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As usual, thank you so much for quickly jumping in and giving us so much information about the new Lightning Lane passes. I have two additional questions: 1) I get that we can’t book a multi-pass LL in a second park until we’ve used our first multi-pass LL in the first park. But will we be able to book two single-pass LLs seven days ahead at 7am in two different parks (for example, TRON in Magic Kingdom and Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom)? And 2) I don’t see any meet-and-greets in any tiers – where do they fit in?
Thank you!
We’re trying to figure out if we’ll be able to book the three passes for every day of our trip 7 days in advance or 3. We will be staying at a Disney moderate resort but we’ll have 9-day non-date-based tickets from Shades of Green. Will or resort make us 7-day-in-advance or will our tickets make us 3-day-in-advance?
Good piece! First time I have seen the actual tier breakdown.
Do the single lanes purchase also have to be in the same park that the multi is in if both purchased? Can I get a Rise single lane but get a multi pass for MK (w PH tickets of course)
Hi Christie! No, if you have the Park Hopper you should be able to make Lightning Lane Single Pass reservations in a different park, just make sure you allow yourself enough time to get there.
Hi Lance! Yes, resort guests staying in Walt Disney World resorts as well as Disney World Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green will be able to purchase both Multi Pass and Single Pass options up to 7 days in advance.
Thanks for this thread. Am I correct in assuming virtual queues will be no more?? So unless we pay for single pass won’t be able to.ride the most popular rides? Or will there be a normal queue? I’m.sure as time passes more information will come out of Disney
Hi Alison. As of right now, Disney has not said they have plans to get rid of Virtual Queues.
Is it really true that non US visitors can’t book them in advance unless they are already on US ground?
Hi, I’m from the UK – coming to WDW in September. Thanks for the info! However, I’m pretty concerned at the news that international visitors can’t book until they arrive in the US. Do you think there will be any movement on this? We used Genie + last year and I actually really liked it.
And people visiting Disney World from outside US were stabbed in the back. We can’t make any advance bookings until we arrive US, usually previous days and everyone can guess how much better rides are available at that point. Not good and our next visit, eould have been the 20th visit, in December will be canceled. Luckily there are other parks to visit
A few questions: our vacation is from 7/27/24-8/10/24 – so my understanding is we cannot book multi passes or single passes until 7/24/24 correct? – or can we book 7 days before our actual arrival date which would be 7/20/24? (7 days prior to 7/27/24) – the other thing when you pick your multipass and single pass do you pay for them upfront and how much do each of them cost?
Hi Karen! It is our understanding at this time that you will not be able to purchase the Mutli Pass until July 24th. Genie+ will still be active through July 23rd so there doesn’t appear to be any way to purchase a Multi Pass prior to July 24th.
I appreciate this update, but you haven’t yet addressed the fact that anyone travelling from abroad will probably not be able to use this new system due to arrival dates. Very upset about this considering how much money people put into these trips.
So you can only have one tier 1 multi-pass selection at any given time during the day?
Thanks! Joe
What is the maximum rides we can hole for? After we used the first one we can book the 4th, then can we still book the 5th one after we use the 2nd ?
Hi Clover. You can hold 3 at one time so once you ride the first one, you can book the next one and keep stacking them that way. 🙂
Same question…what about international travelers? I’m from Canada and I’m only going to be in the US 1 day prior to my first park day. This is outrageous…I’m staying at a Disney resort and should be able to ge the same perks whether being in the US or not. Please please confirm this piece of news…very stressful
Hi Mbff. At this time, you have to be in the US to purchase the Multi Pass option, but we are keeping an eye on the situation to see if Disney makes any changes to that or rolls out a different option for International guests.
Thank you for your reply. I’ve registered my formal complaint with Disney, I think all international travelers should!
Great news! One additional question: Can we choose to only purchase multi-pass for certain days of our trip, like Genie+ now? For example, I’d like to purchase multi-pass for 2 park days but don’t want it for my other 2 park days. Can I just purchase for 2 dates or do I have to purchase for all 4 park days?
