When Disney first announced that its paid skip-the-line service was changing, we had two reactions. One: freak out. Two: put on our reading glasses and detective hats. Why? Well, often, the IMPORTANT stuff is often hiding in the little details and the fine print.
Lightning Lane sign for Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
But who wants to comb through pages and pages of words? You’re not in school — you don’t want homework! Luckily, we did the work for you. After reading the small print and looking at all the details on Disney’s new Lightning Lane Single and Multi Pass, we noticed something that seems to be confusing a lot of people. Let’s talk about it!
Let’s start with the basics. Disney Genie+ was Disney’s old paid skip-the-line service. But starting July 24th, the system is called Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and Individual Lightning Lanes (where you paid per ride) are called Lightning Lane Single Pass. Updates include:
- Making Lightning Lane plans BEFORE you’re in Disney World
- You can book your first three Lightning Lane reservations seven days before your trip if you are staying in a Disney World hotel
- You can book your first three Lightning Lane reservations three days before your trip if you are not staying in a Disney World hotel
- Choosing your attractions and times before purchasing
- Booking Lightning Lane reservations for multiple vacation days, all in a single day
©Disney
Now, this one might be a bit of a throwback, but it’s important, so pay attention! Disney has also introduced (or reintroduced, technically) a tiered system for ride selections.
©Disney
Three of the Disney World parks, including Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, group its rides into categories, and when making your first three Lightning Lane reservations, you must choose one experience from a higher-tiered group and two experiences (or all three) from a lower-tiered group. The tiered system does not apply at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Tower of Terror
If you remember using Disney’s (free) FastPass+ service, this tiered system may sound familiar! We have a full list of the rides (and ride categories) — check it out before your vacation!
Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disney World
Attraction Sign at Animal Kingdom directing Guests to Standby Line and Lightning Lane Entrances
We’ve had several readers ask if the new system limits you to three Lightning Lane reservations per day. But per Disney’s updates, you can make as many reservations as you want — as long as you book them one at a time on the day of your visit.
Disney Genie+ allows you to book the Lightning Lane for rides.
Additionally, we’ve heard some questions about how this will impact Lightning Lane “stacking.” Under the old Disney Genie+ service, you could “stack” your Lightning Lane reservations for later in the day, giving you a whole lineup of attractions to ride via the Lighting Lane back-to-back.
Scanning into a Lightning Lane at Disney World
With this system, you can only be holding three reservations at a time, so you can’t really stack.
Test Track
We’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
The “I’m So Tired; Just Tell Me What To Do” Guide To Choosing the Perfect Disney World Hotel
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Sounds like more confusion. Disney is making the park experience very stressful when it should be fun.
Reads to me like you can only hold three at a time so I wouldn’t call that stacking.
Can you test whether you can ride the same attraction more than once with the multi-pass?
Hi Farrah! We will be testing the Multi Pass on July 24th and will have more answers then for sure!
If you are park hopping and purchase the multiple park option, can you select your first three rides in the second park at the same time you are selcting your intial three rides in the first park, or do you have to add the seocnd park rides one-at-a-time as you use the first park rides you selected? Depending on when you use your first three selcectins and what time you move to the second park, that might mean there is no availability for LLs in the seocnd park then…
We currently have reservations for late this year. When we are seven days out is that when we can purchase LL multi pass and make our selections OR can we simply add LL multi-pass to our vacation package now and make our selections at the required seven day window? In other words can we purchase LL multi pass now?
So, if I carry the 2 over and divide that by Pi, it tells me that quite a lot of YouTubers will be making videos the week of July 24th. Also, quite a lot of angry people will be wanting to know why all of the “stacking tips” no longer work. I do like the ability to pre-select some rides, no more waking up before 7am just to jam out on your phone to make your first “premium service” ride selection of the day. The potential loss of the 2-hour rule could really hurt this service, if you first G+ LL is later than two hours from park opens you could lose a Genie + Premium Service Lightning Lane Selection Experience.
What about annual pass holders. When can they reserve lightning passes.
Interesting that Seven Dwarves Mine Train isn’t on either list. No LL for that at all?
Do we know if we are still limited to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass purchases per day?
It is 3 lightning lane’s /park 7 days in advance or 3 lightning lane’s total with the multipass?
Sounds good but I have a feeling that as soon as you use the first of your multi passes, and try to book a new one, there will be very few if any availability left. Especially if you tend to arrive in the afternoon like we do.
Funny how Disney took away our free fast passes, replaced it with the crappy and confusing Genie, then basically brought back the fast passes but with a cost, and we’re actually exited for the change. 🙁 If they had just started charging for fast passes we’d have been angrier, but this way we’re actually glad to have them back even if paying for them. You suck Disney management, for adopting the airlines’ nickel & dime approach to megaprofits.
FIngers crossed we can ride an attraction more than once!
We’ve got really used to staying on property and using early hours to go on a ride like Rise of Resistance (and maybe one or two others) before heading out of the park back to the resort to chill by the pool, do something else with our day, or mooch around the park and get lunch etc. Whilst doing that, I would be stacking rides every two hours from 7am. By 5pm, we would usually have five rides stacked and possibly a virtual queue, so we’d go and hammer through some rides. It worked really well. I’m really hoping they’ll allow us to book every 2 hours still too!
I miss the paper fast passes!
We will arrive on July 26 and are staying in a WDW hotel. I assume I will have to wait until July 24 to make our Lightning Lane Multi Pass purchases when it rolls out. That will not give me my 7 days out time. Also, since Season Passholders still must have park reservations, does that affect the parks I can purchase the Lightning Lane Passes for?
I definitely read it as only 3 held at any one time. It seems stacking no longer applies but my question is this, can they overlap like G+stack times or are we back to old school, one hour windows without overlap?