Thank you!
How about the 1st selection after you have redeemed your first lightning lane. If you redeemed a tier 1 ride is your next selection a tier 1? If you redeemed a tier 2 ride is your next selection only a tier 2 choice?
I’m with all the other international guests on this one; I think it’s a great idea but I’m so disappointed that this will not be available to me at the same time as it will for US guests. We travel to Orlando once or twice a year and stay at the Disney resorts and I don’t think is fair at all. Although, I haven’t seen this confirmed by Disney so I’m hoping it might not be correct!
Just fyi…according to the Disneyland website (https://disneyland.disney.go.com/genie/lightning-lane/), the name is the ONLY thing changing, not how it works. Meaning, you won’t be selecting 3 choices even after you scan into the park. It’s the same old Genie+ for Disneyland…just with a different (more boring? sillier?) name.
Great article. Thank you very much! I have much to learn about this new system, but I like it. I am most excited about experiencing WDW with my family and less so with my nose in my smart phone. The rules seem similar to the old Fastpass +, which was a free system , which we all remember. Thanks again for the great article.
Do the rides also have a Virtual Queue and what time can you enter that queue?
Hi! Okay! I just returned (3 hours ago!) from a spontaneous 72 hour trip to the Parks and am so fortunate to get that last hurrah of Genie+. My question is – let’s say I pick Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as my top tier. But I was hoping to ride Peter Pan too. Basically I pick one to breeze through the line and the other I have to wait the normal weight time? And then also, let’s go back to wanting to ride Tier 1 Tiana at MK. I decided on my trip I want to end the night in Epcot since it closes early for the Halloween party guests. I want to ride Remy. At this point I have to also wait in the long Remy ride wait and not a Lightning Lane bc I already used my Tier 1 at MK? Thanks!!
If we are staying multiple days do we have to buy Multi-Ride passes for the entire length of stay or can we pick and choose days and parks?
Thanks
Do you know if we can purchase 2 LL Single Passes in 2 different parks in advanced? I plan on doing AK and Epcot in 1 day, but wanted to buy a single pass for both Guardians and Flight.
I think it is ridiculous to charge for a ticket and then charge for a place in line. bring back the fast pass.
My question which I asked on previous posts you have given about this new system. What is the party size limit? We have 15 people. Will we be able to use it with just one person/account?
I’m staying outside of Disney World, so I’m in the 3 day advance booking Window for the new Multi-Pass lighting rides. So here’s my problem, unless something else has changed, You must buy into the new program by 7am, for one of the four parks. What happens if there is NO lighting rides available?? You have already
chosen your park (the same one your Park reservation is for), you can’t pivot and look at
another park. Is your money refunded?
The best takeaway I have here is the “can hold up to 3 lightning lanes at anytime”. This can be HUGE to get more bang for the buck!
So essentially locals will not have much of an opportunity to get individual lightening lanes? 🤷🏼♀️
So, I’m not completely clear on something. If my trip is, say, November 7-14, and I stay in a Disney resort, I can buy my Multipass and make my selections on November 1. On November 1, can I buy Multipass for all 7 days of my trip and make reservation selections for all 7 days?
Will we still be able to purchase 2 single pass rides in 2 different parks like can be done currently if we have hopper tickets?
Love that the old system is back over genie plus. We felt like we were on our phones all day. Disappointed that we cannot do our 7 day ahead booking as we are from Canada. We also are dvc members and staying on the resort. Seems a bit unfair to the people travelling a greater distance to come to the parks.
Did I miss it? I did not see Rise of the resistance on the Hollywood Studios list? Is there a reason for that?
I am so disappointed by this new system–in attempting to please everyone they have only succeeded in making things more difficult. I stay off property when I visit, so I wonder if there will be anything “left” three days out from my trip. If there is, it will likely only be the time slots later in the day, nothing “desirable” in the morning. At least with Genie+ I could get lightning lane for a few things early in the day, even if they weren’t my favorites, so that I would be able to enjoy attractions throughout the day.
Eliminating the two hour cooldown sounds great until you realize that if your first multi-pass attraction isn’t until very late in the day, you won’t be able to use the service at all during the beginning of the day.
The tier system is also quite concerning. I fully understand that some rides are more popular than others, and they have to balance demand so the lines for the top rides don’t wind all the way through the parks and out into the parking lot. Using Hollywood Studios as an example, my two MUSTS are Runaway Railway and Slinky Dog Dash. If I get a late time slot for one of them, I won’t be able to get a reservation for the other one because there won’t be anything left. If I prioritize riding Slinky Dog at night and pick a late time slot, I probably won’t get to enjoy MMRR.
Couple this with the DAS changes (yes, I have medical documentation from my doctor about the accommodations needed and it was fine for years but I no longer qualify under the new DAS rules) and my upcoming trip in October will likely be my last visit to Disney World. Honestly I would cancel but am hopeful that as we get more information the new Multi-Pass system won’t seem quite so terrible as it currently sounds.
Hi Faith! Yes, you will be able to book your advance Multi Pass selections on November 1st for the entirety of your trip.
I will miss the stacking that I could do with G+ BUT that is the only thing. I have been saying all along that they should have kept FP+ and just started charging for it. No I do not like paying for it but let’s be honest, most if not all parks charge nowadays. I also found myself on my phone a LOT more with G+, setting alarm for every 2 hours etc. So currently very happy with the change, but time will tell.
Same here, I’m waiting for more information but if things stay the same for international travelers, I’m gonna cancel my trip. I’m beyond disappointed…
Hi Robert! It’s my understanding that you will be able to make the selections before you pay so if you choose a park that doesn’t have any selections available that you’re interested in, you can switch the park and choose your selections there and then pay. If you’re a passholder or do not have a date-based ticket, you would still have to check in to your first park, but if you have a date-based ticket and don’t have to make reservations you should be good to go.
Disney has not given the party size limit at this time. We do know that Genie+ had a maximum party size limit of 12 people, but we do not yet know if the same limit applies to the Multi Pass option.
Hi Brooke! Yes, for the Lightning Lane Single Pass you will be able to purchase them in separate parks, but you can still only hold two.
They had better fix this massive PR mess in the making, quickly…..as a Canadian, to be treated as a 2nd class citizen on this one, it is completely unacceptable. We are scheduled to go for our annual trip in August, and are seriously considering cancelling. This is a kick in the face to their significant international visitor base!
Fix it, Disney!
Hi Jenna! No, it is my understanding that the tiers exist only for advance selections, but it will not be a tiered system once you are in the park and use the first pass.
While I agree that it makes no sense to exclude international visitors from the 7-day advance booking perk, it’s just not true that “there won’t be anything left” or “all the good time slots will be gone.” I make multiple trips to WDW every year and I always book with the masses. I log on as soon as allowed and have no trouble booking rides. Only when a ride is new have I been unable to book, but then many hotel guests can’t either. 3 days in advance will still put you ahead of many who wait until the last minute for booking. Being treated differently is a separate issue.
Hi Colleen! Yes, you can choose to purchase the Multi Pass for certain days and are not required to purchase it for the entirety of your trip, but you can purchase the days you would like to use it for each day of the trip you have booked.
For the people saying there will still be lots of choice available for international visitors, 2 things for you: 1) None of us have any idea on how true or untrue that is, until it goes live….you may be right…you may be wrong…2) The point is about unreasonable inequity….A visitor coming from Canada, or the UK, or anywhere else, pays for their resort/ticket package in the same way US visitors pay for theirs, yet are not being offered the same opportunity or potential experience…..and for Disney to blame it on technical limitations, is lame