Didn’t like the fast pass plus back then and don’t like it now. And…I definitely do not like the tiered system! Talk about controlling ones park day!
Bring back the old paper system, free of charge! Fastpasses were fair game for all and FREE!
Hi Leticia. You will have to make sure you have the park reservation for the park you are wanting to visit and use the Multi Pass on or you will have to check in to the park with your reservation and then hop over to the other park.
Hi Janice! It’s 3 Multi Pass Lightning Lanes per day/park that you choose to use it, 7 days in advance of your first day/check-in date if you are staying at a Disney Resort.
Hi Laura! Yes, you will still be limited to two Lightning Lane Single Pass purchases per day.
My worry is for local annual pass holders will there still be availability of LL at the three day mark when Disney hotel guests have a huge lead in getting these reservations.
Seems like getting more on property guests might be part of reason for this change. With genie+ everyone had the same chances at 7:00 am and throughout the day.
Also the tier 1 are the main rides it’s good for so curious how many of these you can get in a day.
Are you going to be able to see what’s still available before you buy the lightning lanes. Like if the ride you wanted to book is already sold out maybe you wouldn’t be buy it.
Hi Fred! According to Disney’s website guests with date-based theme park tickets (which require the Guest to choose a start date at the time of purchase) can purchase 3 days before the first day of their ticket, for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket.
Guests with other ticket types* can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
Annual Passholders* can purchase 3 days before their park visit.
Hi Donna! Disney has said that you will be able to see what you can book before purchasing and that the tiers are only for advanced booking.
Hi William. You will not be able to purchase Multi Pass until 7 days before you check in to your resort (if staying in a Disney Resort) or 3 days prior to your first park visit if you are staying off site. You will not be able to add this feature before that time.
Hi Jason! With Multi Pass, you will only be allowed to select rides in one park in advance even if you have Park Hopper. Once you have scanned in to your first ride on your day of visit, however, you will then be able to pick up any rides in any of the other parks.
The only thing I don’t like about the new system is that it will force me to go in the mornings if I want to get more than one tier 1 ride. I enjoyed getting breakfast, relaxing by the pool, stacking lightning lanes all day, and then arriving at the park later in the afternoon or early evening. I especially preferred this with Hollywood Studios. It will be impossible to do this now unless I’m willing to give up the tier 1 rides, in which case I’m not.
I am an AP holder, with park reservations already for our trip and since we are also DVC, we will be staying on site at our home resort. When am I able to book these please?
Hi Diana! You will be able to book your Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections 7 days before check-in.
Can you explain the part where you said you can “probably (in-theory) stack lighting lanes” with the new system? The way I read it is that you can only hold 3 at a time. How is that stacking?
Hi Erik. It’s just speculation at this point in time. We won’t be able to test our theories until July 24th.
So with the old fastpass system, you could book the same ride over and over after your initial 3 were used. This is how my husband and I rode FOP 4 times one day :). We all know genie+ took this possibility away. Any word how this will play out with LL multipass? We are going in September and it would be great if I could snag some of the popular rides my toddler loves more than once!
Hi Laura! Disney has not said one way or the other if you will be able to book the same ride multiple times, but we will have more information on that once the new system rolls out on July 24th.
What happens if my original 3 LL selections are all in the evening? I want to know if it’s possible to hold more than three at once after a waiting period between getting your previous one (like the 2 hour wait period for the current system). If i go to prebook at Studios and i can’t get Slinky Dog until 4pm, does that clog up the works, or is there at time at which i can get another pass to “replace” that one even if i haven’t used it yet?
I know that in the fastpass days you had to use all 3 before getting another one…but fastpass was FREE for everyone, so there was more demand. If i’m paying $25-35/person for this, i want to know for sure that i’m getting more than 3 of them in one day. if i’m only getting 3 in one day, and two of them have to be from tier 2, it’s not worth it.
On the Disney site, it clearly states the following in the section on Lightning Lane passes, How to Purchase and Use Passes: “Important Notice
Limit one Lightning Lane entry per attraction, per day.” I don’t like this answer, but that is what the Disney site says.
Another example of disneys short term corporate greed in exchange for long term loyalty. This system is confusing and a waste of time and money. If you pay for a fast pass and the ride is down you lose your money and you get no ride. This is complete bs.
Really not happy that the seven days does not apply to people from the UK until they are in America. We spend a fortune staying on Disney property and flights. Makes us feel like we are not welcome from the UK.
Disneys failure to provide enough rides & charge you for the privilege, & then remove DAS for the majority, cause mayhem, stand in line to get on a ride & become ill or stressed, expect to leave a child on its own or another vulnerable person & try to fight your way back in line, hmm, not going to work.
Great job. with new multi pass when you say Disney hotel for 7 day booking of rides, are they including Disney friendly resorts?
Hi JDS! The good news is that you will be able to see what is available to you before you pay with the new system and you can keep checking back and trying to get the rides you want before you book and finalize payment.
When can you actually buy this? Our vacation starts 7/24. Does that mean we can buy at 7/17?
Hi Pat! You will not be able to purchase the Multi Pass Lightning Lane until July 24th.
I think it’s a good change overall. I do wish it was free again but Genie+ making you get up early every day of your vacation was terrible. At least now we can prebook and sleep more.
Ah, for the good old days.
When people went to Disney World, decided on the ride they wanted,
got in line, waited until they were next, and enjoyed the ride.
Then headed for the next ride.
/sarcasm. (grin)
I think I will like this new way to schedule rides. I am the type of person who likes to plan ahead and will book everything before I get there. it sounds a lot easier than Genie+ getting up at 7am to book rides.